Chapter 277: You Deserve The World

Calis looked sad. Tera could tell he was still thinking about what had happened earlier.

She smiled, but it came out weak and tired.

"I still don’t want to talk about it yet—"

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in.

Then he lay back on the flat stones at the edge of the water and brought her down with him, settling her against his chest with one arm locked across her back and the other hand on her head.

Tera was surprised.

He held on tighter.

Calis had been worried. After the rage-inducing confession and apology from those males, Calis started to worry when he noticed how quiet Tera had gone once the males had left.

Xavi had woken up shortly after, roused by the discomfort in the air, and he had been stunned speechless by what Ermin and the clan members had told him, before anger had shortly taken over.

But Tera didn’t want to dwell on what had happened, and she didn’t want anyone to either.

That was how she had taken the cubs with her to spend some quiet time at the lake. Her mates had followed, wanting to comfort and give her space at the same time, which was difficult.

While Ermin and Xavi had gone to lay the cubs to rest, they would be back any second now. But Calis wished he still had a moment longer with Tera.

He had watched her for a long time, and had spent all of it thinking.

He was not going to pretend about his own part in all of this.

He’d grown up with his ideas about shiftless beasts. He had thought about them the way everybody thought about them, which was that they were weak and never survived long enough.

But it had never once occurred to him to put his hands on one or even treat them with such hostility.

He could not believe beasts his size had severely picked on a cub for years just because she couldn’t shift.

It made no sense to him.

And he was further confused when she had given them food.

She had stood there, heard all of that, and then sent her clan to fill a basket for the tribe that had done it, because they still had some young beasts who were hungry. Even though they had treated her harshly.

His blood started to boil again as he remembered what they had said.

No beast deserved such treatment, shiftless or not. And Tera was very precious to him. He never wanted to see her in pain ever again, not even for one moment.

"You do not have to talk about anything," Calis said into her hair. "Especially if you do not want to."

Her talking about it would make her remember. He slowly ran his hand down her hair. Calis didn’t want her to bring up any bad memories.

Tera did not move. She still remained against him, her surprise slowly shifting to comfort.

"I want you to know that you did not deserve any of it." His arm tightened. "Not one part of it. There is nothing you could have been born without that would have made that right."

He pressed his face down against the top of her head.

"You deserve the world, Tera. Every good thing in it."

Tera’s heart skipped a beat at that, but a faint smile touched her lips again.

Calis was so sweet.

She wasn’t going to cry. The last time she had truly cried had been because she had missed her real family back on Earth. But she did wish she could cry at this moment.

She needed an outlet for the sadness she felt.

But Calis’ hug was soothing enough.

"Thank you," Tera said quietly, easing into him and hugging him back.

She turned her face and pushed it into his chest.

The fur he usually wrapped around his shoulders was warm, and it was nice feeling that and a part of his bare chest against her face.

Aside from his scent, Calis also smelled like woodsmoke and the cut bamboo he had been working on.

Tera fully relaxed against him, and the water lapping against her bare skin made the moment feel so gentle.

She felt so safe at that moment.

"Thank you for being here," she said into his chest. "Really. Thank you."

Calis made a low sound somewhere above her and settled his chin on top of her head, and his whole body relaxed around her.

He hoped he made her happy, even if it was just a little bit.

"I will make sure they never trouble you again."

Tera smiled against him. "Don’t worry about it."

"I am serious. I will bring my wolves." He nodded like it had already been arranged. "Every one of them. If you are searching that forest, we will search it with you, and if any of them have stayed, we will know. You will not have to do it alone."

Tera chuckled, hugging him tighter.

Finding the Jackdaw tribe members would not be that much of a problem with the system’s scanning feature. But over thirty wolves beating through a forest would be a nice addition.

And then, because her brain was her brain, a small selfish thought came drifting in behind it.

At least she did not have to tell him the rest, including what this body had done to Ermin.

Which was frustrating in its own way. She was going to spend the rest of her life being handed the consequences of decisions she had never made.

Calis, on the other hand, kept patting Tera’s head, still slightly sad because he could not stand the thought of her hurting.

[Calis’s Favourability: 99% → 100%]

Tera’s eyes creaked open at the notification.

Even though she couldn’t see the screen, she knew the distinct sound of a favourability reaching 100%, along with the subtle change in her body and the resonance between her and that mate.

Calis felt much more comfortable at that moment.

[Calis has achieved: Absolute Devotion]

[There is not a single fraction of doubt, hesitation, or reservation remaining in this male]

[Title Unlocked: Wolf’s Cherished]

[Mate Bond Strengthened!]

[Stat Bonus: Beast Essence +5% from Wolf’s Cherished Mate Bond]

[(?•??•??)]

[This system is very happy for Host]

Tera huffed out something that was almost a laugh.

[This system will leave Host alone now]

And it did.

Tera pressed her face further into Calis’ chest, letting his warmth sink all the way through her.

Calis chuckled, his heart warm as he whispered, "Do you want to enter my skin?"

She smiled. "Yes."

A slight blush crept up Calis’ neck and cheeks, and his tail slowly swept through the water, excited.

The lingering fatigue from her earlier nap returned, and she drifted off in Calis’ arms.

Note: Regarding the mass releases starting tomorrow.

I intend to upload the Chapters at intervals rather than all at once. It would help my book with the algorithm. By my time, I usually upload two Chapters in the evening/night. This will be the same, and the extra two Chapters will be uploaded a few hours later in the morning (making four Chapters).

Hence, the start of a cycle. We will be entering the third arc pretty soon, where we will be meeting new beasts, challenges, and seeing a new frontier!

(P.S. There will be certain days where I upload all 4 at once.)