Chapter 114: The Heat And The Warning!
Neve was holed up in his room after eating some fresh fruits that Kelly had brought him earlier.
He sat on the edge of the bed, listening to everyone chatting and talking in the main cave. Their voices carried through to his private space. He could hear Ryker laughing about something. He could hear Kelly arguing about something stupid with Popi. He could hear Aldric asking shy questions about things.
Neve wished he could go out there and join them. Wished he could sit by the fire and participate in the conversations. Wished he could spend time with all of them together.
But Cael had forced him to rest. The leopard prince had been very firm about it after the whole incident with Sorin and the flying. Neve was not allowed to leave the bedroom. He had to rest. He had to take care of himself and the cubs.
Neve pouted his lips, drawing an invisible circle on the floor with his toe as he lowered his gaze. He was frustrated with the forced isolation.
He still had pending missions and he was one step away from completing the first one. The bonding mission was at 89%. Just one more conversation with Cael and it would probably reach 100%. But Cael was always busy. Always out with the others. Always working on village security or hunting or something else important.
He folded his hands and decided to pull up his system instead.
He reached out with his mind, calling to the system.
’Hey!’ he called out.
{Hello, Host!} the system responded immediately.
But Neve noticed something different about the system’s tone. It was suddenly acting calm and different. Less sarcastic. Less mocking.
Neve frowned at the change.
’How many months before I give birth?’ he asked. ’And how am I even supposed to do that? I’m a man with a...’
He swallowed the remaining word, unable to say it out loud even in his own mind.
{You have 2 months, two weeks and three days left before labour,} the system responded with precise information.
Two months? That was almost three months?
Neve touched his stomach and tried to remember. He had read about human pregnancy before. It was supposed to take nine months. Nine full months of carrying the baby. But the system was telling him only three months? Because he wasn’t carrying humans?
He wanted to ask if that was safe. If three months was too soon. If something might be wrong. But he was sure the system was capable of making it possible somehow. The system had already bent the rules of this world in countless ways. Why not this?
’So how about my other question?’ Neve asked, refusing to let the topic drop.
{I didn’t get the question, dear host!} the system responded innocently.
Neve felt frustrated. The system was being deliberately obtuse.
’This fucking system! I asked how am I going to give birth when I have a...’
Again, he wasn’t able to complete the question. The shame and the awkwardness were making it impossible to voice the question directly.
{When you have a dick?}
The system completed his question for him, saying the vulgar word without hesitation.
Neve’s face flushed red as he looked away from the notification. The embarrassment was overwhelming.
’How vulgar of you!’ Neve said internally, trying to maintain some dignity.
{It seems our dear host hasn’t gotten used to this world.}
’What? I’m trying my best, what more do you want from me?’ Neve asked, frustrated. ’And why do you keep diverting my question?’
{Would you like to have a ’special’ task to help you increase your knowledge of your body?}
Neve immediately rejected the idea.
’What? Fuck no!’ Neve answered firmly. There was no way in all the worlds that he could trust this fucking system with something like that. ’I do not want any special task from you!’
But the system did not respond to his rejection the way he expected.
{Response Accepted!}
Instead, a new notification appeared.
{Pheromones level increasing: 70%→80%→95%}
Neve stood up immediately, gnashing his teeth like he was ready to punch a hole in the system. But he couldn’t. He could not physically interact with the system. It was just information in his mind.
Instead, he felt his body getting warm. His entire skin was starting to heat up. The pool in his stomach was getting intense. It was a pulling sensation. A need. A hunger that was becoming impossible to ignore.
Another notification appeared.
{Warning: Heat begins once Pheromones reach 100%}
{Good luck, Host!}
’Oh fuck you!’ Neve yelled in his mind at the system that suddenly went silent. It had just abandoned him. Left him to deal with this on his own.
But the system was not done.
{Pheromones level increasing: 95%→ 99%}
He saw the system notification and cursed again as his legs became weak. They felt like they could not support his body anymore. He sat back down on the bed quickly before he fell.
His skin was burning now. His clothes felt like they were suffocating him. They felt too tight. Too restrictive.
Neve peeled the shirt from his body, pulling it over his head and throwing it aside. The cool air of the cave touched his bare skin but it was not enough. It did not help. His body was still burning from the inside out.
His hand roamed over his chest, feeling the heat radiating from his own skin. His fingers traced down his abdomen, feeling the slight bump where the cubs were growing.
"Fuck," he whispered to himself. "What do I do? I can’t go into heat. It’ll be worse."
He looked back toward the main cave. Everything suddenly went silent out there. Maybe they had all gone to sleep. Maybe they had all left. He did not know.
But if he could reach someone out there, someone could help with this issue. Someone could help him through the heat and the overwhelming need that was building inside him.
Neve stood up on shaky legs. His entire body was trembling. His heart was racing. His breathing was becoming shallow and fast.
He could not stay in this room alone. He could not handle this by himself.
Neve made his way toward the main cave, his body moving on instinct rather than conscious thought.