Even though he had absorbed the whole wolf, he didn't see the same changes as before, where his body had been covered in fur and he had grown large claws.
Though he could feel a surge of power within his body, enough to tear a human apart with his bare hands, he felt a strange sensation.
Closing his eyes, he tried to recall the feeling from his previous transformation into a half-monster.
Soon, his back began to fill with fur, but this time it was denser, like a protective coat.
His hands tingled, and large claws emerged. He was now in full control of the transformation, and he looked at his hands in disbelief.
"Am I becoming a werewolf? Is it because I was bitten by that wolf?" he pondered. "No, it doesn't seem to be the case."
He looked at the white wolf. "Do you have any other beasts? I want to try something."
The white wolf growled and kneeled in submission when it saw Xerxes' transformed form. Seeing this, the remaining wolves, including the cubs, followed suit and knelt before him.
"Huh," Xerxes chuckled, "Seems like I was your intended meal back then." He smiled. "You can understand me, right? Let's go hunting then."
The Alpha wolf howled, "AAAAAAWWWWWUUUUHHHHOOOOOOOO!"
With the resounding howl, more than twenty wolves gathered behind the white wolf, following Ye Yang, who now looked like the true Alpha of the pack.
White Wolf rushed beside Xerxes and lowered his head. Xerxes spoke, "you want me to ride you? You know where I can find another beast right?"
He jumped on the white wolf, and they began moving in a certain direction, leaving a part of the pack back at home to guard the baby wolves.
Xerxes had never seen this type of forest in his whole life. Unlike the forests in his world, the trees here were bigger and the forest was denser, with only a few places in between where moonlight could cascade inside.
Moving for a while, Xerxes could hear the growling sounds of an animal, which was giving warning to the wolf pack to stay out of its territory.
"I can feel the aura, it's something big," Xerxes thought.
And just after crossing the big boulder, a heavy growl came as the wolves surrounded two big brown bears who were already fighting for the territory.
Sensing they were already surrounded by the dangerous predators of the forest; the two bears began intimidating the wolves to stay out of the place.
Then, the white wolf entered, carrying a human male on its back. Seeing this, the two beasts were confused and wary. The human looked different – half human and half beast, which was giving an unsettling vibe to the two bears.
"GGGGGRRRRRRRRRR"
Both bears gave warning to the Alpha wolf and the man above it, but neither the pack of wolves nor the Alpha and the man atop it backed off.
Xerxes was loving this. While the two bears knew that confrontation was inevitable, with no choice left, one of the bears lunged towards the wolves beside him while the other one was ready to lunge at the white wolf.
Xerxes spoke, "You can have one for you while I want the other one," and with that, he jumped towards the remaining bear.
"I want to see if my guess is right, so behave well and let me absorb you." Xerxes lunged at the Bear, claws extended, and the Bear retaliated with a ferocious roar.
"Thud!"
The impact sent Xerxes hurtling backwards. He hadn't anticipated the sheer force of the Bear's strength, and he slammed into the massive boulder, shattering it upon impact.
"AAAHAAA!"
"It hurts!"
Searing pain erupted in his back and the back of his head. His spine, he realized with a jolt, was broken.
Yet, he rose. His body, imbued with an uncanny regenerative power, began to mend itself. The broken bones slowly knit together, a testament to the extraordinary resilience within him.
The Bear, sensing an unnatural energy emanating from Xerxes, charged.
The Bear ran towards Xerxes as he saw his opponent back on his legs. The Bear was feeling a strange sensation from Xerxes and felt that if he didn't give it his all, he might die today.
Running on its four legs, it came so fast and crashed directly into Xerxes, still reeling from the previous blow, and once again, Xerxes went flying back.
This time, the impact struck his front, and a torrent of blood erupted from his mouth.
"Bbbbblllllluuuurrrrrhhhhhh"
Blood gurgled in his throat. "This is..." His mind swam, disoriented from the brutal impact.
Getting on his legs proved a Herculean task, but then the familiar warmth of his regenerative ability surged through him.
Witnessing this, the white wolf, locked in a desperate struggle with another bear, let out a guttural roar.
The Bear was exhausted, bleeding from numerous claw and bite wounds, it knew its reserves were dwindling.
The wolf prepared to abandon its fight and aid Xerxes, but Xerxes, already back on his feet, shook his head. "You stay there and finish him," he commanded, his voice hoarse. "I need to get serious."
With a deafening roar, Xerxes charged the bear. Another devastating collision seemed inevitable, but at the last instant, Xerxes shifted course.
He slid sideways, on his left, his claws raking deep into the bear's flank. The bear howled in agony.
The bear thrashed violently, desperate to break free from Xerxes's grip.
"It's too late, big guy," Xerxes chuckled, a chilling smile playing on his lips.
An unnatural power erupted from Xerxes, and the bear's massive frame began to shimmer and dissolve. Its body, like melting wax, transformed into a swirling vortex of energy that was rapidly absorbed into Xerxes.
As the bear vanished, the remaining wolves recoiled in fear, maintaining a cautious distance from Xerxes. The other bear, witnessing this horrifying spectacle, was paralyzed with terror.
Seizing the opportunity, the white wolf launched itself at the stunned bear. With a ferocious snap of its jaws, it ripped out a chunk of the bear's throat. The bear, bewildered and mortally wounded, let out a final, gurgling roar before collapsing.
[Read author's note for more detail]