Liam gritted his teeth and was about to jump forward to separate both of them when suddenly, ice surged up high, blocking their view and making it impossible for them to intervene.
"Look! Look at him!" Liam shouted, using all his might to hit the ice barrier. Strangely enough, he couldn't see what was going on inside, let alone break it open. "Grant, you are asking for trouble if you don't release Beauty now!" He shouted, continuously hitting the barrier but no matter how much effort he put the break it, he just couldn't break it, it was as if the barrier was made of something unknown.
Soon, Lily's moans filled the air, echoing throughout the entire room and reverberating even louder.
Liam clenched his fist, hearing Lily's moans, and punched the barrier more harshly. He bit his lower lip as he fought hard to control his tears from falling.
The moans grew louder, drawing everyone into another world.
"Damn you, couple!" Star exclaimed angrily and stormed out to get some fresh air.
Malik and the others stayed, each of them wearing their own expression with flushed faces. Meanwhile, Liam sat with his back against the barrier, his mood sour and tears welling in his eyes.
After what felt like an eternity, the moans finally came to an end, and the ice barrier vanished, revealing Lily, who seemed to be soundly asleep in Grant's embrace.
Liam was ready to pounce on Grant as soon as the barrier was removed, but seeing Lily, he could only suppress his plan while suffering inwardly.
Grant looked at everyone before taking Lily to the snow bed. "The bed is cold," he murmured, and with just a glance, the snow bed was replaced with a sack bed. He gently placed her on it and covered her with a sack.
Devin looked at Grant with furrowed brows. Even though he was burning In rage inside, he didn't show it. He could only extinguish the fire of war within him to avoid upsetting Lily.
"You deserve a beating, you know!" Angus's cold voice echoed.
Grant looked at Angus and crossed his arms. "Oh?" He raised his brows. "Because I mated with my wife?" he questioned.
"It would be better if you didn't say anything, or I will bless your face with a mark that will never vanish," Liam interrupted through gritted teeth, his expression filled with pain and jealousy.
Grant's gaze fell on Liam, and he smiled. "Little kid, do you think you are capable?" he said with a mocking smile on his face.
"You—" Liam's face burned red with anger.
"Why did you even wake up? Normally, you should still be asleep," Art's voice chimed in. Though it sounded calm, there was a special chill to his tone.
Grant shook his head lightly. "My beautiful angel came to visit me. Should I still be lying there? She was clearly bored of you all; that's why she came to me. If I didn't get up to accompany her, she would definitely feel sad," he replied, his expression filled with mockery.
"Don't get too lost in your imagination, Mr. Hawk. She came here not because she's bored of us; you're thinking too much," Malik snapped, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Grant rolled his eyes. "Anyway, how are you guys? Long time no see," he greeted.
All eyes locked onto Grant as if they were ready to tear him apart.
Grant blinked innocently. "What's the matter?" he inquired, confused.
"You've drained Angel's energy away. Be a gentleman and cook something for her so that when she wakes up, she can fill her stomach and regain her energy," Angus suggested.
Grant nodded. "You are right; my child should already be forming in her tummy," he commented.
Liam's eyes nearly popped out in anger. "Even if she's carrying your baby, I will be the one to eat it!" he shouted angrily.
Grant looked at Liam with a bored expression. "Why exactly are you angry now?" he asked.
Liam huffed and bumped past Grant, sitting on the ground beside the sleeping Lily. He gently caressed her face, his anger slowly melting away as he stared at Lily like a new boy who had just fallen in love.
Grant rolled his eyes and walked away while the others found spots to rest.
Soon, everyone dozed off, unaware of the black smoke that enveloped the room for just a brief period.
...
Star walked alone, feeling bored. "Being an ordinary human is too much energy draining. I am so tired of this," she lamented, looking up at the sky. "Heavens! Do you have to punish me like this?" she sighed.
"Star!" Yanny's voice suddenly echoed behind her, causing her to look back in surprise.
"You... what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your tribe?" she questioned suspiciously.
Yanny smiled gracefully. "I came to the cat market to sell something and am just on my way back home when I saw you," she explained. "Is everything alright? I came to your house but only found Raza. It's still a little awkward to talk to him since things are like this already, so I didn't ask him anything," she elaborated.
Star shook her head and smiled beautifully, her smile radiating such beauty that it briefly captured Yanny's heart.
"Wait, you went alone to the market?" Star asked in surprise, her expression filled with suspicion.
Yanny nodded in response.
Star's brows furrowed even tighter. "Where are your Mates? You traveled such a long distance; shouldn't they be accompanying you? At least for protection?" she pressed.
Yanny's expression darkened for just a moment before she smiled brightly. "Them... I wanted to walk alone, so I asked them to stay at home," she replied. "You've got a sharp sense, huh? Even with the fake mates' mark on my body, you still suspect me. Gerilla is right; you really are something," she thought.
"That's it?" Star raised her brows, still suspicious.
Yanny nodded. "Aiya, let's not talk about my mates. What about your sister?" she inquired, looking around.
Star remained silent for a while. "What exactly are you up to?" she suddenly pressed.
Yanny's heart raced, but she managed to force a smile on her face. "Why... why is Star suddenly asking me such questions? What's going on with you?" She feigned a confused expression.
Star raised her brows. "It's nothing," she smiled charmingly. "Since you are going back home, let's walk together then," she proposed.