Chapter 130: Morning of Awkward discoveries

Rylan woke before sunrise and glanced at Anaria, who was still asleep beside him. He gently freed his arm, dressed quietly, and left the shelter to prepare food for her.

Meanwhile, Kenai woke to find Ana awake beside him, looking around and making soft sounds as she searched for her mother.

Kenai sat up and picked her up, settling her against his chest.

"Your mother hasn’t come back," he murmured.

Ana answered with a little noise and reached toward the shelter entrance.

He sighed. "All right. I’ll go find her."

Carrying her in his arms, he made his way to Anaria’s shelter. When he arrived, he paused outside, listening for movement. There was none. After a moment, he pushed the entrance flap aside and stepped in.

Anaria was still asleep, the blanket pulled up to her chest. Her hair was scattered across the bedding, and she looked so peaceful that Kenai hesitated to wake her. He lowered himself beside her instead.

"Anaria."

She did not respond.

He touched her shoulder gently. "Anaria, wake up."

Her eyes opened slowly. She blinked at him, still struggling to shake off her sleep.

"Kenai?"

"Good morning."

She began to sit up, and the blanket slipped down.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Anaria looked at him, then followed his gaze downward. Realization struck her all at once. She gasped and snatched the blanket up to cover herself, her face burning with embarrassment.

"Kenai!"

He immediately turned his head away, his jaw tightening.

"Cover up."

"I know! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were—"

"It’s fine."

His answer came too quickly, and he made no effort to look at her again.

Anaria pulled the blanket firmly around herself, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. She had been so sleepy that she had completely forgotten her circumstances. Now, with Kenai standing beside her and Ana reaching for her, she could hardly think of anything to say.

"Give her to me," she said, holding out her arms.

Kenai handed Ana over. The little girl settled against her mother immediately, and Anaria kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you. Were you a good girl?"

Ana made a pleased sound, gripping her mother’s clothing with her tiny fingers. Anaria smiled and adjusted her position to feed her.

It was only then that Kenai began to notice the details of the shelter.

The bedding looked different from what he remembered. Branches had been arranged beneath it, and the blankets were not the ones Anaria usually used. Her clothes lay on the floor, scattered rather carelessly, while another blanket had been left near the edge of the bedding.

His gaze moved back to her.

"Where were you last night?"

Anaria’s smile faded.

For a brief moment, the memory of the stream returned to her. The water, the quiet of the night, and Rylan beside her came back in fragments. She lowered her eyes to Ana, hoping that her answer would sound convincing enough.

"I was busy."

Kenai stared at her.

"Busy?"

"Yes."

He seemed to consider asking another question, but whatever he saw in her expression made him stop. He looked away, his face giving little indication of what he was thinking.

Before either of them could speak again, the entrance flap moved.

Rylan stepped inside carrying a small portion of cooked meat and some fruit. He stopped when he saw Kenai, and the two males exchanged a brief look.

"Kenai."

"Rylan."

There was an awkwardness in the greeting that neither bothered to address. Rylan eventually moved past him and approached Anaria, crouching beside her to place the food within reach.

"How are you feeling?"

Anaria looked up at him. Despite her embarrassment, a small smile appeared on her face.

"I’m fine. A little sore, but better than yesterday."

Rylan nodded, apparently satisfied with her answer.

"Eat something."

"Thank you."

Kenai watched them in silence. He noticed the way Anaria’s expression softened when she looked at Rylan, as well as the ease with which Rylan settled beside her. The answer to his earlier question seemed obvious now, even though neither of them had offered an explanation.

Still, he asked.

"Where did you sleep last night?"

Rylan raised his eyes to him.

"Here."

Kenai’s gaze shifted briefly to Anaria. She busied herself adjusting Ana in her arms, avoiding his eyes.

He gave a slow nod.

"I see."

Then he stood.

"I should check on the settlement."

Anaria looked up quickly. "Kenai."

He paused at the entrance, but she could not find the right words. She wanted to explain herself, yet she was not even sure how to begin. Kenai was her mate, and so was Rylan. Whatever had happened between her and Rylan did not change that, but she knew Kenai had every reason to feel hurt.

When she failed to say anything, Kenai turned away and left.

Rylan watched the entrance for a moment before looking back at Anaria. She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"He knows."

"Yes."

"He’s jealous."

Rylan said nothing, taking a piece of fruit from the food beside him.

Anaria frowned at him. "You’re not going to say anything?"

"What do you want me to say?"

She gave him a look.

"He’s my mate, Rylan."

"I know."

"He’s your mate too."

Rylan nodded. "I know that as well."

Anaria looked down at Ana, who was feeding quietly in her arms. She hated the thought of Kenai feeling excluded, especially when she had never intended to hurt him.

"I’ll talk to him later."

"All right." Rylan pushed the food closer to her. "Now eat."

She accepted a piece of meat, though her appetite was not particularly strong. Rylan remained beside her while she ate, keeping an eye on Ana whenever Anaria needed to adjust her position.

Once she had eaten enough, Anaria handed the baby to him and carefully got to her feet. Her injured leg was still wrapped, but it felt considerably stronger than it had the previous day. She took a cautious step, then another, testing how much weight she could put on it.

Rylan watched her closely.

"Don’t push yourself."

"I won’t. I just want to check on the water supply."

He glanced at Ana, who had settled comfortably against his chest.

"I’ll stay with her."

Anaria nodded and stepped outside.

The settlement was already lively by the time she reached the water supply. Villagers moved between their daily tasks, while others gathered near the construction site, where the new elders’ shelter was nearing completion. She spotted Kai among the workers, carrying a piece of wood with another male.

He noticed her and lifted a hand in greeting.

Anaria waved back before turning her attention to the water supply. She inspected the containers and the surrounding area, satisfied that everything was clean and accessible.

A familiar chime sounded in her mind.

\[Task progress: Good. Water supply is stable.\]

A second message appeared.

\[Next task: Establish a safe play area for children.\]

Anaria considered the instruction. A designated place where the children could play without wandering too close to the cooking fires or construction work would be useful. She made a mental note to discuss it with the villagers the following day.

For now, she had done enough.

Her leg was improving, the settlement was making progress, and Ana was safe with Rylan. Those were things worth being grateful for, even if the morning had brought its share of awkwardness.

Across the settlement, Kai finished carrying the wood and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The elders’ shelter was almost ready, and he was pleased with how much they had accomplished. He glanced toward Anaria’s shelter, wondering whether she had eaten and whether her leg was feeling any better.

He had not seen her since the previous night. He had no idea what had happened between her and Rylan, or that Kenai had already discovered enough to make the morning uncomfortable.

He decided to check on her once they were done with the construction.

Before he could return to work, however, he spotted Kenai walking away from Anaria’s shelter. Something about his expression made Kai pause.

"Kenai! There you are."

Kenai turned.

"Kai."

Kai approached him, glancing around as though expecting to find someone nearby.

"Have you seen Rylan or Anaria? I’ve been looking for them."

Kenai’s expression remained unchanged.

"They’re in her shelter."

Kai blinked.

"Her shelter?"

"Yes."

For a moment, Kai simply stared at him. Then his gaze shifted toward Anaria’s shelter, and understanding slowly dawned on his face.

"Ah."

He looked back at Kenai, a knowing smile spreading across his lips.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Kenai gave him a flat look.

Kai chuckled, but he wisely decided not to push the matter. Whatever had happened was clearly bothering Kenai, and teasing him further would probably accomplish nothing.

"It’s fine," he said, turning toward the construction site. "Come and help me. We still have work to do."

Kenai hesitated briefly before nodding.

"Fine."

The two males walked back toward the construction site together. Kai resumed talking about the work that remained on the elders’ shelter, while Kenai listened without offering much in response.

He could put his feelings aside for now. There was work to be done, and he had no intention of letting the entire settlement see how much the morning had unsettled him.

Still, the image of Anaria waking up beneath that blanket, with Rylan’s presence written all over the shelter, lingered in his mind longer than he cared to admit.