"Who would need wooden toys?"
The words echoed in Addison’s mind like a broken record, a faint buzzing filling her ears. Panic surged, her thoughts overheating, yet her face remained carefully blank.
On the other end of the communication crystal, the Alpha King and Queen had also heard the familiar voice and fallen silent. Even Archmage Elric pressed his lips together; he hadn’t heard any footsteps approaching the tent.
As for Addison, the excitent of talking about her children had made her relax her guard. She had let herself grow too at ease and failed to notice the soft footsteps drawing closer.
Now, a chill crept up her spine. She had no idea how much the newcor had overheard.
"Z-Zion..." Addison stamred, studying his face for any hint of what he might have heard.
But Zion looked calm, far too calm, as if he’d caught nothing beyond her chatter about crafts and wooden toys. She watched him a mont longer before releasing a quiet, careful sigh of relief.
"You’re back?"
"Um, I ca back to check on you. How are you feeling?" Zion said softly as he crossed the room and sat beside her bed.
Without thinking, he reached for Addison and drew her into his arms. The mont her warmth settled against him, the tension in his body eased. He inhaled her familiar, comforting scent, released a quiet breath, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I’m feeling better now, so I asked Archmage Elric to co and help warn my parents..." Addison said, a trace of nervousness and guilt slipping into her voice.
She had already decided to tell Zion about the children, but she knew this wasn’t the right mont. Telling him now would only stir his emotions and cloud his judgnt. She needed a safe, private place where they could speak openly.
If Zion grew emotional, at least it wouldn’t endanger him or push him into making reckless decisions, especially now, when a single distraction could cost him his life or make him rush back to the royal capital before it was safe to do so.
Even though Addison hadn’t heard the information Zion shared with Maxwell and the other Alphas, she could piece things together on her own. With what she witnessed this morning, she was sure that the biochemical mist would have affected the wildlife around the Golden Hue Pack and the neighboring territories.
Animals were far more sensitive to danger than humans or other species, so many would have already fled their habitats.
For so many creatures to migrate toward this area or other places, it could only an one thing, and that is the danger around them had increased. Powerful monsters might now be lurking nearby.
And if Zion learned about the children and decided to rush back to the Royal Capital at any cost, razing monster nests and charging through the wild without regard for his own safety just to speed up their search for materials, Addison didn’t know how she would stop him... or where she would even find the strength to break down afterward.
She understood, at least, that Zion could be single-minded at tis. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have stubbornly kept protecting Claire within his territory instead of sending her back to the Royal Palace, simply because Claire had said a few haughty, entitled things about not wanting to return on her own.
"I’m feeling much better now. How are things outside?" Addison asked, gently steering the conversation away to keep Zion from probing into her earlier conversation with her parents.
The Alpha King and Queen kept their composure, their expressions carefully controlled. Archmage Elric, however, was far less skilled at masking his emotions, so he quietly turned away, trying to hide how pale he’d gone, as if his heart had nearly leapt out of his chest in shock.
"Ah, yes. I just concluded a eting with the Alphas traveling with us and briefed them on the situation. After that, I led a joint patrol with the warriors from each pack to reinforce the periter, heighten the security, and strengthen the defenses along the walls. We also set additional traps around the area," Zion reported.
Noticing the Alpha King’s grave expression through the communication crystal, Zion straightened his back and offered a respectful bow before continuing.
"With all these preparations... is it really that bad out there?" Addison asked, frowning.
Zion nodded. "A group of monsters has established a new nest upstream, so I asked Levi to warn the teams in charge of food and supplies to boil all drinking water, especially for the children. We can’t be certain whether those creatures carry parasites or infectious diseases."
"I’ve already sent people to search for alternative water sources while we’re stationed here, but water is essential for all living things. Most nearby sources are already claid by stronger monsters or beast packs. For now, boiling the water is our only reliable option. Fortunately, the healers stepped in after they recovered and are using their abilities to help purify the supply as an added precaution."
As he spoke, Zion’s hand drifted to Addison’s back, rubbing it gently in a soothing rhythm. "We’ll have to make do with this for the ti being."
"Indeed... that was a good call," Addison said with an approving nod.
She knew Zion’s precaution would prevent problems before they even began. Wild animals often carry parasites and viruses. Most adults could withstand minor exposure, especially with their wolves to bolster them, but the children who had yet to awaken their wolves, and the elderly whose strength had already waned, would not be nearly as fortunate.
And if that happened, the sick would slow down the entire group, jeopardizing their ability to return to the designated location on ti. More importantly, the children and elderly, with their weaker immune systems, could face serious illness or even death.
Right now, aside from the few healers they brought, dical supplies were scarce. Even though the doctors had transported so dical equipnt from the Royal Capital to the West and brought those along here, there was no safe, sterile environnt to perform advanced procedures. They couldn’t simply use the equipnt without proper disinfection.
With thousands of people in the group, a widespread outbreak from contaminated water would quickly overwhelm the dical staff and healers, putting everyone at risk.
"If that’s the case, we may need to speed up our return," Addison said, voicing her concern. "We don’t know when the monsters or wild animals nearby might try to reclaim this territory. On top of that, so monsters are always looking to expand their range, so they’ll likely confront others to secure the area for their young. A series of territorial battles is bound to break out soon, and we could easily get caught in the middle."
"Indeed. While gathering materials, we noticed a large number of monsters and wild animals near our temporary shelter," Zion said, his tone serious. "I’ve been worrying about the sa thing, which is why I strengthened our defenses and set up additional traps, so we’d know if anything approached and could deal with it quickly."
"But as for speeding up the material gathering... I highly doubt we can. We have to move carefully through territories controlled by these creatures. Engaging them in direct combat would cost too much ti, and there’s always the risk they might take revenge and attack the shelter itself."
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