The Lycan King's Fate Calling

Rufus' POV:

I walked out of the woods with an icy expression. The two unconscious robbers were dragged out by the soldiers as well.

It was getting late. I didn't stay there any longer. I turned my head and ordered the soldiers to organize a team to continue searching the area. I wanted to check if there were any other survivors. I also hoped to locate this child's family.

As I studied the sleeping child on my shoulder, I felt that luck had been on her side today.

The military parade was going to be held in a few days. I just happened to have some free time today to lead my soldiers here to inspect the surroundings of the imperial capital and make preparations for the parade.

If I hadn't bumped into the child today, she would have died.

The laws of the empire were strict. The loopholes had been revised a few years ago, leaving many criminals who wanted to take advantage of it with nowhere to go. As a result, the crime rate had significantly dropped in the past few years.

I had thought that no such blatant robbery and murders took place now, but instead, I encountered such a vicious incident when I happened to go out of the city for inspections.

Initially, I found a coach bus on the road. There weren't many survivors at that time. The robbers had shot dead most of the passengers, and only a few children and she-wolves were alive.

know where the robbers had escaped. After the survivors pointed us in the right direction, I led my

spotted two

time, or the girl would have

was a large burn mark on one of the criminals' faces. The wound looked new, but there was no sign of

to figure out what had actually gone down, but we

right time to interrogate them, not to mention that the girl in my arms was still

no choice but to instruct the soldiers

by the side of the road. I got into the first one, cradling

inside, the little girl seemed to have sensed that the danger was over and her grip around my neck loosened. But she cried intermittently. Sometimes it was a cry of pain;

very soft. Her thin lips quivered slightly, and her bloody

was neither her mother nor

in my arms. I

do was hold her in my arms. I had never been a gentle person to

but my irritation was increasing by the minute. The child was still crying, but now she wasn't

and looked down, inexplicable emotions churning deep within my