Chapter 133: Heavy With Cub, Heavier With Stubbornness

The elders, while they were mildly grateful for what the shiftless female had done for them, were starting to look cautiously pleased at the prospect of Tera finally leaving their midst until Calis had mentioned going with her.

They were especially furious at him for making their pack look weak before these disorganised beasts.

Their frowns had returned in an instant, and of course, Greymaw could not help but flap his mouth again.

"Alpha!" He stepped forward, his scarred face tight. "You cannot leave the pack. No leader abandons his territory like this! Who will watch over the wolves? Who will make decisions? This is not how—"

"What did you say?" Calis turned to the old man, and a lot of the wolves flinched at the stormy look in his eyes.

Even Tera was surprised by the drastic change.

Calis was slightly irritated. He respected Greymaw because the elder had been close to his father and had helped in bringing him up as a cub.

The old wolf, who had been quiet lately, had become so vocal ever since Calis had brought the shiftless female. He understood the old wolf’s pushback perfectly, but how dare he say something like this?

"What gives you the impression I am abandoning our territory like this?" Calis growled. "Or are you implying I am trying to abandon our pack as a whole?"

Greymaw flinched, immediately correcting himself. "No, Alpha! Not at all! I just—"

Calis stared hard at him, and the elder’s words spluttered.

"I just understand he is worried about you going off to another... clan," another elder said with distaste.

"He has not even mentioned how long he would be gone, and you are already saying such things, papa." One of the other females frowned at her father.

Tera watched the entire exchange with a slow unease. She thought she had already completed the task of establishing positive relations with the key pack members, so why were the elders particularly behaving like this?

On another note, Tera felt she needed to pinpoint which elders specifically saw her in a better light cause all of them were not wearing nice faces at the moment.

"Please, forgive them, Alpha." Another one nodded. "We are just worried about the safety of the lengthy journey."

"I will not be long," Calis grumbled. "And I won’t go alone. The females will lead in my absence." He turned to the tired females who had multiple cubs clinging to them while a few of the males carried the rest.

"If you need support, you can consult the elders. Greymaw, do well to help the females and take care of the clan in my absence."

The old wolf’s mouth snapped shut. He seemed oddly satisfied with this outcome, and it made Tera a bit suspicious.

Calis turned to Tera and the others, his features relaxing as he continued.

"I would be grateful if you’d let me visit briefly."

Tera looked at her mates to find them already staring hard at Calis.

But they were thinking.

Xavi had been following the wolf’s words closely. There was no pretence or power play, and it was fitting how a leader was admitting his people needed help.

Xavi would have done the same thing in his stead.

Ermin had also noticed this, but he still didn’t like where this was going. However, a quick glance at the state of the pregnant females and the cubs softened his anger.

He and Xavi surprisingly grumbled at the same time, "He can come."

Calis lightly sagged with relief and Tera smiled.

"Thank you," Calis offered quickly and as Tera silently thanked her males, her thoughts lingered on Calis’ words.

He was not going to move to their clan. She would make sure of that.

Tera felt a bit guilty, but this was both out of selfishness and for their benefit.

This land actually had a lot of potential. There was water, and the earth here was more fertile than the plain the Dow clan was on.

This region would make for an abundant farm, and she especially needed to work on this place for her tasks.

And concentrating all of them in one region would honestly affect the food source unevenly.

At the very least, Tera was going to change their living situation so that they wouldn’t want to leave this place.

However... she might need to do something first about the corrupted beasts in this region.

While Tera’s mind was running, Calis was addressing the rest of the pack. "Four of you will come with me. We will only be gone for a few days."

He then selected the wolves to accompany him and was about to address the elders again when Faelynn stepped forward.

"I am coming too."

Calis turned to his sister with the immediate, reflexive resistance of an older brother whose first instinct was always protection.

"What? No."

"I want to see their clan. The one she keeps speaking of."

Calis frowned. "You are heavy with cub, Faelynn. The journey is long, and it will not be comfortable—"

"I have walked longer distances in worse conditions." Her crimson eyes met his with a stubbornness that mirrored his own so perfectly it was almost funny. "We have migrated while all of us were with cubs, and even when we were chased by a corrupted beast. I will be fine."

"It is not about what you can endure. It is about what is wise." Calis’s jaw tightened. "Don’t do something so silly. There are corrupted beasts around, and it is senseless to unnecessarily strain yourself—"

"Back then—"

"Back then, we were forced to move! You do NOT need to do something this risky! If something happens on the way, if you feel pain or the cub—"

Faelynn’s lips thinned in the same growing annoyance Calis had. "Do not raise your voice at me. If I feel anything, I will tell you. But I am going."

"Faelynn!" Calis glowered at his sister, and she flinched.

The air was so tense that Tera could almost feel her hairs stand on end.

She wanted to stay out of a sibling argument that wasn’t hers. But Faelynn’s eyes found hers, and the small sadness that crept into them made Tera’s heart shift slightly.

Tera offered gently, "Your sister could come along after she delivers her cub. Once the baby is born and she has recovered, the trip would be much safer to..."

Tera stopped.

After delivery, Faelynn would need some time to heal and tend to the newborn, along with nursing it. This meant she wouldn’t be able to even go to Dow clan for quite a long time, and Tera couldn’t hold back the thought that Faelynn wanted to come along so she could have that meat.

She had been repeatedly asking for more, aside from the other females, and the system had revealed to her that the female had become addicted to the meat, and it had turned into a pregnancy craving.

And Tera knew how frantic those cravings could be.

She had experienced it herself.

But at the same time, Calis was right. It might be dangerous, and a back-and-forth trip would definitely not be good for the heavily pregnant wolf.

As if sensing the heaviness in the air, Luth appeared from behind Faelynn’s legs and waddled toward Tera.

The small wolf cub reached up with both paws, whining softly.

Tera’s heart melted. She crouched down and scooped Luth into her arms, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I’ll be back, little one."

Luth looked like she was about to cry, and Tera anxiously looked between Faelynn and Calis, who still looked annoyed.

"Faelynn—"

To everyone’s shock, Faelynn started to cry.

Calis’ mouth hung open as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. He wasn’t comfortable with this. Tears were not things that moved him, but he had not seen his sister cry in years.

What was the meaning of this?

Did she want to see the other clan that badly?

The wolves were just as shocked, and the females rushed to Faelynn, who looked like a child whose sweet had been stolen.