Chapter 200: Smitten Wolf

She felt another strong pull to kiss him again.

This time, he responded immediately. His mouth opened against hers, and his tongue found hers with a confidence that hadn’t been there seconds ago. The coarse grain dragged across the roof of her mouth, and the ticklish sensation made her toes curl against the wet stone beneath her.

His hands slid up her sides, his touch still gentle but less hesitant, and the warmth of his palms against her rain-cooled skin made her shiver.

Tera cradled his face and kissed him deeply. She could feel his heartbeat hammering through his jaw, fast and hard, and the vulnerability of that made her hold him tighter.

His tongue stroked against hers again, slow and searching, and the rough texture that had startled her the first time now sent warm, pleasant tingles rippling down her throat and settling in her chest.

She wanted to keep going.

When she finally pulled back, her breathing was unsteady.

Calis stayed where he was, kneeling in the rain, his face still tilted up between her palms. The flush on his cheeks had deepened, spreading down his neck, and his lips were swollen from the pressure of hers.

The way he lingered when she pulled her hands away was so endearing that Tera nearly kissed him a third time.

Her gaze drifted down.

She wasn’t sure what made her look, but she did.

His dick wasn’t rising.

But it surprised her. The look on his face wasn’t lust.

[Calis’ Favourability: 75% → 78%]

[(ᵕ ó ᴗ ò)]

[This system would like to officially report that the wolf leader is smitten]

Tera’s eyes widened.

’This is... fast?’

Did he really like her that much?

Tera looked at Calis, who was still kneeling in front of her with rain streaming down his face and that soft, stunned expression that made her want to kiss him again.

’Damn, Calis.’

- ※ - ※ - ※ -

Calis had carried her back into the cave.

He laid her down on his own loincloth, which he had spread across the stone floor to keep the cold surface from touching her butt at least.

Her own clothing was stretched out on the ground nearby to dry.

Neither of them was dressed as Calis laid down beside her, his arm extended beneath her head as a pillow.

The muscles of his forearm were warm against the back of her neck, and his bicep cushioned the weight of her skull in a way that was surprisingly comfortable.

His other hand rested on his own stomach, and his crimson eyes were fixed on Tera’s face with an unwavering focus that she could feel even with her eyes half-closed.

Tera turned her head slightly to look at him.

The gentleness still hadn’t left him.

It was still oddly strange to look at Calis like this. Tera was genuinely surprised by the level of tenderness from him.

Maybe it felt strange because of how hard he had been doing his best to stay away from her.

His fingers drifted through her damp hair, combing the tangled strands with slow, absent movements. He wound a few strands around his finger, held it for a moment, then released it and watched it fan across her face.

The repetition was soothing, and Tera felt her eyes growing heavy.

Calis felt happy that he could smell himself on her. Though he wished she still had her own scent that he could have on his body.

"Calis, what would your pack think about this?"

The silence that followed was heavy.

Calis’ fingers stilled in her hair. His crimson eyes, which had been so soft and open a moment ago, shifted as the question settled over him.

His gaze drifted as he was deep in thought.

Tera waited.

The beasts were warming up to Tera and her clan, but she couldn’t be too sure.

"I will handle it," Calis said quietly.

"Oh..."

Tera’s chest tightened with sadness, and something that felt dangerously close to admiration.

Tera’s fingers found his jaw, and she turned his face gently back toward her.

"I don’t want to make things difficult for you," she said softly. "If this causes problems between you and your wolves, I—"

"Tera."

The way he said her name stopped her mid-sentence.

His eyes had softened. The tension in his jaw eased, and the look he gave her was so unexpectedly gentle.

"Do not worry about it."

Tera felt sad. She couldn’t help but worry about it. This wasn’t just something for him to handle on his own.

His fingers resumed their slow path through her hair, winding a damp strand around his finger and releasing it.

"My decision is not harming the pack," he added.

Tera swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in her throat.

"Regardless of what happens with your pack..." She held his gaze. "You would always be welcome in my clan."

Calis went still with surprise. Then he smiled faintly.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Tera smiled back, but behind that smile, her mind was already moving.

It would not be funny if his pack actually kicked him out.

Was exiling a leader even possible?

If the wolves turned on Calis because of her, she would not like it at all.

Her zeal to even build a shelter for this pack would be gone. She would not set up one wall, and if the system still wanted to give her the task, she would negotiate with it.

If it came down to it, she would push back and demand that the next task advance her own clan instead. The Dow clan deserved the investment more than wolves who couldn’t see past their own stubbornness.

And if negotiation failed...

Tera’s eyes drifted to the cave entrance, where the rain was thinning to a grey mist over the wolf territory.

Teleporting the wolves back to the Jackdaw tribe would not be a nice solution.

The problem was not the pack.

The problem was a handful of wolves who would rather burn everything down than let it grow in a direction they didn’t control.

She would just send the ones that wouldn’t comply off. The old wolves and their stupid ideologies would die out with them.

Aside from Calis, they would be dangerous not only to her beloved family, but also to her clan.

There was going to be no Kiri situation ever again.

Tera leaned closer, nuzzling against Calis.

Everything would be fine.

She reached over and flicked his ear.

Calis jumped, his hand shooting up to cover it. "What was that for?!"

"Nothing." She grinned. "Your ears are just very flickable."