Chapter 61: The Wrong P*nis
Tera stopped walking.
"What?"
[Host’s reproductive cycle has activated for the first time in this body]
[Symptoms may include elevated body temperature, increased sensitivity, restlessness, and heightened awareness of potential mates]
[Estimated duration: 3–5 days]
[Pheromone output: Rapidly increasing!]
[( ◕▿◕ )]
[Could this be what Host has been forgetting?]
Tera’s blood ran cold even as her body burned.
’MY HEAT? NOW?!’
[This system recommends finding a suitable partner or suitable partners before symptoms intensify]
Tera stared at the floating screen in pure, rising horror.
Xavi and Ermin were both out hunting.
She was alone.
And her body had just decided that now was the perfect time to go into heat.
’YOU COULD HAVE JUST TOLD ME!’
’This freaking piece of shit screen!’
[૮( `д´*)ა]
[Host did not ask about heat cycles!]
[Host asked "What am I forgetting?" which could refer to approximately 4,217 things!]
[૮₍ ˶>⤙<˶ ₎ა]
Tera wanted to hurl the system into the deepest sea possible and never hear from it again. It could have alerted her to something so important ahead of time!
And Xavi and Ermin were not yet here!
’WHERE ARE THOSE TWO?!’
Those two absolute idiots. They left her here. Alone. In heat.
Tera’s eye twitched.
’When they get back, I am going to KILL them!’
[=͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)]
[Host, calm down—]
’SHUT YOUR TRAP!’
[Host’s emotional state is becoming slightly terrifying]
[This system is considering temporary self-mute for survival purposes]
’Do you want to die?’
[...]
[This system is still here]
[༎ຶ‿༎ຶ]
Tera was already moving. The warmth between her legs was becoming unbearable, and every brush of fabric against her skin sent jolts of sensation across her nerve endings.
She made it to her shelter, ducked inside, and pulled the flap shut behind her.
Her hands were shaking, her skin was flushed, and the ache that had been building was now a steady, pulsing demand that was getting harder to ignore by the second.
’System. What do I do?!’
[This system recommends that Host remain in her shelter until her mates return]
’And do nothing in the meantime?’
Fuck!
Now was the absolutely right time to miss her dildos! Her hands were not going to be enough for this shit!
[The shelter’s enclosed space will concentrate Host’s scent and reduce the dispersal radius to nearby unmated males]
[In the meantime, Host should avoid contact with any male clan members]
’What happens if one of them comes here?!’
[Then Host has a problem]
[But this system would like to remind Host that she has one registered and potential mate who are both extremely territorial]
[Any male who approaches Host’s shelter uninvited will likely not survive the experience]
Tera pressed her back against the shelter wall and slid to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.
Her body was on fire, and those two idiots were not here!
[ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ]
[Host is experiencing heightened emotional responses]
[This system recommends deep breathing exercises]
’I DON’T WANT TO BREATHE DEEPLY. I WANT MY MATES!’
[∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?]
- ※ - ※ - ※ -
Kiri watched the shiftless female disappear into the treeline.
She had not understood at first, but from her behaviour and with that faint smell...
The shiftless female was in heat.
Kiri’s lips curled into a slow, delighted smile. This was perfect. The leader and the panther were out hunting, and they would not be back for a long time.
Which meant the shiftless female was alone, in heat, and completely vulnerable.
Kiri’s mind was already working, her thoughts clicking into place like bones snapping together. Her previous schemes had failed because she had been too direct. And the shelter destruction had backfired when the clan rebuilt them overnight.
But this? This was elegant.
All she needed was the right male!
Her eyes scanned the settlement and landed on Feron.
The jackal was lounging against a tree, gnawing on a bone with the lazy satisfaction of someone who had nothing better to do. His ears perked up when Kiri approached him.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Shhhh. Come!"
"What—"
Before the jackal could say another word, she snatched his wrist and started pulling him away, following Tera at a safe distance.
When they hovered at a tree near the shiftless one’s private shelter, she nudged him, pointing at the shelter.
"You smell that?"
Feron frowned at Kiri, confused and annoyed as to why she had just dragged and pulled him out of nowhere, when his nostrils flared at the scent in the air.
He slowly turned to look at the shelter.
"The shiftless one?" He sounded surprised. "She smells... different."
Kiri nodded eagerly, excited. "Mhm! She is alone in her shelter. The leader is gone, and she will be desperate soon."
Feron’s ears twitched. He looked at the shelter, at first excited, before uncertainty crept into his face.
"I will get in trouble. Leader—"
"Will never know. Even if he does, what would anyone think? You saw the female looking sick and went to check on her, but she pounced on you and pulled you into the shelter to mate with her despite your resistance. No one is rational in heat, and everyone knows this!"
Feron was silent for a long moment. Kiri could see the wheels turning in his head, the fear of Xavi’s wrath warring with the opportunity she had laid before him.
"She is in heat," Kiri scoffed, turning away from him in irritation. "But since you are not interested, I will find another—"
"I will go."
That was all it took.
Feron adjusted his loincloth, and made his way to the shelter with a swagger that nearly made Kiri laugh.
Now she just needed to wait.
She imagined the clan leader returning to find this shiftless female being bred by Feron. The humiliation would be catastrophic. Even if Xavi didn’t come on time to find them in the act, it would still shock them all to find her carrying a cub that didn’t belong to the bear beast leader.
This plan was perfect, and it had just dropped into her lap like a gift.
Feron entered the shelter.
Kiri waited, smiling to herself.
Any moment now—
A deep, guttural voice that sounded like it was coming from a demon rang out.
"BUZZ OFF!"
A split second later, Feron’s body came flying out of the shelter entrance as if launched by a catapult.