I glanced around me with my thermal vision on, and there were heat signatures in every direction. They were all making clicking noises with their mouths.

"This is how they communicate," Allison said. "They don’t communicate normally when in front of others."

Suddenly, the skinwalkers started to transform, and the entire area became enveloped in thick white fog. So much so that we couldn’t even see. I had to use my thermal vision to make them out while Liora seemed to be relying on her sense of smell and hearing.

The first skinwalker to attack took the form of a tiger. It immediately went after my throat, but before it could get close enough for the kill, I slit its stomach open, leaving its organs to fall out as I went for the other skinwalker that was shaped like a giant anaconda.

It wrapped itself around Allison to the point where her breathing was slowing. The moment I got close, it lunged at me at a terrifying speed. I got out of its path just in the nick of time. With its body extended, I decapitated its head with just a single swing.

The other skinwalkers fell at my feet as I slowly dismantled their tribe. With the help of the others, we slaughtered 15 skinwalkers in total, which allowed me to level up.

[Congratulations! You have ascended to Level 20:

+10% Strength

+10% Bite Force

+13% Claw Sharpness

+15% Hearing]

My stats went up, but not by the same amounts as they did in the beginning. They seemed smaller, and I didn’t gain any new skills either. Maybe the more I level up, the harder it is to increase my stats and the fewer skills I get. I guess it would be wiser to focus on evolving my current skills.

I glanced around to see everyone breathing heavily. The battle seemed to have taken a toll on them.

"What the hell! How are you perfectly fine?" Derrick asked with a look of disbelief. He was covered in slashes and bite marks, and his chest was heaving as he lay on the ground. "How much did you level up when fighting the Demogorgon?"

"Probably the same as you. My healing improved too; that’s why I seem completely unaffected."

That was a bit of a lie. None of the skinwalkers had managed to land a single attack on me. They were all weaker than the first one I fought. But if I told them that, they would only look at me as some sort of freak. It was blatantly obvious that I was not a normal werewolf, but I would like to have some semblance of normalcy.

"What do we do with the other skinwalkers we killed?" Liora asked.

"We should carry them back with us. That prick of an alpha will freak out when he sees how powerful we are." Derrick answered with a grin.

"We’re not doing that," I quickly interjected. "The one I killed is strong enough for them to know our worth. I’m feeding the rest to my hounds."

After saying that, I quickly summoned my shadow hounds, and they began feasting on what remained of the skinwalkers. They tore through flesh and swallowed bones as if they were nothing. It was weirdly satisfying watching my beasts feast, but the others didn’t feel that way since they were scowling.

When they were done eating, they all rushed over to me, expecting head pats and belly rubs. With a sigh, I began patting them each on the head, which caused some of them to start wagging their tails, practically jumping up and down.

When I was done with my shadow hounds, the others seemed to have been healed.

"You guys ready to leave?" I asked.

They all grunted and nodded.

"Liam, you should carry the skinwalker back since you’re not injured," Derrick said while stretching his back and grunting.

"Huh? You said you would carry it."

"Change of plans. Let’s go."

Sigh.

Against my will, I picked up the bloody corpse of the skinwalker and tossed it over my shoulders.

...

About half an hour later, we arrived back at the village. The villagers looked at us with curious eyes as they saw the skinwalker slung over my shoulder. I carried the bloody corpse until I arrived back at the banquet house.

The alpha was standing outside to greet us. He had a blank look on his face as he saw us approach. My mother and my father stood beside him, smiling. Curiously, I didn’t see Lily around.

We stopped right in front of the alpha and tossed the skinwalker onto the ground so he could examine it. He looked a bit satisfied when he saw the golden markings on the creature.

"Well done," he muttered.

Strangely, people of the village started to surround us, forming a circle. A wave of chatter ensued as they saw the skinwalker. The alpha smiled confidently and stepped forward.

"People of the Lycan village. Our princess has returned to us," he said so all could hear, and he directed their attention to my mother. My mother smiled and waved to them. "She has brought with her her husband and powerful children who have just proven themselves to be worthy of our pack. If you don’t believe me, then take a look at the beast that lies dead at your feet and tell me it is not so!"

Immediately, more chatter erupted among the people. I watched as their opinion of us slowly changed with the alpha’s words.

"Let us welcome them. As we need strong people in these trying times. We need people with strength and who aren’t afraid to fight. We need warriors!" he roared, and suddenly everyone went silent.

Seeing this, an alarm went off in my mind. Having the power to control others like this was terrifying.

The alpha approached the five of us. He stared at us intently and without any warning, he grabbed Allison and pulled her in close. Derrick and I reacted immediately, but our mother signaled us not to move. The alpha stared at Allison before two sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, and he sunk his teeth into Allison’s neck before releasing.

Allison’s eyes flashed yellow, and the blood flowing in the veins of her neck also turned yellow. For a second, it looked as if she was going to faint, but she caught herself. After regaining her composure, the look Allison gave the alpha was one of utter devotion. It was as if she was staring at her god.

He continued to do the same thing to Derrick, Liora, and Isabella, and it was all the same. They all looked at him with utter devotion. Soon it was my turn, and the alpha approached me with sharp eyes before sinking his fangs into my neck.

[Pack recruitment initializing... 99%]

[You are now a part of the Lycann pack which contains 78 members]

[Initializing submission to Alpha Roran... 99%]

[Initializing failed. User cannot be tamed.]