Chapter 8
Wayne didn't linger for a second after catching his prey; the knowledge that a female was waiting for him made every moment away feel like an eternity.
As he approached the tribal gates, the metallic tang of blood hit him. Further in, he saw warriors clearing away the carcass of a ghost beast. Despite the overwhelming stench of slaughter, his sharp senses picked up a faint, terrifyingly familiar scent beneath the gore.
A cold dread pooled in his stomach. He dropped his guard and sprinted toward his stone house.
The door swung open on its hinges, but the room was hollow. Empty.
"No!" He cast aside his kill and roared, spinning back toward the street.
A wounded orc—the same sentry who had seen Euphoria the day before—called out to him. "Wayne!"
Wayne skidded to a halt, his chest heaving, nostrils flaring.
"Your female... a ghost beast took her," the orc said, his eyes full of pity. "A search party already went after them."
Wayne didn't wait for another word. A savage growl ripped from his throat as he bolted out of the village, pushing his body to its absolute limit. He followed the trail of the other males, but soon encountered them heading back.
Among them was Mia, the Level 3 warrior from the river. He shifted into human form, his expression grim. "We found the wolf's body, Wayne. But the female is gone."
"Awooo!" Wayne's roar was a mix of agony and defiance. He brushed past them, refusing to accept she was lost.
He found the site of the struggle soon enough. The wolf had been obliterated—slammed against a tree with such skeletal-shattering force that blood still dripped from the high branches. Wayne sniffed the air frantically. Euphoria's scent was there, but it was overshadowed by a cold, heavy pheromone he recognized instantly.
Luce.
Wayne's eyes lit up with a mix of relief and bitter jealousy. She was safe, but he knew exactly what Luce's intervention meant. In their world, the rescuer had the first right to claim.
Luce was a legend among the tribes—not just for his striking looks, but for his lethal power and icy temperament. For decades, he had lived as a hermit, ignoring the advances of every female who crossed his path. For him to not only save Euphoria but take her to his own territory meant only one thing: the stoic serpent had finally fallen.
Wayne felt sick. He hadn't even had his chance yet, and already he had to share her with a Level 3 powerhouse. But he couldn't change the law of the jungle. Luce had saved her life; he had earned his place at her side.
Wayne tracked them to the gates of Luce's larger tribe. As an outsider, the guards blocked his path. Knowing Luce's reputation for being volatile and private, the sentries refused to even announce Wayne's arrival.
So, Wayne waited. He stayed by the gates for three days, hunting only small rodents to keep his strength up, his eyes never leaving the path. But the serpent remained hidden.
Inside the cave, Euphoria was reaching her breaking point. For three days, she had eaten nothing but roasted meat, and she felt like her digestive system was about to go on strike.
Luce's cooking was improving—he was a quick study—but she would have traded a year of her life for a bowl of rice or a simple salad. Beyond the food, being cooped up in the cave was driving her stir-crazy.
On the bright side, her ankle was healing beautifully. She estimated she'd be at full mobility in less than a week. Then, she'd see if this "strongest male" could actually keep her caged.
That evening, noticing her lack of appetite, Luce returned with a surprise. Along with the usual fruit, he dropped a pile of heavy, tuber-like vegetables that looked remarkably like sweet potatoes.
Euphoria's eyes widened. Finally, something that wasn't muscle fiber!
"Do you want these tonight?" Luce asked, noticing her sudden interest.
She nodded vigorously, practically tasting the starchy goodness already. Luce offered a ghost of a smile—a rare, subtle curve of his lips—before taking them back down to the fire.
The "red berries" roasted quickly. When he brought them up, the aroma confirmed her suspicions: they were sweet potatoes. She devoured two immediately, her mood finally lifting.
While the tribal females occasionally ate plant matter, the males usually found it beneath them. However, seeing Euphoria eat with such genuine joy, Luce felt a flicker of curiosity.
Euphoria realized she'd never actually seen Luce eat. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he'd shift into a giant snake and swallow a whole boar. "I'm full," she said, pushing the last potato toward him. "You try it."
Under her expectant gaze, Luce picked up the warm tuber. His movements were refined and elegant as he peeled it and took a small, tentative bite.
His brow furrowed instantly. The texture was... confusing.
Euphoria felt a prick of disappointment. He's eating it like a Victorian gentleman, she thought. This snake is so boring.
Luce managed a few more polite bites before giving up. He cleared the scraps, tossing the half-eaten potato aside. He had no idea that if Vyn ever found out a Level 3 predator had been nibbling on root vegetables, the bird-man would never let him live it down.
That night, sleep eluded her.
In the early hours of the morning, Euphoria sat up with a groan. A dull, familiar ache throbbed in her abdomen, accompanied by that unmistakable, damp sensation. Her period had arrived—the one thing she hadn't planned for in a world without drugstores.
Luce shifted into his human form instantly. "What is it? Your foot?"
He moved closer, but then his nostrils flared. He caught the scent of blood—but it wasn't the metallic scent of a wound. It was sweet, heavy, and primal. His red pupils narrowed into slits, his voice dropping to a surprised, gravelly whisper. "You're in heat?"
Euphoria froze. Heat? Then it clicked. In this world, menstruation was synonymous with being ready to mate. If these creatures only went into heat once a year, and she was "in heat" every twenty-eight days... the math was terrifying.
The cave air became thick with her scent. Luce flicked his long tongue, visibly struggling to maintain his composure.
"How do the women here... handle this?" Euphoria asked, desperate. She had no pads, no tampons—and certainly no desire for what Luce thought "heat" implied.
Luce's Adam's apple bobbed. "The animal hides I dried... we can use those for now. I will find a better way tomorrow." He had never paid attention to female biology before, but he was learning fast.
"Fine," she sighed.
Luce brought in the soft, dry furs. Euphoria wrapped herself tightly in the skins, creating a makeshift cocoon to manage the flow and ward off the menstrual chills.
In the shadows, Luce watched her bundle herself up. He shifted back into his serpentine form, but his eyes never left her.
Neither of them slept. By dawn, the atmosphere in the cave was electric. Luce shifted back to human form, his eyes burning with a hunger that was no longer just about food. With a sudden, fluid motion of his tail, he pulled the bundled Euphoria toward him.
She struggled against the furs, her eyes wide. "What are you—"
Her words were silenced as Luce leaned down and pressed his cool, thin lips against hers.
The kiss was brief, a mere taste, but it sent a shock through both of them. Luce pulled back, his breath ragged. He gently laid her back on the grass, his voice strained and unnaturally soft. "Wait for me."
Before she could process the assault, he was gone, vanishing from the cave in a blur.
Euphoria sat stunned for a full minute, her fingers touching her lips. Then, the shock turned to pure, unadulterated fury. She kicked her way out of the animal skins and stood up, ignoring the twinge in her ankle.
"Dammit!" she roared into the empty cave, her face flushed red. "Twenty years I saved my first kiss, and I gave it to a snake!"