The eyes of the two…
Si Lu really wanted to say, "What exactly do you two think you understand?"
Forget it. She didn't want to stress over that topic anymore. Whatever they "understood," it clearly wasn't what she meant.But honestly, watching their silly faces was kind of cute.Why did she feel like her partners were a little slow sometimes?
"Let's study too," Lan Po and Jin Yang said before heading over.
Heiyao went to check on the cubs.
Si Lu sat on the animal skin and ate some fruit while Cheng Mo stayed close, watching her gently.
"Lulu, are you okay these days?" Cheng Mo asked softly. He lifted a hand and brushed his fingers through her long silver-white hair.
These days, he had missed her like crazy.The longing had been eating him alive, piece by piece.
He felt like he had been suffocating.Finally, she was back.
"I'm fine. Amo… you've lost weight." Si Lu touched Cheng Mo's handsome face, worry filling her eyes.
He really had gotten thinner.
"I missed you," Cheng Mo murmured.
Hearing that, Si Lu froze for a second, a shy spark flickering in her eyes.Why was he being so straightforward all of a sudden?
"Lulu, you've lost weight too. It hurts my heart," Cheng Mo said as he pulled her into his arms. Only when he held her like this could he feel truly calm—truly sure she had returned.
"It's okay. I'll eat more. And you need to eat more too." Si Lu lifted her little face and rubbed her cheek against his jaw.
She knew how deeply Cheng Mo loved her—and how much he kept bottled up.As her first beast husband, he carried more responsibility and pressure than the others.She understood that.
"Well… did you miss me these days?" Cheng Mo asked quietly.
"Of course I did. I missed you a lot." Si Lu wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
Cheng Mo smiled instantly.He was easy to please like that.
These days, he had been jealous, anxious, and afraid.Ten full days without her… it had shaken him.Since the day they became mates, they had never been apart for so long—other than the stray beast incident, and that had terrified him.
Ever since then, he'd carried a fear in his heart.
A fear that she might truly forget him.A fear she wouldn't want him anymore.A fear she wouldn't come back.
Sure, they could go searching for her…But it wasn't the same.It didn't mean the same.
So…
No one knew how much he struggled inside.
He'd gotten used to hiding his feelings—hiding everything he didn't want others to see.
But that didn't mean he didn't have a heart.And it definitely didn't mean he didn't care.
"Mhm," he whispered, eyes soft and overflowing.
That was all it took—her words, her touch.He couldn't withstand anything from her.
"Well, I know. You missed me these days, and so did the others. And I missed all of you too. I didn't forget any of you. You're all my important partners—how could I forget you?" Si Lu said gently.
They were really so easy to insecure.
"Mm. Lulu… no matter where you go in the future, remember us, okay? We'll always wait for you to come back. We'll always wait for you and always love you," Cheng Mo said softly as he held her.
He would always be her most reliable support.
No matter how long it took.No matter where she went.He would wait.
"Amo… you're really good. All of you are," Si Lu whispered, snuggling into his chest.
They kept talking like that, until eventually the little female's breathing went soft and even.
Cheng Mo smiled.
He didn't move.Heiyao noticed, quietly draped a beast skin over her, nodded to Cheng Mo, and returned to check on the cubs.
The others cooking nearby also heard the change and began moving more quietly.
Cheng Mo looked down at her sleeping face.
He could never get tired of looking.She was simply beautiful.
Time passed.The sun began to set.
Heiyao came over and built a fire to keep her warm—he didn't want her catching a chill.
The cubs settled around the fire, behaving perfectly.They knew their mother was sleeping, so none of them wanted to make noise.
Heiyao sat holding little Chengyu.These cubs weren't his blood, but they were Si Lu's blood—and that was more than enough for him to cherish them.
Soon, the smell of cooking drifted through the air.
In Cheng Mo's arms, Si Lu twitched her nose hard in her sleep and smacked her lips.
Cheng Mo and Heiyao both burst out quietly laughing.
This little female—how was her sense of smell this good while sleeping?When they stand right in front of her, she smells nothing.But let a pot of food bubble somewhere in the distance and BOOM—her nose is sharper than any beast's.
They looked at each other and smiled.
Little Chengyu saw them and giggled too—quietly, of course, so he wouldn't wake his mother.
"It smells so good… what is that smell…" Si Lu mumbled half-asleep.
Then her eyes fluttered open.
She stared at the two men for a second, still foggy from sleep.
"Mom, you're amazing. You woke up from the smell of food. You were literally still asleep," Chengyu said proudly.
"Your mother's a greedy little thing," Heiyao chuckled.
"Lulu, perfect timing—you woke up right when the food finished cooking. We'll bring it here in a moment. Somehow your nose ignores us completely but becomes terrifyingly sharp when food is involved," Cheng Mo teased.
Apparently, her sense of smell was selective.
"Well, don't tease me. I just like delicious food," Si Lu said, sitting up.
"Lulu, the food's ready! We'll bring it over now." Bai Di's voice called.
He was practically glowing.
He finally got to cook for the little female again—how could he not be happy?Plus, the fact that his cooking literally woke her up from a nap?He was proud.
"Hurry, the child is hungry," Si Lu complained. "My chest is considerate of my back."
"Mom, that was embarrassing," Chengyu said. "I'm not hungry. I'm starving."
His second and third brothers covered their mouths with their paws, snickering.