Return of The Alpha Heiress-Chapter 39: Clarissa - Hunting Day

Hunting Day was a festival to remind werewolves how their kind used to gather food before winter.

With traps and breeding technology, real hunting was no longer necessary. Over time, the instinct to hunt started to fade.

That was why every academy held Hunting Day every year.

Shannon, Larry, and Edwin gathered in the living room in their wolf forms.

Two large brown wolves with thick fur that looked brave and powerful, and one smaller golden wolf that looked elegant.

Meanwhile, I still couldn’t shift, but the shifting clothes were comfortable even for someone like me who didn’t need them.

The material was soft, mixed with flexible yet sturdy leather. The emerald accents made the outfit look luxurious.

"Mother’s children are all so wonderful," Mother said excitedly, even praising me.

If only I could hide behind a rock. I was the only one who couldn’t shift. Embarrassing didn’t even begin to cover it.

Other than preparing clothes, there were many things to get ready for the festival, but I wasn’t interested. I wouldn’t be hunting anyway.

In the following days, the teachers seemed to understand that students needed to prepare. Classes ended early, and there was no homework.

I used the time to polish my proposal while waiting for Darren to finally be free from his endless work.

Before I knew it, Hunting Day arrived.

After eleven years at this academy, this was my first time joining.

Every student was assigned based on class rank, but each had their own tent. Shannon and I shared one. Our tent had emerald patterns, marking it as belonging to the Green siblings.

The hunt had already begun.

Meanwhile, I stayed inside, working on the Shifter’s Aide proposal.

Hunting had nothing to do with an omega like me who couldn’t shift.

After a long while, boredom started creeping in.

In the middle of that boredom, I caught Shannon’s scent.

Perfect timing. I’m so bored. I want to see if she’s caught anything yet.

I stepped out of the tent, but there was no one outside.

The scent I smelled earlier had completely vanished.

"Did I smell wrong...?"

I turned to go back inside.

As I opened the tent flap, fast footsteps rushed from behind.

I turned around and saw a huge wild boar charging straight at me.

There were wounds on its body. It must have escaped from another student’s hunt.

The boar glared at me with hostility.

I had stepped out at the worst possible moment.

The tent could block attacks from adult werewolves, but if I stood outside, that protection meant nothing.

My mind raced.

Run inside? Too late.

Hide behind the tent? I’d get caught instantly. My legs were nowhere near as fast as a wild boar’s.

As it rushed closer, death felt only a breath away.

My body trembled. My nerves tightened like strings pulled to their limits.

Suddenly, something snapped inside me. I didn’t understand what it was.

At that moment, the wild boar seemed to slow down.

For a split second, relief washed over me. I had a chance to survive.

I turned toward the tent to escape, but—

My body was slow. Too slow.

I was already facing the tent, so I had no choice but to try to get inside.

I’m really going to die.

Brugggh!

I squeezed my eyes shut as a loud impact echoed in my ears.

I crouched down, hugging my head.

I’m dead... so why doesn’t it hurt?

Slowly, I realized the crash wasn’t my body being hit.

I was still completely fine.

I turned around and saw a black werewolf with red eyes attacking the wild boar.

"Richard..." I whispered, recognizing him instantly.

But something shocked me even more—they were moving slowly.

I looked at my hands and tried moving them normally.

Slow. Everything was slow.

So Richard and the boar aren’t slow—my perception has changed. I’m seeing them in slow motion. And... I can see marks showing where they’re about to attack or dodge.

My heart thudded.

The power in my purple eyes had awakened.

It was similar to the ability Mother once told me she had.

So I truly was her biological daughter.

Warmth and joy surged through me.

Does this mean my inner wolf will awaken soon?

Will I stop being a defective omega?

Will that selfish Alpha Will finally acknowledge me as his daughter?

Will my adopted-child status change to his real daughter?

I started imagining all kinds of happy things, including a bright future as part of the Green family.

I had only daydreamed for about a minute before Richard finally defeated the wild boar with his monstrous strength.

He shifted back to human form and walked toward me.

"Why are you alone out here in the middle of the hunting grounds?" he scolded immediately. His thick brows drew together, though he still somehow looked handsome.

"I was in my tent because I’m not hunting," I replied, pouting without realizing it. Being scolded like a child irritated me.

"Didn’t your siblings tell you that anyone who isn’t hunting must gather in the designated area with the teachers?"

His tone stayed stern, and his aura was intimidating enough to make me shrink a little.

I lowered my head like a scolded kid.

"No. But..." my voice thinned to almost a whisper, "I almost died. Don’t yell at me."

"...Sorry."

His voice softened.

I looked up at him out of reflex. His dark red eyes showed real regret. Guilt pricked my chest.

"Don’t apologize. I should be thanking you for showing up and saving me."

"Good thing the best-class tents were set close together," he muttered.

"I don’t even know where the other class tents are," I answered honestly, not caring about anything related to this hunt.

"The first to third year best-class tents are grouped nearby because there are fewer students. It’s for safety. Even those who can shift and are used to hunting aren’t encouraged to wander alone. So how could you..."

He looked me up and down, then shook his head.

"If someone didn’t know better, they’d think the Green siblings were bullying you."

My pride flared.

"Maybe they did tell me. I just didn’t hear because I was too focused on my device proposal."

He only lifted a shoulder. "Come on. Let’s go to the teachers’ area."

I picked up the things I considered important and followed him.

His long legs gave him a wide stride, so he walked several steps ahead of me. From behind, I could clearly see his strong back, especially with the hunting-designed shifting clothes he wore.

I remembered how quickly he defeated the boar. Even though he wasn’t the heir and acted lazy most of the time, he had power like that.

For some reason, walking behind him made me feel safe.

Suddenly, the distance between us shrank.

He had slowed down.

"Don’t fall too far behind. There are a lot of wild beasts here," he said quietly.

My face warmed. He didn’t tell me to hurry up.

He slowed down to match my pace.

Even so, walking through the forest was far from easy.

Even for someone like me, an orphan who grew up in the remote parts of the pack, moving through branches, bushes, roots, and vines was still difficult.

Several times, I steadied myself by grabbing low-hanging vines.

Seeing another brown vine nearby, my hand reached for it automatically.

The moment I touched it, the "vine" moved.

It was a camouflaged snake.

In an instant, the brown snake coiled around my arm.

"Akh!" I yelped.

Richard spun around when he heard me and grabbed the snake, but its coils tightened before he could pull it away.

Pain shot up my arm, sharp enough to make tears prick my eyes.

The snake wasn’t very big, barely a meter long and slimmer than my arm, but its strength was vicious.

As top of the class, I had studied all kinds of snakes.

And this one... was venomous.

"Be careful, it’s poisonous," I warned him.

The snake must have sensed Richard as a threat.

It suddenly lunged and bit into his forearm.

My eyes widened in horror as its fangs sank deep into his skin.

The bite loosened its grip on me, so I managed to pull away.

But now Richard was the one caught in its coils.

Maybe the snake thought it had disabled its prey.

It released his arm for a moment—and Richard used that moment to crush its head.

I gasped at the brutal sight.

"You’ve studied this kind of snake too, right? It never lets go until its prey is dead," he said, apparently reading my thoughts.

"I didn’t say anything," I lied smoothly.

But when I looked up at Richard’s face, instead of his usual smug expression, I saw clear worry.

He must be scared the venom is spreading.

Panic rose in me.

My eyes moved to the two fang marks on his arm.

Without hesitating, I grabbed his hand, pressed my lips and sucked it.

...