ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 209: Change of seasons

Vedseel heard him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Sometimes the blood of Morvex was strange.

Their bond could not always be explained by magic or logic.

Vedseel finally said casually,

"If your instincts are starting to stir, it means we’re close enough."

He looked toward the north.

"That island isn’t far anymore."

Demian didn’t reply.

But this time he urged his horse forward more quickly.

Snow crunched beneath the horses’ hooves.

The group moved again through the night.

Toward the island that almost always lay below freezing.

Toward the place where the person he had been searching for was sitting beside a campfire, unaware that the distance between them was growing shorter.

Morning on the northern island arrived without a sun that truly gave warmth.

The sky simply shifted from dark gray to pale gray. The snow stretching around the village reflected that cold light until the entire world looked as if it were covered in frozen glass.

Inside the wooden wagon where they were resting, Valerie slowly opened her eyes.

The air inside the wagon was still cold despite the thick blanket covering her body.

For a few seconds, she simply lay there, listening to the wind blowing outside and the faint creaking of the wooden wagon as it moved slightly.

Then she turned her head.

Beside her, Deon stirred softly in his blanket.

The small black-furred body moved like that of a very young wolf pup. His ears twitched, and he let out a soft little sound.

A faint smile appeared on Valerie’s face.

But it didn’t last long.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Something was different.

She slowly sat up and leaned closer.

A few strands of black fur were stuck to the blanket.

Valerie frowned.

Her hand carefully touched Deon’s small body.

The soft fur...

was shedding.

Some of it had already scattered across the blanket.

"This..."

Valerie’s voice was very quiet, almost a whisper.

She lifted Deon slightly to see more clearly.

And it was true.

The tiny black fur was beginning to fall out from several parts of his body.

A strange feeling spread through Valerie’s chest.

Not fear.

But something that made her heart beat faster.

At that moment, the wagon curtain shifted open.

Lena stepped inside, carrying a wooden bowl filled with warm water.

She stopped the moment she saw Valerie’s expression.

"What’s wrong?"

Valerie lifted her face.

"Lena..."

She pointed toward Deon.

"Look at this."

Lena moved closer.

She placed the bowl on the small table before bending down to look at the baby.

Several strands of black fur were indeed scattered across the blanket.

Lena raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to him?"

Valerie shook her head slowly.

"His fur is falling out."

She lifted the blanket slightly so Lena could see more clearly.

"And it’s shedding like this."

Lena touched one of the strands of fur with the tip of her finger.

Her face turned serious.

At the same moment, the wagon curtain opened again.

Ethan appeared, his breath still turning to mist from the cold air outside.

"I heard you talking," he said curiously."What’s going on?"

He stepped closer and immediately saw the blanket.

His eyes widened.

"Wait... his fur?"

Valerie looked at him.

"I don’t know either."

Ethan bent slightly to get a better look.

Several small black strands had clearly fallen off Deon’s body.

The baby himself only wriggled softly, showing no sign of pain at all.

In fact, he looked quite comfortable.

Ethan swallowed.

"Is this normal?"

Valerie shook her head again.

"I don’t know."

A brief silence fell inside the wagon.

Lena suddenly bit her lip slightly a habit she always had when thinking hard.

"I think..." she said slowly.

"...we should find out."

Valerie looked at her.

Lena continued,

"We can’t just sit here and watch this happen."

She looked again at the fallen fur.

"A Morvex baby isn’t an ordinary baby. Even the smallest change could mean something."

Ethan nodded quickly.

"Right."

He looked at Deon with a hint of worry.

"I’m afraid something might happen to him."

The little baby suddenly wriggled again.

His ears twitched slightly.

His eyes opened for a moment, revealing that strange silvery color.

Then he gave a tiny yawn.

As if all the adults’ worries around him meant absolutely nothing to him.

But just as Valerie was about to touch him again she stopped.

Because beneath some of the fallen fur...

Deon’s small skin looked slightly different.

Not like the skin of a normal baby.

But like something that was...

changing.

And Lena noticed it immediately.

She whispered softly,

"...maybe this isn’t an illness."

Valerie looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Lena exhaled quietly.

Her gaze fell on Deon’s small body.

"This might be..."

She paused for a moment.

"...the beginning of his first transformation."

Outside the wagon, the northern wind blew cold once more.

And far to the south someone with the same blood as that baby was drawing closer to this island.

Ethan looked at both of them.

He glanced at the small strands of fur that had fallen.

Then he looked at the little baby again.

For a few seconds, he remained silent.

Then he said firmly,

"Even so... we still have to find out."

Valerie turned to look at him.

Ethan continued,

"We can’t just keep guessing."

He gestured slightly toward Deon.

"This is a Morvex baby. None of us truly know how they grow."

Lena let out a quiet sigh.

She didn’t argue.

Ethan was right.

Valerie lowered her gaze again to Deon.

The small baby now moved his legs slightly, then made a soft humming sound.

He even looked quite comfortable.

As if nothing strange were happening to his body at all.

Yet the tiny strands of fur continued to fall.

Valerie gently stroked his small head.

"I want to know too," she said softly.

"Whether this is normal..."

She paused for a moment.

"...or something is wrong."

Lena crossed her arms over her chest, thinking.

"I’ve already asked the witches in the caravan," she said quietly."But none of them truly know anything about Morvex babies."

She looked outside through a small gap in the wagon curtain, toward the snow-covered village.

"On this island, there might be elders who know more."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the people of Leranth?"

Lena nodded slowly.

"Some of them have lived in the north since birth. They know old stories about the Morvex family."

Valerie looked at her.

"Do you think they could help?"

Lena shrugged slightly.

"At least they might know something."

Deon suddenly wriggled again.

He opened his eyes for a moment.

Those small silvery eyes looked toward his mother.

Valerie gave a faint smile and touched his nose with the tip of her finger.

"You’re making everyone worry."