Chapter 184: Lap Territory (bonus)

Tera ran into Xavi, pulling his face down for a quick kiss.

She had been happy to come back, but seeing Xavi the moment she opened the portal made her so excited.

Xavi’s arms itched to pull Tera closer, but he leaned in further, a low rumble rolling through his chest that vibrated against her lips.

Althea and Nadia, trapped between their parents, let out an indignant squeal at being squished.

"MAMA!"

Tera broke the kiss with a breathless laugh and looked down at her babies who were glaring up at both of them with an expression of profound personal betrayal.

"Sorry, baby." Tera laughed and kissed the cubs’ cheeks and noses. "Mama missed you all very much."

Althea’s glare lasted exactly one more second before she grabbed a fistful of Tera’s hair and shoved it into her mouth.

Nadia pouted and grabbed her mother’s cheek, pinching it.

"Ow! Ow!"

Xavi and Tera both grappled for the cubs to release her, but they were gleefully laughing.

The commotion, coupled with Olaf and Bessier also making their entry gathered the attention of the nearby clan members who were beyond happy to see Tera.

They all converged on her like greedy ants running for a pile of sugar.

"I am very happy to see you," he said quietly.

Tera looked up at him, her eyes bright. Before she could even get her words in, her eyes widened in shock as the other beasts raced up to her.

She was just as happy to see everyone, but it took Tera a solid ten minutes to extract herself from the clan’s welcome.

Every beast wanted to greet her, touch her arm, tell her something that had happened while she was gone. Yara had shoved a basket of freshly picked fruits into Tera’s hands with a firm "I am sure you didn’t eat enough there" that left no room for argument.

The cubs were worse. They swarmed her legs like she was a tree they needed to climb, and Tera had to physically shuffle through the clearing while three of them clung to her shins.

While the adults had relaxed, not even Xavi could completely rid the other cubs off Tera, and it took everyone else to tear the ferocious beast cubs off her.

By the time the chaos settled, Tera was seated on the soft grass near the nursery with her back resting against Xavi’s chest. His arms were loosely draped around her waist, and his chin rested on top of her head.

Nadia and Althea were seated beside her, both eating out of Tera’s meal of fruits and smoked meat.

Tera popped a small fruit into Althea’s mouth before leaning further into Xavi’s warmth.

’This is so nice.’

Xavi pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I am very happy you are here," he murmured against her hair.

Tera giggled. "You have said that four times now."

"I will say it again."

"You don’t need to—"

"I am very happy you are here."

Tera laughed, and the vibration of it against his chest made Xavi’s arms tighten. His nose pressed into her hair, breathing her in, and the rumble in his chest settled into that deep, contented sound that Tera had missed more than she wanted to admit.

Puff Dumpling nuzzled against her side, and Tera caressed the pet’s soft fur from time to time. She missed it very much too.

She fed Nadia another strip of meat, which the bear cub accepted by opening her mouth without looking up, like a baby bird that expected food to simply appear.

"Have they been good?" Tera asked.

Xavi nodded with a smile. "Yes, they have."

She smiled and patted her cubs, wondering how Ermin would react when he arrived at the clan and saw Tera.

She was mid-bite into another fruit when she got her answer soon enough.

Ermin emerged from the forest path with a group of males. He was carrying a basket, and his hair was slightly messy with a thin branch stuck in it from climbing a tree in his human form.

Ermin took three more steps before his eyes swept casually across the clearing and landed on her.

The other males too noticed Tera, and excitement crept into their faces, but none were as excited as Ermin.

He literally dropped his basket.

Fruits rolled in every direction, and the males who had been walking with Ermin jumped sideways both in shock and to prevent stepping on the fruits.

The panther crossed the clearing in strides so long that Tera barely had time to brace herself before he was in front of her.

He nearly slid across the ground on his belly before eventually burying his face directly into Tera’s thighs, hugging her waist tight.

Tera’s eyes widened. So did Xavi’s as they were shocked by this position.

’Eh?’

Puff Dumpling had squeaked and darted out of the way as Ermin had collided with Tera.

The panther’s entire body pressed against the grass as if he was trying to physically anchor himself to her before she could disappear again.

"I missed you." His voice was muffled as they vibrated against her thighs.

Tera stared down at the top of his pink head, her mouth hanging open.

Xavi’s chest was shaking behind her with silent laughter.

"Ermin—"

"Don’t leave again."

"It was just a few days!"

"It was too long."

Tera’s heart melted, and she ran her fingers through his hair, scratching gently along his scalp, and Ermin purred against her thigh, which sent a very dangerous tingle towards her stomach.

"I missed you too."

She leaned down to press a kiss against the crown of his head.

Ermin tilted his face up, and Tera leaned down to give him a gentle kiss.

Nadia and Althea both looked offended.

Althea, especially, felt affronted.

She looked at her father’s head pressed against her mother’s lap, looked at her mother kissing him, and apparently decided this was an act of war against her personal territory.

Which was true, because Ermin had encroached on the spot reserved for them alone.

Their mother’s soft laps.

Her small hand reared back and swatted the back of Ermin’s head.

SMACK!

Ermin flinched. "Ow!"

Xavi laughed, while Tera gasped as she tried to hold her own laughter in.

"Althea! You cannot hit your father!"

Althea did not look sorry.

The cub muttered something intelligible, and Ermin chuckled, reaching over to tickle her. "Come here!"

Tera laughed as she looked at her family.

Xavi’s chest was warm behind her. Ermin was resting in her lap while he played with his daughter, and Nadia was busy stuffing her face while watching the drama playing out in front of her. Puff Dumpling returned to her side to bask in her warmth.

Tera was home.

Miles away, shortly after Tera’s disappearance, the wolves were involved in a difficult conversation.