CH41 Wolf Family That Transcends Racial Hatred
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Sweat streamed down Alexâs back as he locked eyes with the two adult wolves.
Their bodies were tensed, muscles rippling beneath sleek fur. Their eyes gleamed with raw killing intentâand yet, beneath that wrath was a silent warning.
Hurt our cubs... and die.
Alex gulped.
He glanced at the cause of this predicamentâthe five wolf cubs sprawled out across his body like he was a living mattress.
He had been so focused on meditating, recovering from his buff-induced fatigue, that heâd completely tuned out the outside world. His instincts hadnât even flagged the cubs as a threatâso his focus had remained inward, allowing them to climb on him without resistance.
One cub had nestled between his crossed legs. Another had coiled on his thigh. Two more had curled up lazily on each shoulder.
And the last oneâthe largest of the lotâhad climbed on top of his head, sitting there as if it were the crown prince of some imaginary kingdom.
âYouâve got to be kidding me...â
Alexâs mind raced.
He needed a solution, and fast.
For a brief second, a dark idea flashed through his mindâtake the cubs hostage to escape.
But he dismissed it instantly.
The two adult wolvesâmama wolf and papa wolfâwere late to peak Class 2.
They could turn him into a pile of flesh before he could even think about running.
Right now, the only thing keeping him alive was the wolvesâ unwillingness to endanger their young. But if they were forced to choose between losing one cub or all five?
He didnât doubt for a secondâthey would tear him apart.
Even if he somehow did escape, heâd be hunted across the forest. Thereâd be bad blood between them. And a feud with a high-ranking wolf pack? That was basically a death sentence in these parts.
No. That was a problem for another fool.
He needed a smarter way out.
But every plan he conjured came crashing down under the weight of a single truth:
He didnât have the power to make any of them work.
He wasnât fast enough to outrun the wolves. Nor strong enough to subdue them.
Any move he made now would only create a bigger problem for later.
In shortâ
He was weak.
âHmm...? Weak?â
An idea struck him.
âYes. I am weak. Iâm not a threat. Thatâs the truth. I just have to make sure they see it tooâespecially when it comes to their cubs.â
As Alex carefully adjusted his posture, trying not to disturb the sleeping pups, the adult wolves continued watching himâsilently, warily, deadly.
But unknown to him, they were also trying to understand him.
They had no idea how this strange two-legged creature had infiltrated their territory, let alone entered their den. No beast had ever done such a thing beforeânot in living memory.
Not when their den was protected by multiple Class 2 wolves... and when both of them were direct subordinates of a fearsome Class 3 Overlord.
No sane beast would dare intrude upon them.
And yet, this one had.
He didnât look dangerous.
He didnât smell like a predator.
He hadnât harmed the cubs, either.
In fact, he seemed more confused than anything.
The mother wolf narrowed her eyes, her killing intent slowly dimming. The more she looked at this strange being, the less sense he made.
He wasnât acting like prey or predator. He was just... strange.
She glanced at her pups, still curled around the two-legâs body, fast asleep and utterly unafraid.
Not one of them bore a scratch.
She tilted her head slightly.
âWhat exactly are you?â She wondered.
The mother wolf narrowed her eyes.
The way her pups behavedâcalm, affectionate, utterly relaxedâdidnât make sense. Her mind raced through possibilities.
Illusion? Control? Sedation?
Those were the only reasonable explanations. Because if this strange creature had not done something to them... then the only other explanation was unthinkable.
That he simply wasnât a threat.
But that was absurd.
If he wasnât a threat, how had he infiltrated their territory?
How had he entered their denâunnoticed?
No creature, beast or otherwise, had ever dared come so close to their young. Not without being reduced to meat and bone.
So... what was this thing?
Papa wolf leaned forward and sniffed each of the cubs, searching for injuries, strange scents, or foreign traces of magic.
Nothing.
He glanced sideways at mama wolf, confused.
Nothing made sense.
Still, the fact remainedâthe cubs were unharmed. They werenât frightened or dazed. No residual traces of toxins or foreign mana clung to their bodies. They looked... content.
Involuntarily, the wolvesâ killing intent lessenedâstill present, but no longer suffocating.
Their caution, however, remained razor sharp.
Because no matter what, the strange being was still too dangerously close to their children.
Thenâ
Alex made his move.
He silently channelled the aura of his maternal bloodlineâthe Sun Wolf.
It wasnât a full releaseâjust enough to let his presence shimmer across the den like a scent on the wind.
The reaction was immediate.
Both wolves stiffened.
Their ears perked.
Their hackles didnât rise... they lowered.
Their eyes widened, and their pupils dilated as the subtle but unmistakable pressure of a Transcendent Wolf Bloodline wafted off the strange, furless two-legged being.
They blinked, stunned.
He looked nothing like a wolf... and yet, in that moment, he felt more wolf than many of their own kin.
And before they could even process the confusion, the cubs stirred.
"Mmhrr..." One yawned lazily.
Then another. And another.
Soft whines filled the air as they stretched and blinked awake, completely unaware of the tension in the room.
Alex almost cursed aloud at the sheer nonchalance of the little furballs.
âSeriously? Youâre waking up now? Your parents nearly skinned me alive thanks to your naptime!â
Still keeping an eye on the adults, Alex carefully reached for one of the pups curled on his shoulder. With slow, deliberate movements, he lifted it and placed it gently on the den floor.
He didnât miss the way mama wolfâs gaze tracked his every motion.
When the pup landed safely on the ground and didnât yelp or cry, Alex exhaled.
âOkay. Thatâs one.â
He repeated the process with the second cub. Another sigh of relief.
Then came the last oneâthe biggest cubâthe self-proclaimed ruler of his scalp.
When Alex reached up, it whined and dug in, clearly unwilling to surrender its self-proclaimed throne.
He didnât want to be too rough.
So, he gave the wolf parents a helpless look.
***