REGRET— the shadow wolves

Chapter 7

Brandon

A swarm of hundreds of large black wolves surrounded us, emerging from all directions. It was as if they had been anticipating our arrival, like a pack lying in wait for its next meal. Our own pack consisted of around 800 wolves, including young pups, but we were vastly outnumbered in strength by these unfamiliar predators. We had thought that crossing the border would lead us back to our former territory, but this situation was entirely unexpected. A thick and oppressive fog cloaked the area, hindering our senses and adding to the sense of foreboding.

Over the years, my strength had been slowly declining, but in the midst of it all, I suddenly felt better. It was the first time since that tragic night when I lost Mika. The wolves had surrounded our caravans, their enormous size striking fear into even the bravest of wolves. Yet my brother was out there, facing the danger that should have been my responsibility. I had promised to protect this pack, but I had been failing every day since then. Despite everything, Dante was still my brother and I could never stop loving him.

"No." My voice erupted from deep within me. "You will not harm him. I am the alpha of this pack. Face me instead." Though it may no longer be entirely true, I was still a formidable warrior.

As soon as the words left my mouth, the atmosphere in the room changed once again. The black wolf that had been facing Dante now turned its attention towards me. It was large, but not as large as the others in the pack. Its eyes were dark and piercing, like the night sky. As I made eye contact with the wolf, I could tell it was a female. She had a slightly slimmer build compared to the other wolves. When our eyes met, I felt something shift within her gaze. And then suddenly, she bared her teeth and emitted the most ferocious growls I had ever heard.

All of her attention was now solely on me. Her body grew tense and her growls became more intense. The other wolves around us all lay down, as if waiting for something to happen. In a split second, she changed her posture and crouched down with her legs bent, preparing to pounce on me. But just as quickly, Dante seemed to regain his composure and stepped in, reminding us that violence is never the answer. His voice was firm yet gentle, like he was speaking to a long-lost friend. "We are here to make things right and amend our mistakes," he said.

His words were powerful and seemed to have an effect on the female wolf. She shifted her gaze once again, this time towards Dante. Her nose twitched as she sniffed him, but she made no attempt to attack or even react in any way. Dante extended his hand towards her, seemingly hoping for some kind of acknowledgement or connection, but she remained still and passive.

A sudden noise from the forest jolted us all into alertness. The bushes rustled and a small wolf emerged, a pup. Its fur was black with brown paws, and its frantic eyes seemed to be searching for something. A large male wolf rushed towards it, causing the pup to visibly relax. It whined, as if it knew it had crossed a line by following the adult wolves. But how could it have been tracking them? The mist enveloping us made our scents undetectable. When I looked back at the female wolf, she had disappeared. And as I scanned the remaining pack, I noticed there were fewer of them now.

One by one, they departed, leaving behind unspoken threats hanging in the air. Lucy was the first to step out of the car, followed by others from our pack.

"What just happened?" The fear and tension within the pack's bond was palpable, even after the black wolves had gone. It felt like this was only the beginning. We had thought we were coming back to reclaim our former territory, but it seemed that these black wolves were now in control. I didn't want to say it out loud, but it was clear that they were the shadow wolves. Usually concealed within the depths of the shadow forest, but now roaming freely on our land.

Dante was visibly shaking, his hands clenched at his sides as he muttered to himself. My brother, usually so level-headed and strategic, was clearly upset. I had never seen him like this before.

"Dante... are you okay?" I asked.

His eyes snapped to mine, but he didn't answer, just shook his head.

"Dante..." Lucy tried. "What do we do now? Are they letting us in? Was that some kind of confrontation?"

As Lucy spoke the thoughts of all the pack members, Dante looked at her and uttered what we all feared: "That was the shadow pack. I'm afraid our return won't be as simple as we hoped. That, my dear packmates, was a warning. Things won't be easy for us."

He turned away from us and spoke his final words quietly to himself: "I'm afraid we may already be too late to save her."

"Dante?" I asked, unsure if I had heard him correctly. "Did you say 'her'? Mika? Did you mean Mika?"

I hurried towards him, demanding an explanation for what he had said. But he just looked at me with a stony expression. "It's nothing. I was just talking to myself."

"But what did you mean by 'saving her'? Is Mika the one you're talking about? Can you sense her presence?"

For the second time in his life, Dante lost his composure. "What I meant is that it might be too late to save her- our pack, our entire region. That's all I meant. Nothing more, nothing less." His words weighed heavily on my heart, but I could see the determination in his eyes. "But I won't give up or quit. I made a promise and I intend to keep it."