Kael waited patiently, his chest barely moving as he stared at Nuan’s mouth, waiting for her to swallow the tiny piece of meat. But seconds ticked by, and she remained entirely still.

Kael’s tension spiked, his ears pinning back in a sudden panic. Did I cut it too big? I’ll cut a smaller one...

His heavy thumb gently parted her soft, brown lips again to retrieve the cube, but just as his claw touched her tongue, her throat miraculously moved, swallowing the nourishing liver with a faint, involuntary gulp.

Kael watched her closely, letting out a massive sigh of relief that practically blew the dust off the cave floor. A small, faint smile tugged at his lips. "You were just enjoying the taste?" he murmured softly.

With renewed hope, he carefully sliced another small piece, gently feeding her one microscopic bit at a time.

It took nearly an hour of slow, painstaking effort, but Kael didn’t rush.

Once the roasted liver was finished, he quietly stepped to the mouth of the den, cupped a palm-sized, sturdy leaf, and filled it with clean water.

Returning to her side, he tilted it with absolute precision against her lips, making sure the drops slipped down her throat safely without choking her.

Setting the leaf down, Kael stepped out of the den to wash his hands in the stone basin yet again. "I must stay clean, or Nuan will get furious when she wakes up," he muttered to himself, scrubbing his claws fiercely.

Elders Syra and Nyra quietly stepped up beside him, their expressions solemn.

"Alpha, please stay outside for a while," Elder Syra said softly. "We need to go inside and clean the Witch."

"I already cleaned her," Kael growled defensively, his protective instincts flaring as he blocked the entrance.

"We need to clean her bleeding area and her waste," Elder Nyra corrected him firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument. "Did Mother Selka not explain this to you? Witch will continue to shed blood from her womb for five to seven days. She will still be bleeding until tomorrow... we must keep her clean to prevent the rot. Mother Selka ordered that you must step aside and let us handle this part."

Kael’s heart sank, his eyes widening. "She is still going to lose blood until tomorrow?!"

"Yes," Elder Syra sighed, looking up at the sky. "And tomorrow night is the full moon. It seems the Witch’s bloodmark ritual will not be able to happen."

Elder Nyra nodded, gesturing toward the clearing. "Stay outside, Alpha. We will call you back the moment we are finished."

"Wait! I need to take something from her first," Kael said quickly.

He rushed back inside the den ahead of them, his gaze tracking down to Nuan’s lower body which he had deliberately left untouched, before looking back at her pale, peaceful face.

"I am taking this bowl to make your soup!" Kael announced to her still body, reaching down to grab the wooden bowl he had previously used for her sponge bath.

Deep within the system’s background architecture, a mechanical red flag popped up.

[ HYGIENE ISSUE DETECTED IN MATE KAEL’S ACTIONS. ]

[ ACCESSING INVENTORY DATA FIELDS... STANDBY OVERRIDE ENGAGED. ]

Suddenly, bright blue pixels flickered wildly in the air right next to Kael’s hand. With a hollow thud, a new, clean wooden bowl and two beautifully carved wooden tongs materialized out of the inventory, dropping straight onto the dirt floor before him.

Kael blinked in surprise, staring at the spawned items, and then looked up at Nuan. "You... you want me to use these instead?" he murmured, a deep sense of reverence filling his chest.

He picked up the fresh bowl, the tongs, and her hunting knife. "I am leaving to make the soup now! The elders will take care of your cleaning!"

Kael strode out of the den just as Elder Nyra and Elder Syra stepped inside, carrying fresh water and clean leaves to gently tend to Nuan’s lower body, cleaning away the blood and liquid waste with, maternal care.

Heading over to the central fire pit, Kael found Koda already hard at work. The younger wolf had built up a steady fire and had placed several smooth, heavy river stones directly into the glowing embers.

Kael fetched a fresh supply of clean drinking water, pouring it into the new wooden bowl, and handed the tongs over to Koda.

Koda gripped the wooden tongs, carefully picking a white-hot stone out of the fire, and dropped it straight into the bowl of water.

Sizzle!!!

The water instantly began to bubble and boil from the intense heat.

While the water heated up, Kael focused entirely on Nuan’s steel knife.

He held the handle properly this time, ensuring the sharp edge faced downward. With careful, measured strokes, he sliced the raw, fresh liver into perfect, carefully cut cubes.

Once Koda used the tongs to remove the cooled stones from the bowl, Kael carefully poured the fresh meat cubes into the steaming, boiling water, watching the liquid turn into a rich, savory soup.

A flash of pride lit up Kael’s eyes. "I get it now!" he said, staring at the soup. "I know how to cook for her."

Kael waited with agonizing patience for the freshly brewed soup to cool down to a safe, gentle warmth.

The moment the elders finished cleaning her and stepped out of the den, he rushed back inside, cradling the wooden bowl with utmost care.

Using a broad leaf, he slowly, drop by drop, coaxed the rich, nourishing broth down Nuan’s throat, checking her breathing after every swallow.

He spent the entire day bound to her side. Every few hours, like clockwork, he would gently wake her throat to feed her a few more tiny drops of soup or fresh water, refusing to let her system dry out.

He didn’t care about his own hunger or his own aching shoulder; his entire existence was centered on keeping her alive.

As the silver moonlight began to filter into the cave, a soft shimmer of blue pixels blanketed the sand bed.

The system, operating quietly in the background, materialized Nuan’s thick, comfortable modern blanket right beside her.

Kael’s eyes widened slightly at the soft fabric, but he didn’t question the magic anymore.

He carefully took the blanket and draped it gently over her small body, tucked it securely around her shoulders, and ensured it didn’t put a single ounce of pressure on her herb-wrapped left arm or her swollen right ankle.

Once she was perfectly protected from the nighttime chill, Kael curled his massive frame directly beside her.

He pulled her gently against his uninjured side, letting his natural, burning Alpha heat radiate through the blanket to keep her womb and her aching body entirely warm.

With his nose resting safely against her hair, he closed his eyes, sleeping through the night right beside his mate, guarding her fragile spark of life in the silent dark.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

Report chapter

Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter