Even if my wolf was strong, my body was weak from blood loss, and every step I took toward the forest was incredibly difficult.

The pup limped after me. It seemed to have sensed just how weak I was, since he nuzzled against my ankle as if it wanted to give me some strength.

I looked at it and said gently, “I’m fine. If I manage to hunt down a wild boar, I’ll give you its blood so that you can recover a bit of your strength too.”

The pup gave a little yip as if he understood.

Soon after, a sounder of wild boars in the distance smelled my scent.

They did not run away in fear. The leader seemed to have sensed my fragility. Before I could turn into a wolf, it charged wildly at us with its sharp tusks held low.

I used whatever strength I had left to turn into a wolf, but my aching limbs told me that I could not; I was too weak.

“Careful!”

My hands moved on their own as they grabbed the pup, and I turned my back to the charging boar to protect the little one.

Just as a tusk pierced my shoulder, I gritted my teeth and used all of my remaining strength to pull out the dagger at my waist to stab into the creature’s heart.

I did not miss.

The leader screeched in pain and swung its body around to fling me off. Then, it collapsed with a loud thud.

The other wild boars disappeared in all directions.

With much difficulty, I managed to land on my feet, but the wound on my shoulder kept on bleeding. I could not hold on and collapsed on the ground. My consciousness faded away again.

The pup whined and did his best to crawl out of Zoey’s embrace.

He licked away the dirt on her face to wake her up, but she did not move, and the pup howled toward the sky in grief.

Footsteps sounded from the forest. The pup sniffed at the air before it ran further inside.

“Alpha Mike!” A male werewolf saw the pup limping toward him and cried out in delight to the packmates behind him. “It’s the lost pup! We found it!”

When Mike, an Alpha of another pack, saw the pup’s injured leg, he frowned. “Someone’s bandaged his leg.”

The pup whined and bit down on Mike’s robe before tugging him along.

“I think he wants you to follow him…”

“Let’s go.”

The pup barked and brought them to Zoey’s side.

When they saw the dead boar beside her, the male werewolves were shocked.

“Did she kill the leader of the wild boars by herself?”

“She’s hurt and unconscious. Her breathing is also really weak. We have to bring her back to camp to treat her.”

At Mike’s orders, the werewolves quickly picked Zoey and the pup up, then vanished into the dark forest.

…

At that moment, Elizabeth was pacing up and down in Molly’s room.

“Where did Zoey run off to?! She knows that you need food, yet she’s not back despite the sun already setting!”

Molly caressed her belly and turned to the silent Jacob. “It’s fine, Jacob. If hunting wild boars is too hard, I’m fine with mutton…”

“That won’t do! You’re pregnant! She should bring whatever you want to eat!” Elizabeth screeched. “She should have returned a few hours ago! She must have run off somewhere to be a lazy bum or is only going to come back after she fills the stomachs of both her and that brat!”

Her words received no reaction. She followed Molly’s line of sight toward Jacob. He still had not said anything.

He was staring at the forest outside with a scowl.

“Are you worried about Zoey? What’s so good about that wicked woman?”

“I should have insisted on her resting before going. She was weak, and it was already dark outside…”

Elizabeth scoffed and mumbled, “So? She can’t get pregnant. It’d be better if she died. You could then raise your pup with Molly.”

“Mom!” Jacob snapped at Elizabeth. “I told you that my mate is Zoey, regardless of whether you like it or not! My pup will also only accept her as her mother!”

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Elizabeth cowered and said nothing else, since she had never seen Jacob this angry before.

Molly gnashed her teeth and gave Jacob a pitiful look. “Jacob, I’m a little hungry. Could you give me some mushroom soup?”

Jacob picked up the mushroom soup bowl next to him with a dark expression.

The room descended into deafening silence until a patrolman stumbled in.

“Alpha!” he cried out anxiously. “We found tracks of intruders near the wild boar area!

“They didn’t seem hostile, but they took a female werewolf away with them. It was… Zoey.”

Jacob’s hand froze, and the bowl fell on the floor. The mushroom soup spilled all over the place.

“What did you say?!” he roared.

The patrolman did not dare to look into Jacob’s eyes. He shrank back into himself and delivered an even worse piece of news.

“Zoey… seemed dead.”