The week was productive, even if it felt like my brain was in ten places at once. The palace felt alive.

Robin, our Sheep Chief, was a total godsend in this hectic time. He had these nimble, clever hands that were perfect for the loom. When Thalor brought in the first shipment of sea-silk, Robin looked like he’d found a chest of legendary loot.

"Land Mother... this texture," Robin whispered, running a hand over the shimmering, iridescent fabric. "It is like weaving the moonlight itself. We can try to blend this with our finest wool. The clothes will be light enough for summer but stronger than any hide."

"Do it, Robin," I said, patting his shoulder. "I want the first set to be for the babies. If it’s as good as you say, they’ll need it for all the scooting they’re doing."

I have a feeling they’re going to do a lot of rolling and tumbling over, haha.

And so, Robin spent days huddled with the other sheep beastmen, figuring out how to blend the shimmering silk with their wool to make something light but strong.

The silk was very pretty, woven by moonlight, as he said, having these beautiful stars shimmering in its depths and making every wave of it so starry and sparkly.

It was great for royal attire. And since it’s not exactly that plentiful yet, the babies and the royal family will get the first craft.

While the sheep were invested in clothes, the rabbit craftsmen were pulling double duty. Some were helping the beavers and badgers finish the stone foundations for the marketplace, while the others were obsessively tweaking the shoes. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

They brought me a second version—better, but still not quite there. I just patted their heads and told them to keep going.

My encouraging words were all they needed to hear to push through.

And then my favorite part of the week was when I spent most of my ’downtime’ in the nursery palace.

Solin and Talia had moved in there full-time to help, and it was the best decision we ever made.

I walked in one afternoon and found them surrounded by a sea of young pups and my own triplet cubs.

I know they’re having it rough. After all, it’s not easy to take care of kids. But those two seem to know their stuff. Maybe I’ll employ them as permanent caretakers for the nursery.

So they can’t quit even if they’re tired, muahaha. Ahem.

I sat down to play with my babies, and after a while, got crowded by other pups. The peace and the warmth were so much that I fell asleep right there with all the children, my baby tucked into my front, and the pups from the other mothers surrounded me.

Yeah, I had been too exhausted to realize it.

Running here and there, making plans, thinking, and inspecting, I was only one female, you know. This break... I’ll use it wisely. And then, I’ll hop on the busy train again and work until I pass out on my soft, comfortable bed.

...

When the week was up, it was time for Fenric to receive his mark.

Going into the marking with the Snow Tiger felt different. He was like a mountain—solid, quiet, and absolutely immovable.

Yeah, that mass of muscle is just my cup of tea. I spent the first few minutes running my hand through his shoulders, chest, and back, feeling every corded muscle on his body, breathing heavily.

I loved his chest, especially, and those cute, inverted nipples.

"Arinya," he called, his voice soft, his face flushed, and his cock hard as a rock even before the pearl had been used.

It’s been a while, about a few weeks, since Fenric had me to himself. He loved me, adored me, worshipped me... and so he had been patient.

He was the patient, solid pillar of this family, so much so that I could never ask for another more solid pillar.

Then, I leaned down and crashed my lips onto his, transferring the pearl from my mouth into his.

The moment the pearl dissolved in his mouth, his red eyes dilated, and all he could think about was claiming every space in my body.

He grinned.

"Mine, Arinya," he said, his thick arms wrapped around my waist. "You’re all mine,"

"Yes, Fenric," I breathed into his neck as I felt his hand slowly sliding down to grab my but. "I’m all yours. Now, you can do whatever you want with me. No one will interrupt us."

That was the green light he needed. The green light cut off his restraint, but even then, he did not go mountain rough on me.

He started steady, made sure I was feeling it, and I thought he would go crazy at some point and make sure to destroy my insides, but he didn’t.

For three days, the room felt cool and grounded. Fenric was so gentle throughout that it almost made me want to cry. He didn’t rush; he was slow and steady, his deep, resonant growls vibrating through the bed as the mark on my body—the one on my chest between my breasts—began to pulse with a deep, earthy white light.

By the end of the three days, Fenric looked exhausted but peaceful. The mark was etched on his own chest, and it made him proud.

After all, the mark closest to the heart meant a lot more than I had realized when I asked him to mark me there in the past.

Now, if Fenric goes around shirtless, flexing his biceps and his muscles popping for all to see, their eyes will definitely go to the mark on his chest.

Yeah, my mark, and they’ll know he belongs to one female, and that was me.

Alright, now I can rest. Well, I was supposed to rest. It was only natural, after having to endure his steady thrusts for three days, that I rest.

But two hours after we finished, two hours after my breathing had steadied and I closed my eyes in sleep, something snapped.

Hungry. Yeah, it should be normal for me to be hungry after three days of no food, but for some reason... I wasn’t hungry for food.

What I was hungry for was...