Chapter 187: A Proud Wife

By the time Viper finally lowered his hands from his face, Ren was already decent.

Well, as decent as one could be while being wet and wearing a shapeless sack of wool that smelled like a damp sheep. She was wringing the water from her hair, twisting the red locks until they stopped dripping down her back.

Viper blinked, his vertical pupils adjusting to the light. He stared resolutely at a tree trunk to her left, refusing to make eye contact. He looked like he was trying to solve a complex riddle on the bark just to avoid glancing in her general direction.

Ren frowned. ’He is so strange,’ she thought. ’I have seen more naked butt cheeks in this world than I have seen trees. Most of the men here wear loincloths the size of a tea bag. Why is he acting like a Victorian schoolmarm? Is Syris really that scary?’

She dismissed the thought instantly. She had more important things to worry about.

“Okay, I’m clothed now so tell me!” Ren gasped, closing the distance between them. She grabbed his scaly shoulders, shaking him slightly. “Syris! Kael! Where are they? Are they okay? Are they alive? Did they kill the Black Tiger? What happened to Vara? Is the White Tiger Clan safe? Tell me everything immediately or I will explode!”

Her eyes darted across his face, wide and manic, waiting for answers.

Viper looked overwhelmed. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

“Which question would you like answered first?” he hissed slowly.

“All of them! At once!”

Viper sighed. “My King and the White Tiger are alive.”

Ren released a breath she felt like she’d been holding since yesterday. Her knees actually went a little weak.

“They are recovering,” Viper continued. “They have some bad injuries, but they will heal. They are currently resting in the Fox’s den.”

“The Fox’s den?” Ren blinked. “You mean the tree?”

“Yes,” Viper nodded. He looked around the clearing warily. He tasted the air with a hiss of his tongue. “Speaking of the Fox… where is he? He took you.”

Ren froze for a split second.

’Right, he did.’

A grin spread across Ren’s face. She puffed out her chest.

“I outsmarted him,” Ren claimed, waving her hand dismissively. “He turned his back for one second, and bam! I pulled a ninja vanish. I ran away before he could even notice I was gone.”

Viper looked at her with wide eyes. His expression shifted from wariness to pure admiration.

“You… you outsmarted the Fox?” Viper whispered. “The trickster of the forest? My King’s mate is truly impressive.”

Ren nodded sagely. “I have my ways,” she lied. If Vex wanted to keep her, he could. He was strangely willing to let her go.

“What about the battle?” Ren pressed.

“The Black Tiger King is dead,” Viper announced with a satisfied smirk. “My King and the White Tiger defeated him.”

Ren’s lips parted in a gasp. “Together???”

“Yes,” Viper nodded, his eyes gleaming with the memory. “It was the most impressive battle I have ever seen. They fought in perfect sync. It was as if they had been fighting side-by-side since birth.”

Ren couldn’t help it. A smile bloomed on her face—a goofy, sappy, incredibly proud smile.

She clasped her hands over her heart. She felt like a proud mother hearing that her toddlers shared a toy for the first time. Or rather, a proud wife hearing that her husbands murdered a mutual enemy without murdering each other.

It was a low bar, sure, but they had cleared it with flying colors. She imagined them exchanging a bro-nod over the carcass. Maybe even a fist bump? No, they wouldn’t fist bump. Syris probably just sneered elegantly while Kael grunted. Still, progress!

’See?’ Ren thought, her cheeks flushing. ’It’s not impossible! They can work together!’

She remembered the dream from last night—the furs, the golden light, the… cooperation.

’Maybe it’s not such a distant dream after all,’ Ren mused hopefully.

Then her brain conjured the image of the third participant in that dream. Golden hair. Silver eyes.

Ren’s smile faltered.

’Minus Altair,’ she corrected herself firmly. ’Bird Chad is out of the picture.’

’With enough time with my husbands, I’ll forget all about him,’ she told herself. ’Out of sight, out of mind. Who needs a Prince when you have a King and a… well, another King?’

“And Vara?” Ren asked, her voice hardening. “How did the witch take his death?”

Viper shrugged. “I do not know. She was not there during the fight. It was as if she disappeared into the shadows the moment the tide turned. She must’ve abandoned her mate to save her own skin.”

Ren felt a surge of pure happiness. The villain was dead, the husbands were bonding, and the witch was gone (for now). It was shaping up to be an excellent morning.

“So,” Ren clapped her hands. “What are you doing out here?”

“I am looking for herbs,” Viper explained, gesturing to the few, random greens already in his hands. “To speed up their recovery.”

“I’ll help,” Ren offered immediately. “I have an eye for the good stuff. Plus, I need to find ingredients. If they are recovering, they need food. High protein, high energy. I’ll look for things to cook while we walk.”

Viper nodded, clearly grateful for the assistance. “Okay. I saw some herbs over there. Follow me.”

He turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Ren called out.

Viper stopped and turned back. “Yes?”

Ren got her empty waterskin from her inventory. She stood next to the towering Violet Rain-Caller plant. The rim of the plant—and the delicious water inside—was a good six inches above her head.

She held out the waterskin to the tall, lanky snake man.

“Can you fill this for me?” Ren asked, pointing up at the plant with a pout. She stood on her tiptoes, waving the empty waterskin like a surrender flag. The rim of the plant mocked her from its dizzying height. “I can’t reach.”

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