NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: 38 - Pick Up a Name (1.86k words)
In the quiet of the infirmary, Vick and Muir attended to Pup, changing his bandages and cleaning his body, while Curtis fetched us new boiled water. Meanwhile, I used strands of Curtis's hair and a slender fishbone as a makeshift needle to meticulously stitch Pup's open wounds.
"I became a triple-striped beast the moment I reached adulthood," Curtis explained, suggesting that Pup's sudden rise in rank might be linked to his mentality and the bag of crystals I fed him, "He transformed forcibly, so his strength probably hasn't reached that of a triple-striped beast yet."
Muir shot Pup a glance, the kind that said he knew more than he was letting on: "His female and her males are infamous among some beastmen. She's among the rare ones nobody wants to claim, known for using her males to deceive young ones into joining her harem. From what I know, she was banished to the most remote village. She usually returns to the Beast City to get benefits for giving birth to a cub."
Having a second female was unheard of for a male. Such a law could ignite rivalry among females, struggle for weaker males, and erase the fear of abandonment from the stronger males.
A beastman who fell in love with his female would go insane and kill himself after her death, no longer having the capacity to love another.
A beastman abandoned by his loved one would become rootless. He would shed his loving and emphatic human side to embrace his primal side, living as mere echoes of his past self.
However, what about a beastman who harbored hatred for his female from the start, never experiencing love for her? What type of rootless would he become?
Pup suddenly stirred, groaning and coughing, as he came to his senses, "W-water..." His voice was rough and hoarse, and the corners of his lips were cracked and dry. Both his eyes were swollen shut behind the layers of bandages.
"Relax," Vick said, holding his head and slowly raising it, "I'm going to pour some water into your mouth."
Pup parted his lips. After Vick fed him some water, he coughed violently, his head turning in my direction abruptly.
"Stay still. We're not done treating you yet," Muir said, his powerful beast pressure flaring to keep Pup anchored in place.
"We've already wasted enough crystals on you," Curtis added sharply, exerting his own forceful presence to ensure my efforts wouldn't go to naught.
"What's your name?" Vick asked. "You might as well pick a new one since you know what."
"Name? My name is... not necessary... I'm just a beast." Pup still tried to move his gaze behind the bandages in my direction, shrugging off the beast pressure as if what he was facing was just a cub's play.
"Pup," I said, a smirk playing at the corner of my lips, "that's the name you'll be stuck with if you don't pick one soon."
"Her name is Yaya," Vick's beast pressure pushed down on Pup, turning his head in his direction, "It's her mercy that's keeping your heart beating. Your past and identity are irrelevant here. You will adhere to her rules, every single one of them, without question or hesitation. First, you never lay a hand on a female or her cubs ─ no harm, no foul, not even in the heat of anger or by the slip of a mistake. Second, whatever happens in the master bedroom stays in the master bedroom─"
"That's bullshit," I laughed, "There are no such rules."
Ignoring my comment, Vick continued, "Third, try to survive. Step out of line, and you'll wish you hadn't. Now, choose your name."
"Skaris," he declared, the word sliding from his lips like a threat whispered in the dark. "You should save that pressure to intimidate our enemies, not the ones in your family, especially around our female. It could stress her out," he pointed out, his voice carrying a provocative edge, each word meticulously chosen to challenge yet subtly remind everyone of their shared purpose.
With a sinister gleam in his eye, Vick's grin widened unnaturally. "Intimidation is a game for the powerless," he whispered, each word dripping with malice. "Me? I don't intimidate; I annihilate my enemies. Commit that to memory because it's the last warning you'll get, Skaris." The darkness in his tone was palpable, sending a shiver down the spine of anyone who dared to listen, "I am Vick, Yaya's head male."
Skaris' shoulders trembled with silent laughter, but we could feel his submission to the higher-ranking beast, "Yes, I'll make sure to remember. Head male."
"Is this how you repay your saviors?" Muir asked, his words punctuated by cold pride, "Where did your manners go?"
Skaris's past as bait for the colossals was well-known among us now, and while provoking them might have been his specialty, venturing into risky territory around his female's stronger males and straddling that thin line? That had to be a new experience, even for someone like Muir.
"I've heard every word you said. Our female wants to cut me open while you three are waiting for any reason to take me down. Even if I swore my undying loyalty, it wouldn't matter-I know my time's running out," Skaris's chuckle was dark, a sound that echoed the predatory anticipation of a trap well set. His heart might have died, but his mind was very much alive for the whole time, "This is not the first time I've been saved by a group of strangers. At least you are all honest. It saves me the trouble of groveling for mercy. Better than the honeyed words about love and a better future, followed by a knife in my back."
"You seem to hate me quite a lot, don't you?" I finished the last tie, snipping away the spare strands before rising. "Is it because I forced myself on you like she did?"
I did not wait for his response. His pause flickered to a distant memory, and a smile stretched over my lips, certain that his hatred was born from that.
"I don't understand. You carry my spousal imprint, yet I can't trace my essence within you," he whispered, not rebuking my words of hatred. Despite his 'blindness', his ability to 'see' with his nose was almost more intimate, as if with each breath he drew in, he was savoring every secret that clung to my skin, exploring me more deeply than sight ever could. "What do I owe you for your 'help'? My Protection? My Service? My affection? Or my very life? Or perhaps you're after the crystals you've squandered on me? From the quantity I absorbed, it seems you may have your sights set on an emerald."
I laughed mockingly, "I don't charge for my help, not that you could afford me anyway," I taunted, "You've got absolutely nothing to your name that could even begin to cover the debt. So don't bother."
With that, I pivoted on my heels, leaving the infirmary behind. Muir fell into step beside me as we headed toward the bathroom to wash the blood of our bodies.
Meanwhile, Curtis and Vick carefully lifted Skaris onto a stretcher and began to relocate him to the study room attached to the master bedroom.
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Inside the bathroom...
"You're really something else, Precious," Vick said, his fingers combing through his wet hair, "I thought he would be worshiping the ground we walk on the moment he recovers a bit, and instead, he acts as if we're the plague. That female and her males must have screwed him up real good."
"Good. Less competition for us," Curtis said, grabbing the clothes we handed him, "Finally, someone else will handle the laundry," he added.
Curtis didn't like the idea of scrubbing another guy's clothes, but he reluctantly stepped up after the fiasco with Vick and Muir during their last laundry duty. They almost ruined the clothes he sewed for me by cramming them all into the same wash basin and treating them like rag towels. That day, Curtis was even more intense during training than usual. Muir got completely wrecked, and it was clear he was itching to put Vick in that state as well.
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To help Skaris heal without overworking his body, Vick gave him simple foods like broth, gelatin, and clear juices. The aim was to keep him hydrated and replenish the electrolytes his body needed without making his digestive system work overtime, "As a new addition to our family, I have certain expectations from you, Skaris. In our absence, you're to protect this house as if it were your own. This is our sanctuary, and it's in your hands to keep it safe."
Skaris, his bandaged face somehow managing to convey a nonchalant air, turned his way. "I will keep your territory safe from enemies with everything I've got for as long as I live."
"Good, now back to our Yaya. If you're thinking about trying to win her over, feel free. In fact, I'd encourage it. Whether she reciprocates or not isn't my concern. You're free to leave whenever you want, but don't just sneak away like a thief in the night. Just tell one of us when you'll return. You are free to say no. You're free to speak your mind, and I expect the same level of honesty and respect in return. Is it clear?"
"Crystal," Skaris said, skepticism lacing his voice. "But why would you want me to win over our female? I don't plan to fight you for her affection."
Vick chuckled, "I know where I stand with her, so I'm not afraid of a little competition. If you win, you deserve her. If you lose, well, maybe it wasn't meant to be."
"Vick," I blurted out, interrupting the two.
"Yes, my Precious?"
"Ensure Skaris remains blind around me," I requested.
Skaris turned his attention towards me, and at that moment, the tension between us crackled with intensity, "Why's that?" he asked, probably afraid he might lose his remaining eye due to my abrupt demand.
I gestured toward Curtis with my hands, indicating that I would want him to make a blindfold for Skaris, "Some people tend to say that I'm ugly," I admitted quietly with a shrug.
"Don't worry," Skaris assured, choosing his words carefully, "I don't care what you look like. You are my female, and that's enough for me to want to please you. Your looks are not an issue to me."
"That's not enough," I pressed on, amused, "I need your word that even when those bandages around your head come off, you won't lay your gaze on my face or my body."
Skaris took a moment to think, "I promise. My eyes will always be closed in front of you."
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Wow, Skaris is really channeling his pent-up hatred and frustration into his carefully chosen words. Can you feel it too?
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