Chapter 10
The fish meat was white, tender, and had few bones. Steamed, it flaked apart like garlic cloves, easily separated with chopsticks.
After eating fish and shrimp, Shi Nuo was happy for several days.
He knew the fish and shrimp had been slapped onto the bank by the white wolf. He hadn’t been paying attention at the time and hadn’t seen the wolf’s movements clearly. He assumed it was an act of kindness and felt grateful, his fear lessening slightly.
As for the wolf’s other, more intimate and improper actions, he subconsciously ignored them, too embarrassed to even recall them.
An Alpha who provided food couldn’t be a bad person.
Besides, they were married, and the white wolf was so dominant that he didn’t dare refuse the temporary marking.
The wind rustled through the grass.
In the wilderness, Shi Nuo squatted in front of a tall potato plant, using his small wooden board to loosen the soil and dig around the roots, revealing several potatoes of varying sizes.
After working for a while, he stood up, grabbed the main stem with both hands, and pulled the entire plant out of the ground.
The soil crumbled away. The plant was quite heavy, and he had to lay it on the ground.
As expected, the potatoes buried in the soil were larger than before. He pulled his bucket closer, picked off a potato, wiped and brushed off the dirt with his hands, and then placed it in the bucket.
Time passed quickly as he worked. After searching the surrounding area, digging and picking, two hours had passed, and both buckets were full.
The buckets were heavy, much heavier than when filled with wild vegetables. Although it was more strenuous, Shi Nuo would set the buckets down to rest every so often, happily carrying them back to the house.
The storage room he was using now had electricity and was no longer sealed.
Shi Nuo had already stored quite a few things inside, including the previous potatoes and a lot of dried vegetables.
He could control the electricity in each room individually using the system. The storage room had comprehensive preservation settings, and he placed the potatoes in the built-in wall cabinets.
He didn’t wash the potatoes, afraid they would spoil, so he only cleaned off the surface dirt.
Several bags filled with dried vegetables were also in the storage room. The entire room was set to a dry mode, preserving the vegetables and potatoes as much as possible.
However, this wasn’t a time freeze, and there was no technology that could keep food fresh forever. So, in addition to the potatoes in the storage room, he also dried some in the sun, just enough to dry the surface, and then stored them in a cool corner of the basement.
The two buckets of potatoes, large and small, totaled thirty-five. The potatoes seemed to be ripening now, so Shi Nuo wasn’t in a hurry. He planned to dig up two buckets every other day, allowing the smaller ones to grow a bit more.
He rested for a while and drank two glasses of warm water. The sky had been overcast since early morning, and the clouds hadn’t dispersed yet. It looked like it was going to rain.
It wasn’t easy to go out in the rain, so Shi Nuo took his buckets and went out to dig up more wild vegetables.
Fresh vegetables, when washed and refrigerated, could stay fresh for several days. He wanted to gather enough for two or three days before it rained. He had nothing else to do anyway.
Thunder rumbled, and dark clouds rolled in quickly. Within two minutes, the sky darkened.
Startled by the thunder, Shi Nuo saw the sudden change in weather and hurried back to the house. By the time he reached it, the sky was completely dark, like night, even though it was midday.
Muffled thunderclaps followed one after another, deafening, even more frightening than the previous thunderstorm.
Purple arcs of lightning flashed and flickered in the clouds.
Shi Nuo locked the doors and windows. Fearful, he turned off the lights, afraid the only light source on the plain would attract danger.
He looked outside through the window next to the front door. In a flash of lightning, he saw a large tree in the distance struck down.
All other sounds were drowned out by the thunder, like a prelude to some disaster. Even inside the house with its lightning protection system, Shi Nuo smelled a faint, indescribable burning smell, like the scent of lightning.
Seeing another tree struck down, he worried that the metal pillars on the roof might attract lightning.
As the wind picked up outside, he scanned the swaying grass and trees, but there was no sign of the white wolf.
Having lived here for ten years, the wolf must be more familiar with the weather changes and had probably found shelter.
Due to the dependence created by the temporary marking, Shi Nuo felt uneasy in this extreme weather.
It had been five days since the last marking, and the white wolf hadn’t reappeared. Fortunately, the Alpha’s pheromones were still strong in his body, preventing him from craving the Alpha’s comfort.
Lightning flashed, seemingly tearing through the clouds, illuminating the world outside.
Whirlwinds and tornadoes gradually formed, wreaking havoc across the plain. A large tree, caught in a massive tornado, was uprooted and flung into the air.
Debris flew everywhere, the outside world in chaos.
As the whirlwinds and tornadoes approached, lightning bolts struck the ground. A small tree not far from the house was hit, instantly turning black.
Shi Nuo’s fear intensified. He opened his optical brain. The lightning protection system was running automatically, but he was still worried. The entire house was in danger. He didn’t even dare go back to his bedroom and hide under the covers.
The heavy, built-in mechanical lock of the front door suddenly clanked, and the metal door began to open.
The color drained from Shi Nuo’s face. Fortunately, a moment later, as the door opened automatically, Hugh Elvis walked in.
The white wolf strode in calmly. As it entered, the door closed automatically behind it.
Shi Nuo looked up, belatedly realizing that this house had been built for the white wolf.
The heavy metal door was tall and wide, allowing the massive beast, over three meters tall at the shoulder, to enter without having to duck or squeeze. Even the spacious living room seemed designed for it.
Shi Nuo’s small frame looked insignificant next to the white wolf in its full form.
He usually found the living room too spacious, but with the white wolf comfortably lying on the large rug, the space suddenly felt just right.
Even lying down, the white wolf was still an imposing figure.
However, it closed its eyes, seemingly dozing, ignoring Shi Nuo.
Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the wolf’s snow-white fur.
The beautiful, pure white fur, combined with its relaxed posture, softened its ferocity, making it look more like a docile giant dog.
Shi Nuo, having experienced the wolf’s incredibly potent pheromones, knew this was just a visual illusion.
The wind and lightning raged outside, but the white wolf remained calm and unperturbed. Shi Nuo suddenly felt a sense of peace.
The howling wind and the crashing thunder, kept outside the sturdy walls of the house, no longer seemed so frightening.
The living room rug was occupied by the white wolf. Shi Nuo had no experience interacting with the wolf at such close quarters. Seeing that it had no intention of acknowledging him, he picked up his bucket and quietly went to the kitchen.
He turned on the kitchen light, dimming it slightly, and the sound of running water filled the air.
The white wolf opened its eyes and stared towards the kitchen doorway for a moment. The house was filled with the Omega’s scent. Even without deliberately releasing pheromones, the fragrance of tea olive permeated the air. It closed its eyes again, dozing contentedly.
The sky remained dark, the thunderstorm and wind showing no signs of abating.
However, influenced by the sleeping white wolf, Shi Nuo went back to his bedroom and fell asleep. Even with the loud, frightening noises outside, the Alpha’s strong pheromones surrounding him brought a sense of security, and he slept soundly. When he woke up, two hours had passed.
Lightning struck the house, the electric arc channeled into the ground and dissipated.
Tornadoes and whirlwinds followed, carrying debris.
Several gusts of wind, large and small, passed by, but the house stood firm. Only the windowpanes rattled as they were pelted with sand and stones.
A tree, caught in a tornado, was about to crash into the house when it was struck by a peculiar energy wave, shattering into pieces. The wood rained down on the roof, then bounced off the energy net formed by the interconnected metal pillars.
Shi Nuo couldn’t see outside, but his optical brain showed the intelligent system’s various protective measures in operation. The energy crystals were being consumed much faster than usual, but he wasn’t worried for now. There were still plenty of crystals in the basement.
He turned off the light blue screen and, stepping out of the bedroom, saw the white wolf lying on the rug, now on its side, still looking relaxed.
Its fluffy white tail twitched, lightly tapping the rug.
Shi Nuo suddenly felt nervous. He couldn’t read the white wolf’s mood and was afraid of disturbing it.
Fortunately, the Alpha’s pheromones were still calm and peaceful. It must have just been a random tail twitch, not a sign of anger.
Feeling a bit hungry, Shi Nuo decided to go to the kitchen and cook something, tearing his gaze away from the thick, fluffy tail.
He had petted puppies before. They were soft and plump, their tails pleasant to touch.
Not just puppies, but also long-haired pet rabbits, their cloud-white fur as soft as cotton.
He didn’t dare touch the white wolf. He was merely reminded of things he had seen before. Everything about civilized society seemed distant now, and he lowered his eyes, suppressing his feelings of dejection.
But before entering the kitchen, Shi Nuo stopped, hesitated, and then spoke softly, “Mr. Elvis, would…would you like to eat something?”
He hadn’t spoken so many words in nearly four months, and his voice was slightly hoarse and hesitant.
The white wolf glanced at him indifferently, didn’t reply, and closed its eyes again.
Under the wolf’s gaze, Shi Nuo felt a surge of nervousness. He pursed his lips and looked at it anxiously, not daring to meet its eyes, only staring at its thick, powerful forepaws.
Receiving no response, Shi Nuo waited for a while, finally realizing that it meant no.
Thunder rumbled again. He went into the kitchen and busied himself alone, boiling two potatoes and a plate of wild vegetables. The meal was simple, but he had plenty of seasonings to enhance the flavor.
He sat in the dining room to eat. The white wolf, smelling the food, showed no interest in the bland vegetables.
As if remembering something, it suddenly opened its eyes and, using its mental power, activated the main control panel on the wall.
A light blue virtual screen popped up. Without lifting a paw, it used its mental power to scroll through the screen, finding the information it wanted.
The words “Shi Nuo” appeared, and its gaze swept over them.
As the primary authorized user of the house, Shi Nuo’s information was completely accessible to it.
Twenty-two years old, an adult.
As for the Shi family, the white wolf had a vague impression of them. A minor noble family. To have reached an agreement with the Elvis family to send an Omega to this place, the Shi family clearly didn’t value this Omega very much.
No wonder he was so timid.
But that had nothing to do with it. Seeing the marital status section, the white wolf opened its own information, which also showed “married,” followed by the name of its spouse.
It closed the virtual screen. The living room lights were off, illuminated only by the occasional flashes of lightning from outside.
The white wolf lay on the soft, clean rug.
The first marking was because it had rescued Shi Nuo. The bite was payment. That day by the river, it had marked him again. The fish and shrimp were payment for Shi Nuo.
Very fair, it thought.
As for the impropriety of almost licking the Omega all over, it felt no remorse whatsoever.
