Chapter 222: Something For You

Faelynn perked up at her brother’s arrival. "Calis!"

He made his way over, and Tera noticed the slight strain around his eyes as he addressed the pack.

"We did not find any more animals today."

A murmur of disappointment passed through the gathered wolves, and a few ears drooped.

The mood was heavy for a moment, but it lifted almost immediately. The females were still buzzing from their conversation with Tera, and the cubs were too busy shrieking and chasing each other to care about the hunt’s results.

They were unusually louder than ever before since returning from the Dow clan.

Tera stood up, carefully transferring the sleeping cub back to Faelynn.

Calis had turned back from addressing the others, and when Tera stood up, his full attention instantly travelled to her.

Tera was already standing close to him, and she was close enough that he could see the faint flush on her cheeks from the warmth of the group, and the small smile on her lips that made him oddly very happy.

This smile was different from the one she had been sharing with the females.

Was it personally for him?

"Welcome back," she said.

If it was possible, Calis’ head would have combusted at that moment because he flet very special.

His heart hammered, and his gaze dropped to her mouth without his permission.

It was barely a flicker. But his eyes traced the curve of her lower lip before snapping back up to her face, and the effort it took to keep his hands at his sides made his fingers twitch against his thighs.

He wanted to kiss her.

He could practically feel the soft give of her lips, the way her breath would catch, the warmth of her skin beneath his palms.

His jaw tightened, and he forced himself to breathe.

"Thank you for coming," he said slowly.

’Oh...’

Tera was slightly alarmed. The way he looked at her was fairly obvious, and she would be lying if she said it didn’t concern her.

Before she could look around to see if any of the wolves were watching—which they definitely would have—Aia latched onto Tera, asking her if she had brought fruits with her.

Tera shot an apologetic look towards Calis before returning her attention to the giddy female.

She was the only wolf who seemed to enjoy fruits more than the others.

- ※ - ※ - ※ -

Calis had pulled her aside after the initial greetings had settled. She had expected him to say something about the hunt or the farm or whatever practical matter needed her attention.

Instead, he had just taken her hand and started walking away, pulling her along with him.

And he didn’t say anything throughout until they were some distance away from the pack. Calis finally stopped, and Tera pouted, sitting on the protruding root of a tree.

"At least tell me where we are going. I won’t get up until—"

Tera didn’t make it all the way down when Calis kissed her.

The sudden, desperate press of his lips sent them both tumbling backwards. Tera’s heart jumped in her chest, but Calis followed her down, his hand cradling the back of her head to stop it from hitting the ground.

The kiss was deep and thorough, as if he had been rehearsing this for days and wanted to get every part of it right. His tongue found hers with the coarse, textured drag that she was rapidly becoming addicted to, and the sensation sent warm tingles cascading down her throat and into her chest.

Tera’s eyes fluttered shut, and her fingers curled into his hair.

’Oh...’

Before she could fully savour it, Calis broke the kiss and buried his face in her chest.

His arms wrapped around her torso, and his cheek pressed between her breasts with such force that it was clear he had been holding this back for a very long time. His whole body was pressed against hers, heavy and warm, and the tension that had been living in his frame since she last saw him dissolved in one relieved sigh.

His tail was strongly thumping against the forest floor, and Tera had to press her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

’He missed me THAT much?’

She smiled so wide her cheeks ached.

Calis was so cute at times.

She wrapped her arms around his head and held him, her fingers threading gently through his dark hair.

"I missed you too," she chuckled.

His tail wagged harder.

Minutes passed, and the sound of his tail slowly eased. His breathing steadied, and the fierce grip around her torso relaxed into something gentler.

Calis sat up slowly. Then his hand went to his hair.

Tera watched, confused, as his fingers found something half-hidden beneath the dark, shaggy strands that fell past his ears.

She had noticed something there before, glimpses of reddish-brown mixed into the dark mass of his hair, but she had always assumed it was just his natural colouring. His hair was wild enough that she never got a clear look.

His face had mostly always been her focus.

Now, as he pulled the strands aside, she finally saw them properly.

They were two long, reddish-brown feathers with smaller attached bone pieces. They looked like earrings, and Tera would have thought they were if she hadn’t noticed the thin cord tying them to a part of his hair.

They were beautiful. The barbs caught the moonlight with a warm, coppery sheen, and they were clearly old, well-worn, but carefully maintained.

Calis untied one of them. Tera had no idea how he was able to easily pull it off his hair, but he did it. When it came free, he held it in his palm and looked at it for a long moment.

Then he looked at Tera with a smile so shy it made her heart clench.

"I have something for you."

Tera’s eyes widened, finally understanding the situation. "Calis, you don’t have to—"

"I want to." He cut her off, and the firmness beneath the shyness made her go quiet.

He turned the feather in his fingers. "You have done so much for my pack. You gave us water, food, a farm. You taught us things we did not even know we needed to learn, and you healed our females."

His voice dropped.

"I have nothing to give in return."