Chapter 1 — The boundary line, the marriage between a girl and a wolf . Part 6

Both of them turned to look at him, after which s.h.i.+ro then nodded as though nothing ever happened, followed by his brother too, albeit reluctantly . The wind disappeared from Silent Steps’ body and the shadow covering s.h.i.+ro fell off as if melting away . Only white and gray fur was visible now .

Both scoffed at each other and looked away .

“You are following our father’s orders more diligently than ever . ”

This time it was Silent Steps who took on a belittling tone .

“Yes, because I don’t have enough strength to kill him . ”

I walked over to the sarcastic s.h.i.+ro and, taking his leg into my hands, examined his wound .

It was deep—the borders of the wound were dangling like slime and blood continued to gush out from the freshly exposed flesh . I grimaced a bit at that sight .

“Are you okay?”

I asked him silently .

He nodded slightly . Then I took my hands away from his leg and grasped the handkerchief I had wordlessly prepared for him .

The wound itself was sliced neatly, so it shouldn’t take too long to heal .

Sensing someone staring at me, I lifted my head .

s.h.i.+ro’s father was silently watching me, and I could also see Silent Steps and the other wolves staring at me, annoyed .

The whole pack was hostile towards me, but that had no effect on me . I was used to these kinds of situations .

I folded my arms and glared at the wolf who seemed to be the leader of the pack, s.h.i.+ro’s father .

It was like a rule of thumb for conflicts . If you wanted to remain safe, don’t retaliate . If you hated defeat, just glare at them .

“My child, I will have to banish you from the forest . ” Then he turned around to the

the pack . “From now on, we will have no involvement with them for as long as it keeps the forest safe,” he said as his eyes surveyed the pack .

There wasn’t a single objection .

s.h.i.+ro sighed, seemingly bored, and struck the ground with his forelegs .

“Understood, father . ”

After having said that, he turned around and started walking away . I followed alongside him while combing my disheveled hair with my hands .

“Son, do you really intend to stay with that human for the rest of your life?”

s.h.i.+ro didn’t turn around to answer him .

“I will remain with her until the very moment this world collapses . ”

“Very well then . ” There was a hint of joy in his voice . “You found yourself a really good wife . ”

I turned around to look at him for a moment . He was smiling, just as how any father would smile . That was probably what some would call familial love .

love . Something I never experienced .

“You,” I asked him . “What is your name?”

The wolves growled at my rude manner of inquiry . I sneered at them .

Letting my long hair sway in the wind, I shot a quick glance at the wolves .

No matter how hostile they seemed to be, not a single one came to attack me . Not even Silent Steps, who was glaring at me the most .

“They call me the King of the Forest” He answered in a self-deprecating tone .

“I’m Tsukagi Saki, pleased to make your acquaintance . ”

“…You possess a strong soul . It’s a shame you had to be human . ”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious . Shrugging, I combed my hair back and turned around once again .

“Congratulations on your marriage . ”

s.h.i.+ro didn’t say anything . Likewise, I also remained silent .

We left that place and as soon as we were inside the forest,

inside the forest, I hugged his back .

His white fur received me without offering any sort of resistance, giving me a sense of relief from the feeling of being close to him and it finally calmed me down . But before I could resume acting normally, there was something that I had to ask, though I didn’t know how to go about it .

Silently, he let me mount him again and we ran through the forest .

“Was that fine?” I muttered from his back .

“I don’t mind,” came his faint answer . “I was an anomaly . From the very beginning, there was never a place for me in the forest . ”

A lone wolf . A single silver wolf .

He propelled his legs even faster . Soon, the sound of the wind was as prominent as the darkness . The wind was a bother, but I welcomed the darkness . It was the first time I felt this way .