Ch 42: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi half-asleep, lay in the warm wolf’s den for most of the day. His stomach began to grumble, waking him up, but as he tried to sit up, he froze. Enduring the embarrassing pain, he gritted his teeth and lay back down.

Fuli, full of energy, leaped up from the hillside below, carrying a large leaf filled with green herbal paste. The wolves around wanted to come up and greet him, but Fuli avoided them, heading straight for his beloved den at the mountain’s peak.

He nimbly leaped into the den, crouching in front of Lin Shuishi, and lowered his head to sniff his breath. Then, with a knowing look in his golden eyes, he gently kissed Lin Shuishi’s swollen lips.

However, Lin Shuishi dodged the kiss. Fuli patiently followed his movements, trying to kiss him again, but each time, Lin Shuishi would turn his head away. When Fuli was about to use his hands, Lin Shuishi opened his eyes wide and covered his mouth with both hands.

“No kissing, no kissing!”

Fuli tilted his head, observing Lin Shuishi with slightly quickened breathing, then moved to pounce. Lin Shuishi turned away, covering his mouth.

“They’re swollen! No kissing!”

Seeing the bruises and bite marks on the back of Lin Shuishi’s neck, Fuli calmed his breathing and took out the herbal paste, using his long, slender finger to apply some gently to Lin Shuishi’s neck.

Lin Shuishi felt the burning pain on his neck ease into a cool sensation and curiously turned around to watch Fuli apply the medicine with a tender gaze. He brought his nose close to Fuli’s fingers and sniffed. The fragrance was familiar! This was the same ointment used on him the first time he woke up in the cabin. He wasn’t sure what it was made of, but its effects were excellent.

As Fuli watched the little one sniffing at his fingers, he smeared a bit of the paste on Lin Shuishi’s nose, then lifted the fur covering him, reaching to apply more of the ointment.

“What is this?” Lin Shuishi asked, grasping Fuli’s hand curiously.

Fuli, caught off guard, instinctively responded in a strange, deep, and complex language that resonated from his chest—a sound no human could make.

Realizing what he had done, Fuli hesitated before replying in human language, “Medicine.”

Lin Shuishi was still trying to recall the peculiar tone Fuli had used, not expecting him to start applying the ointment on his body.

After quite a bit of fussing, they finally managed to apply the medicine, leaving both of them slightly out of breath. But soon after, Lin Shuishi felt much better; the wounds on his skin began to heal, even the burning sensation in that area eased, and he felt significantly more comfortable, able to move freely again.

Fuli leaned in to kiss him again, and Lin Shuishi squinted, dodging several times. But as he gazed at Fuli’s strong, striking features, he couldn’t help but reach out, wrapping his arms around Fuli’s head, holding that ruggedly handsome and wildly captivating face, and planting several kisses on his swollen lips.

However, the moment Fuli tried to take things further, Lin Shuishi playfully pulled away, laughing and refusing to give in.

After such an intense connection, he no longer feared this beast. They had become one, inseparable from now on. Fuli was his world, and he was Fuli’s other half.

Lin Shuishi turned and leaned against Fuli’s broad chest, squeezing his firm arm.

“Clothes, or even animal hides—anything will do. I don’t want to be naked among the wolves!” The white wolves were as clever as humans, making it impossible to treat them as mere animals.

Fuli, holding him, walked over to the corner of the wolf’s den where items were stored. Hidden away was a crumpled white fur bundle, which Lin Shuishi recognized upon closer inspection—it was the sweater he had knitted for Fuli.

It turned out that night was a full moon, and Fuli, anticipating it, had already left Lin Shuishi and the village, returning to Dongshan to prepare for what might happen. He had carefully removed the sweater, tucking it away in the deepest part of the den, before settling on the mountain peak to wrestle with his primal instincts.

He had nearly managed to suppress them when he heard the warning from the sentinel wolf at Lin Shuishi’s home. Overcome with rage, he raced down the mountain and, seeing his mate threatened by a wild bear, his beastly nature took over. When he regained consciousness, all he saw was blood and gore scattered across the ground and the frightened look in Lin Shuishi’s eyes.

Lin Shuishi looked at the intact sweater, momentarily speechless. He held it to his chest, the fabric now imbued with Fuli’s scent. He unfolded the sweater and put it on.

However, the sweater, stretched by Fuli’s broad muscles, now hung loosely on him, with the neckline plunging all the way to his navel! Lin Shuishi couldn’t help but glance back at Fuli, laughing, intending to show him the vast difference in their sizes. But when he saw the look in Fuli’s eyes, memories of the previous night’s intense moments came rushing back. He coughed, straightened his expression, and quickly pulled the sides of the sweater together, wrapping himself up tightly.

With his head down, he ignored the heated gaze from behind and stepped out of the wolf’s den.

Lin Shuishi finally saw daylight and took a deep breath of fresh air. The sun warmed him, and the ground in the wolf den was heated, making it comfortable even on bare feet. However, the breeze that slipped under his oversized sweater made his already sore and medicated area feel even chillier.

Just as he was starting to relax, he heard a faint whimper. Looking down, he saw the little white wolf pitifully resting its small head at the entrance of the wolf king’s den, too scared to come out. When it noticed Lin Shuishi, it let out a sigh, almost human-like.

With a smile, Lin Shuishi walked over and gently rubbed its head, coaxing the little cub out under the watchful eye of the mother wolf king. Once freed, the little wolf dashed down the mountain ridge and quickly disappeared from sight. Neither Lin Shuishi nor the mother wolf king worried, as the area was the white wolves’ territory, free from other wild beasts.

Fuli, standing at the den’s entrance, watched Lin Shuishi from behind, his figure silhouetted by the light. He observed his mate, now carrying his scent, wandering among the wolves, sometimes petting a cub, sometimes stroking a furry bundle.

Fuli secretly thought that his partner loved young animals, and they should raise their own someday—at least a litter bigger than the wolf king’s, given that he was the elder brother, after all.

Lin Shuishi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and sneezed, unsure of the cause. But as he looked up, he saw a wolf leaping onto the ridge, carrying a small bench in its mouth! He was taken aback and, upon closer inspection, realized it was the small stool from his kitchen.

When he ran a few steps down the ridge to get a better view, he saw a line of wolves carrying all sorts of items across the grassy slope. Their usual disciplined formation was in disarray, with pots, pans, chairs, and benches clanking together as they moved.

One wolf, struggling to hold onto a slippery porcelain bowl, had it balanced on its head like a hat—quite secure!

Lin Shuishi stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Fuli.

Fuli let out a howl, and the wolves quickened their pace, leaping up the ridge and placing the items neatly in front of Lin Shuishi. Among them was the wolf king, who hadn’t been in the den earlier. He walked up to Lin Shuishi with a proud air. The wolf king was so tall that he stood eye to eye with Lin Shuishi.

The wolf king sniffed Lin Shuishi, but a growl from his brother made him step back. He then lowered his head, opened his mouth, and spat out five fluffy, wet objects, then proudly raised his head.

Lin Shuishi took a closer look and was speechless. Five small, saliva-drenched chicks lay on the ground, looking dazed and droopy-headed.

He looked up at Fuli, who appeared nonchalant. Fuli then slowly and carefully said, “Got clothes.”

Lin Shuishi glanced at the heap of miscellaneous items and the wolves, who seemed one step away from tearing down the house and dragging the bricks back. He took a deep breath and asked, “Got clothes?”

Despite the chaotic pile of belongings, with not even a needle missing, Lin Shuishi felt happy. He politely thanked the wolf king and cheerfully ran off to sort through the items, secretly thinking that the wolves really knew how to move house! In modern times, the wolf king could probably start a business from scratch with his brothers—after all, they didn’t even leave a single chick behind…

No wolf dared to enter Fuli’s den. Seeing Lin Shuishi carrying things inside, Fuli decided to place all the items in a large basket that had been used to carry firewood, and with one trip, he brought everything in.

Lin Shuishi, however, was worried about the few “chickens” they had. The chickens were terrified in the wolf den, frozen in place by the scent of wolves. He wondered how he would ever raise them under such circumstances! For now, he placed them in a small, sheltered spot behind the hot spring in the forest, where they could hide among the grass and rest. He also took out some grain from a bag to soothe their frightened hearts.

Returning to the wolf den, Lin Shuishi looked over all the items that had been brought in. There wasn’t just food, but also the various seeds, spices, and cookware he had bought during his last trip to town. Besides the small clay pots and bowls, they even brought back the large iron pot used for boiling water and preparing game that had been left in the courtyard—a pot that belonged to the Zheng family.

Lin Shuishi had seen two wolves carrying the pot back together, with soot smeared all over them. The white wolves had turned completely black…

To thank these creatures, he asked Fuli to help him. They set up a cooking station, and using a fire striker that had wolf slobber all over it, they lit a fire. He took out the frozen meat from a bag and cooked a big pot of flavorful meat stew, distributing it among the wolf pack. The two “black wolves” were especially pleased to receive an extra deer leg as a reward.

The wolf king, along with his mate and a bunch of cubs, ate their fill. Just as the wolf queen was about to head back to the den, the wolf king licked the corner of her mouth, gently nibbling at it before opening his mouth wide and biting down on hers, causing her to close her eyes.

Lin Shuishi watched with a twitch at the corner of his eye. He finally understood the origin of Fuli’s unusual behavior—this must be the wolves’ version of a “big kiss.” Sigh.

After a busy day, the sun set, and the wolf king led his elite pack down the slope again, continuing their patrol to secure the territory. It was at this time that the little white wolf returned. It tugged at Lin Shuishi’s newly changed pants, leading him into the dense forest, where he saw the little black horse beside the horse king.

The horse king was still in good spirits, though it was hesitant to approach the wolves’ territory. The little horse, seeing that Lin Shuishi was safe and sound, was relieved and nuzzled him, reluctant to leave. Lin Shuishi patted the little horse’s braids and asked Fuli to carry a bag of soybean meal, placing it on the horse king’s back.

The horse king, wary of Fuli, who was now fully awake, began to paw the ground uneasily. It had dared to carry the unconscious Fuli, but the awake ruler of the mountains exuded a previously unfelt aura that made it uneasy.

Seeing this, Lin Shuishi didn’t insist on them staying. He patted the little horse’s long neck and let it go off with its mother. Living with the horse herd would be far better for them than staying among the wolves.

Because of Fuli’s earlier relentless actions, he was especially obedient to Lin Shuishi, trying in every way to make him happy. Now, seeing his partner looking a bit tired, Fuli felt a pang of pity. His towering frame moved forward, embracing Lin Shuishi and carrying him gently as they headed toward the direction of the broken cliffs.

Lin Shuishi wasn’t afraid. The full moon had waned in the sky, stars hung over the vast plains, and the sky was like a canopy covering the earth.

He nestled in his lover’s strong arms, feeling the night breeze, as this ancient being carried him to an unknown destination.