"Nina, you don’t need to worry about him," Sal sighed, casting Yanai a sideways glance. "Males get injured all the time. A little pain is nothing—go get some rest."

To him, that so-called injury was nothing worth mentioning. Clearly, this wolf was taking advantage of Nina’s soft heart, deliberately acting pitiful.

"Nina, you should sleep first," Mino added, then shot Yanai a sharp look, grinding his teeth inwardly. "I’ll take care of him."

Oh, I’ll take very good care of him.

Yanai lowered his gaze slightly. "It’s fine, Nina... you should go rest. Mino may not have any abilities, but I can endure it."

He pressed a hand to his wound, his brows tightening faintly.

Seeing his discomfort, Nina couldn’t bring herself to just leave him like that.

She turned to her mates. "I’ll stay a little longer. I’ll go back once he’s feeling better."

Then she looked down at the little ones in her arms, gently stroking their heads. "Why don’t you go back with your fathers and sleep first?"

The children all shook their heads.

We want to stay with Mother.

They had no intention of leaving her side.

"Nina, why don’t you go back first?" Kith suggested. "The children miss you—they won’t want to sleep without you."

Nina hesitated, then came up with a compromise.

"Then... Yanai, why don’t you come back with me? It’s the children’s bedtime, and I need to put them to sleep anyway. If you come, I can treat your injury at the same time."

A flicker of delight flashed through Yanai’s heart, though his expression remained cautious.

"...Would that be alright?"

Nina smiled. "Of course."

"Then I’ll come over shortly," he said, unable to hide the hint of eagerness in his voice.

Nina carried the children back.

Off to the side, Aron stroked his chin thoughtfully.

That brat’s finally figured things out.

Setan glanced at Yanai, then lowered his gaze in thought.

Idir’s eyes held a trace of disdain.

A male complaining about pain to a female... He’s got no backbone.

Lex, however, fell into quiet contemplation.

He had once used a similar tactic... but the results had been completely different.

Ah. Some memories are best forgotten.

After Nina left, Yanai quickly found a place to wash up.

He couldn’t possibly show up smelling unclean—if he wanted to stay the night, he had to make a good impression.

Glancing down at his wound, his gaze deepened.

During this recovery period, he needed to spend more time with her... build their bond.

Once finished, he immediately headed to Nina’s shelter.

Inside, she was telling stories to the children, with Kith sitting nearby.

"Nina, I’m here. May I come in?" he called softly from outside.

"Yes, come in."

With permission granted, he stepped inside—instantly making the small shelter feel much more crowded.

Nina shifted slightly to make space, and he sat down beside her.

Kith glanced at him, noticing how cramped it had become.

"Nina, I’ll step out for now. I’ll come back later."

"Alright."

The shelter really was too small for so many people.

After a while, Nina finished her story. One by one, the children drifted off to sleep.

She turned to Yanai, lowering her voice. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Does it still hurt?"

"A little," he replied.

Her brows drew together. "Let me take a look at your wound."

Without hesitation, he removed his upper garment, revealing a well-built chest.

A deep wound marred the center of it.

At the sight, a flicker of concern passed through Nina’s eyes.

She examined it carefully. Though it hadn’t healed much on the surface, there were no signs of infection—it should be alright.

Still... wounds like this healed slowly.

"If it were a normal injury, it would already be halfway healed by now," she murmured. "Let me treat it again—maybe it’ll recover faster."

As she spoke, her power flowed into him once more.

Yanai lowered his gaze, watching her intently—almost greedily.

If only... he could stay like this with her forever.

Soon, the treatment was complete.

"You can put your clothes back on," Nina said. "It’s cold at night."

He didn’t move.

"It’s fine. My kind isn’t afraid of the cold. Leaving it uncovered feels better."

And... if he remembered correctly, she had once liked his physique.

If he had the chance, he might as well let her see more of it.

The space was small—their distance, even smaller.

Nina’s eyes flicked, just briefly, over the lines of his chest and abdomen.

A faint blush touched her cheeks.

"...If you say so. I’ll treat it once more later, and then we should rest."

She yawned softly—now that things had settled, sleepiness began to creep in.

"Nina, you can rest first," Yanai said gently. "If it starts hurting again, I’ll wake you."

Deep in his eyes, a trace of guilt flickered—along with something softer.

For his own selfish desires... he was keeping her from resting when she should.

A flicker of regret suddenly stirred in Yanai’s heart.

"...Alright," Nina said, lying down at last. "Just wake me if it starts hurting again."

There was nothing pressing to do anyway. Resting for a while wouldn’t hurt.

Cradling the little ones, she closed her eyes.

Time passed.

Yanai never spoke.

Slowly, her breathing deepened—she had fallen asleep.

He lay there, gazing at her sleeping face, utterly captivated. His eyes were filled with quiet devotion.

Almost unconsciously, he lifted a hand, wanting to brush his fingers against her cheek... but just before touching her, he stopped.

Then, slowly, he lowered his hand.

He couldn’t take advantage of her while she slept.

Turning onto his side, he simply watched her—silent, intent, as though the world had narrowed to her alone.

***

Outside the shelter, the other males noticed the long stretch of silence.

They exchanged glances, then looked to Kith. He gave a slight nod, lifted the flap, and peeked inside.

Nina was already asleep.

And Yanai... was lying there, staring at her like a lovestruck fool.

That damn wolf really has ulterior motives.

Kith shot him a look.

She’s asleep. Get out.

Yanai raised a brow.

No. She didn’t tell me to leave.

A dangerous glint flickered in Kith’s eyes.

Get. Out.

Tonight was supposed to be his turn.

Yanai smirked faintly.

Make me.

Opportunities like this didn’t come often—he wasn’t about to give it up.

Once he recovered, these jealous males would never give him another chance to get close to her.

Their gazes locked, tension crackling silently between them.

In the end, Kith let out a cold snort and withdrew.

A faint smile of victory curved Yanai’s lips.

***

Outside, the others frowned when he didn’t come out.

"He’s not leaving?" Sal’s gaze darkened as it fell on the shelter.

"No," Kith said coolly. "Looks like he’s trying to secure a place."

"It’s obvious," Odian said. "But Nina doesn’t seem to like him. She rejected him before."

"Of course she doesn’t," Sal scoffed. "He used to speak badly of her."

At that, Mino and the others lowered their eyes slightly, a hint of embarrassment crossing their faces.

...They had, too.

"So what—just leave him?" Dian asked.

"Let’s see what Nina thinks first," Odian replied.

The others nodded.

Casting one last irritated glance at the shelter, they dispersed to rest.

***

The next morning, Nina woke up... pressed against a warm, bare chest.

Her eyes flew open.

Realizing whose it was, heat rushed to her ears as she quickly pulled back.

"Why didn’t you leave?"

Then she remembered—she had fallen asleep first.

"...Sorry. I must’ve dozed off."

He must have chosen not to wake her.

"It’s alright," Yanai said gently. "It didn’t hurt at all last night."

Not when he had fallen asleep holding her.

"Really? What about now? Should I take a look?"

Nina still felt a little awkward, assuming he was just saying that to spare her embarrassment.

"...Alright."

He leaned closer, his gaze fixed on her, intense and unwavering.

Under that look, her ears burned even hotter. She focused on his wound, quickly channeling her ability to treat him.

"All done." She shifted back slightly. "I’m going to wash up."

With that, she slipped away.

Yanai touched his chest, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.

After breakfast, they set out for Barbarian City.

That night, it was Finch’s turn to stay with Nina.

Just as he was about to draw closer, Yanai appeared again.

Looking pitiful, he said, "Nina... my wound hurts again."

So once more, she treated him, and once more... the night passed.

***

On the third night, Aviel was just about to happily lead Nina away to rest, when Yanai showed up again.

"I... it hurts again..."

By the fourth time, Nina was "taken over" by Yanai’s condition, and the others... had had enough.