Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 256: Special Meat

"What?" Jessica’s head whipped around so fast her hair flew. "Right now? How?"

"I don’t know," Tasha said, her voice filled with confusion and wonder. "I didn’t even train today. I haven’t fought anything, haven’t meditated. But I can feel it. I’m stronger."

Jayden’s enhanced senses picked up the subtle changes in her... the slight increase in her energy signature, the way her movements became just a fraction more fluid. He immediately glanced at the system display again:

<Natasha Smith>

- Level: 24 ↑

- HP: 680/680

Jayden exhaled. She had indeed leveled up. His addition to the pack must have pushed her over the threshold. The bond had granted her enough of a boost to trigger a level increase.

All of a sudden, Jessica let out a gasp. "No way..." she breathed, pressing a hand to her chest. "No way. No freaking way!"

"What?" Tasha spun to face her sister.

"I leveled up too!" Jessica exclaimed, her voice a mixture of excitement and utter bewilderment. "Just now! I just... I can feel it!"

Sure enough, Jayden confirmed it.

<Jessica Smith>

- Level: 21 ↑

- HP: 650/650

Tasha’s mouth fell open. "Both of us? At the same time? That’s insane!"

Jessica turned slowly toward Jayden, her brown eyes narrowing with suspicion. "That’s not just a coincidence..."

Jayden’s heart rate spiked, he’d been caught off guard by this sudden development. He didn’t expect both of them to need the exact same amount of boost to level up. He needed to deflect, fast.

Schooling his features into an expression of pleasant surprise, he smiled at them both. "Wow! Congratulations to you both," he said warmly. "All that hard work finally paid off."

"But I didn’t train today," Tasha protested, looking between Jayden and Jessica. "I’ve been in my room all day. There’s no way..."

Jayden’s mind raced. He needed a plausible explanation, something that would satisfy their curiosity without revealing the truth about the pack bond.

Then it hit him... Jacob’s comment at dinner.

"The meat," he said, snapping his fingers as if he’d just realized something. "Remember what Jacob said? That it’s a Special meat? I’m guessing that it was probably a D or even C-Rank beast meat. And the energy from consuming it must have giving you both the push you needed to break through to the next level."

Tasha’s expression shifted from confused to thoughtful. "That... actually makes sense. High-grade beast meat can provide significant energy boosts when consumed. If the meat came from a beast above F-Rank, the energy in the tissue alone could have—"

"Could have triggered a breakthrough for someone already close to leveling up," Jessica finished, though her eyes remained locked on Jayden. "Yeah. That makes sense."

But there was something in her gaze that told him she wasn’t entirely convinced. Jessica had always been perceptive, especially when it came to him. She could read him better than anyone else.

"Well, whatever the reason, it’s great news," Jayden said, pushing off the counter. "You’re both stronger now. That’s worth celebrating."

Tasha beamed at him, her earlier confusion melting away in the face of her excitement. "You’re right! Oh my god, I can’t wait to test out my new strength tomorrow. Maybe I’ll finally be able to master that technique I’ve been working on."

Jessica nodded slowly, finally breaking eye contact with Jayden. "Yeah. Yeah, this is good... I guess."

They returned to washing dishes, the atmosphere lighter but charged with new energy. Jayden helped put away the dried plates, hyper-aware of the connections thrumming in his mind. He could feel Tasha’s elation, Jessica’s lingering suspicion mixed with happiness. It was intoxicating and slightly overwhelming.

Twenty minutes later, the kitchen was spotless. They said their goodnights in the hallway... Tasha giving Jayden a quick hug that made his senses flare with her affection, Jessica offering a softer smile than usual, before both heading to their room.

Jayden entered his own room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The moment he was alone, the carefully maintained neutral expression crumbled, replaced by a wide, genuine smile.

"Wow," he breathed, running a hand through his hair.

Adding Tasha and Jessica to his pack had not only strengthened him with stat boosts, but it had made them stronger too. The pack bond had provided them with enough of a boost to push them past their current limits into the next level.

"This is incredible," he thought, pacing the room with barely contained energy. "If adding just two members can do this, imagine what a full pack could accomplish. We could all grow stronger together, feeding off each other’s progress."

His mind was already racing with possibilities. How much stronger would he become as the pack grew? How much could he help his pack members grow? The experience sharing meant he’d benefit from their hunts and battles. The danger sense would keep them all safer. It was all too perfect.

The Twin Crescent Pack was more than just a title or a function. It was a force multiplier, a way to protect the people he cared about while becoming stronger himself.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t hear the knock on his door.

Jayden froze.

The knock came again, more insistent this time.

He crossed the room and opened the door, finding Jessica standing in the hallway. She’d changed out of her dinner clothes into a simple tank top and sleep shorts, her brown hair falling loosely around her shoulders. But it was her expression that made his heart sink... arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.

Jayden tried for a smile, keeping his voice light. "Hey, Jessica. What’s up?"

She didn’t return the smile. Instead, she stepped forward, forcing him to back into his room. She closed the door behind her with a soft but definitive click, then turned to face him fully.

Her eyes bore into his with an intensity that made him want to look away. But he held her gaze, even as his pulse quickened.

"What did you do?" Jessica asked directly.

The question hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. She knew. Maybe not the specifics, maybe not the full truth, but she knew something had happened back in the kitchen. And whatever it was, she knew Jayden was probably responsible.

Jayden opened his mouth to deflect again, to offer another explanation, but the words died on his lips. This was Jessica. The girl who’d stood by him even after learning he was a werewolf. The girl who loved him even after breaking her heart once.

He couldn’t lie to her. At least not directly.

His smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "What do you mean?"

"Don’t play dumb with me, Jayden," she said, her voice sharp but not angry. Just concerned. "Tasha might have bought that story about the beast meat, but I know you. I see the way you’ve been watching us all evening. The way you looked at us in the kitchen." She took a step closer. "Something happened. Something that made both Tasha and me level up at exactly the same time, right in front of you. And you’re connected to it somehow."

Jayden’s jaw tightened. She was too perceptive for her own good.

"So I’m going to ask you again," Jessica continued, closing the distance between them until she was close enough that he could smell her shampoo... vanilla and honey. "What did you do?"