'Of course it's our pack's new home! The old one in the snowy mountains collapsed in a natural disaster two years ago. I had to check a thousand places to find this one. It took two whole years to get the pack settled in!'
'But is the old Wizard back yet? It's been an hour since I called him! That disrespectful old coot isn't still out gallivanting, is he?'
Holly Wyatt traced the edge of her phone. She had so many questions but forced herself to hold them back.
What she was hearing were the man's inner thoughts. If she asked those questions, he would know she could hear them.
That was out of the question!
"Home," Silas Thornton said succinctly, his hands in his pockets. "Ours."
Then, he took the lead and strode toward the main gate.
Holly dazedly stared at the man's tall back. His long, black, furry tail was held elegantly aloft, swaying leisurely with his movements.
'Home...?'
'Ours...?'
A warm current surged from the bottom of her heart, flowing through her limbs and seeping out of every pore.
He was taking her home.
To their home.
*
The central villa of the estate.
The second-floor bedroom.
Holly Wyatt sat on a chair in a daze, panting lightly. Her face was flushed from the exertion, and her legs trembled uncontrollably after walking for several kilometers.
Silas Thornton's brow furrowed. He poured a glass of warm water, placed it in front of her, and said curtly, "Drink."
Holly gulped, forgetting even to say thank you as she picked up the glass and guzzled it down.
'Why didn't the cub say she couldn't walk anymore? It's barely any distance from the estate gate to here. It's just a short run. Why does she look so tired? Looks like we'll need a car for the estate. But the cub is in such bad shape! She needs to train properly!'
Holly paused mid-sip, her hand trembling as she set down the empty glass.
'I'm a human! Not a wolf!'
'He has four legs!'
'Of course it's just a short run for him!'
"You brought the cub back?" A youthful voice, clear and crisp with a rising inflection, came from the doorway. It sounded like it belonged to someone young.
Silas's expression darkened slightly. "What took you so long?"
The figure of a young boy appeared in the bedroom.
Holly looked over.
The boy had rosy lips and white teeth, and his skin was flawless. He was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black casual pants, looking every bit the part of a high school student.
She saw Silas's lips form the shape of the words "old Wizard."
'Old Wizard?'
'This boy... old?'
'Besides, he looks even younger than me. Can he really cure my deafness and muteness?'
The boy spoke slowly. "I already told you, I had to do a reading for Mrs. Nash today, so I'd be a little late. What's your hurry?"
Silas pressed his lips together. "Stop going out there swindling people. Hurry up and take a look at the cub."
'He's so old, can't even stay put in retirement. He knows he can't just casually share prophecies with humans or he'll suffer a backlash, but he still goes out fortune-telling for money! Is it because I can't provide for him? He's just taking advantage of the fact that he's over four hundred years old with only a few years left to live, recklessly living it up! Is he not afraid the backlash from a prophecy will kill him one day?'
Holly blinked rapidly in shock.
'Prophecy?! Over four hundred years old!?'
'This boy?!'
'Do wolves live that long?!'
Holly met the boy's scrutinizing gaze and immediately stood up, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.
Even though he had the face of a boy, after hearing Silas's thoughts, she couldn't help but feel she was standing before a four-hundred-year-old man, and she instinctively became more respectful.
"His name is Thornton the Wizard," Silas said, pointing to the boy. "Let him take a look at your ears and throat."
Holly nodded and cooperatively sat on the stool in front of the boy.
The boy stood on his tiptoes and walked a circle around her.
He then stood before her with a deep frown and waved his hand.
Holly watched him, completely baffled.
'Is this an examination?'
'Is he an X-ray machine?'
'He knows everything just from walking in a circle?'
The boy sighed, shook his head, and walked toward Silas.
The light in Holly's eyes slowly faded.
'I knew it. It can't be cured.'
'Even modern medicine, with all its advanced technology, couldn't help.'
'How could a simple walk around her possibly work?'
The boy's back was to her, so she couldn't see his lips move and naturally didn't know what he was saying.
But Silas would complain about it in his mind.
'If you can cure her, then what are you sighing for?! Disrespectful old coot! These are all bad habits he picked up from being spoiled by humans, acting all mysterious!'
Suddenly, Holly felt Silas's inner voice grow distant, yet at the same time, it was so close it was as if it were right beside her ear.
Her heart burst with new life.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...
She thought she could hear her own heartbeat.
'I can become a normal person!'
Silas turned to look at her with a serious expression. She immediately sat up straight, her face tense.
The boy left.
Only the two of them remained in the bedroom.
Silas walked over to her and crouched down, his tail wagging excitedly in circles. "It can be cured. Don't worry."
Holly watched his crimson lips open and close, but her gaze was drawn to the tail behind him. She could no longer suppress her excitement.
Her small head bobbed up and down like a pecking chicken.
She couldn't make a sound, but her body language told Silas everything.
She was very happy.
A faint smile touched the corners of Silas's mouth.
'Heh heh... Although the old Wizard said the chance of a cure is only 2%, that old geezer always likes to lower the pack's expectations. The real probability is much higher than 2%. The cub's hearing and voice can definitely be restored!'
The smile on Holly's lips stiffened.
'2%?'
'What's the difference between that and being incurable?'
The excitement that had just surged within her was suppressed once more.
Meeting Silas's smiling eyes, she managed a weak smile of her own.
'Forget it. I've lived like this my whole life. It's not that surprising if it can't be cured.'
'I should have expected it.'
After composing herself, she returned to her previous state of calm.
'The cub's smile is cuter than the pack's cubs'.'
'Wait! The pack's cubs!'
'Oh my god! I was so focused on telling the adults to stay away that I forgot to send the pack's cubs out to play! And they're not exactly the obedient type!'
'The pack cubs' forms are still unstable. They switch back to wolf pup form from time to time. If the cub sees that, she'll be scared to death!'
For the first time, a flash of panic crossed Silas's face. The wolf ears on his head twitched rapidly, but he quickly regained his composure.
He shot to his feet and tossed out a few words at lightning speed, "Wait for me. Don't wander off."
He was so fast that Holly could barely read his lips.
Before she could even react, Silas's black tail was gone without even a trace of an afterimage.
The door slammed shut and was locked.
Holly blinked slowly.
'Cubs... might appear?!'
'Little wolf pups? Fluffy little wolf pups!?'
Holly grew more and more excited.
The dejection she had felt over the 2% chance of being cured instantly vanished, replaced by soaring spirits.
'Does this mean I get to pet the little wolf pups!?'
'I can't touch Silas's, but can I touch the little pups'?'
'Oh my!!'
'And there are several of them!'
'Ahhhhhh!!'
'Just thinking about it is so exciting!!'
She didn't even notice that her face was flushed red with excitement, her fingertips rubbing together as if she were already petting them.
*
An unknown amount of time passed before a knock came from the balcony door.
With her back to the balcony, Holly couldn't hear it. Naturally, she was also unaware that three fluffy little wolves of different colors had snuck in.
Two were red and white, and one was black and white.
The three little wolves huddled together, their damp noses touching as they whispered, "Awoo~ Awoo~."
"Is that her?! Is that the human cub my mommy said the Lord of the Wolves brought back?!"
"It must be! It must be! She smells different from us. She smells nice."
"Be quiet! She'll hear you! If we get caught, the Lord of the Wolves will give us a real beating!"
"Oh no! Hide your scent! Quick, quick! If the Lord of the Wolves smells us, we're toast!"
"Waaaah, I don't know how to hide my scent yet."
"Idiot!"
"Idiot!"
Holly suddenly turned around, and the three little wolves quickly hid behind the curtains.
She saw the curtains moving despite there being no wind, and a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
She slowly got up and walked toward the curtains.
RUSTLE...
Holly pulled back the curtain and saw three children.
No, wait—three... little wolves?
Just like Silas, they were in human form but had fluffy ears on their heads and little tails they were trying hard to hide.