Chapter 81: C*ckblocked By Fate
Kiri was going to lose her mind.
She had been talking to one of the younger and more impressionable males for exactly four minutes. Four minutes of carefully timed laughter, subtle tail brushes, and strategically angled posture designed to show off the curve of her neck in the afternoon light.
The young male had been responding perfectly. His ears were perked, his attention focused, and he was leaning closer with every passing second.
Kiri had been so close.
"You are so strong, Lyel. I noticed how easily you carried those branches yesterday. The other males had to use both arms, but you—"
"Lyel!"
Both of them turned to see Tera walking toward them with a bright, oblivious smile that Kiri wanted to claw off her face.
"I am so sorry to interrupt! But could you help me carry something? The storage shelter needs rearranging, and the beasts there cannot do it by themselves."
Lyel straightened immediately. "Of course!"
He was gone before Kiri could blink, jogging after the shiftless female with the eager loyalty of a cub who had been offered a treat.
Kiri stood alone, her tail rigid, her smile frozen on her face like a crack in ice.
This was the eighth time.
The EIGHTH time someone had interrupted her attempts to get close to a male.
The first three times, she had chalked it up to bad luck. The fourth time, she had been suspicious. By the sixth time, she had been furious.
And now she was starting to wonder if the universe had a personal vendetta against her reproductive system.
What made it worse was that it wasn’t just Tera. Other clan members had been showing up at the most inconvenient moments, too. One of the older females had wandered over during Kiri’s evening conversation with another male and started talking about root vegetables so passionately that the male had lost all interest in anything else.
Even Ermin had been disrupting her at night. Twice now, she had been about to slip away from the shared shelter to find a willing male, only to find the panther already awake, watching her or intercepting the male.
Was she going insane, or were they all doing this on purpose?
Kiri looked at Tera’s retreating form as the shiftless female walked with Lyel, chatting happily.
Why was this happening?!
Pulling aside a male to mate with should not be this difficult. If they weren’t so busy with building up those shelters, this would have been easier.
It was all that shiftless one’s fault!
But Kiri was short on time.
Her belly was a problem. Or rather, the lack of one.
Nearly all the pregnant females were showing now. Gentle swells beneath their hides, visible curves that drew proud smiles from their mates and excited chatter from the cubs. The other females compared bellies, discussed cravings, and shared stories about which positions helped them sleep better at night.
Kiri had been padding hers.
She never covered her stomach, but now she did to give the impression of a small, early bump. Two other females in the clan also covered their stomachs, so hers didn’t draw any unnecessary attention.
But hiding her belly from the other females while washing was difficult, and the unnecessary questions nagged at her.
It was nearly two months since the females had gotten pregnant, and most would have delivered after the next two. Fox females also delivered after four months, and Kiri had three more months to properly show something.
Kiri needed to get pregnant. Now.
But every male she approached either got distracted, interrupted, or suddenly remembered an urgent task they needed to attend to.
Feron would have been the easiest option, but that miserable fool had been avoiding her like she carried a plague. He flinched whenever she appeared, refused to make eye contact, and had once physically hid behind a tree when he saw her coming.
It was even more irritating because she had never even tried to approach him.
Feron was constantly being watched, so even speaking to him would have been a risk.
Asking someone to speak to Feron on her behalf would not work either. Most didn’t want to speak with him. As much as she wanted to see if he remembered anything about that day, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know yet.
Worst of all, Kiri hated how everyone now seemed to worship Tera, especially after Tera’s decision not to banish Feron, which had somehow made the shiftless female look even more benevolent.
Kiri hated everything.
"Kiri!"
She flinched. Tera had returned, Lyel-less, and was now walking directly toward her with that same warm, casual smile.
Kiri forced her own smile into place. "Yes?"
"How is the pregnancy coming along?" Tera asked, her eyes drifting to Kiri’s padded belly with an expression of such genuine, tender concern that annoyed Kiri. Something was strange about that question coming from the shiftless thing. "You have not been joining us for exercises, and I am a bit worried. The movements are really beneficial for the cub."
"I am fine," Kiri said, her voice stiff. "The cub is healthy."
"Are you sure? You look a bit tense. Maybe some light stretching would help? I can show you some that are gentle for earlier stages—"
"I said I am fine."
Tera blinked, her expression shifting to mild hurt. "Oh. I am sorry. I did not mean to overstep."
And there it was again. That look of guileless concern that somehow made Kiri feel like the villain for snapping at a pregnant female who was just trying to help.
The shiftless one was very likely lying about her pregnancy too, so she could have the leader fawning over her.
She didn’t understand how the pink panther was also at her beck and call.
The shiftless one’s greed must be on such a level to have ensnared the panther.
Kiri smirked, considering approaching the leader about the validity of Tera’s pregnancy. "I appreciate your concern. I am just tired."
"Of course! You should rest. Growing a cub is exhausting." Tera patted Kiri’s arm with a sweet smile. "Let me know if you need anything at all."
The shiftless fox suddenly had a strange smile as she walked away while Kiri glared at her retreating back.
The female was behaving strangely.
Every few days, she would appear with some new concern about Kiri’s nonexistent cub. Was she eating enough? Was she sleeping well? Should she avoid certain herbs?
Each question was a tiny knife, and the shiftless female was twisting them with a smile each time.
Did the female know?