Chapter 503: Chapter 503 Restless Night

Not long after, Zion returned with two more female healers. Just as they had done before she woke, the women knelt beside Addison and placed their hands over hers, channeling their healing energy toward her core.

This time, the process was noticeably smoother. Nothing resisted them, and their energy no longer felt as though it were being swallowed by a void as it had earlier. The flow was steady and uninterrupted.

Addison, too, felt different, less restless, the strange, simmering hunger within her easing slightly.

As Zion stood at the entrance of the tent, Addison found her gaze drifting toward him. Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she instinctively licked the corner of her lips. As if sensing her stare, Zion looked back at her and caught the small gesture. The sight made his chest tighten, an unexpected warmth stirring in his heart.

“Our mate is calling to us… No, wait, I think she’s trying to seduce us…” Shura’s voice suddenly echoed in Zion’s mind, restless and overly eager.

“Shut up. Is that the only thing you ever think about?” Zion muttered back, irritation edging his thoughts.

Yet, deep down, he knew he wasn’t unaffected. He could already feel warmth pooling low in his abdomen, and he would be lying if he said he hadn’t noticed the faint scent in the air, that familiar vanilla with a trace of cinnamon and milk.

His body reacted before he could fully suppress it; his cock got hard.

Remembering how exhausted Addison still was, Zion quickly averted his gaze. He shifted his stance subtly, adjusting his clothes as he tried to compose himself so no one could notice the bulge in his pants, and hoping no one else had noticed the brief lapse in his control.

Seeing him act so furtively, Addison felt a flicker of uncertainty. She wasn’t sure whether to be amused or embarrassed, whether it was because he had caught her behaving so boldly, or because he had suddenly regained his composure. In the end, she lowered her gaze as well, focusing instead on her hand, still held gently by the two healers.

“Princess, we are done. We found no issues within your body. All you need now is proper rest to allow yourself to recover,” one of the female healers explained softly.

She released Addison’s hand, adjusted the blanket around her, and then bowed deeply before excusing herself.

“All right. Thank you for your hard work,” Addison said with a small, polite smile as she watched the two healers leave.

After hearing their report, Zion looked at her and smiled as well, but there was hesitation in his eyes, as if he were debating whether to say something and ultimately deciding not to disturb her.

Addison noticed his brief internal struggle and watched him with quiet amusement. In the end, he simply gave in, offering her a soft, resigned smile instead.

“I-I’ll head out now… I’ll see you again later…” Zion said, his reluctance obvious, as though he had been unfairly treated yet chose not to voice a single complaint.

Seeing him like this almost made Addison laugh. It wasn’t every day she saw the proud, domineering Alpha Zion, usually so arrogant and unyielding, reduced to such a conflicted state.

In a strange way, it felt like a new form of torment for him, and for reasons she couldn’t quite deny, her petty side found it deeply satisfying. It was as if the balance had shifted ever so slightly, as though she were getting back at him for the way he had treated her years ago.

She had to fight hard to keep her expression neutral, though a smile threatened to break through at any moment.

“All right,” Addison replied calmly.

She watched Zion walk away in exaggerated slowness, as if he were secretly hoping she would call him back. Addison’s lips twitched uncontrollably as she struggled to hold in her laughter.

Since Addison didn’t call him back, Zion had no choice but to truly leave. As soon as the tent flap fell shut behind him, the lingering scent of vanilla, cinnamon, and milk slowly faded from the air.

Yet his chest still felt tight, and the restless warmth within him had not eased in the slightest. He glanced down, saw the glaring bulge in his pants, exhaled deeply, and steadied himself.

Knowing he couldn’t return to the warriors in this state, Zion turned toward the riverbank, intending to take a cold bath to clear his head before resuming his duties. And without another thought, he headed off in that direction.

After Zion left, Addison was alone. She tried to suppress the deep, gnawing hunger within her and forced herself to sleep instead.

Meanwhile, Levi was occupied with an entirely different task. He was organizing the inventory of all the supplies that had been evacuated, along with the pack members from different territories to the temporary shelter, packs of provisions, sacks of grain, and even the farm animals they had brought with them.

Everything had to be properly documented before being handed over to the warehouse managers, who would later transport them to their designated storage sites along the borders of the Royal Capital.

The work demanded precision. Levi had to be thorough, leaving no room for error. Because of this, he didn’t even have time to pause for breath, nor could he afford to switch shifts with anyone else. A change in hands might introduce small inconsistencies, details that could easily be overlooked in the moment but would later affect the accuracy of the supply records.

And so, Levi pressed on.

After recounting and verifying the supplies from the Golden Hue Pack, he carefully recorded everything. A few warriors, and mostly teenagers who were unfit for patrol duty, helped him move the goods around while he documented each item.

“All right, this section is done. Thank you for your help,” Levi said, straightening up slightly before continuing his instructions. “Keep watching over the storage and check it regularly. The moisture from the ground can seep in, so make sure the grain that couldn’t be stored in the magic chests doesn’t start molding. Once we reach our destination, we’ll prioritize threshing and sun-drying them to prevent any waste.”

He gestured toward the stacked bundles of straw nearby.

“And the straw as well, don’t let it get damp. Lay it out to dry in the sun every day so the animals will have proper feed.”

The teenagers nodded earnestly as they took his words to heart, returning to their posts with renewed attentiveness.

“Don’t worry, Beta Levi. We’ll keep a close eye on the animals and the grain stored here, and we’ll report to you immediately if anything seems wrong. We’ll also make sure the area stays well ventilated and lay the grain out to dry in the mornings to prevent it from getting damp or moldy,” one of the teenagers said, patting his chest confidently.

It was a lot of work, but there were many of them, so the labor itself wasn’t the real issue. The challenge was space. They had very little room to work with, which meant they would have to dry everything in batches, carefully making the most of the limited area while ensuring the animals didn’t wander over and eat the grain they had laid out to dry.

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