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🕑 Added 2025-03-20 05:12:17 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 165 - Hunt
Montana Wildlife Area, Centennial Mountains, United States, 2018.
The mountains and plains were covered in white snow, and the constant mountain wind lifted gusts of snow that struck the face of a bearded man.
This man stood over six feet tall, had a burly physique, robust limbs, and was, without a doubt, everything a man could grow to be in adulthood.
At the moment, it seemed that the only benefit of hunting was that it distracted his mind from all the problems he had been carrying for so long.
This man, none other than Dante, had lost something very important after eliminating his family's enemies in a single night—his family's trust.
Everyone found out who he really was, though they said nothing. Their attitude toward him began to change, treating him with more respect, as if they feared him.
Dante didn’t want that. He didn’t want his family to treat him differently. All he ever wanted was to take care of them. He wished for each of his siblings to have a life free of worries, but now it seemed that the cost of achieving that was losing the warmth of his family.
It had been a month since he left the ranch, putting his life on hold for a while and ignoring everything around him. It was good to leave for a while, knowing that back home, he had subordinates who could handle his organization.
In the past few days, the problems he had been dragging along only grew larger. Not only were the Twelve Monkeys still active, but his partners in New York were also requesting a meeting.
Ghost also wanted to communicate, perhaps to respond to the proposal Dante had once made—one that might finally be ready to be answered.
That was fine. Dante knew that if he wanted his family to see him as just a brother again, he had to leave everything behind and focus solely on living the life he had left.
Perhaps that was the answer to his existence in this world, but he couldn’t let emotions dictate his actions. He was so close to reducing cocaine sales across an entire country that abandoning everything now would be a tremendous loss.
Despite all his desires, Dante couldn’t stop now. He had promised every member of SAMCRO that once they controlled the cocaine trade in the country, he would begin a reform process to prevent low-income people from becoming addicted.
The truth was, he no longer thought much about whether this would truly help the world, but he preferred to leave a mark on the streets rather than do nothing at all.
"I'm so close…" Dante murmured as he continued his hunt.
Yes, his prey was right in front of him.
Before Dante stood a massive wolf that had been hunting on his father’s ranch. This time, he had tracked it down to kill it—he couldn’t allow such wild beasts to continue slaughtering the livestock.
The only reason he was here was that he needed space to think.
During this time, he had discovered more about life than he had in his past life. Now, he understood that the opportunities for success were scarce.
For someone like him, the most important thing wasn’t money or power—his family meant more to him than anything else. He was a grateful man, which is why he helped others.
All the success he had achieved in his business wasn’t just his own. The thousands of families they fed were proof of everything they had built. They were what truly mattered; that feeling of unity was unparalleled.
But Dante had forgotten something crucial—patience.
His ambitions had turned him into a ravenous wolf, revealing his bloodstained fangs, and he needed to step back from his life for a few days.
And now, much like the wolf sniffing the surroundings, Dante faced a dilemma.
This reminded him of a poem Susie had written for him:
"Beneath the silver moon’s cold glow,
A wandering wolf howls its woe.
Its shadowed eyes reflect a plea,
A silent cry, a world set free."
"Deep in the forest, alone it roams,
Chasing a dream, seeking a home.
It fears not night, nor flees the dawn,
Only longs for peace long gone."
"A man watches, distant and still,
His face marked, his spirit chilled.
Sees in the beast his own despair,
His inner war, the chains he bears."
"Man and wolf, two souls astray,
Seeking answers in scars that stay.
Perhaps in the breeze, in falling snow,
They'll find the calm they long to know."
"Yes, Susie, I’ll be back soon." Dante wanted to get married soon; he didn’t want to delay something he had always dreamed of.
Dedicating his life to one person had to be something special. After all, there was nothing more beautiful than sharing everything one had with someone special.
That was something he had failed to understand in his past life, and now that he had everything he had once lacked, he couldn’t imagine living without it.
That was why he would resolve all his problems, step aside, and let the world shape the future as it saw fit—as long as it never harmed his family. Dante would never interfere again.
