My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 33: Secrets, Plans, and a New Start

Claire hesitated for a moment before finally speaking to Elodie.

"Ms. Palmer, could you keep my pregnancy a secret for me? I'm not ready for the rest of the clan to know yet."

Especially Fiona. Claire didn't want to deal with her causing trouble again.

From what she'd heard, Fiona had been tied up lately with Gavin and his mother. Apparently, Elena had been showing up outside Fiona's cave every day, shouting and throwing insults at her for refusing to take responsibility for her son.

Even now, Gavin still hadn't officially moved in with Fiona.

Elodie's expression turned serious. She glanced back and warned the two women standing behind her.

Only then did she smile again and promise Claire she would keep it quiet.

For a moment, no one spoke. The four females turned to look at the figure moving around inside the cave.

Because of the dust, Zane had taken off his fur top and set it aside. His strong, pale chest was covered in a light sheen of sweat, catching the sunlight as he worked.

Claire raised a brow and glanced at the two women beside her. They were clearly staring, completely captivated.

Elodie noticed and shot them a sharp look. Then she stood up, ready to leave.

Before going, she looked at Claire with hope in her eyes.

"Claire, have you thought about it? Do you want to study medicine with me? Now that you're pregnant, it would really help you."

Only then did Claire remember she had promised to think about it.

"Alright. I'll do it. I'll be counting on you, Ms. Palmer."

The truth was, this was the actual reason for Elodie to visit. She had already waited two days and couldn't wait any longer.

Other females in the clan had asked to learn from her before, but she had turned them down. They just didn't have the talent.

It wasn't easy to find someone gifted. If she missed this chance, her knowledge might die with her.

And if that happened, the clan wouldn't last long.

Still, she knew Claire hadn't had an easy life in the clan. Elodie hadn't helped her much before, so she had been worried Claire might refuse out of stubbornness.

That worry disappeared the moment Claire agreed.

Elodie grabbed Claire's shoulders with her old, trembling hands. She was overjoyed.

"It's no trouble at all. Even if it is, I'm happy to do it. Come find me tomorrow if you're free. We'll start with learning how to identify herbs."

"Okay, Ms. Palmer."

Claire thought it would be useful to learn more about herbs. Back in her old life, she had taken plenty of herbal medicine while preparing for pregnancy. She recognized a few basic plants.

She just didn't know if the herbs in this world would be the same.

Elodie left in high spirits, muttering to herself the whole way.

"This is wonderful... just wonderful..."

But she didn't notice the flash of jealousy in the eyes of the two females behind her.

After they were gone, Claire walked over to Zane and helped wipe the sweat from his body.

"You... did you do that on purpose? Showing off in front of other women?"

She pressed a little harder as she wiped, leaving a red mark on his chest.

Zane wasn't upset. He let her do as she pleased, smiling affectionately.

"I took it off before they even got here. At the time, it was just you. So tell me—who was I showing off for?"

As he spoke, his animal ears twitched slightly.

The small bit of jealousy in Claire's heart quickly melted into something sweet.

It took Zane five full days to finish everything.

By the end, the cave looked completely different.

A tunnel approximately 13 feet wide now connected two large caves. Each cave had two sections. The front was for cooking and storage, and the back was for sleeping.

When Claire saw the large stone bed, her eyes lit up. She ran her hands over the soft animal fur laid on top.

Underneath the fur was a layer of dried grass, making it even softer and warmer.

Even the fur itself was new. Zane had hunted the animals and treated the hides over the past few days.

If there was one well-developed skill in this world, it was working with animal hides.

Fur could be used for clothing, for storing food, and even held special meaning during bonding rituals between mates.

There were all kinds of furs, depending on the animals.

The one on top of the bed was pure white rabbit fur. The length of the fur was just right, warm and soft to the touch.

To get enough rabbits, Zane had even coaxed Rufus into helping him hunt.

Claire sat on the warm, soft stone bed, a little regretful she hadn't built a heated bed.

The temperature had dropped quickly these past few days. Before, a simple fur top was enough. Now she had to add a loose fur tunic.

"Well, I'll think about the heated bed later. This should be enough to get through the winter."

Last winter, she lost Tom. She had nearly frozen and starved to death in that crude cave.

This time, things would be different.

The loose stones from the digging had been spread out by Zane outside the cave, forming a small yard.

It finally felt like a real home.