Chapter 10

“Eeeek! Yipe! Yipe-yipe!!”

I thrashed with everything I had, desperate to break free, but his weight pinned me down so firmly I couldn’t move an inch. Still, I kicked and twisted wildly—until—

“Gyaaah!!”

A sharp pain shot through my neck, and I cried out. The furious alpha dog had sunk his teeth deep into my scruff.

“Whiiine… whiiine…”

The pain and burning heat from the wound drained the last of my strength. All I could do was whimper miserably. When I tried to tuck my tail between my legs in fear, he batted it aside as if it were just in the way.

Ugh… even my last line of defense, gone so easily…

Regret seeped through me like poison.
If I’d known it would end like this, I should’ve stayed with Huey.
I should’ve fought instead of running.
I should’ve stayed by his side.
Huey…
I want to see you, Huey.
I want to see that shy smile of yours again…

“Ah!”

The alpha’s body tensed above me.

It’s over, I thought, as tears spilled down my cheeks.

No… no, please…
Help me.

Help me, Huey—!!

“GYAAAAAAN!!”

A violent impact suddenly blasted the dog off me.

I rolled over and over, tumbling like a rag doll. After four full spins, I finally stopped and staggered to my feet, dizzy and disoriented. My head spun, but I quickly checked myself.

Th-thank goodness…! My chastity’s safe!

Just as relief began to wash over me, another wild dog flew past with a yelp, crashing into the snow right beside me. My heart nearly stopped. The dog didn’t move—it was still alive, but completely down.

Before I could even process that, fierce growls and snarls erupted all around—beasts locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Wait—what happened to the alpha that was on top of me…?

Cowering, ears flat and tail tucked tight, I dared a glance toward the noise.

A terrifying sight met my eyes.
The alpha and several other wild dogs were locked in a brutal fight against a dark-furred beast that hadn’t been there before.

That black creature was massive—even larger than the alpha—and though outnumbered, it held its ground against the entire pack.

The metallic tang of blood filled the air. I looked around and saw several dogs lying motionless in the snow, their sides rising and falling faintly—they were alive, but badly hurt. The others still fighting were streaked with crimson across their fur.

What… what is that huge black beast!?

As I shrank back in fear, the creature suddenly turned its gaze toward me.

“Eep!”

Our eyes met—clear, piercing blue.
Its face resembled a Siberian Husky’s, but slimmer, sharper, more feral.

Wait… is that—a wolf!?

The realization hit me a heartbeat before the wolf lunged straight at me.

“Yipe!!”

My legs gave out; I couldn’t move. I sensed rather than saw its massive jaws opening above me.

It’s going to bite my throat—!

I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling… but instead of pain, I felt the wolf’s teeth gently clamp onto the scruff of my neck.

“Huh…?”

Before I knew it, my view lifted upward—I was dangling in the air. The wolf had me by the nape, carrying me like a puppy.

As the remaining wild dogs snarled and gave chase, the wolf bolted away at incredible speed, me still dangling from its jaws.

The world blurred past faster than I’d ever run on my own. The sheer velocity twisted my stomach, my body swinging helplessly like a pendulum—but the wolf’s grip on my scruff was firm and steady.

I didn’t know how long we ran like that. Eventually, the wolf slowed and came to a stop—then suddenly dropped me into the snow with a soft thud.

Startled, I looked up. The wolf was digging furiously at the ground with its front paws, snow flying everywhere.

What is it doing? Even strong beasts act weird sometimes… maybe it just felt like digging? I tilted my head, confused—

“Woof!?”

From the hole it had dug, a small side tunnel appeared—like a burrow, probably from a small animal.

Incredible… wild instincts are amazing!
I take it back, Wolf-san—I’m sorry for ever thinking you were just another beast!

Amazed, I watched as the wolf lowered itself gracefully and crawled into the narrow tunnel. Before long, it vanished completely beneath the snow.

After a while, it came back out. Its clear blue eyes met mine—then it circled behind me and nudged my backside with its nose.

…It wants me to go in?

When I turned around, it nudged me again, more firmly this time, as if to say, “Hurry up.”

Still confused, I crouched down and pushed my head into the hole.

…Okay, but moving like this is ridiculously hard!

I wriggled and pawed at the ground, trying to crawl forward, but made little progress. After several seconds of useless scratching, the impatient wolf gave me another shove from behind, pushing me deeper into the tunnel.

H-hey! Don’t shove a girl’s butt like that!!

The tunnel opened up into a surprisingly spacious chamber—wide enough for both of us to lie down side by side with room to spare.

Sniffing around—sniff, sniff—I caught the lingering scent of a fox family that must have lived here long ago. Beneath that faint, aged smell was something fresher. Curious, I trotted over, pressed my nose to a particular spot, and after sniffing several times to confirm…

…I marked it.

Phew. Much better.

Feeling refreshed and calm after confirming my own scent, I suddenly realized—the wolf had been watching me the whole time.
Our eyes met.

And that’s when it hit me.

Oh crap—this den belongs to him!

He’s gonna be mad. Really mad.
Wait… was I brought here as food!?

Panic surged through me. Instinctively, I dropped low to the ground, pressing my head and body flat. My floppy ears pinned tight against my skull, and my tail tucked firmly between my legs, ready for the worst.

The wolf began to approach—slow, deliberate, each step sinking into the snow-packed floor. The scent of blood still clung to his fur—fainter now, but unmistakable. It was the same smell from his brutal fight with the wild dogs earlier. Just that scent made my whole body tremble, my nose drying out from fear.

Don’t eat me! We’re both canines! We’re family—kind of!
Think, think… there has to be something I can do!!

And then—my instincts screamed the answer.

This is it. My only chance!!

Right there in front of the wolf…

…I rolled onto my back and exposed my belly in full submission.

My tail went completely limp, dropping so low that—well, everything between my legs was on display.
I’d already decided to dedicate myself to Huey-kun (in my heart, at least), but survival definitely took priority over purity.

Come on, look! Witness my resolve!

…

The only sound in the burrow was the faint howl of the blizzard outside.
Lying belly-up, all I could see was the ceiling. I had no idea what the wolf was doing—only that the silence felt… painfully awkward.

Without moving from my pose, I tilted my head just enough to sneak a peek.

What I saw made me freeze.

The wolf… was staring at me, completely dumbfounded.

"……"

Oh wow. I didn’t know wolves could make that kind of face.
Hey, come on—say something! You’re just gonna leave me lying here like this? Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is!?

But if I move now, he might decide it’s dinner time.
After a frantic moment of internal debate, I decided to… wag my tail.
Still flat on my back.

That seemed to snap the wolf out of it.
So? What’ll it be? See? I’m your underling! Definitely not your meal!

As I held my breath, waiting for his reaction—

“Guhff!”

—the wolf suddenly choked.

“Gh—! Cough, cough, cough!”

Then he started hunching over and coughing weirdly!?

Wait—what!? Is he okay!?

Out of pure concern, I broke my submissive pose and rushed over to him. When I peeked at his face, he looked up at me with teary blue eyes.

"……!?"

Suddenly, the wolf spun around and bolted straight out of the burrow.

Hey, wait! Hold on!
People in dramas always start coughing like that right before they spit blood—don’t tell me it’s that kind of situation!?

Panicking, I scrambled after him.

After struggling through the narrow tunnel, I finally wriggled my way out.

"……"

Right outside, the wolf had his head buried in the snow, thrashing around wildly.

Oh no. Why is he acting so sketchy all of a sudden?
That’s… kinda creepy.

Okay, mental note—he’s officially downgraded from “Mr. Wolf” to just “the wolf.”

I stared at him with squinty, suspicious eyes until he finally calmed down. Then he stood, shook the snow off his fur, and looked straight at me.

"……"

“Grrrrrrrr...!”

“Yipe!”

He snarled, wrinkling his nose at me. I yelped, but… it didn’t really feel scary. His growl sounded more like a scolding—like an adult catching a kid doing something stupid.

So even though my tail stayed tucked tight, I met his gaze head-on.

The wolf bared his teeth and growled low for a moment, but eventually let out a long sigh, shook his head, and motioned with his snout for me to get back inside the burrow.

And once again, he started nudging me from behind, pushing me through the narrow passage.

Seriously—what is it with him and my butt!?