Chapter 772: Elizabeth.
Leona, Natalia, and Big Guy were accompanying Bella through the grounds of The Lykos Clan.
"The Lykos Clan is one of the oldest Clans in the Society of Werewolves. Our Ancestors were here when the Progenitor of Werewolves came to Samar, a planet where wildlife roamed freely," explained Bella.
"Our Ancestors were here when the current King of Werewolves assumed power."
"At every important event that occurred on this planet, someone from The Lykos Clan was present."
Bella entered a room that turned out to be a large library.
"Being one of the oldest Clans, we have many privileges. Having such a large territory as the Clan's headquarters is one of them."
"The normal Clans, not even the current Alpha Clans, can..." Bella couldn't continue the explanation because, suddenly, they all heard a roar that made everyone's instincts go wild.
Big Guy immediately positioned himself in front of Leona and protected her from any danger. Natalia approached Leona, who was looking towards the window with a narrowed expression and prepared to use her Power at any moment.
Kaguya, Eve, Bruna, Roberta, Anna, and Maria emerged from Leona's shadow and spread out around them. They were preparing to establish a secure perimeter for the group when a different heavy sensation spread throughout the City again.
An even more terrifying sensation descended upon the City, a sensation that was very familiar to those present.
"What is this?" Bella fell to the ground while holding her own shoulders.
She felt cold, weak, and afraid. The feeling of helplessness began to grow within her body; she didn't understand what was happening.
Bella looked at Leona and saw the woman smiling gently. Not only her, even the Vampires who had suddenly appeared were smiling in the same way.
Bella wondered what had happened to make everyone react like that.
"You asked what it is?" Leona suddenly began to speak.
"Y-Yes."
"That's my Darling."
"Darling...?" Bella repeated Leona's words as if confused, but as soon as her brain started functioning again, she understood.
"You're talking about The Demon King...?"
"Yes. It seems like my Son is fighting against Fenrir," Anna replied to Bella while looking around, curious.
Bella looked at the woman with long black hair and red eyes who spoke those words with widened eyes.
'Is she the Mother of The Demon King?' These thoughts lasted only a few seconds when Anna's other words registered in her brain.
"...What!? He's fighting Fenrir?"
"Of course he is. Darling never misses a chance to fight someone strong," scoffed Maria.
"The first roar must have come from The Beast of Ragnarok. It seems like Darling has achieved one of his goals," Eve spoke quietly to Kaguya.
"Mm..." Kaguya nodded and then looked around.
"Split into pairs and spread out in the library. No one should enter while Leona is here."
"Yes!" Eve, Roberta, Bruna, and Maria accepted the orders and quickly spread out.
"Leona, I'm going to grab some books. If you want to talk to me, just call me. I'll be around," Anna said as she left to explore the library.
"Mm." Leona nodded and briefly glanced at Kaguya.
Kaguya understood the implicit message in Leona's gaze and followed Anna to protect her.
Bella, who had been observing everything, couldn't help but think that Leona was really well-protected. Each of those women gave her a rather uncomfortable feeling, especially the Maid with oriental features and the Maid with long black hair that reached her ankles.
"Continue with the explanation about my Clan."
"Oh..." Bella blinked twice and then said, "Are you just going to ignore what's happening?"
"Yes."
"Why? I mean, this is a big deal, right? Your Husband is fighting Fenrir! It's a significant event! The City must be in chaos right now."
Bella could already imagine the chaos that was unfolding throughout the City.
"It doesn't matter. My Husband won't lose to anyone. And as for the confusion this incident may cause, I'm not worried either. Knowing my Husband, he should have already charmed the Queen of The Werewolves or Maya to the point where they subconsciously desire him exclusively. They will surely do something to fix everything."
"So it's fine."
"Bitch, have you seen my Husband?"
"Yes, I saw him in the Clan report..." She remembered that even for a Vampire, he was very handsome.
"Imagine that image a thousand times more impactful when seeing him in person. No woman can be near him without unconsciously desiring him in bed."
"My Husband is like a very sexy woman that everyone fights over. Combine that with a dominant personality that makes female Werewolves wet just by being near him. He is a True Alpha."
"..." Bella didn't really know how to react to Leona's words. To her, it seemed like Leona was simply boasting about her Husband.
Natalia frowned and sighed, "Leona..."
"What? It's the truth. Didn't you see how Maya was acting? I could smell her excitement from miles away. The Queen tried to hide it herself, but I noticed her indiscreet glances."
Leona was certain that whether male or female, no one was immune to her Husband's Charm. He was called the male version of Aphrodite for a reason. He was as beautiful as the Goddess of Beauty.
"That's not the point. Could you be a bit more polite, please?"
"It's tiring... So no." Leona scoffed.
Natalia sighed again upon hearing a response that was very similar to what Violet and Agnes used to say in the past.
'Leona must certainly be a lost twin sister of Violet. Not only are their appearances nearly identical, but their personalities were also somewhat similar.' The evidence for these words became even stronger when Leona started actively interacting with Violet.
"Please, continue with the explanation," Natalia said to Bella.
"...Okay." Bella decided to simply not comment on anything Leona had said and kept that information to herself.
"Where was I?"
"You were explaining about the privileges of the Lykos Clan," Leona said.
"Ah..." Bella began to rephrase her speech in her mind and then continued, "Normal Clans, not even the current Alpha Clans, can have territories as large as the Royal Capital. That is an exclusive privilege of the Lykos Clan."
"As the Wife of a Progenitor, you must know something about the Progenitors, right?"
"Yes." Leona nodded with a slight smile.
For some reason, Bella found that smile from Leona quite perverted.
"Leona..." Natalia swore she would lose her patience during this trip.
"Humph, it's not my fault that your imagination is so perverted," Leona scoffed.
Bella decided to simply ignore Leona's playful remarks. "...Progenitors can initiate a whole new Species, containing hundreds of new Lineages. When you learn about these Beings in the Ancient Clan books, that's the first description you receive of them."
"The Progenitor of The Werewolves who came to Samar was no different." Bella walked to an area reserved only for High-Ranking Clan members and picked up a book that looked fairly new.
She went to the table and pointed to the seats for everyone to sit except Big Guy, who remained standing.
"At the time, this Progenitor had hundreds of Wives, but those women are not important for our discussion. What matters is this woman." Bella opened the book and an illustration of a woman who looked very much like Leona was shown.
"Elizabeth Lykos, The Strongest Wife of The Progenitor of The Werewolves and the Ancestor of The Lykos Clan. She had a Werewolf genetic mutation, a mutation that not even the Progenitor himself possessed. And it was this mutation that earned her the Title of The Strongest Werewolf of her time."
Leona and Natalia narrowed their eyes upon hearing the name.
Bella turned the pages of the book and showed a specific point to Leona and Natalia.
Both looked at where Bella was pointing.
"Elizabeth genes, as it is known today, is a mutation in the genes of Werewolves that allows for a faster advancement in their instinctive side, resulting in a significant increase in the individual's overall abilities. Anyone who has this mutation in their genes, without a shadow of a doubt, has great potential for the future."
"Due to the gradual increase in 'instincts,' some side effects, such as difficulty in controlling those instincts and emotional instability, become quite noticeable. The individual gradually becomes more of a Wolf than a rational being, which makes training from a young age extremely necessary for these individuals."
"Normally, those who have this mutation awaken their Werewolf side much earlier than normal Werewolves. While normal Werewolves awaken around the ages of 18 to 21, these individuals can awaken around the ages of 3 to 6, which also contributes to worsening their psychological state... And it's one of the factors that makes them stronger than other members of their own Race."
After finishing her reading, Leona looked at Bella with suspicious eyes.
"...Are you telling me that I have this?"
"..." Bella didn't affirm anything or respond. She remained silent. But that silence was confirmation for what Leona wanted to know.
"You're crazy," Leona said disdainfully. "I didn't awaken my Werewolf side until adulthood, and during childhood, I was extremely sick. If I had this mutation, I wouldn't have grown up so weak."
"What is the name of The Matriarch of our Clan, Leona?" Instead of saying anything else, Bella asked a question.
"Maya? Why are you asking the obvious?" Leona responded.
"I apologize. I asked the wrong question... What is the full name of The Matriarch of our Clan?"
"How would I know? I forgot." She spoke the truth. Even if she had heard it in the past, she wouldn't remember someone who was not related to Victor.
Bella felt the urge to sigh at that moment.
Fortunately, Natalia was nearby to save the day. As a Clan Leader, she had been trained to always pay attention to everything and keep every important piece of information to herself. The name of such a strong and influential woman in Werewolf Society certainly fell into that category.
"Maya Elizabeth Lykos, that's the name of The Matriarch," Natalia said.
"Right." Bella nodded and then spoke, looking at Leona, "And your name is Leona Elizabeth Lykos."
"...So what? Our names are similar, and that's it. You probably have something like that too, as a tribute to our Ancestor or something," Leona replied.
Bella shook her head from side to side, denying Leona's words. "No one in the current Lykos Clan has 'Elizabeth' in their name, only you and my mother."
Leona looked at Bella for a long moment and sighed, a bit tired. She knew what was happening but simply didn't want to accept it.
After all, if she had this mutation, why wasn't she strong since childhood? Why wasn't she emotionally unstable? She considered herself a very rational woman most of the time. Only recently had she started to act more on instinct, but that was because she finally got what she had always wanted since childhood.
Victor, her foolish childhood friend.
Because of that, she allowed herself to be more honest with herself. It wasn't because of some stupid mutation or anything like that.
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