1 Chapter 1-showed up

Marilyn's POV

"Hello, is this Miss Marilyn?"

In the early morning, around nine o'clock, I received a call from the Galaxy Pack. It was a middle-aged man's voice on the other end.

The sky was barely lit as I had just fallen asleep. With less than four hours of sleep, my phone abruptly vibrated, jolting my heart like a drumbeat. My mind felt heavy and foggy, as if stuffed with damp cotton, and I felt uneasy.

The air conditioner emitted a subtle hum as the cold air circulated. I curled up in bed, my eyelids glued together, and mumbled two words into the phone, "This is..."

My voice was hoarse and unusually feeble.

Upon hearing my response, the person on the other end became highly agitated. "Great, I finally reached you, Miss Marilyn. I wanted to discuss something about your brother, Lynn."

...Brother? Where did I suddenly have a brother from? I furrowed my brow and opened my eyes slightly, catching a glimpse of the "Unknown Number" displayed on my phone screen. I replied, "I'm sorry, you've dialed the wrong number," and promptly ended the call.

I concluded it was a fraudulent call and didn't dwell on it. To prevent further disruptions, I activated the "Do Not Disturb" mode and set my phone aside, then closed my eyes once more.

However, lying motionless for nearly an hour, apart from the increasingly pounding pain in my temples, I couldn't find even a hint of drowsiness. Reluctantly, I reached for my phone and discovered two missed calls and several messages.

One of the missed calls was from the earlier "scam call," and the unopened messages were all from the same number. Are phone scams becoming this persistent nowadays?

I had an instinctive feeling that something was amiss. I clicked on the messages, and what immediately caught my eye was a clear headshot, almost occupying the entire screen of my phone. It portrayed a young boy with a striking appearance, seemingly around fourteen or fifteen years old.

The photo had been taken with a mobile phone and had a slightly blurry quality due to the low resolution. Nevertheless, I could discern the person's dark, expressive eyes, thin lips lightly pressed together, and a neutral gaze fixed upon the camera.

However, this single photo left me utterly bewildered for a good thirty seconds because the face in the picture... bore an uncanny resemblance to my deceased stepfather. It was almost as if... he and the young boy were father and son.

Pondering the situation, I sat upright and switched on the bedside lamp. I proceeded to read the other two lengthy messages, each spanning over several hundred words. According to the messages, the young boy in the photo was named Lynn, currently attending high school, and he had lost his guardians after the successive deaths of his grandparents.

The sender of these messages was the administrator in charge of Rouge, who had discovered that Lynn had several remaining relatives from a legal standpoint. These relatives included a father, stepmother, and stepsister. However, they were only able to establish contact with one sister, which happened to be me.

The more pressing issue at hand was that Lynn currently lacked a wolf companion. According to the law, underage individuals without a wolf must reside with a guardian; otherwise, they would be sent to a facility for underage supervision, which, in essence, resembled an orphanage.

The messages did not explicitly request me to assume the responsibility of caring for Lynn. Instead, they earnestly implored me to assist in contacting Lynn's father.

Clearly, the other pack was unaware that Lynn's father, Fredy, had passed away almost two weeks prior. I set my phone aside and stared into space, my expression filled with confusion. It had been twelve years since my mother and Fredy got married, and I had never heard a whisper about Fredy having another son.

Both my mother and Fredy had tragically passed away, one a year ago and the other just a few weeks ago. I hadn't even dealt with their death certificates yet. I opened the family records and quickly realized that something was amiss. I scrutinized the pages once more, and there, tucked away inconspicuously, I discovered a folded sheet of thin paper containing Lynn's information, which perfectly aligned with all the details mentioned in the messages.

Upon discovering that I had a younger brother from a legal perspective, my expression remained neutral, devoid of both joy and anger. There was no lingering resentment for being kept in the dark. I carefully unfolded Lynn's birth certificate and returned it to its protective cover.

With a slight movement of my lips, I let out a slow exhale, as if finding the situation utterly absurd yet burdened with an undeniable sense of responsibility. I stared at Lynn's photo on my phone, lightly tapping the screen, creating a soft "clicking" sound, lost in my thoughts. The corners of my eyes drooped slightly as the youthful face of the boy in the bright phone screen reflected in my eyes. After several long minutes, I dialed the number.

The Red moon pack, where I resided, was over two thousand kilometers away from the Galaxy pack. The next day, I boarded a plane and headed straight to the Galaxy pack.

Upon meeting the administrator, we exchanged a few casual greetings. Both of us were eager to resolve the situation, so we didn't waste time on small talk. Together, we made our way to Lynn's home.

The administrator, a middle-aged man with a kind demeanor, seemed genuinely pleased to see me. Throughout the journey, he spoke highly of Lynn, as if concerned that I might have a sudden change of heart.

"Lynn is a responsible and dutiful child. He had been taking care of his ailing grandparents when they were still alive. Although the elderly couple suffered from various ailments, their passing wasn't too painful. However, it's unfortunate that Lynn was left all alone without any support. And now, with his father's recent demise... sigh..."

The administrator had a slightly pronounced accent, and I could only grasp the general meaning of his words. However, I refrained from interrupting and silently listened as we walked, occasionally offering a response to acknowledge his statements.

On this pre-school day, I came across a group of children, around ten years old, hiding in the ditches of the field. Their shadowed heads seemed to be sprouting from the mounds of earth. One of the kids noticed me behind the administrator and whispered, "Hey, look at that person..."

A young boy turned his body to catch a glimpse of me, and our eyes unexpectedly met. He let out a curious "Hmm?" and his gaze wandered inquisitively over me. Without averting my eyes, I looked directly at him, causing his cheeks to slowly flush with embarrassment.

The children glanced at me, recognizing that I was an outsider. They exchanged a few furtive glances before giggling and sprinting away like a group of playful calves.

The administrator let out a sigh, expressing his frustration. Seeing me lost in thought, gazing at the fading figures of the children, he quickly reassured me, "Miss Marilyn, please don't worry. Lynn is not like them. He doesn't smoke, doesn't get into fights, and he excels in his studies."

I redirected my attention to the rugged and uneven road beneath my feet, speaking calmly, "No need to worry. I've promised to take care of Lynn, and I won't go back on my word."

The administrator breathed a sigh of relief and repeated several times, "Good, good, that's reassuring..."

After walking a little further along the relatively flat and dry muddy road, the administrator pointed towards a small thatched house emerging amidst the pack and said, "That's it, we're almost there."

I swatted away the persistent tiny mosquitoes buzzing around my shoes and expressed my gratitude, "Thank you."

"It's alright, it's alright," the administrator waved his hand and sighed, "We couldn't reach him earlier, and Lynn kept telling me not to bother. Sigh, such a young child has already faced so many hardships. How can we just leave him be?"

In the administrator's eyes, Lynn, a rogue, suddenly gained a caring pack sister who was also well-off. He felt a mix of happiness for Lynn and sadness for his situation.

Lynn's house was locked, but the door was unlocked, suggesting that no one was inside.

"Hmm?" The administrator approached and touched the lock, puzzled. "Why would he be out on a hot summer afternoon? Where could he have gone?"

"Lynn! Lynn!" the administrator called out loudly.

After calling twice, a tall and thin figure emerged from the cornfield behind the house. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and placed the freshly peeled half of a corn cob back into his basket. He walked towards the administrator and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Lynn suddenly paused, his gaze fixed on me standing behind the administrator. His expression revealed a mix of astonishment and confusion.

It was an unusual reaction, not what one would expect from meeting someone for the first time. It felt as if he recognized me and was incredibly surprised by my presence.

Remaining silent, I took the opportunity to observe him closely.