CHAPTER 114: AN OMEGA WEREWOLF

When Della looked up, she was met with a porcelain-white face, small pink lips, and bright hazel eyes that gleamed with clarity. For a moment, she was stunned by the sheer beauty before her.

Her hand reached out for the cup.

The moment her fingers touched the hot ceramic, the warmth jolted her back to her senses and she realized that the breathtaking figure in front of her was actually a short-haired man.

Even so, the fear gnawing at her chest eased.

Gara calmly introduced himself, then Madha and Fian. After that, he led her toward the triplets’ rooms.

Soon after, Madha excused himself to return to his guard post, and Fian left the house to continue building a treehouse for Rea and her children.

That left only the three of them inside. And with that, Della finally felt herself begin to relax.

"For now, you’ll share a room with my mother. Tomorrow we’ll start adding more rooms to the house," Gara said. Then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Before that... when is your next heat?"

"I..." Della lowered her gaze, answering in a small, frightened voice.

As an omega werewolf, she went through an unusual cycle every month. It might seem like the female’s "monthly visitor," but heat was far more dangerous than that.

During heat, even those of the same sex—so long as they weren’t omegas—would feel an uncontrollable urge to claim the omega.

For other races outside of werewolves, the effect was weaker, but still present for the opposite sex.

In Gara’s case, as a half-druid and a male druid at that, things were even more complicated.

Though he was male, he could still conceive. Sometimes the heat of an omega barely had an effect; other times, it was overwhelming.

Especially since he still carried the ability to impregnate as well as be impregnated.

Which meant the three men living in this house would all be affected by Della’s heat.

This was the cruel weakness of omega slaves. It was why most were reduced to little more than playthings. For Della to be bought as a babysitter instead was already considered ’lucky.’

And the reason Gara had chosen her over a human slave—who posed no such risk—was because he couldn’t bear the thought of what would have happened to Della otherwise.

"Your room will be protected by a barrier," Gara continued. "No one will be able to enter except my mother and me. But I won’t step inside, because I’m still a man."

"Protective barrier?" Della tilted her head, confused.

"With it, your scent, your presence, anything tied to your heat won’t leak out. Even for my mother and me—so long as we’re outside the barrier, we won’t sense a thing." Gara’s tone was firm, as though wanting Della to feel safe.

But Della’s heart grew heavier. Her confusion wasn’t because she didn’t understand what a protective barrier was. It was because she couldn’t grasp why a master would go this far to protect his slave.

Before this, whenever her heat came, she had been thrown into a dungeon. Guards and male servants would descend, taking advantage of her helpless body.

Unbidden, tears welled in Della’s eyes. "T-thank you, Master... Madam." Her voice cracked, but the gratitude in it was painfully clear.

Wina and Gara finally realized what was running through Della’s mind.

"No one will treat you that way ever again," Wina said softly.

...

The next day, after Fian returned from fetching water from the mountain, the family began distributing supplies to the villagers.

At home, Della and Rea’s three children were assigned to watch over the triplets. Milk and clean diapers had already been set aside, and with the children’s squirrel helping, Della wouldn’t be too overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Gara’s share of the supplies had already been given out. He had been working together with Fian, and now the two of them were resting at a small hut in front of the village hall.

Some of the villagers approached and handed them wooden fans.

"We can’t give you food," an old woman said with a trembling smile. "This is all we have to offer. Thank you, young ones, for everything."

Gara answered with a gentle smile. "This is more than enough, Grandma."

These villagers were truly desperate, struggling to survive day after day. To them, even the small help brought by Wina and Gara felt like something precious.

Not too far away, Narin and Loka watched the scene unfold. Narin had already heard from Mohan that Gara’s mother planned to hand out supplies, so it wasn’t much of a surprise.

What irritated her was how these villagers—who never bothered to greet her—suddenly turned all friendly with the newcomer.

"Loka, it seems Gara and his mother are very kind," Narin murmured softly, her tone gentle but carrying a hidden weight. "I just hope no one thinks he’s bribing the villagers for favors on his mission."

There was worry on her face, but deep in her eyes flickered something far more sinister. She waited, expecting Loka to take the bait so the rumor could spread quickly. But Loka stayed silent.

When Narin glanced up, she caught Loka staring at Gara with admiration. Quickly, she turned back toward the young man.

That man was... beautiful. Against the backdrop of the humble village, Gara’s small smile, framed by his black hair, looked dazzling.

Narin clenched her fists. "Is it even normal for a man to look that pretty?" she muttered under her breath. But Loka was still lost in his daze, utterly captivated.

Ignoring him, Narin walked straight toward Gara and Fian. Loka blinked out of his trance only when she passed him, quickly following behind. The closer he got to Gara, the redder his face became.

Meanwhile, Narin stopped in front of Fian and held out a water flask carved from hardened leather.

"I saw you handing out supplies without drinking anything. Here, take mine. It has a property that cleanses toxins. It’ll make you feel refreshed."

Fian gave the blonde woman a brief glance, then lightly pushed the flask aside.

Narin’s face twitched, though she forced a sweet smile. "Not thirsty, huh?"

...