The Ugly Duckling Of The Tiger Tribe-Chapter 238: My blood burns

The cave was quiet, and I swear my heartbeat was the loudest at the moment, because it wouldn’t stop hammering wildly against my ribcage.

I could feel my breath caught and my eyes stuck on his.

When he said "Mine," it wasn’t a sweet endearment that made my toes curl in a giddy feeling. It was a claim that was very much unlike him.

It was the sound of a predator marking his territory after a long, hungry winter.

The way he looked at the mark on my neck made me feel like I was being cataloged and claimed all over again.

"Damar..." I breathed, my voice barely a whisper. "You’re... you’re scaring me a little."

He didn’t pull back despite my words. If anything, he leaned in, closing the gap between us as his nostrils flared. He took in my scent, the scent of the cubs, and the lingering smell of Noah and Fenric on my clothes.

His tongue flicked out again, tasting the air near my ear, and a low vibration rose in his chest.

Noah stepped forward, folding his arms. "Hey, snake, I know you’re hyped up but you gotta relax, she’s still healing. You’re in a rut, and your blood is running too hot, so control it unless you plan to hurt her."

Damar stiffened at those words and they slithered out of his mouth like a riddle.

"Hurt... Her?"

Fenric moved to my other side, his jaw set.

"That’s right. You’ve been under for months. Your instincts are screaming above your rationality. You’ll definitely hurt her if you continue like this."

Damar’s head snapped toward them, his emerald eyes flashing with a sudden, violent spark of dominance. He didn’t speak, but with one wolf glance, the message was clear: Stay back.

He glared at them, as if they were the threat and they frowned, not liking the development as it was.

Then, he looked back at me. The vein in his neck was thumping. His gaze dropped to the basket again, specifically to the tiny girl with his eyes that was now wide awake, apparently, enjoying the snow in silence.

She was staring up at Damar with a calm, eerie intensity, her little slit pupils mimicking his own.

The sight of her seemed to act like some sort of rationality pill because the predatory fog in his eyes dwindled into some sort of softness. It did not vanish, but it thinned.

Damar blinked, his long lashes casting shadows on his pale cheeks and making him seem ethereal even as he stood in the way of the burning fire.

He reached for the basket and then touched the edge.

"Arinya," he said again, his voice cracking. He struggled to shape a full thought, his mind fuzzy and screaming at him to ’take’ what was in front of him. He didn’t want to listen. He wanted to be calm.

But that wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do at the moment. He was in the most vulnerable state.

"I... I did not mean to..." He shook his head, trying to bring out the words wherever they were but it was difficult.

He took a shaky step back, his hand sliding off the basket. He looked down at his own legs as if they were foreign objects.

"My blood..." he rasped, clutching his own chest, his fingers digging into his skin where the patterns shimmered. "It burns. I want to calm down but I can’t... I keep hearing things. I keep hearing you."

What was that supposed to mean? It was hard for me to break apart the parable he was speaking.

He looked at me with a sudden, heartbreaking vulnerability and admitted, "I am not... myself. Not yet."

I went silent, staring at his eyes that were soft now but threatening to go wild again. He was stuck between staying calm and keeping his rationality, and going wild, taking whatever he wanted and owned.

He just had to wake up when I was still unsure of my own body after delivery. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I’m healed, I can tell that much, but I’m not yet prepared to have intercourse. And I’m sure as hell not prepared for the wildness in his blood.

It’d be too much for me.

"It’s okay," I said, reaching out a trembling hand to touch his arm. He was burning, just as he said. This cold-blooded man suddenly had the temperature of a furnace. "We’re here, Damar. I understand you’re not in your right mind but you need to breathe. Try to stay in control for a little while... For me."

It’s not my intention to let him suffer. Of course, I know what must be done, but I need time to prepare myself. And I need to make sure the cubs were well fed before we went at it.

He stared at my hand on his arm, his chest heaving. Slowly, the dark glow in his eyes began to recede, replaced by a deep, hollow exhaustion.

"I am... awake," he whispered, a small, genuine smile finally spreading across his lips. "But I am... very tired."

He didn’t wait for another word. His legs finally gave out, and he collapsed forward. Fenric and Noah caught him before he collided with me. His face fell on my shoulder; however, the other two held on to him.

"Got you, Snake," Noah grunted, hoisting Damar’s lean frame up with Fenric.

"Get him to the blanket," I commanded, my voice soft and filled with worry. "And get some water. If he’s burning up, we need to keep him hydrated."

He’s not had any water to drink since he went into hibernation, so he must be really looking forward to a good drink and then a meal afterwards.

I washed as they dragged his half-conscious body towards the blanket spread on the floor, and then looked down at the basket. My emerald-eyed daughter was still watching the spot where her father had stood, her tiny tail giving a single, satisfied flick.

"Great," I muttered, wiping sweat from my brow. "Just when I thought Damar waking up would lighten my workload, I am now stuck with yet another situation." I sighed. "Welcome to Spring, I guess, where everything and anything could happen."