Chapter 48: The Winter Wolf

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: The Winter Wolf

"It seems...our treasure is something alive."

Silence descended upon the jewelry store.

Kai swallowed.

"A person?"

Ben frowned.

"A cat?"

Erik’s expression became solemn.

"Whatever it is, let’s find it first."

Penelope nodded.

Inside her consciousness, Oddy’s voice sounded anxious.

"Master!"

"Hurry!"

"Treasure sleeping!"

"Must save!"

Penelope’s eyes darkened.

Oddy had never sounded so panicked before.

Without wasting another second, she turned around.

"This way."

No one questioned her.

The four quickly left the jewelry store.

Their footsteps echoed softly through the empty mall.

The cheerful atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared.

Even Kai had become unusually quiet.

Because something about the words "save treasure" made everyone instinctively nervous.

Escalators.

Hallways.

Staff entrances.

Eventually, they reached an area hidden from customers.

Rows of metal doors lined the corridor.

Ben looked around.

"I’ve never seen this place before."

Kai rubbed his arms.

"Please don’t tell me we’re entering the haunted section of the mall."

Erik ignored him and pushed open one of the doors.

Beyond it lay a dimly lit storage room.

Boxes.

Cleaning supplies.

Old furniture.

Nothing unusual.

Yet Penelope didn’t stop.

Oddy’s voice continued urgently.

"Down!"

"Master!"

"Secret place!"

"Down!"

Soon, they arrived before another door.

Unlike the others, this one required a key card.

Kai blinked.

"Okay."

"That’s suspicious."

Ben nodded.

"Very suspicious."

Erik stepped forward.

Crack!

The handle snapped apart in his hand.

Everyone stared.

Erik stared at the broken handle.

"..."

Kai slowly turned toward Ben.

"Benny."

"Hm?"

"Our brother is becoming scarier."

Ben nodded solemnly.

"I noticed."

Erik coughed lightly.

"Accident."

Kai and Ben nodded in understanding.

"Of course."

"No doubt."

Ignoring the two younger men, Erik pushed the damaged door open.

A narrow staircase appeared.

Leading downward.

The atmosphere instantly became heavier.

Kai’s face paled.

"No."

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"We are not entering the basement."

Ben nodded immediately.

"I agree."

"Basements are where horror movies happen."

Penelope blinked.

"Brother Kai."

"Hm?"

"If we leave and it’s a puppy, I’ll never forgive you."

Kai froze.

Ben froze.

"A puppy?"

Penelope nodded.

"It could be."

Kai immediately straightened his back.

"Lead the way."

Ben sighed.

"I knew it."

The group descended.

One floor.

Two floors.

Until they finally reached the bottom.

Everyone froze.

"..."

"..."

"..."

It wasn’t a basement.

It was an abandoned pet storage area.

Broken cages littered the floor.

Claw marks covered the walls.

Scattered fur and overturned containers painted a scene of chaos.

Some animals had clearly escaped.

Some hadn’t been as fortunate.

The atmosphere became solemn.

Even Kai stopped joking.

Meanwhile, Oddy’s voice became increasingly frantic.

"Treasure!"

"Little treasure!"

"Over there!"

Penelope hurried toward the corner of the room.

Behind several overturned blankets and broken crates—

She stopped.

And everyone froze.

Curled into a tiny ball was a small white cub.

Snow-white fur.

Tiny ears.

Oversized paws.

Its body rose and fell weakly with each breath.

Most striking of all...

Even while sleeping, a pair of beautiful blue eyes could faintly be seen beneath its eyelids.

Kai blinked.

"It’s a dog."

Ben crouched down.

"No."

"Look at the paws."

Erik quietly knelt beside the cub.

"...Wolf."

The little creature trembled weakly.

Its breathing was shallow.

Inside her consciousness, Oddy’s relieved voice echoed.

"Treasure found."

"Little treasure."

"Safe."

Penelope suddenly understood.

This wasn’t treasure because it was valuable.

It was treasure because it was precious.

The little cub wasn’t sleeping.

It was evolving.

Just like humanity.

Only...

Unlike people...

It had no pack.

No family.

No mother.

It was alone.

As though sensing Erik’s presence, the tiny cub slowly opened its eyes.

Blue.

Clear.

Pure.

For a brief moment, man and beast stared at one another.

Then—

The cub let out a tiny whine.

And with unsteady steps...

It stumbled forward.

Past Penelope.

Past Kai.

Past Ben.

Straight toward Erik.

Everyone watched in silence.

The little wolf pressed its tiny head against Erik’s hand.

Then, as if finally finding safety...

It curled up against his leg and fell asleep.

Silence.

Kai slowly turned toward Ben.

"Benny."

"Hm?"

"Brother Erik got adopted."

Ben nodded solemnly.

"Congratulations."

"You’re a father."

Erik: "..."

For the first time in many years...

The man who had spent his life protecting others...

Had become someone’s entire world.

"Should we throw you a ’Welcome to Fatherhood’ party?" Penelope asked quietly.

"What are we going to say when it starts asking for its mother?" Kai followed up.

Ben lowered his voice, loud enough for Kai and Penelope to hear, but quiet enough that Erik wouldn’t.

"We could always tell it she ran away after living with Brother Erik for a day."

Both Penelope and Kai burst into laughter.

Erik’s forehead twitched.

"..."

He didn’t need to hear them.

He knew they were talking nonsense.

The little white cub shifted in its sleep and buried its head deeper into Erik’s leg.

Kai immediately gasped.

"It already knows who pays child support."

Penelope nodded solemnly.

"Animals really are smart."

Ben sighed.

"I wonder if it inherited Brother Erik’s bad luck."

Erik:

"..."

"Enough."

The three younger siblings immediately shut up.

Then—

The cub sneezed.

And somehow...

Erik’s expression softened.

Very slightly.

So slightly that nobody would have noticed.

Except Penelope.

And because she noticed...

Her smile became gentler.

Because after all these years...

Perhaps...

Their brother had finally found someone willing to spoil him back.

"Well then, now that the living treasure has been settled... let’s settle the materialistic treasure." Penelope said with a grin.

She turned around and began sweeping everything else into her space like a woman possessed.

"Woah, Penny, chill out. We have plenty of time left." Kai said.

"No, we don’t." Erik shook his head. "We still have to head to the construction district. At this rate, I doubt we’ll be able to reach the jewelry district tonight."

"I forgot about that." Ben muttered.

Soon, everything was stored away and the group made their way back toward the parking lot.

Time was of the essence.

Once everyone entered the vehicle, Penelope glanced at the sleeping white cub resting on Erik’s lap.

"Brother, do you want to keep him inside the space?" she asked.

Erik lowered his eyes toward the little guy.

"Is that possible?"

Penelope shrugged.

"Well, he’s not human."

After a moment of thought, she added with a smile,

"And Alyanna could use a little brother."

Erik raised an eyebrow.

"Alyanna?"

Penelope froze.

"..."

Kai, Ben and Erik all looked toward her.

Penelope immediately coughed.

"I mean..."

"...a little brother figure."

Kai slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Brother Erik."

"Hm?"

"Penny almost leaked a secret."

Ben nodded solemnly.

"I heard it too."

Erik glanced at his younger sister.

"..."

"Should I pretend I didn’t hear anything?"

Penelope smiled innocently.

"Please."

Erik sighed helplessly.

"Fine."

The little white cub shifted in its sleep and snuggled deeper into his lap.

Kai gasped dramatically.

"It’s already monopolizing Brother Erik!"

Ben looked horrified.

"Brother, don’t spoil the child."

"Children raised by overly doting parents grow crooked."

Erik: "..."

For some reason, he was beginning to understand how their father had felt.

And suddenly...

He missed him.

Not because he was sad.

But because, for the first time in many years...

He finally understood just how exhausting raising children could be.

Unfortunately...

It seemed his turn had come.

Again.