Ch 15: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi was carried back to the wolf den by Fuli, curled up like a cub in a warm pile of furs, his teeth chattering from the cold, still trying to warm up.

Fuli went to the adjacent chamber and retrieved an even thicker bearskin, wrapping it over Lin Shuishi’s head, leaving only his little nose exposed for breathing. The snow on the ridge was sparse, mostly blown down to the plains below, leaving the red rock surfaces clean and bare.

The other wolves kept their distance from Fuli’s den, with only the wolf king’s family living across from him, just close enough to keep an eye on Fuli’s den.

The little white wolf was still squirming in its den, looking noticeably larger than its siblings. It was whining incessantly, gnawing at the mother wolf’s tail. Ever since it returned to the pack last night, the mother wolf king, following her animal instincts, predicted an extreme cold and snowstorm and forbade it from leaving.

But it was reluctant to play with its still-nursing siblings and fussed about going to find Lin Shuishi. In the end, it was only deterred when the mother wolf king gripped its neck and issued a stern warning.

Now, hearing movement from the den that none of the other wolves dared to approach, the little white wolf perked its ears, catching the scent of Lin Shuishi on the wind. It began to sneak towards the den entrance, but its plan was thwarted by its father, the wolf king, who blocked the entrance with his imposing body.

The wolf king was in good spirits, his abdominal wounds healing rapidly, allowing him to move freely. However, he still needed some time to fully recover before he could lead the pack on hunts again. During this period, Fuli had taken on all the duties of patrolling the territory and other responsibilities.

The white wolf king stood at the entrance, craning his neck to peer across at Fuli’s den. He listened quietly for a while, hesitating, but finally stepped out and made his way to the higher den where Fuli lived.

Standing cautiously at the entrance, the wolf king peered inside. His unusual brother, who had never taken a mate, had brought a beast into his den. After nearly twenty years of life, the wolf king felt that this pivotal moment in a male’s life might not be the best time for a visit.

But as the leader, despite Fuli’s longstanding authority, he resolved to check on the situation. He stood outside for a moment, waiting for his brother’s permission. Fuli let out a soft grunt, allowing the wolf king to enter.

Inside the spacious den, the floor was covered with animal pelts, and the trophies that were usually neatly arranged had been scattered about. His strong brother lay sprawled on the ground, with the familiar weak beast clinging tightly to his neck, pressed close against him.

The wolf king’s deep blue eyes searched and pondered. His brother had never been close to any other creature before, except for holding him, but that was over twenty years ago…

Now, it seemed that Fuli had finally found a lifelong companion.

The white wolf king stepped closer, its wet snout nudging forward to sniff the only part of Lin Shuishi exposed outside the bearskin—his bright red nose. The wolf king remembered this scent, the one who had treated his wounds and brought him medicine.

Fuli growled lowly, warning the wolf king, deterring the robust male leader from getting any closer to the creature in his embrace.

Undeterred, the white wolf king gently pulled the sheepskin that had been wrapped around Lin Shuishi and quickly retreated from the den before Fuli could get angry. He carried the sheepskin to the center of the white wolf pack’s territory, placed it on the ground, and then raised his head to let out a long howl.

The howl echoed through the falling snow, prompting responses from every wolf pack in the mountains. This unusual behavior of the wolf pack alerted the nearby herbivores, though they were unaware that the wolves were merely performing the necessary ritual to welcome a new member under the leader’s guidance.

The white wolves emerged from their dens and gathered at the leader’s feet. According to their rank, they took turns sniffing the scent on Lin Shuishi’s sheepskin, committing the scent of each new pack member to memory.

In just a short while, the white wolf den on the ridge returned to its usual calm. The wolf king, after some thought, picked up the sheepskin again and walked towards a hollow tree.

So, amidst the snowfall, the wolf king had hastily concluded that Fuli had transitioned within the pack from a “violent and solitary old bachelor” to a “fierce alpha needing space to enjoy his mate.”

As a result, no other wolves dared to disturb him, including the little wolf cub that had been eagerly waiting in the wolf king’s den. The young cub had yet to realize that it had already lost its only “territory and pack.” In the eyes of the entire wolf pack, Lin Shuishi had now become Fuli’s mate and was considered part of the wolf pack.

However, Lin Shuishi, who had just been “transformed” into this new role, remained in a daze, clinging to Fuli’s chest. Ever since Fuli had carried him out of the small tent, the tension of struggling between life and death had eased, and once he entered the warmth of the wolf den, he began to develop a high fever, his body alternating between hot and cold.

Feeling the uncomfortable hardness of the untanned animal skins beneath him, Lin Shuishi instinctively crawled closer to Fuli. His small frame and weight were negligible to Fuli; his large, strong body could easily accommodate Lin Shuishi even if he turned over in his sleep.

Fuli allowed everything to happen. He simply tightened his arms around the little beast clinging to him, breathing heavily and restrainedly grinding his teeth near the fragrant nape of Lin Shuishi’s neck.

Outside, the snow continued to fall heavily. Fuli wrapped the feverish Lin Shuishi tightly in furs. Even though their bodies, pressed closely together, began to sweat slightly from the heat, he didn’t let go of Lin Shuishi. Instead, he held the soft body even tighter, while Lin Shuishi unconsciously moved his arms from around Fuli’s neck to around his firm waist.

Fuli’s muscles tensed in response to the unconscious movements of the little one in his arms, and he took a few deep breaths. He chalked it up to being unfamiliar with the sensation of being close to a “human.”

Eventually, he moved Lin Shuishi’s arms back onto his chest and finally relaxed. But when he noticed what Lin Shuishi was clutching in his hand, Fuli was suddenly taken aback. He carefully observed the two round, red eggs the little beast was tightly holding.

By evening, Lin Shuishi’s fever had finally subsided, but the snowstorm outside continued. In such weather, hunting was extremely difficult for the wolves, so they dug out their stored food to survive the snow-bound days.

Lin Shuishi, still groggy, clutched the broad arm beside him and croaked out that he was thirsty. Fuli, understanding his words, got up and settled the little beast back in the furs. He picked up a hollow ox horn lying on the ground, a trophy from his conquest of the wild cattle—a massive, sharp horn from the lead bull.

He strode out of the den to fetch water from the hot springs and gave Lin Shuishi something to drink. Afterward, he pondered for a moment, then draped a piece of fur over himself and braved the howling wind and snow of the night to return to the treehouse, where he gathered all the dried fruits and vegetables Lin Shuishi had been storing and brought them back to the wolf den.

Finally, he went to the western side of the hot springs and nimbly scaled the steep cliffs. Reaching into the densely packed bird nests within the rocky crevices, he carefully extracted only one egg from each nest, causing the birds to tremble in fear, too terrified to fluff their feathers. When he could carry no more in his small pouch of animal skins, he leaped back down to the ground and rushed back to the wolf den.

Lin Shuishi eventually awoke from his foggy state, finding the outside world shrouded in gloom, with even the moonlight dimmed. He coughed a few times, his voice muffled, and looked around. The den was warm, but Fuli was not there. However, he saw the mushrooms and wood ear fungus he had hung to dry in the treehouse, along with a small basket of chestnuts.

Outside, the wolf pack was feeding. The wolf king carried a bull’s leg in its mouth and headed toward Fuli’s den. Lin Shuishi suddenly saw the massive wolf head appear at the entrance, clutching a bloody bull’s leg with its glowing, greenish eyes!

His newly healed legs nearly gave way. Although he knew the wolf wouldn’t harm him, the sight triggered a primal fear deep within him—an instinctive terror of fierce predators etched into the human genome.

In the end, Lin Shuishi accepted the wolf king’s goodwill, shakily taking the large bull leg and placing it near the entrance of the cave. The wolf king, satisfied, lifted its head proudly and walked away, leaving Lin Shuishi standing there, conflicted.

At that moment, Lin Shuishi was still weak from the fever and lacked energy due to hunger. He was pondering how to start a fire to cook the meat when he saw Fuli returning, covered in snow.

He only vaguely remembered how attentive Fuli had been to him, and the warmth of that man’s chest. Although he felt a bit embarrassed, he was still genuinely happy to see him return.

Just as Lin Shuishi was about to go forward to greet him, he noticed that Fuli had a large bundle strapped to his back. When Fuli placed the bundle in front of him and unwrapped the dry animal skins, they revealed a pile of eggs—eggs of various sizes and colors.

Lin Shuishi was speechless for a moment. Was stealing eggs a tradition in the wolf pack? And did the number of eggs one stole correspond to their strength and status?

Looking up, he noticed Fuli casting a subtle glance at the two large, red-spotted eggs that Lin Shuishi had carefully placed in the warm animal skins.

Their gazes met over the eggs, and Lin Shuishi suddenly understood. He chuckled awkwardly, “Uh, thank you, thank you very much, but these will be more than enough. There’s no need for more next time!”

And so, that night, Lin Shuishi finally enjoyed a hot meal—two perfectly cooked hot spring eggs from the wolves’ sacred spring.

They were delicious…

In Yuanshan Village, the atmosphere was starkly different from the tranquility of Dongshan. A group of strong men, armed with bows and shovels, angrily kicked open the door of a rather spacious farmhouse. The leader was an older man, once known as the famous Zheng the Hunter in the surrounding villages. However, after losing a leg, he had turned to carpentry.

At this moment, Old Man Zheng was far from his usual calm self; he was furious, shaking off the snow as he pounded on the door.

“Bighead Sun! Get out here!” he shouted, giving a nod to his brothers beside him. They all grimly nodded back and picked up axes, hacking away at the wooden door of the courtyard.

Bighead Sun cowered inside his mud-brick house, too scared to show his face. But his wife was a fierce woman, and she stormed out, wielding a shoulder pole and flanked by their two sons.

“Who are these thugs?! Daring to smash down my door! Do you even know who you’re dealing with? You should ask around about how tough I am!”

Mrs. Sun, with her sharp, upturned eyes, quickly assessed the situation as she saw the group of men outside the door. Suddenly, she changed her tone and smiled, “Oh, it’s Old Master Zheng! I was wondering who it was. Come on in, have some hot water; it’s cold out, and Rehe Village is far away.”

But Old Man Zheng didn’t entertain her words. His face was ashen with anger, and he was breathing heavily.

“Don’t try to fool me. We’ve got a dozen brothers from Rehe Village standing here in the snow, and we’re only asking you one question.”

His gaze was deep and intense. “Where is Shui Ge’er?”

(T/N: ge’er = ger)