Chapter 77: Mother Has a Mother?!
Meanwhile, the dense canopy of the Black Wolves’ territory was thick and suffocating as the dark evening settled in.
Selka sat calmly on a mossy log, tearing into the soft skin of a fresh beaver she had just hunted.
She didn’t even look up when the rustling began, nor when dozens of glowing, predatory eyes suddenly surrounded her from every corner of the dark thicket.
She simply took another slow chew, completely unbothered.
Through the dense bushes, a massive pack of pitch-black wolves stepped into the clearing, their fangs subtly bared. But from the center of the dark horde, a familiar, sleek silver-grey wolf pushed forward.
The silver-grey wolf paced confidently toward Selka. As they met, their ears pinned back in mutual recognition.
They stepped in close, firmly rubbing their necks against one another as they deeply sniffed to read each other’s recent history. Selka noted the high, rigid arc of the other wolf’s tail—she was dominant here.
With a synchronized poof of grey smoke, both wolves shifted effortlessly into their human forms.
The silver-grey woman instantly threw her arms around Selka, pulling her into a fierce, tight embrace. "Mother... it has been so long," she said, her voice dropping into a firm, authoritative, and confident tone that clearly marked her status in this foreign territory.
"You have grown so much, Frieza," Selka murmured, a genuine, warm maternal smile softening her battle-hardened features as they pulled apart to look at each other.
"What are you doing all alone in our clan’s hunting grounds?" Frieza asked, her brow furrowing as her ears twitched.
"I’m heading toward the open plains," Selka answered smoothly, raising her voice just enough so the listening dark wolves in the brush could hear her clearly. "Don’t worry, I didn’t mean to trespass this deep into your clan’s borders. I am simply passing through."
"Eh? Heading for the plains? But why? Where is your pack?" Frieza pressed, her protective instincts flaring.
Selka’s smile faded into something solemn. "Your father died, Frieza."
Frieza froze, her ears flattened. Her confident posture wavering for a fraction of a second. "W... What? ...Father is no more?"
Selka gave her a reassuring, gentle nod, the kind of smile that told her daughter it was alright to mourn but to stay strong. "Yes. He passed away naturally a while ago, leaving the pack in my hands."
"Then why are you traveling alone? Where is the clan?" Frieza asked, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows behind her mother.
"Right now, Kael is the Alpha of our pack," Selka said smoothly, her tone projecting immense pride and strength to ensure the surrounding Black Wolves wouldn’t sense any vulnerability in her solo journey. "And his chosen mate is a good Witch Astera! The ancient Savior of our clan from generations back. Right now, the entire pack is celebrating, pleasing her, and preparing for the massive full moon ritual to grant her the Silver-Grey clan’s bloodmark. The territory is heavily guarded," Selka lied smoothly.
Frieza’s eyes widened slightly. "So... the prophecy actually came true? Wait, who is Kael?"
"He came from my thirteenth litter," Selka chuckled softly. "He is by far the strongest among them. Behind him, I gave birth to two more litter before your father finally passed."
"Oh, I see..." Frieza murmured, nodding in respect.
"Now, are you going to keep standing here interrogating your own mother, or are you going to introduce me to your pack?" Selka teased, crossing her arms.
Frieza burst into a proud laugh. "Haha, sorry! Alpha! Come here!!"
At her call, the bushes parted, and a massive, heavily muscled dark wolf stepped into the clearing.
His striking, piercing green eyes locked onto Selka, sizing her up with an intense, calculated stare. Selka didn’t back down, returning the intense Alpha gaze with her own cold, unyielding silver eyes.
With a heavy puff of black smoke, the massive wolf shifted into a tall, broad-shouldered man. Frieza immediately stepped to his side, proudly wrapping her arm around his bicep. "Mother, meet my Alpha mate, Draven."
Selka looked the giant over and nodded approvingly. "You indeed found yourself a strong mate, Frieza."
Frieza beamed happily, her tail practically wagging in her human form.
"I can easily see where my beautiful Alpha mate got her legendary looks from," Draven said, his deep voice smooth as he offered Selka a respectful nod. "It is an honor to have you in our woods."
Selka raised an eyebrow, a witty chuckle escaping her lips. "No need to flatter an old wolf, young man." She then looked back out at the dark treeline. "So, what about the rest of your pack?"
"Oh, right!" Frieza laughed. She let go of Draven’s arm and cupped her hands around her mouth, calling out into the dark forest where dozens of tiny glowing eyes were peeking out. "Kids!!! Come out, it’s completely safe! Come meet your grandmother!!!"
The clearing suddenly exploded with sound. With a massive, chaotic chorus of poofs and black smoke, nearly twenty young pups of various ages came tumbling out of the bushes, morphing into human forms as they frantically sprinted toward Selka.
"Grandmother! Grandmother! Grandmother!!!" they chirped in unison, completely swarming her as their legs and tails wiggled with absolute joy.
"Oh, look at all these strong, handsome cuties!" Selka said, her heart melting as she immediately knelt down in the dirt to bring herself to their height.
She began happily patting their heads, rubbing their ears, and giving them firm, affectionate strokes across their backs.
Frieza stood over the chaotic pile of children, pointing her finger at them one by one in a rapid blur. "Haha, this wild bunch is Noctis, Corvin, Zevran, Vesper, Nyxen, Voren, Malrik, Kaelen, Darok, Varok, Draeg, Korvak, Zekar, Veyr, Thorek, Rykor, Zorik, Vargan, Kieran, Ronan, and Ragnar!"
Selka chuckled warmly, shaking her head. "Ah, a pack full of future strong Alphas, huh?"
One of the smaller pups, Vesper, stepped forward boldly and grabbed Selka’s hand, staring up at her with big, curious eyes. "I’m Vesper, Grandmother!"
"Oh, dear, what a remarkably pretty pair of eyes you have," Selka murmured gently, tracing the boy’s face. "One green, one silver."
"Yes! One from Father, one from Mother! That’s what they always tell me," Vesper proudly stated, tilting his chin up. Then, his tail gave a frantic wiggle as a thought struck him. "But... Grandmother? What is a grandmother?!"
Selka burst into a loud, hearty laugh at the pure, clueless innocence of the question.
Frieza let out a heavy, dramatic sigh, placing a hand on her hip. "Vesper, ’Grandmother’ means she is your mother’s mother! She is my mother!!!"
The entire pack of twenty pups froze. They looked at Frieza, then at Selka, then right back at Frieza, their jaws dropping in absolute shock.
"Noooo!!! Way!!"
"Mother... you have a mother?!"
"Our terrifying Mother actually has a mother?!"
"Whoa... is she someone even bigger and scarier than Mother?!"
"Ehh? But Grandmother is not scary at all! She gives nice ear rubs!"
The kids immediately broke into a loud, frantic argument among themselves, whispering and pointing.
"RUGH!!! Shut up, all of you!" Frieza growled, her inner Alpha flaring as her face flushed with deep embarrassment.
Selka just sat in the dirt, laughing harder than she had in years, thoroughly enjoying the chaotic warmth of her daughter’s massive, rowdy family.