Chapter 136: Ali and Laxus

That night, Ophelia sat on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down her face from sheer exhaustion. Yet, she forced herself to keep an eye on the three little dragon cubs playing on the floor.

Her head leaned against the wall, bobbing up and down as she dozed off. Watching her, Zerev couldn’t bear it any longer.

He reached out and caught Ophelia’s drooping chin, saying softly, “If you’re tired, just go to sleep.”

Ophelia shook her head. “The cubs haven’t had their supper yet.”

Because the little dragon cubs were growing fast, they needed an extra meal every night. As a result, Ophelia could only go to sleep after they had finished eating.

“I’ll watch them eat their supper. You go to sleep first,” Zerev offered.

Ophelia was indeed exhausted from checking on the fields during the day and really couldn’t hold on any longer. She let out a yawn. “Alright, then you keep an eye on them. Don’t let them wreck the place again.”

She didn’t want the house she had just built to be completely dismantled by three little dragon cubs before a year had even passed.

“I know. I won’t let them cause any more trouble.”

With that, Ophelia lay down, and it wasn’t long before she fell into a sweet slumber.

Seeing their mother asleep, the little dragon cubs playing on the floor sneakily slid over to the wall, wanting to scratch at it.

Zerev sharply caught the sound of their scratching, and his expression instantly turned cold.

Sensing their father’s intimidating aura, the three little dragon cubs immediately retracted their claws. They subtly tucked them against their bellies, pretending nothing had happened.

Zerev shot them a glare and said coldly, “Behave, or I’ll throw you out.”

Threatened by their father, the little dragon cubs had no choice but to obediently retreat to the animal skin rug to chase and wrestle with each other. The oldest, who was the sturdiest of the bunch, bit down on the second oldest’s tail, causing him to let out a low whimper of pain.

Zerev quickly looked at Ophelia on the bed. Seeing her brow furrow slightly, as if she were about to wake up, he hastily patted her back.

“Don’t worry, I’m here.”

His voice gave Ophelia a sense of security, lulling her right back into a deep sleep.

Zerev’s icy eyes glared at the second cub who had just made the noise. Terrified, the second cub immediately shrank his neck back, covering his mouth with two tiny claws as he tried to play dumb and act cute to get out of trouble.

“No making a sound.”

About half an hour later, the youngest—a pale gold little female cub—waddled over to Zerev’s leg. She gently pawed at him, looking up with pitiful, teary eyes, and pointed at her mouth, babbling, “Ba, ba.” She was hungry.

Seeing her soft, adorable appearance, Zerev leaned down slightly and scooped her up into his arms. The oldest and the second oldest watched him eagerly and tried to lean closer, only to be nudged aside by his foot.

“Wait.”

Leaving them with that cold command, Zerev carried the little female cub out of the room. When he returned, he carried a large platter of roasted meat and a bowl of thick rice porridge.

The three little dragon cubs gathered around the roasted meat and ate happily. Once they were finished, they stared eagerly at the white rice porridge sitting nearby.

Zerev pushed the porridge toward the little female cub, his voice extremely low and full of indulgence. “Eat.”

Seeing this, the oldest and the second oldest licked their lips and wanted to lean in, but a single glare from Zerev froze them in place.

After the little female cub finished eating, Zerev took out his personal handkerchief to wipe her mouth, then rubbed her furry little head.

“Since you’re full, go to sleep.”

The little female cub nodded obediently, waddled over to her straw nest in the corner, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. The other two little dragon cubs had just regained their energy after the meal and wanted to play a bit longer. However, under the intense scrutiny of their father’s gaze, they had no choice but to trot back to their straw nests as well.

Zerev didn’t lie down on the bed until he heard the soft snores of the three little dragon cubs. He gently gathered Ophelia into his embrace, holding her close as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

That night was the sweetest sleep Ophelia had experienced since giving birth to the cubs.

When she woke up the next day, she felt completely refreshed. Looking at the three little dragon cubs sleeping so adorably and obediently in their straw nests, her mood was exceptionally bright. Sure enough, a father’s bloodline suppression always worked wonders.

Then, she turned her head to look at Zerev beside her. Sunlight filtered through the window, draping over Zerev’s face like a veil of golden gauze, softening his sharp, angular features. Ophelia realized she had never truly looked at him so closely. In this very moment, she finally began to view him as her true mate.

Meanwhile, Laxus arrived at the Fuzu Tribe early in the morning.

The male beastmen guarding the gates of the Fuzu Tribe smiled and greeted him when they saw him approach. “Hey, Laxus is here again! What delicious food did you bring today?”

Laxus could hear the teasing in their voices, but he didn’t mind. “Just some roasted rabbit meat.”

Yesterday, he had heard Ali mention that she wanted to eat roasted rabbit. So, first thing this morning, he had gone out and hunted the plumpest, most tender wild rabbit he could find, roasted it, and brought it over while it was still hot.

“You’d better hurry in, then. Ali should be awake by now.”

The members of the Fuzu Tribe had already grown accustomed to Laxus delivering three meals a day for Ali. Laxus scratched his head, a bit confused by their banter, but he quickened his pace anyway, heading straight toward the dormitory for single females.

The original five-story stone building had been divided by Ophelia into separate dormitories for single males, single females, and mated couples. Although there weren’t many single young females in the tribe yet, Ophelia had still reserved the entire first floor as a future dormitory for them.

The remaining second through fifth floors were designated for mated couples and single males. Since every household had a male keeping watch, she wasn’t worried about any accidents happening.

When the males had first joined the tribe, she had made it explicitly clear: anyone who forced themselves on a female would be executed without mercy. They wouldn’t even be given the chance to live as a Wandering Beast.

Some males accepted the rule, while others did not. Naturally, those who refused were turned away by Ophelia entirely. The tribe she wanted to build had to be a harmonious and safe one. She absolutely refused to let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch.

Back on the first floor of the stone building, Ali had already woken up and was chatting with the other young females who were eating breakfast outside the dormitory.

“Ali, my mate made roasted lamb today. It’s incredibly tender. Do you want to try some?”

“No thank you, Taya.”

“Taya, there’s no need for you to offer your kindness. She already has someone bringing her food,” another young female nearby teased.

The surrounding females all covered their lips and giggled in unison. Blushing furiously at their laughter, Ali stomped her foot. “You’ve all got it wrong!” 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Just as she spoke, a tall figure could be seen slowly walking their way. Seeing him, the young females curled their lips into knowing smiles and shot suggestive glances at Ali.

“Ali, your food delivery is here.”

Ali’s face turned beet red. As she looked at Laxus slowly approaching, her heart pounded like a drum.

“Ali, why is your face so red? Are you sick?” A large, burning-hot hand rested against Ali’s forehead, accompanied by the male’s concerned words. “You don’t have a fever. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”