Chapter 230 - 231: Do not let children’s affection make you mistake your place

Chapter 230: Chapter 231: Do not let children’s affection make you mistake your place

And he left so quickly that the back of his hide nearly caught on the platform.

Swanly watched him disappear.

Then turned.

Kael and Soren were still watching.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Both of you."

Kael looked innocent.

Soren did not bother pretending.

"What?"

"Leave him alone."

Soren’s tail moved once.

"I said nothing."

"Your face said plenty."

Kael muttered:

"He is getting comfortable."

Swanly stared.

"He brings me water."

"Exactly."

"What is wrong with water?"

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"Nothing."

"That sounded like water personally offended you."

Miko whispered to Nilo:

"They’re jealous."

Kael’s ear twitched.

Miko immediately looked away.

Swanly pinched the bridge of her nose.

Fantastic.

Heart Fever.

Ancient creature.

Migrating infected.

And now male nonsense.

Her life remained committed to variety.

By late afternoon, the settlement had become strangely quiet.

Too many people were resting.

Too many were sick.

Too many were afraid.

Swanly found Nerin near the herb storage with his maps spread beside several bundles from Sari’s garden.

They needed to compare which sick shelters lined up with the underground zones he sensed.

Sari had been called away by Nahla.

That left Swanly and Nerin alone except for distant movement through the paths.

Nerin did not mention what Kairo had called him.

Swanly did not either.

At first.

She sat beside him.

Their shoulders nearly touched.

He immediately moved half an inch away.

Swanly noticed.

"Nerin."

"Yes?"

"Why did you move?"

"I didn’t."

"You did."

"No."

"You moved like I bite."

Nerin remembered her earlier threat.

His ears went red.

Swanly groaned.

"Forget I said that."

"I wasn’t thinking about it."

"You are now."

His face became even redder.

"Sorry."

"Nerin!"

He looked startled.

Swanly sighed.

Then deliberately moved closer until their shoulders touched.

Nerin went rigid.

"There."

He stared straight ahead.

Swanly looked down at the map.

"Now you can’t run."

"I wasn’t going to."

"Good."

For the next hour, they worked.

Nerin pointed out where his antler hurt most.

Swanly marked shelters.

They compared water.

Roots.

Drainage.

Sleeping areas.

Nerin’s handwriting was careful.

Swanly’s was increasingly ugly as exhaustion got worse.

At one point, he pushed a cup toward her.

She drank without even arguing.

His ears flicked happily.

Swanly noticed.

She smiled.

"You like it when I listen to you."

His face warmed.

"I like when you take care of yourself."

There it was again.

That unbearable softness.

Swanly looked at him.

Nerin suddenly became interested in a charcoal mark.

She shook her head.

"You’re ridiculous."

"I know."

"No. You don’t."

She kept working.

Somewhere along the way, exhaustion won.

Swanly rested her elbow beside the map.

Then her head.

Then somehow, without fully realizing it, she leaned sideways.

Her temple settled against Nerin’s shoulder.

Nerin froze.

Every muscle.

Every breath.

Everything.

He looked down.

Swanly’s eyes were closed.

Silver-white hair spilled over his arm.

One fox ear rested near his neck.

Her breathing had gone soft.

Nerin looked like someone had just placed a sacred object in his hands and told him not to breathe too hard.

He did not move.

Not even when his leg began going numb.

He simply sat.

Quiet.

Watching the entrance.

Letting her sleep.

That was how Soren found them.

He stopped.

Swanly asleep against Nerin.

Nerin sitting perfectly still beneath her.

A cup of water beside her.

His shawl draped over her knees because, apparently, at some point she had gotten cold.

Soren’s pupils narrowed.

Nerin saw him.

His face changed immediately.

Fear.

Not because Soren had threatened him.

Because he knew exactly what the scene looked like.

He whispered:

"She fell asleep."

Soren’s gaze dropped to Swanly.

Then to Nerin.

"I can see that."

Nerin swallowed.

"I didn’t..."

Swanly stirred.

Her eyes opened.

She blinked.

Then realized where her head was.

"Oh."

She lifted it.

Nerin’s shoulder probably thanked every god available.

Swanly rubbed her eyes.

"How long?"

"Not long."

Nerin lied.

Soren entered fully.

His tail moved behind him.

Controlled.

Too controlled.

Swanly immediately knew.

"Soren."

He ignored her.

His eyes stayed on Nerin.

The cubs calling him Papa.

The twins accepting him.

Swanly sleeping on him.

Nerin’s constant presence.

Days without proper rest had stripped some of Soren’s patience raw.

His voice came cold.

"Do not let children’s affection make you mistake your place."

Nerin went still.

Swanly’s sleep vanished.

"Soren."

He continued.

"You are not their father."

That landed.

Hard.

Nerin’s expression did not shatter dramatically.

That would have been easier.

His eyes simply lowered.

His ears slowly fell.

His broken antler seemed smaller somehow.

"I know."

Two words.

Quiet.

No anger.

No defense.

Nothing.

Swanly’s chest tightened.

"Nerin..."

He gathered the maps.

His hands trembled once.

"I should finish checking the eastern shelters."

"You don’t have to..."

"I do."

He stood.

His eyes never met Soren’s.

Then he left.

Swanly waited until he disappeared.

Slowly, she turned toward Soren.

"What the hell was that?"

Soren looked at her.

"He needs boundaries."

"He has boundaries!"

"He is getting comfortable."

"He was sitting beside me!"

"You were asleep on him."

"I fell asleep!"

"Exactly."

Swanly stared.

"Exactly what?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You trust him enough to fall asleep."

She blinked.

"That is your problem?"

"It is one of them."

"Soren."

His tail snapped around her waist.

Swanly gasped.

"What are you..."

The tail tightened and lifted.

"SOREN!"

He pulled her clean off the seat.

"Soren, put me down!"

"No."

"You cannot end an argument by kidnapping me!"

"I have done it before."

"That does not make it legal!"

He started toward their shelter.

Swanly grabbed the nearest post.

His tail tugged.

She lost her grip.

"SNAKE!"

Kael looked over from across the path.

One eyebrow rose.

The twins saw everything.

Eira’s silver eyes widened.

Sira gasped.

"Mama!"

Both little girls immediately dropped onto their hands.

Then crawled after Soren at full speed.

Sira shouted:

"Mama! Wai’!"

Eira’s little face went cold.

"Safe!"

They were coming to rescue her.

Swanly almost died.

"My babies!"

Kairo looked at Nilo.

Nilo looked at Kairo.

Miko looked delighted.

Kairo sighed.

"Get them."

He scooped Eira up.

Nilo grabbed Sira.

Sira fought.

"Mama!"

Nilo held her firmly.

"Papa has Mama."

Sira reached dramatically.

"Safe!"

Miko stared.

"Save what?"

Kairo adjusted Eira against his chest.

"They can’t save anybody."

Eira glared.

Kairo added quickly:

"Yet."

Eira accepted this.

Soren carried Swanly away while she pointed over his shoulder.

"You see what you’ve done? My daughters think I’m being abducted!"

"You are."

"YOU ARE PROVING THEIR POINT!"