My Unexpected Alpha Harem

It had saved my life. Twice.

With a loud splash, I plunged into the narrow creek.

At first glance, the water seemed shallow, barely deep enough to reach my calves. But the moment I fell in, it swallowed me whole, and I kept sinking deeper and deeper.

This seemingly shallow creek… was actually bottomless!

The instant the water engulfed me, the shouts of people and the roars of wild beasts faded into the distance. A deep silence wrapped around me.

I struggled desperately to swim upward, my lungs burning as I ran out of air. Just as I thought I couldn't hold on any longer, I finally broke through the surface.

During my frantic escape, my mind had been too overwhelmed to think clearly, but my right hand had instinctively clung to my backpack the entire time. Now, having gripped it so tightly, my fingers felt stiff. Shifting the bag to my left hand, I flexed my fingers a few times, wiped the water from my face, and looked around.

Something must be wrong.

A gentle breeze brushed against my cheek, carrying the crisp scent of fresh air—but there was no trace of the smoky aroma of grilled meat. The cheerful chirping of birds echoed from the forest, their calls drifting closer and farther away.

And that narrow creek? It had turned into a wide, flowing river. Somehow, the water level had dropped without me noticing.

The same water that had just been bottomless now only reached my chest. I stood there, frozen in shock. Barely a meter ahead of me lay the dark riverbank.

A chilling thought crept into my mind.

This place… was no longer the Dark Forest.

In that instant, I suddenly understood why those who had vanished in the Dark Forest were never found again.

A chill crept up my spine.

The faces of my parents, the smiles of my classmates and my friends...

"No!"

I stood frozen for a moment before clenching my fists and making up my mind. I plunged back into the water. Even if it meant facing the beasts in the Dark Forest, I had to go back! Maybe they had already eaten their fill and left?

But no matter how many times I struggled, it was all in vain. Maybe... the water wasn't deep enough? I had to sink in completely, just as I had when I arrived.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped toward the river’s center. Just then—

The once calm water in the distance rippled. A sharp, straight line cut through the surface, streaking toward me at an alarming speed. It was as if something lurking beneath was racing toward me at full force.

My blood ran cold. I turned and bolted toward the shore. But it was too fast! I had barely taken a step when the water behind me erupted violently—it was less than two meters away.

Splash!

With an explosive spray of water, a massive monstrous fish burst from the river. Its gaping mouth was nearly half a meter wide, its lower jaw stretched grotesquely back toward its gills, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp, jagged teeth—each one gleaming a bone-chilling white.

I was done for. The mere meter separating me from the shore now seemed like an unbridgeable chasm.

"Boom—!"

Just as death loomed over me, a deafening roar thundered from the riverbank. A moment later, a tree trunk as thick as my waist came hurtling through the air like a battering ram. With a powerful whoosh, it speared straight through the monstrous fish’s open maw. The sheer force of the impact sent its head jerking back, spraying putrid slime and shattered teeth in all directions.

The fish was slammed back into the water, vanishing beneath the churning waves. The splash drenched me from head to toe.

I was saved!

Could it have been those who had vanished into the Dark Forest before me that rescued me?

The fish’s corpse floated to the surface—it was nearly two meters long. Blood and flesh drifted along with the current, and the thick scent of blood spread across the water. I knew this smell would soon attract new predators.

With no time to search for a way back, I staggered toward the shore, my fingers digging deep into the slippery mud.

The steep riverbank was covered in moss. Each time I tried to climb up, I slipped back down.

Suddenly, the distant water exploded with countless splashes, ripples revealing the approach of creatures beneath the surface. Panic surged through me. I tilted my head back and shouted, “Thank you for saving me just now! Please, help me up—I can’t climb!”

At my cry, the tall reeds along the shore rustled apart. A massive silver-gray wolf slowly emerged from the undergrowth, stepping to the water’s edge and lowering its head to gaze at me coldly. A shiver ran through me. As I struggled to lift my backpack onto the shore, my hands trembled from shock, and I lost my grip—the backpack slipped back into the water.

The wolf’s jaws suddenly parted, revealing sharp fangs. It lunged toward me.

Only then did it dawn on me—how could that deafening roar earlier have come from a human? I had been too desperate to think about it, but now that I realized the truth, it hardly mattered.

Before me was a wolf.

Behind me, lurking in the water, were who-knew-how-many giant fish.

In that moment, all my will to survive drained away. I couldn’t even muster the strength to dodge. I could only stare, frozen, as that huge wolf head closed in—

And then bit down… on my backpack?

I stared in disbelief.

Its fangs had locked tightly onto the strap, yet my left hand, resting on top, remained untouched. It had deliberately avoided my fingers!

Behind me, the water suddenly churned. Dark shapes darted beneath the surface.

The wolf, still clenching my backpack between its fangs, fixed its emerald-green eyes on me, urgency flashing in its gaze.

Hell, did I just read emotion in a wild animal’s eyes?

In just a few seconds, the giant fish’s corpse had already been devoured. The surging water rushed toward me.

The silver wolf gave a sharp shake of its head. This time, I was sure—I wasn’t imagining it. It was urging me.

I had no idea what I was thinking at that moment—I must have been crazy. But somehow, I obeyed.

I reached out and grabbed onto my backpack with both hands.

With a powerful toss of its head, the wolf flung me out of the water. I crashed onto the riverbank just as four or five dark shapes streaked through the spot where I had been.

Lying in the reeds, I gasped for breath, my chest heaving.

That was twice.

In the span of just a few minutes, a wolf had saved my life—twice.