Evangeline’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the stinking prey in Thorne’s hands.
「Three days later.」
Thorne stood before The Larder Cave, his brow knitted in a deep frown and his expression grave. Most of the at hanging on the stone walls was covered in a strange, dark green film, and the stench of decay spread silently through the air.
Caden Albright gazed at Evangeline’s sleeping face, his movents impossibly gentle as he tucked her in.
As he turned, his silver hair cascaded down his back. He walked to The Larder Cave and stood behind Thorne. A faint scent of rotting at wafted over. "Our prey has started to rot, too," Caden Albright said in a low voice.
A look of agitation crossed Thorne’s face. "Eva is about to have her cubs," he said grimly. "She needs fresh food."
’He and Caden Albright could eat the rotting prey, though it would be less palatable. But Eva...’
’She was already delicate, and now that she was pregnant, she was picky about even the freshest prey. How could she possibly eat this rotten at? The sll alone had made her vomit two days ago, and she hadn’t eaten a thing all day.’
Caden Albright’s head snapped up, his beautiful features turning utterly grave. As he spun around, his silver hair sliced a cold arc through the air. "I’ll go hunt for sothing fresh."
’Letting the female carrying his cub go hungry was the greatest sha a male could endure.’
Thorne sneered. "The prey are all holed up in their nests this season. The mountain floods have been getting worse lately, washing away the undergrowth downstream. Even the Snake Beastn of our tribe have to take detours."
His dark green eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "And what about that fox fur of yours? Think you’ll be able to sll any prey once you’re soaked? If you don’t make it back alive, your little fox cub will have to call father."
A gloomy shadow instantly fell over Caden Albright’s striking features.
Then, his lips curved into a slight smile, his sharp fangs flashing. "You’re only a Six-star. How would you know what an Eight-Marked Beastman is capable of?"
For a mont, the air in The Larder Cave crackled with hostility.
Outside the cave, a giant crimson python broke through the curtain of rain, gliding toward them.
Its crimson scales glead like blood in the rain. As it neared the entrance, it suddenly reared up, its forked tongue flicking in and out.
"Thorne!"
The hissing cry was so powerful it made the stone walls tremble.
The noise woke Evangeline, who rolled over in annoyance.
She frowned, stroking her rounded belly. Just as she was about to turn toward Elias Moretti, Caden Albright appeared in a flash by her stone bed.
The chill of The Larder Cave still clung to his silver hair. His amber eyes swept coldly over Elias Moretti, but as he leaned over her, his expression lted into pure tenderness. "Awake? Are you hungry?"
As he spoke, Caden Albright slid a slender hand to her lower back, steadily pulling her into his embrace.
Evangeline leaned on his shoulder, but her expression changed. She shifted back, frowning. "The sll of rot..."
Caden Albright froze for a second before taking an imperceptible step back.
Before Evangeline could even look up, his slender figure had already darted out of the cave.
The downpour instantly swallowed Caden Albright. Only after the rain had washed the stench of rot from him completely did he step back into the cave, his drenched silver hair cascading down his back and leaving a trail of water in his wake.
Thorne erged from The Larder Cave and, without Evangeline needing to say a word, also stepped out into the curtain of rain.
Elias Moretti’s crimson form stood silently at the cave entrance. He shifted into his human form, python markings gleaming faintly on his exposed skin. He surveyed the dry, warm cave, and his crimson eyes landed on The Larder Cave, his pupils contracting.
He turned to look at Thorne, who had just returned to the cave, and said with a frown, "Your food has started to rot, too."
Thorne shook his drenched hair, sending water droplets flying. With a flick, his black snake tail lay protectively before the stone bed, its wet scales shimring and making a wary, rasping sound in the dim light.
A chilling aura radiated from him, and his ssy, wet hair obscured one of his dark green eyes. "Spit it out."
The words were utterly devoid of emotion as his vertical pupils stared unblinkingly at this ’Brother’ of his.
’As another male, he knew perfectly well that Elias Moretti harbored certain unspeakable feelings for his female.’
"Our prey has rotted, too?" Evangeline’s brow knitted. This was not good news.
’Her appetite was small, but Caden Albright and Thorne ate an astonishing amount. Most of the prey in The Larder Cave was for them, so she hadn’t offered to put it in her storage space. She never expected it to start rotting in just two or three days.’
’No wonder so many tribes on the Beastman Continent were plagued by disease after the rainy season ended.’
’Rotting at bred germs and viruses. Bound by tradition and loath to waste food, the beastn would stubbornly gnaw on the decaying, stinking prey and fall ill as a result.’
"Don’t worry, I’ll go hunting," Caden Albright said, gently patting Evangeline’s back with a calm expression.
His cascading silver hair brushed against her shoulder. His amber eyes held a deep, settled emotion. ’Even in the rainy season, he would hunt down the freshest prey for his female and their cub.’
"No! The rainy season is dangerous. It’s not safe to go out hunting."
"Don’t you worry. I won’t go hungry."
Evangeline gripped Caden Albright’s hand, her already knitted brow tightening even further.
’She had plenty of food in her storage space, all of it gathered from the various pocket worlds she had visited before.’
’Eating roasted at here on the Beastman Continent was just her way of adapting to their lifestyle. She really wasn’t lacking for food.’
’Besides, she worked for The Lineage Optimization Departnt, so of course she had to consider mission convenience. Her storage space was piled high with prenatal supplents and formula for the cub—forget one cub, she had enough to raise the cubs of ten tribes without a problem.’
"You are not to go, do you hear ?" Evangeline’s expression was serious. She poked Caden Albright’s chest with a slender fingertip, demanding his promise.
’She knew the males on the Beastman Continent were a stubborn lot. The mont she forbade it, he might just sneak off to hunt. The rainy season was a natural disaster; even an Eight-Marked Beastman might not be able to withstand it.’
Seeing the worry in her eyes, Caden Albright pressed his thin, crimson lips together. "But..."
The corner of her eye lifted, and her voice carried an undeniable authority. "No buts!"
Resigned, Caden Albright could only nod obediently. He knew Evangeline was worried about him.
Seeing Caden Albright agree, Evangeline imdiately turned to Thorne.
He was leaning against the stone wall, his black snake tail coiled before the bed, its tip flicking lazily. He looked utterly relaxed, as if he were enjoying the show.
However, when her sharp gaze swept over him, the tip of his tail instinctively curled up.
"You, too!"
"If you dare sneak out to hunt, and I catch you... heh heh."
Thorne gave a light cough. A flicker of tenderness crossed his dark green eyes, and a wisp of sweetness blood in his heart.
"Did you hear ?!" Seeing that Thorne hadn’t answered, Evangeline demanded again in a stern voice.
"Alright, I get it." Thorne’s features relaxed, and he gave a slight nod.
Seeing that both stubborn n had agreed, the tension in Evangeline’s shoulders finally eased.
She glanced at Elias Moretti out of the corner of her eye. "Leader Elias Moretti, was there a reason you ca by today?"
Elias Moretti seed to snap back to reality. Seeing the harmonious atmosphere between the three of them, an indescribable emotion churned in his crimson eyes. His fingertips had long since dug into his palm, but he felt no pain.
’So this was the infamous Evangeline. When faced with her males, she actually had such a captivating side to her.’
Elias Moretti’s chest heaved twice. He averted his gaze, turning to face the torrential downpour outside.
After a mont, he concealed his emotions and said calmly, "The beastn from the Stannar Tribe have arrived. The rainy season ca early this year. Their territory is in a low-lying area and has been washed out by the mountain floods."
"In previous years, Thorne was always the one to help them get settled when the rainy season ca. This ti, it naturally falls to him again."
"After all, his Beast-mother ca from the Stannar Tribe."
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