Chapter 25
After its satisfying meal, the white wolf picked up the most tender and flavorful piece of meat.
It ignited a white flame in its forepaw, intending to incinerate the remaining carcass, but hearing a rustling in the grass, it extinguished the flame and, in a surprisingly good mood, carried the large piece of meat back to the house.
Carnivorous beasts emerged from the grass, grabbing the discarded scraps the white wolf had deemed unworthy, pinning them down with their paws, and tearing at them with their teeth, glancing warily at their surroundings as they swallowed.
Seven or eight beasts gathered, snarling and growling at each other.
The white wolf ignored the commotion behind it. It was in a good mood today and didn’t mind leaving some scraps for the other creatures.
The grass rustled, and a scruffy fox with a torn right ear cautiously backed away, its body low to the ground, afraid of provoking the giant white wolf.
The white wolf glanced at it briefly but didn’t pay it much attention. It went to the pool it had dug earlier, where the water purification stone still lay at the bottom, placed the meat on a clean rock, and meticulously cleaned itself.
It recognized the other beasts that had been scavenging the carcass, except for the fox with the torn ear.
After following the Omega’s scent to this plain, it had discovered that the riverbank was ruled by a large tiger, a powerful beast in its prime, which had become the beast king after killing many other predators. In the past two years, it had become increasingly brutal.
The entire planet was its territory, and it naturally held supreme authority.
In the natural world, the strong preyed on the weak, a self-regulating ecosystem. The tiger king had disrupted this balance, killing not for survival but for sport, its wanton slaughter decimating several animal populations.
As the rightful ruler, the white wolf had executed the tiger king.
Many animals had witnessed the fight from a distance, hidden observers. It recognized some of them.
After cleaning itself, the white wolf carried the tender piece of meat back, leaping across the wide river.
During the construction of the house, the nearby predators had been driven away. The arrival of starships and aircraft, carrying the scent of advanced weaponry, had deterred the more intelligent and cautious beasts.
To most animals, the strange, sturdy structure on the other side of the river was like a dark shadow, emanating a dangerous aura.
Even the tiger king hadn’t dared to cross the river.
After killing the tiger king, seeing Shi Nuo foraging for food every day, and confirming there were no other predators nearby, the white wolf’s restlessness had subsided somewhat.
A strong wind blew across the plain, rustling the grass.
The closer it got to the house, the stronger the scent of tea olive blossoms became, filling Hugh Elvis with a sense of anticipation. He rushed through the automatically opening door like a gust of wind.
The two-meter-tall man appeared, carrying a large piece of fresh venison, blood dripping onto the floor, momentarily halting his eagerness to present the meat to Shi Nuo.
He ignited a flame and incinerated the bloodstains.
Hugh carried the meat to the kitchen and placed it in a basin. The piece of meat weighed five or six pounds, the most tender and flavorful part of the deer.
He frowned, staring at the meat for a moment, then dismissed the idea of placing it beside the sleeping Omega, so it would be the first thing he saw upon waking.
The pot of porridge on the stove was untouched, indicating Shi Nuo was still asleep.
Hugh Elvis walked towards the bedroom, his cold, sharp features softening as he recalled their passionate encounters over the past few days.
Shi Nuo lay on the rug, fast asleep, his cheeks flushed.
Hugh lay down beside him, wrapped his arms around the Omega, and closed his eyes contentedly.
A day later. Noon.
Two tender meat patties sizzled in the pan, golden brown and fragrant.
Hugh Elvis, with his long legs and arms, stood beside the stove, his expressionless face naturally aloof, his attention focused on the mundane task of preparing vegetables and fruit.
He picked up the blanched green vegetables with chopsticks, arranging them neatly on a plate. He sliced some small, green, tomato-like fruits in half and added them to the plate.
He also arranged the fried mushroom slices carefully, pausing to consider their placement, as if trying to make them look aesthetically pleasing. The center of the plate was left empty for the meat patties.
When the patties were cooked, Shi Nuo transferred them to the plate and drizzled them with a hot sauce.
Having relied on nutrient solution and water for the past few days, he was finally recovered enough to enjoy a proper meal.
As for the meat Hugh had brought back, Shi Nuo lowered his eyes, cut the meat patty with his knife and fork, and tried not to think about the price he had paid for it.
The aroma of the meat was enticing, the rich sauce enhancing the flavor.
The vegetables, coated in the meaty sauce, were no longer bland. The small, green, tomato-like fruits were ripe, brought back by Hugh yesterday evening. Their refreshing, slightly sour taste complemented the rich meat patties and sauce.
Shi Nuo ate quietly, his head down. Perhaps because he hadn’t had a proper meal in days, the meat patties seemed even more delicious than the venison before, tender and juicy, without any tough tendons.
Hugh sat next to him, his right elbow propped on the table, his hand supporting his chin, his expression bored as he listlessly ate the berries in his bowl.
He resisted the urge to touch Shi Nuo. The Omega was eating quietly, enjoying his meal, his pheromones carrying a note of happy contentment.
Eating was a serious matter, and interrupting him now would be a mood killer.
Shi Nuo had grown accustomed to having the Alpha sit close to him during meals, their legs touching. Years of table etiquette training told him this was improper, but he didn’t dare say anything.
Fortunately, the satisfaction of a good meal made it easy to ignore such minor improprieties.
And this was the best meat patty he had ever tasted.
Before, he would only have one meat patty per meal. Today, he finished two, along with all the vegetables and green tomato-like fruits, leaving nothing on his plate.
After just a few days of intimacy, Hugh Elvis had become accustomed to being close to his mate, constantly touching and kissing him.
Shi Nuo, his waist encircled by the Alpha’s arm, was forced to stand on tiptoe, tilting his head back to receive the man’s deep kiss, gradually losing himself in the moment, not even realizing when they had moved to the bedroom.
The weather was unpredictable. Yesterday, it had rained all day, and today, the sun beat down mercilessly, making him squint.
Autumn had deepened its hold, and yellow leaves were everywhere. Apart from the dense, low-lying areas where the grass still held some moisture, the ground was dry.
A green insect leaped from the grass, landing precisely on a chosen stem, its sharp forelegs slicing it open, its long, sturdy proboscis extending from its mouth to suck the sap.
A small shadow darted from the grass, swooping down from the sky, then soaring upwards again.
A plump bird, the size of a fist, flew high, the green insect clutched in its beak, its shadow passing over the wide river.
The white wolf walked slowly, and Shi Nuo, sitting on its back, looked up and saw the bird fly past, then other birds soaring in the distance against the backdrop of rolling green hills and the clear blue sky, like a scene from a painting.
Many animals were drinking by the riverbank, birds landing gracefully to dip their beaks in the water or search for food.
Two large white birds with red beaks and long red legs landed in a shallow area, catching fish and shrimp, their movements elegant, their long necks graceful.
Shi Nuo saw one bird catch a fish and feed it to the other, realizing they were a mated pair, likely a monogamous species.
After eating, the two birds intertwined their necks, nuzzling each other affectionately.
The white wolf leaped forward, and Shi Nuo instinctively ducked as they landed on a rock protruding from the river, very close to the two birds.
The white wolf’s presence made the birds wary. They huddled together, then, seeing that it had no intention of attacking them, resumed their fishing.
Shi Nuo had never seen birds like these before. Up close, he noticed their beautiful eyes, accented with a touch of gold at the corners.
He wondered what kind of birds they were.
With two more leaps, the white wolf left the river behind. It wasn’t running at full speed today, and they encountered many animals along the way. Shi Nuo, looking left and right, gradually found it enjoyable.
The white wolf, deliberately slowing its pace, passed by several mated pairs of animals, its expression as cold and aloof as ever.
As the familiar forest approached, Shi Nuo stopped looking around and, after a moment, said, “Mr. Elvis.”
Seeing the wolf’s ears twitch, he continued softly, “Could we make a few more trips today? I want to bring back more rice.”
After washing the rice-like grains from the white fluff, they needed to be dried before being stored in airtight containers. With the sun so strong today, he wanted to dry as much as possible.
“Mm,” Hugh Elvis agreed.
It no longer strolled leisurely but carried Shi Nuo at a faster pace, using its keen sense of smell and experience to find a large tree laden with ripe, dark brown, spherical fruits.
Shi Nuo stood under the tree and watched as the white wolf, with a swipe of its claws, severed a heavy branch laden with fruit, sending it crashing to the ground.
He approached, squatted down, and began picking the fruits, cutting them open with his knife and using the edge of his wooden board to scoop out the white fluff containing the seeds.
The branch was large, with at least thirty or forty fruits. The white wolf leaped down from the tree.
Some of the fruit shells were tough, and Shi Nuo struggled to cut them open. The wolf watched for a moment, then picked up a slightly wrinkled fruit with its forepaw, its claws easily piercing the shell, splitting it in half.
Shi Nuo, engrossed in his task, looked up and saw the white wolf pushing several opened fruits towards him. He stared at the fruits, then at the wolf, and whispered, “Thank you.”
Although they hadn’t known each other long, he had learned a bit about Hugh Elvis’s personality. He was dominant and assertive, with his own set of principles. He would help him find food but wouldn’t involve himself in these tedious tasks.
He understood. The former heir to the Elvis family, raised in luxury and privilege, must have a certain temperament. Helping him find food was already a considerable act of generosity. He didn’t expect anything more.
Before Hugh Elvis arrived, he had managed to survive on his own, foraging for wild vegetables. The work he was doing now, although tedious, wasn’t difficult.
Having received thanks, the white wolf nudged the Omega’s fair cheek with its nose and wagged its tail slightly.
It was in a good mood and continued helping him open the fruits.
