I Became A Zompirewolf

Standing before Ashton was a 7' 3" tall, golden-brown-skinned man. While his face was void of emotion, his crimson eyes gave away his intentions.

Aside from that, the man also had a large burn scar on his face, of which he was pretty proud. His elbow-length, fine, brown hair flowed freely behind his back, giving the man a much more graceful look than what suited his demeanour.

His looks weren't the only things that attracted everybody's attention to him. Despite his age, his physique was quite astonishing. Heck, his father-in-law could even put Atlas's body to shame.

After all, it wasn't common for someone's chiselled abs to show through formal wear. Not to mention his strong hands that were covered in a collage of mythical creature tattoos.

"It'd be a shame to decline your request, sir." Ashton politely replied before curling up his fist, "Unfortunately, this is not the place to assert dominance over each other."

"Huh, giving a show to the spectators is what a warrior should live for!" Montagu, Anna's father, scoffed, "I thought you would share similar sentiments. But it seems your capabilities were nothing but a hoax."

Everyone who knew what kind of man Ashton was gasped. Especially the Ghosts. None of them had ever seen their captain taken so lightly.

"The last man who provoked him like this had his head sent flying," Ricochet mumbled, remembering how 'Dolos' came into being.

However, Ashton's expression remained unchanged. Anna had already warned him about her father's overprotectiveness towards her, making Ashton question Anna again.

It wouldn't make sense if he allowed Anna to leave the planet with a bunch of strangers if he was so protective of her. Which, in turn, ended in Anna confessing that she never told Montagu about her leaving. Her mother knew about it, but no one else did.

Armed with this new information, Ashton was prepared to deal with Montagu.

"You should be thankful it was a hoax," Ashton chuckled, throwing his hands in the air, "besides, I'm not going to fight you, no matter how much you provoke me."

"..."

Montagu was speechless. From what he had heard about Ashton, he wasn't a man to back down from a challenge. Moreover, his temperament was well-known within the community.

A prideful warrior. That's how everyone described him—a man who does not know to compromise at the cost of his honour.

That's why Montagu challenged and berated Ashton in the heart of the party. He was sure a prideful man would not take crap from anyone when so many eyes were on him.

But the reality was quite different.

Not only did Ashton take his verbal abuse without lashing out, he even threw his hands up to say he wasn't interested in a fight.

It'd be weirder if Montagu wasn't confused right about now. After acting his part well, he was sure he could get Ashton to show his 'true' colours. Then he could judge whether Ashton was a suitable match for his daughter.

Suddenly Montagu broke down laughing and threw his Arm around Ashton's shoulders. Anna knew what was coming next and tried distancing herself, but Montagu caught her as well, pulling the couple in for a bear hug!

The room erupted in smiles and laughs. Lycanian nobility was well aware of Montagu's warm heart and compassion towards others, and that's why his earlier behaviour came off as strange to them. But everything was back to normal, if not for what Anna was planning.

Within moments, Anna took hold of her father's Arm and slammed him onto the ground. The wooden flooring shattered instantly, with Montagu's head buried deep inside.

"I told you not to pull your stunts here, you nosy wuss!" Anna yelled.

While everyone was a bit taken aback by Anna's sudden outburst, no one was as surprised as Ashton. She had always spoken highly of her family; consequently, it was a surprise she just destroyed her father like that.

"Hehe, my apologies, my dearest daughter." Montagu smiled while wiping the dust off his head and shoulders.

"It's alright- oww!" Anna replied but was suddenly pulled away from the crowd.

"You brat, I warned you not to treat your father like a ragdoll," The woman politely communicated those... pleasant words while pulling Anna away through her ear.

The woman was her mother, Mathilda Swan. Surprisingly, Anna didn't even try defending herself and instead kept smiling. Being away from home had had its effect on her. But now that she was back with her family, she could make up for the lost time.

Ashton was happy for her, but somewhere in his heart, he felt a bit... alone. The 'fun' times he had spent with his parents were all in an enclosure, bounded by chains. However, being five years old at the time, even those 'fun' memories were all over the place.

"Never mess with Swan women," Montagu mumbled, "My father warned me before marriage, but what reason can win against love? While the girls duke it out, allow me to introduce myself. The name's Baron Montagu Swan, but you can call me father-in-law!"

[HAHAHAHAHA!]

"Isn't it a bit too soon for that?" Ashton mumbled absentmindedly, "I mean, you barely know me."

"Are you planning to 'hit and run' my daughter?" Montagu questioned Ashton with a nightmarish expression.

"Of course not!" Asthon hastily replied, while gazing over to Anna, "I'll die before I leave her. That's my word."

"Then we are good!" Montagu returned to his jolly mood, patting Ashton on the back, "To me, the way you look at my daughter is more than enough proof of your love for Anna. But I should warn you if you ever-"

"Can we skip the cliche? We both know I won't ever harm her. Nor will I let anyone harm her... again." Ashton replied, "If you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything!"

"That scar on your face... Anna did that, didn't she?"

"Why, of course! She was playing with my beard when she awakened her powers," Montagu proudly explained, "In Swan household, there's a saying. The one to get burned first by the offspring is also loved by them the most! But I'm sure you already knew that when she tossed me earlier!"

[Don't mess with Swan women. A wise saying indeed.]

'...'