Chapter 16
Five more days passed. The resilient grass, nourished by ample sunlight and rain, grew vigorously, blanketing the land in green.
The weather had become noticeably cooler, and the wind blew more frequently.
Shi Nuo searched for wild vegetables. Occasionally, a small animal would rustle through the grass, moving too quickly for him to see anything but the swaying vegetation.
Since he carried the Alpha’s aggressive pheromones, almost no small animals approached him. Even in the surrounding wilderness, after the white wolf’s arrival, creatures like rabbits and mice were rarely seen.
The Alpha’s pheromones hadn’t weakened in the past few days, indicating the white wolf was still nearby.
Shi Nuo didn’t know how to face him. The Alpha’s instinctive protectiveness brought him a sense of security, but the things that had happened…
But thinking about it, the white wolf’s intentions had been clear from the start, from the temporary marking to the blatant licking, his actions becoming increasingly bold.
The Alpha was physically powerful, and Shi Nuo couldn’t resist. He was afraid. An Alpha losing control during intimacy, especially in beast form, was a terrifying thought. Not to mention the three-meter-tall full form, even the smaller, one-and-a-half-meter-tall wolf could easily kill him.
He had felt the scorching heat, the shadow of death looming over him. That kind of death was too shameful, beyond what he could bear.
He knew what to expect after marriage, and he wasn’t against the idea of a temporary marking and intimacy, especially since they were legally married. It was legal and reasonable.
On this deserted planet, with no one else around, they were the only two of their kind.
Most importantly, the physiological effects of the temporary marking, combined with Shi Nuo’s inherent timidity, made him unable to refuse the white wolf’s advances.
He walked and stopped, gathering vegetables. When both buckets were full, he turned back. Today’s harvest was tender and fresh. The meat in the refrigerator was gone, but he still had a fish and a few shrimp.
The Alpha’s provision of food showed that Hugh Elvis wasn’t a bad person. He had been calm and rational before. That day, he must have lost control due to the excitement of the fight.
This worried Shi Nuo. External stimuli could trigger the Alpha’s loss of control, and he, alone and unarmed, couldn’t restrain him. Living together long-term posed a certain risk.
The weight on his heart suddenly lifted when he saw the white wolf approaching casually.
His gaze met the wolf’s blue eyes, the cold, bright light within them like the shimmering surface of the ocean, almost blinding.
Shi Nuo had never seen such beautiful eyes.
He averted his gaze from the wolf’s intense stare, tightened his grip on the bucket handles, and continued walking without a word.
The white wolf, a few steps behind, flicked its tail and followed leisurely. After entering the house, it lay down on the living room rug as usual.
The incident of the Alpha losing control was silently forgotten. The white wolf was satisfied. The bucket of fish and shrimp was compensation for almost harming the Omega.
Shi Nuo cleaned the vegetables at the doorway, brushed the dirt and grass seeds off his clothes, and took off his muddy shoes before entering the house. He walked quietly, avoiding the rug where the wolf lay, and went straight to the kitchen.
It was almost noon, and he was feeling hungry.
The kitchen was some distance from the living room, and he couldn’t see the person inside from the dining area.
But the sounds of activity reached the white wolf, which opened its eyes, glanced lazily towards the kitchen, and twitched its ears.
Soon, the smell of cooking vegetables and fish wafted out. It wasn’t surprised. Most Omegas preferred a vegetarian diet, but the scent was too bland for its liking, not even stirring its appetite.
By the time Shi Nuo emerged from the kitchen with his food, the white wolf was gone from the living room.
Afternoon.
The grass swayed in the wind, rustling softly.
Shi Nuo, after his nap, resumed his work.
The change in weather was noticeable. The cooler season was approaching. The potatoes had been destroyed, and he didn’t know how long it would take for them to grow back, so he had to dry as many wild vegetables as possible.
The ground by the river was moist, and the grass and vegetables grew more abundantly there.
Before reaching the riverbank, Shi Nuo saw a white shape in the distance.
Such a large beast could only be the white wolf. He wasn’t sure if it was because he had been living in the wild for so long, but his eyesight seemed to have improved. Looking closely, he saw the white wolf eating.
The prey beneath its massive paws looked like a deer, with small antlers and reddish fur.
A pool of fresh, red blood indicated a recent kill.
Shi Nuo had expected to be repulsed by the primal scene, but as he watched the white wolf tear a piece of bloody flesh from the deer’s belly and swallow it, he couldn’t help but swallow his own saliva.
Fish and shrimp were different from the fresh, red meat of a land mammal, especially in texture.
The red meat was rich in fat. Stewing it would take too long. He should eat first and then stew the meat later. If there were bones, he could make a rich bone broth.
The quickest way to cook the meat was to slice it thinly and fry it, the aroma of the sizzling fat incredibly tempting, the lean meat crispy and fragrant, the fatty parts releasing their oil.
Fried meat patties would also be good. The kitchen had plenty of seasonings and sauces.
Shi Nuo licked his lips, his mind conjuring up various ways to prepare the meat.
Wild animals could be aggressive while eating, and the white wolf had a dominant personality. He wasn’t sure if it would drive him away. After all, its beastly nature was very real.
But his intense craving for meat overcame all hesitation and fear.
Shi Nuo walked towards the wolf. When he was about ten meters away, the white wolf suddenly looked up, its muzzle and paws stained with blood. At three meters tall, almost the height of a single-story building, its gaze was incredibly intimidating.
From a distance, the deer, pinned beneath its paws, had seemed small, but up close, Shi Nuo realized it was quite large, probably as tall as a person when standing on all fours.
Such a large animal might not be much for the white wolf, but for him, even a single piece of meat would be enough for many meals.
The deer’s belly had been ripped open, its innards exposed in a gruesome display.
The strong smell of blood carried on the wind.
Carnivorous beasts, their noses twitching, followed the scent, but as they approached the white wolf’s territory, they quickly turned and fled.
While eating, the white wolf didn’t tolerate any creature coveting its food. It had assumed Shi Nuo was going to the river, but seeing him approach, it became instinctively wary.
Shi Nuo stopped, not daring to go any closer.
The white wolf, not understanding his intentions, let out a low growl and continued tearing at its prey, keeping an eye on him with its peripheral vision.
It seemed picky, tearing and biting at the deer’s flesh, discarding the larger pieces and only swallowing the most tender parts.
It didn’t seem to care about the large chunks of meat falling to the ground, not even glancing at them.
The deer was large, a fresh kill, and although the wolf ate with a primal ferocity, it wasn’t in a hurry. It would take a while to finish.
While the white wolf ate, Shi Nuo quietly took a few more steps forward, cautiously approaching while observing the wolf.
His eyes were fixed on the discarded meat on the ground.
The meat, having fallen from the wolf’s mouth, was covered in dirt and dust. To the white wolf, these were mere scraps, but to him, they were large chunks of meat, each piece enough for several meals.
The deer seemed to have little fat, the meat mostly lean and red. That was good. He hadn’t had much meat in a long time, and too much fat wasn’t healthy.
Shi Nuo swallowed, his mind fixated on the meat, not even bothering to observe the white wolf’s expression.
He crept closer and closer. Only when the wolf’s massive shadow almost completely enveloped him did he remember to look up.
The white wolf was ignoring him, busy tearing at the deer’s hide, holding it down with one paw while biting at the tender flesh beneath.
Trying to make himself inconspicuous, Shi Nuo squatted down.
His eyes were fixed on the ground in front of him. He only needed to reach out to touch the bloody meat.
He didn’t need much, just one piece.
The white wolf hadn’t driven him away. Could that be interpreted as consent?
The meat was so close. Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Shi Nuo reached out.
Before his hand could touch the meat, a massive white paw pinned it to the ground.
The white wolf clearly hadn’t used much force, but even so, Shi Nuo couldn’t pull his hand free.
He looked up at the wolf, his heart pounding.
Man and wolf stared at each other for a long moment. Seeing the Omega’s pitiful, tearful expression, the white wolf lifted its paw.
Caught red-handed trying to steal meat, Shi Nuo’s embarrassment brought tears to his eyes.
The white wolf, retracting its paw, ignored him and continued eating, tearing, chewing, and swallowing.
The deer’s carcass gradually diminished, the strong smell of blood attracting insects resembling a cross between flies and bees, which tried to land on the meat.
The white wolf, irritated, released a small burst of white flames from its mouth.
The powerful blast of fire incinerated the insects, the sudden heat sending the others fleeing in terror.
Shi Nuo also felt the wave of heat, as if the moisture in the air evaporated. Fortunately, it didn’t last long.
It was then that he understood the white wolf’s silent consent.
He grabbed the closest piece of meat. The raw meat was soft and heavy, several pounds, which he easily lifted with one hand and placed in his bucket.
The white wolf didn’t stop him.
He stood up and, seeing that the white wolf was still ignoring him, quietly turned and hurried back to the house, forgetting about gathering vegetables.
The bottom of the pan was hot, coated with a thin layer of oil. As the oil heated, a faint wisp of smoke rose.
Shi Nuo used chopsticks to place a slice of meat in the pan.
Sizzle—
He had washed the meat several times, and as the wet meat touched the hot pan, droplets of oil splattered, stinging his hands and face.
Shi Nuo grabbed the lid and used it as a shield, quickly adding four or five more slices of meat to the pan. He flipped the first two slices, his movements clumsy.
The meat slices on the plate were uneven, some thin, some thick, some in strips.
The first slice turned brown, slightly charred around the edges. It should be cooked.
Shi Nuo placed it on an empty plate. He couldn’t wait to eat it but, afraid of burning the other slices, forced himself to be patient, constantly flipping and checking them.
After all five slices were cooked, he picked them up, then remembered he had forgotten to add salt. He quickly grabbed the salt shaker, picked up a slice of meat, blew on it, and took a bite. Finding it no longer too hot, he put the whole slice in his mouth.
The fried meat was rich and flavorful, crispy on the outside. The thin slices were tender, and the thicker ones, with a bit of fat, were perfectly cooked. The taste fulfilled his craving for the savory flavor of cooked meat.
This was the first time he had tasted this kind of meat. He didn’t know the specific name of this red deer, but the meat wasn’t gamey, with a subtle, pleasant fragrance, indicating a herbivore.
After finishing the plate, he fried another batch.
The kitchen’s ventilation system was running, removing the smoke and most of the smell.
The white wolf entered silently through the open door. Its fur was clean now, free of bloodstains. It had meticulously cleaned itself in the water after eating.
The remains of its prey by the river had been incinerated. It disliked the smell of rotting carcasses and wouldn’t tolerate anything disgusting in its core territory.
It smelled the familiar aroma of cooked meat, something it hadn’t had in a long time. It couldn’t remember when.
Compared to the smell of fish and shrimp, the red meat was much more appealing, but it had already eaten its fill.
Unlike before, the red deer had been its own prey. Allowing the Omega to take some, even the parts it didn’t want, was acceptable, but the Omega had to pay a price.
The concept of sharing food didn’t exist in its memory. Born as the heir to the Elvis family, he had often dined alone as a child, his food never coveted by others.
Even when interacting with his peers, no one dared touch his food. Due to his family’s status, no one he knew ever went hungry, so he had never shared his food.
The white wolf lay down on the rug, seemingly dozing.
It was waiting.
The temporary marking could no longer suppress its growing desire. It needed more.
