Chapter 203: Arranged Opportunities

Contrary to Tera’s assumptions, the ruined farm was the least of his thoughts.

The female was none the wiser about what he knew.

He shifted his attention to Calis and felt pure disgust.

The alpha had tainted himself and mated with that shiftless female. He couldn’t believe it when his son brought him the news, and he still struggled to accept it until the shiftless female arrived.

The scent had been very faint, but she reeked of Calis.

How could their leader have brought shame to the pack like this?!

He could barely stand to look at Calis now.

He trembled in anger but quickly controlled himself. He needed patience, the same patience he had put on Girruk.

When his son had pulled him aside under the lighter rain to deliver the information, he had forced Girruk into silence. It took every ounce of strength Greymaw possessed to stop his son from running straight to the pack and announcing what he had discovered.

Girruk would tell no one!

Telling the pack might work, but it would not be as effective as Greymaw wanted. Seeing was better than hearing about something. It would be more satisfying and would easily convince the pack when the wolves caught their alpha in the very act.

And the alpha and female could easily just deny it when accused.

Girruk had seethed, but the logic landed.

If they had mated once, they would mate again. Greymaw was certain of it. The way Calis looked at that female alluded to that, and he had not been with any female for years now.

Greymaw remembered how Calis had volunteered to go into the deep territory alone with her. It all made sense now. This was not a male who would touch the flame once and pull his hand away.

He would reach for it again and again.

All Greymaw had to do was make sure the pack was there when it happened.

The image would burn into their minds forever, and no amount of explaining or commanding would erase it.

And once they had seen it, Girruk would have every right to issue a formal challenge.

A challenge for leadership, and that would not even happen, as the alpha would have to leave in shame. No wolf would dare follow his lead after such a terrible act.

For now, Greymaw would do something else entirely.

Every opportunity for Calis to be alone with the female would be quietly, carefully arranged.

Greymaw would make it easy for Calis to mate with her again, and every wolf would witness it.

- ※ - ※ - ※ -

The females were all deeply asleep, and Tera had been worried until the system had assured Tera that they were fine, including their unborn cubs.

It was a little strange that Faelynn’s pregnancy was still ongoing, but she would actually be delivering anytime soon, and the rain had been such a stressful ordeal that Tera was surprised she hadn’t given birth in the middle of it.

It would have been scary if that had happened.

Tera was still tending to the females when the system appeared.

[Ding!]

[Legacy Points received!]

[Source: Dow Clan - Independent structural repair]

[+1200 LP]

[Construction +1]

[30 Builders have been added to Host’s Legacy system]

[Host now has 31 disciples!]

Tera paused. Her clan?

She realised she wasn’t there with them, so doing things independently must have accounted for the results. However, Tera felt a fresh wave of worry.

’System. What is happening? What did they build?’

No. If they were building something, it meant repairs were being carried out. Tera’s pulse slowed.

Had the shelters been damaged?

[Host...]

[(•́ ᴖ •̀)]

[Multiple shelters in the Dow territory require significant restoration following severe weather damage]

[The storm that Host experienced here also passed through the clan]

[...]

[At a greater degree]

[The Dow Clan experienced heavy rain, hail and sustained high winds]

[This system is very concerned]

Tera’s blood went cold.

’Hail?!’

[Yes, Host]

[(ó﹏ò｡)]

[The wolf pack territory only received heavy rain]

[The Dow Clan territory was hit with significantly more destructive conditions]

[This system...]

Tera was already on her feet, no longer bothering to read what was on the screen.

The wolves looked up at her, stunned by her quick movement, but before they could even blink, Tera had already opened the portal and returned to her clan.

The sight before her brought Tera to a slow stop.

Multiple shelters had been pulled clean off the ground, and the ones that were standing looked beaten and battered. Some beasts were around one shelter, patching it up while Tera’s eyes slowly fell on the other one that had been patched up.

It looked like a mess, but they had done their best with what was left.

Fresh branches lashed over gaps, bark strips were plastered across cracks, and leaves were stuffed into holes that shouldn’t have existed.

The silk-leaf roofing on the nearest shelter was shredded in places. Pieces of it hung loose, fluttering in the breeze like torn fabric. A support beam on the left side had been propped up with a secondary branch that hadn’t been there before, wedged at an angle that told Tera it had been done quickly, and under pressure.

[This system is documenting the extent of the damage]

[(◞‸◟)]

[It does not look good, Host]

Tera’s chest constricted.

But what was more important to her now was something else.

She hoped no one had died.

"MAMA!"

Tera’s heart kicked into gear when her cubs came rushing at her. She dropped to her knees just in time to catch them. They both slammed into her chest, clutching her tight with a grip that suggested they had no intention of ever letting go.

Tera hugged them so tightly her arms shook.

"My babies..."

Nadia was babbling something about "big noises" while patting Tera’s face with urgent hands while Althea was quiet. They both looked scared.

Tera’s eyes stung.

They had heard the hail.

The thought made her want to scream.

Her babies had been in a storm, hearing ice slam against the roof above their heads, and she hadn’t been here.