Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)-Chapter 433 - Names, Claims, & Augmentables, pt1

Chapter 433: Chapter 433 - Names, Claims, & Augmentables, pt1

"He barely knows me. Why would he want something like that? The people of your world are rather foolhardy, Mrs. Callaway."

"You told him about your world, showed him-"

"Wait. You claimed you were not listening in."

"I wasn’t. He left a bullet point list on a clipboard for me as he handed the headset over."

Well... I can sadly picture that. Though it is awkward to know that someone might have been making a pro/con list about my existence.

"You impressed him with how quickly you adapt. Your hairstyle... you know, the rest I’m not going to bother reading, because it will only serve to stroke your ego."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. But do continue, I appreciate it on a sentimental level."

I’d already added Dr. Lang and that worked out well enough. My hands kept working while chewing on this idea. Finishing the cut down to the neck opening, the most time consuming part would be next.

Only, I had *ideas* about how to quicken the process. Grabbing the loose hide at the hams, twisting it up in my fingers for leverage, and pulling downward with werewolf strength... the knife edge touched the taut connective tissue and the skin almost flew off the fat.

Making my *ego* feel quite smug.

> Turning intense work into light work thanks to qualities others do not have. Genius. I need no words of praise from others when I can praise myself this much! <

"The covens have been talking this morning, Citra. About what you represent."

"Charmed by my beauty and skills when I haven’t even met most of them. Or do you mean to say that my position at Kyrie’s side is now worth exploiting? Because you’re probably right, though-"

"Listen, child. Stop babbling. You represent something new and something magical. That is exciting to those of us who see the need for both."

Taking a moment to hone the blade again, I try to think shallowly of her words instead of deeply. Since I’ve found that no matter the true depth of a truth, if you cannot nod your head at it on the surface of it... the likelihood of others believing it is true dims quickly.

"The Goddess touched you - but you’re not hers the way the other wolves are. Nor is your son, and nor is the one you are playing silly, short-sighted romantic games with."

"I feel that I should take great offense at that. But you and others are welcome to assume whatever you wish."

"Take it as you will, but you are not as clever of a former fox as you expect."

Chuckling, I find I’m actually enjoying this conversation. Maybe it is the danger of knowing that she likely understands my plan. That we are talking about it on an ’open channel’.

"Such disrespect... and after I did not mercilessly hunt your chickens after we met."

"If you had, you would not be Citra Lomdi. And we would not be thinking of being a part of your system Pack."

One side of the hide was already peeled down past the ribs, flopping around towards the back where I’ll have to move to get to. Making the cut along the inside of the front arm, dragging it toward the armpit and then across to the center.

I stop and stare at the partially unzipped creature. Fat and meat marbling together. Finishing this other side first should come before I touch up the back... since the spine *should* hold it all up as I continue on.

Then I sigh and dive into my mindscape. Tilt my head toward the sky and the massive sun overhead the vast greenhouse. It doesn’t really *shine* light, but that is what it pretty much looks like, anyway.

> My... our | Occultic Reservoir | has grown, though I haven’t really looked at the number itself. I’ve avoided looking at much of anything at all to do with the Pack Roster. <

I pulled up the very interface I’d been dreading and did more than focus on my name or the potential member list. Off to the one side, the glowing numbers had become respectably high.

Perhaps? Over nine thousand *sounds* high, anyway.

Tapping her name opens the system map Tracking and shows her contribution number. Higher than it was before - six, if I recall? Now at fourteen per... however long it takes to add more.

"I really should have paid better attention to this. Are you somehow being more... magical than right after I asked to do that tethering experiment, Martha?"

"You mean when you asked to use your system power on me without explaining in true detail."

"If you must paint it in a negative light, then yes."

I get back to work for a few moments. Climbing the ladder and beginning to pull off the other side of this fur coat. Or rug. Maybe a nice blanket for Asha to snuggle up in for warmth?

"We’ve been coordinating various rituals since arriving. Timing them together, pooling intent. There was a lot of negative energy as you might imagine, from so many people being sequestered away."

"So short answer, yes." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

I’d never seen a value on anyone else I added - without telling them what I was doing, she shouldn’t feel so put out. At least with her I described it as something potentially magical. She likely had more warning than anyone else but Claire!

"After that message to those of us you’d ’pre-claimed’ appeared. I’m afraid I did keep something quiet to the others because I was unsure of the harm it could cause to say."

"Well, you won’t find me blaming anyone for keeping secrets that they thought were best kept."

"Yes, that would be entirely hypocritical of you. There is a number here now at the top of my eyes, when I unfocus my vision. One that fluctuates a bit."

Somehow I feel like her words are more biting than usual and less maternal. Is it talking over the radio? Maybe she is the kind of person that has to be nearby you to be kind.

> I do recall she sounded much more fed up with me when I called her so much to check on Kyrie back during her silver poisoning recovery... rather than in person... <

"...Does it happen to be exactly fourteen right now?"

"So it happens to be. You must know what it means."

Without thinking twice, I explained it all. As much as I knew and could theorize, anyway.

And... like being truthful to her - that I’d probably been siphoning magical energy for nearly two months - was some sort of magical key? The whole section for it in the pack roster expanded into a new list with the title | Augment Pack |.

My understanding of why the Reservoir belonged on this interface in the first place finally crystallized. What a boon this could be. What a burden it most definitely is.