My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 35: The Secret Revealed

Rufus's voice turned a little cold.

"Are you trying to make me leave?"

"Of course not. I'm just worried the weather will get worse. It might not be safe for you to head back later."

Claire had thought it through carefully. If anything happened to him on the road, people would blame her.

As for the food in the cave, she hadn't figured it out yet. At worst, she could just ask Zane to stop by more often.

Rufus snorted and ran off to the side.

The next day, when Zane came by again, he found Rufus still there. Rufus gave no explanation. He just stubbornly ate all the food Zane had brought.

Zane didn't argue and let him be.

Over the next few days, Claire went to Elodie's cave every day to study medicine.

As the second most respected beastfolk in the clan, Elodie lived near the center. Her cave was large and filled with the strong smell of herbs. Outside, flat stones were covered with all kinds of plants left out to dry.

"This one stops bleeding from cuts. It's called Sumegrass. And that one—Bitternut—it works very well for stomach pain."

Elodie walked Claire through them one by one.

Claire compared the plants with what she remembered. Most matched. A few had slightly different effects. She memorized everything carefully.

Elodie was very pleased with her.

"Claire, you have a great memory. You learned all these herbs in just a few days! The Beast God must be blessing me. I finally have someone to pass this on to!"

"Ms. Palmer, please don't praise me too much. I still have a lot to learn from you."

Later, Elodie took Claire outside the clan to dig for herbs.

But Elodie was getting old. After two days, she was too tired to continue. So Claire began going out alone.

Elodie wanted to send a male to protect her, but Claire refused.

Her belly had grown a little more these past days. Still, her loose fur coat hid it well. You couldn't tell just by looking.

And the baby inside her didn't cause her any trouble. It didn't trouble her at all.

Since she only went near the clan, she didn't accept the offer.

Zane stayed busy as ever—hunting and making furniture.

In just ten days, he had made everything Claire described. Tables, chairs, plates, pots—each one looked perfect. You couldn't even tell they were carved with claws.

Claire had thought about making a stone axe, but she couldn't find the right rock.

Her claws weren't as sharp as Zane's, but they worked well enough. So she didn't rush it.

Her morning sickness had gotten better. But she still loved the taste of sourfruit. It made her feel hungry in a good way.

She had already picked both sourfruit trees near the gathering area clean. Rumors quickly spread through the clan. People said she was so hungry, she had nothing to eat but sourfruit.

Claire just smiled and ignored it. She moved around the clan every day.

And she had long noticed someone following her.

Every time she went out, someone would trail behind her from a distance.

Fiona watched as Claire kept eating sourfruit and pulling up weeds from the ground, tossing them into the basket on her back.

After watching for several days, Fiona finally stopped her on the way back.

"Claire, what's wrong with you? Why are you pretending everything's fine? You clearly don't have food. You're living on sourfruit, and now even weeds? No matter how hungry you are, you can't eat that!"

Several beastfolk nearby turned to look. Their eyes were full of mockery, waiting for a show.

Claire didn't want to argue. She tried to walk past.

That little spy had held it in for days. It looked like she had finally reached her limit.

Fiona stepped in front of her again.

Claire sighed inwardly. She had to give it to Fiona, she never learned. She always lost but still kept coming back for more.

Fine. She'd give her what she wanted.

"Do you know why I eat so much sourfruit?"

Fiona crossed her arms, full of disdain.

"Because you're hungry, obviously. If it were me, I'd rather starve than eat that. But I'll never be in that position."

As Hazel's favorite daughter, even if her mate didn't hunt, she would never go hungry.

Claire smiled. She gently held her belly and lifted it a little.

"That's because... I'm pregnant."

Fiona froze. For a moment, she thought she had heard wrong.

"What did you say? Say that again."

Claire looked straight at her with bright, clear eyes. A soft smile curved her lips as she spoke slowly, word by word.

"I said... I'm pregnant."

The surrounding beastfolk all stared in shock and took time to process the news.

For as long as they could remember, Claire had been thin. Thinner than any other female in the clan. No one had ever thought she could carry a child.

Even someone like Fiona—well-fed and strong—hadn't gotten pregnant. So how could Claire?