Chapter 67: The Witch Who Refused to Be a Burden
Lyra sobbed harder, her hands clutching at her mother’s leather tunic. "But... but Brother has become so soft because of the Witch! He was never like this before. He is much too soft on her!"
Selka burst into a loud, hearty laugh, the sound echoing through the trees. "He has always been soft, child! And not just with her—with everyone! He might keep growling, snapping his jaws, and acting like a terrifying leader, but he has always been incredibly soft on you all."
"Hm?" Lyra peeked up from Selka’s lap, her tear-stained face filled with confusion.
"He was soft on you even when the two of you hunted absolutely nothing," Selka said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Even when you two were nearly grown and still kept bringing back tiny field mice."
"Mother..." Lyra murmured, her face instantly heating up in pure embarrassment.
"And even today!" Selka continued, her tone shifting into something deeply respectful.
Lyra and Tala both looked up, listening intently.
"...Kael is fiercely fond of Nuan. Yet, when the two of you tried to humiliate her just now—trying to push her away from the young elk that you explicitly told her she could have—he didn’t let his wild instincts take over. He didn’t bare his fangs at his own sisters. He tightly controlled his Alpha anger for your sakes, because he is, and always will be, soft on you."
A heavy silence fell over the thicket. Lyra and Tala let out synchronized sniffs, the weight of their mother’s words finally breaking through their stubborn jealousy. Lyra sat up on her knees, rubbing her red eyes. "I’m sorry, Mother..."
Tala quickly dropped to her knees right beside her sister, bowing her head deeply. "I am sorry, Mother!!"
"Sigh... you two," Selka muttered, looking down at them with a fond, exhausted expression. "Well, it is a good thing that you support each other in everything. But now, stop acting so reckless and start learning some good things. If something is useful, learn it shamelessly from anyone—whether it is from Nuan or anyone else. Do that instead of committing shameful acts just to bring others down in the eyes of the pack."
Both sisters nodded rapidly, their previous hostility completely evaporated.
"So, what is the very first thing you are going to do now?" Selka asked, crossing her arms.
"Apologize to the Witch," they both muttered in unison.
"Good. And make sure you share your hunted elk with her. In return, ask her to teach you how to properly control the red evil’s fire. Because knowing her..." Selka paused, turning her head toward the edge of the treeline, her gaze drifting back toward the camp with a worried sigh. "Her fierce self-respect won’t easily let her eat the pack’s meat without contributing to a hunt now."
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.
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Meanwhile, back inside the dark shadows of Kael’s den, the atmosphere was thick and suffocating.
Nuan sat completely curled up on the dirt floor, her back leaning rigidly against Kael’s abandoned sand bed. She pulled her knees tightly to her chest, burying her face into her arms as hot, angry tears finally spilled over her cheeks. Her shoulders shook violently as she sobbed in the quiet darkness of the cave.
"Tha... that is exactly why I absolutely hate the idea of getting a man!" she choked out, her voice cracking with a mixture of raw fury and deep hurt. "I completely despise being called out for being dependent or a freeloader! The moment you get a guy, his entire family instantly judges you—acting like you’re just enjoying all his luxuries for free!"
Nuan sniffed loudly, wiping her nose with her trembling, uninjured left hand.
"I am absolutely not going to touch a single scrap of what this pack hunts from now on," she hissed into the dark, her pride stinging fiercely. "I don’t care about my ankle. I’ll just get my own damn hunt! Who the hell makes someone feel this terrible just for eating?! I hate this place!!!"
Back on Earth, she had clawed her way to absolute independence. She was the one who bought her own lavish house, funded her own extreme survival expeditions, and took care of her family. She had never, ever allowed a single human soul to call her a burden, an extra mouth to feed, or a parasite.
And now, to be publicly scrutinized by adolescent wolves over a piece of meat?
"Ugh, it is so incredibly humiliating and embarrassing," Nuan whispered, tightening her arms around her knees as she let her tears flow freely into the fabric of her loincloth, the emotional volatility of her menstrual cycle making the sting of the pack’s judgment feel a thousand times sharper.
Kael stepped into the dim shadows of the den, his sharp ears picking up the quiet, ragged sounds of Nuan’s breathing before his eyes could even adjust. When he saw her small form curled up tightly against his sand bed, shaking and sobbing, something wrenched violently in his chest.
He walked over with a heavy, uneven stride and dropped to his knees right beside her.
"Nuan... are you crying?" he asked, his deep voice hesitating, completely stripped of its usual Alpha authority.
"I’m not..." Nuan sniffed, burying her face deeper into her knees as she murmured her denial.
"I can smell your tears," he countered softly, his nose twitching.
"I’m just in pain because of my cramps and my period! That’s it!" Nuan lied fiercely, wiping at her wet cheeks with a frantic, angry swipe of her left hand.
"Don’t lie to me. I know you are crying because of what Lyra and Tala did out there," he said, his ears flattening against his head in a rare show of vulnerability.
"Oh, yeah? Suddenly you’re not a clueless idiot?!" Nuan hissed, her voice cracking as a fresh sob escaped her throat. She whipped her head around to glare at him through her blurred vision. "And what did you do despite knowing it?! I didn’t ask to come to this pack, Kael! You brought me here forcefully! I can fucking live on my own in this jungle! There was absolutely no need for them to call me out or for everyone to look at me like I’m some extra mouth to feed!"
"I’m sorry!" Kael murmured, the words rushing out of him. He looked entirely small, staring at her with wide, pained eyes.
"Just go away. Leave me alone, please," Nuan snapped, turning her back to him, her chest heaving with menstrual rage and deeply wounded pride.
"I won’t," Kael mumbled stubbornly, his jaw tightening.
"Tsk! Fine, then I’ll go far away!" Nuan snapped. Fueled by adrenaline, she forced herself up on her good leg, preparing to storm out of the cave.
But before she could take a single step, Kael reached out. His large hand gently caught her aching waist, and with a careful, firm pull, he dragged her right back down against his broad chest. Searing heat instantly radiated from his skin as he slid his good arm entirely around her, wrapping it securely across her lower stomach where the cramps were localized.
He rested his heavy chin right on her shoulder, breathing softly against her neck. "There is no fire inside the den right now," he whispered, his chest rumbling against her back. "Let me warm you instead."
"Your hand! Your injured shoulder!" Nuan protested, her anger briefly short-circuiting into genuine worry as she felt his massive frame bracing against her.
"I’m okay," he whispered near her ear, his grip tightening just enough to keep her anchored against his warmth, refusing to let her go.
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