The girls introduced themselves and joined the conversation. Venus Lin Yue stepped out of the tent quietly, not saying much until the young males from the nearby clearing side, who had been playing ball earlier when they had arrived at the camp, gathered around the campfire. They brought a cooler filled with beer. Soon, the peaceful campsite turned into a wild gathering, music pounding from speakers attached to someone's van.
Venus began talking with several of the young males. She drew their attention without effort. She told a story about walking home from a village clinic during a thunderstorm last season, soaked and laughing with her medical kit strapped across her back. She had a certain charm, one that didn't rely on typical flirting. She didn't toss her hair or act coy. She was simply Venus, and that was enough.
One of the girls, who had earlier introduced herself as Becky, leaned in toward Zhao Xin, eyes glittering with curiosity. She asked if Venus was his mate.
Across the fire, Zhao Xin stole a glance at the girl who both frustrated and fascinated him. He told himself not to care, but it was difficult.
He told Becky that Venus wasn't his mate. Then, with a secretive tone, he said Venus came from a hidden mountain pack in the distant forests of Kunming. According to him, she was on a secret mission to understand lowland humans and learn from their ways. He claimed to be her bodyguard, assigned by the Pack Council.
Becky looked impressed, eyes flickering to his arms. She smiled flirtatiously and said his amber eyes were enchanting. When she asked where he was from, Zhao Xin offered a vague answer, saying it was complicated. He mentioned he had lived in different provinces, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Inner Kunming.
Becky giggled and said she loved wolves from the south.
Meanwhile, Venus had grown tired after hours of talking and laughing. The males from the other pack site asked if she wanted to play a game where clothes were removed each time a lie was caught, some sort of challenge they found amusing. She refused immediately. She wasn't interested in such games, especially not with strangers. She also didn't want Zhao Xin participating. She didn't mention that he once played similar games with other females when he lived with the Kunming pack.
She noticed Zhao Xin was still talking to Becky That girl giggled a lot and kept brushing his arm. It bothered Venus more than she wanted to admit. He seemed interested, judging by his attention.
Venus gathered her sleeping cloak and toiletry pouch and walked alone down the wooded trail toward the wash area. The moon was high, silver and watchful, casting shadows over the pine trees. On her way back to the tent, she passed Zhao Xin and Becky. She avoided them, her heart was too heavy with something she refused to call jealousy.
Back inside the tent, she lay on the sleeping mat. Outside, she heard more giggles, it was Becky's, again, and then Zhao Xin's deep laughter. It grated on her nerves.
Why did she care so much? She didn't want a male who avoided commitment, who thought of bonds as temporary and hearts as tools. She reminded herself that she was better off without him. But her heart didn't agree.
She plugged in her earphones and let music drown the thoughts. A dim blue glow from her device lit the tent. Then she saw it. A fat, dark spider climbing the tent wall, close to her head. She froze in horror. Her pulse quickened.
She tried to scoot away, voice trembling with panic. When she called for help, her voice cracked.
The tent's flap opened in seconds. Zhao Xin crouched inside, brows furrowed with concern. She pointed at the spider, demanding he remove it.
He chuckled quietly, it was the very first time he was amused by her fear. She insisted it wasn't funny, that spiders with too many legs and hidden fangs were unnatural.
With calm movements, Zhao Xin captured the spider in a leaf and gently set it outside. She told him to make sure it was far, far away.
He reminded her that this was a forest, not a stone house in Kunming. Creatures belonged here.
She said she didn't expect one in her sleeping space, and mentioned something she'd once read about people swallowing spiders in their sleep. It was horrifying.
Zhao Xin smiled faintly and said the spider was gone. He picked up his toiletry roll. She noticed his voice was gentler than before.
He complained that the sleeping mat took up almost the entire tent and asked where she expected him to sleep. She pointed to a narrow patch of space.
He joked about using his pocketknife to make more space. She sat up, knowing he was serious.
Eventually, she agreed to share the bed but reminded him of their no-touching rule. They weren't mates. There would be no touching. She shifted toward the edge, pretending the warmth of his nearness didn't matter.
Zhao Xin returned after washing. The tent shifted slightly as he lay down. In the darkness, he removed his jeans, careful not to touch her. It felt too intimate. Venus wondered if he had slept beside a female for an entire night before maybe the one who had betrayed him back in the Silver moon pack.
She lay stiffly, trying not to let their limbs touch. Her mind wouldn't stop thinking about him.
Touching him.
Caressing him.
Whispering to him and most importantly binding him to herself forever if there was one.
Silence only made it worse. She thought of her mother and sister, when they left her ten years ago. She was only eight years old. She thought of how the silence of the pack house had echoed within her with heartbreak. She hated silence. That's why she always had music.
Zhao Xin had his own earphones in. She could hear faint tunes, old Mandarin ballads and classical songs. She didn't expect that. They calmed her.
Slowly, she drifted into sleep, not thinking of spiders or jealous giggles. She only thought of how Zhao Xin had stayed. He hadn't left with the others. He was here. With her.
She whispered thanks, knowing he wouldn't hear.
In her dreams, she was stranded on a snowy mountain. She was cold, alone, and exposed to the icy wind. Then, she found warmth, an invisible warmth. She moved toward it.
Half-asleep, she rolled closer to Zhao Xin, drawn by his body heat. She pressed her cheek against his chest, craving warmth, and his protection.
Her little actions made Julian to stir in his sleep. His voice came in, in a soft but surprised tone.
She didn't answer. She only mumbled that he shouldn't leave her. Her body trembled from the cold.
He didn't move away. Instead, his arms wrapped around her. She felt safe again, like she wasn't alone anymore. Not with him beside her. Not tonight.
He became her shield, not just from spiders and campfire strangers, but from the hollow ache of abandonment that she was forever afraid of.