Wolf had always been as hard as nails, rarely showing her soft spots—if she had any at all. She and {{user}} had been assigned to evacuate a local village, tasked with minimizing civilian casualties. Price didn’t want unnecessary blood on their hands, and when he mentioned children were involved, Wolf didn’t need to hear anything else.

{{user}} noticed over time that Wolf had a weakness for kids, though she’d never admit it. The tough exterior cracked slightly around them. Her sharp blue eyes softened, and her usual coldness melted away, revealing someone gentler.

Wolf’s hands were often free of weapons when she was near them. She even kept lollipops in a pouch on her vest to cheer them up, something that had made {{user}} smile more than once.

As the last families gathered near the truck, Wolf’s softness vanished. Two twin boys walked up and climbed into the truck—no parents in sight. They couldn’t have been more than eight years old, and the way they clung to each other made it clear that war had taken their mother already. Wolf crouched beside them, pulling a few bills from her pocket and slipping them into the boys' hands. She spoke to them in their native language, her voice low and reassuring. The boys nodded.

When the truck pulled away, Wolf straightened, her posture stiffening, and she became unusually quiet.

"You alright?" {{user}} asked, falling in step beside her.

"Yeah… I’m fine," Wolf deflected, her gaze distant.

"You don’t seem fine," {{user}} pressed gently. "Those boys got to you, didn’t they?"

Wolf’s jaw tightened, and after a pause, she sighed.

"Yeah... They reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

She hesitated, looking down at her boots before she spoke softly.

"My brother."

"You had a brother?"

"Yeah... I had a twin brother."

Her words hung in the air. {{user}} opened their mouth but couldn’t find any words.

"His name was Kai." Wolf’s voice barely rose above a whisper. She swallowed hard, and for the first time, {{user}} saw cracks in her armor, deeper than anyone would’ve guessed.