Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 266: My Sweet Bird

The cold, biting water of the secluded waterhole felt like absolute heaven against Ren’s flushed, overheated skin.

She stood waist-deep in the still pond, staring blankly up at the massive, brilliant silver moon illuminating the night sky. She had explicitly told an incredibly anxious Viper that she wouldn’t be long, but she found herself completely distracted by the beauty of the sky.

In her hand, she loosely gripped her bar of citrus soap.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for the System’s passive endurance buff, which leveled up and improved every single time she and Kael had sex, she wouldn’t even have the strength to stand upright right now. Her legs felt like two overcooked noodles.

Ren let out a soft, shaky breath. Her hand subconsciously dropped coming to rest gently flat against her tummy.

’Pregnancy,’ Ren thought.

What would it actually feel like? Carrying a life inside her? Growing a tiny, fluffy tiger cub or a scaly little snake baby in her womb? It was a terrifying thing to think about.

A single feather floated gracefully into her peripheral vision. It danced and twirled elegantly in the pale moonlight, drifting down on a gentle breeze before landing delicately on the mirror-like surface of the still water.

It was a golden feather.

Ren’s eyes widened, instantly filling with an overwhelming surge of hope and relief. Her heart began to hammer wildly against her ribcage. She quickly spun around in the water, sending small ripples echoing across the pond.

Standing right there on the grassy banking, staring silently down at her, was Altair.

The Golden Eagle Prince looked absolutely ethereal under the moonlight. His striking silver eyes were locked onto her, his long golden hair catching the lunar glow. And he was completely, gloriously naked.

Ren’s face brightened with a massive, beaming smile, her green eyes sparkling with pure joy.

Completely ignoring the deep, throbbing ache in her thighs, Ren aggressively waded through the water and dashed straight toward the banking. Her body was completely wet, water dripping from her red hair and bare skin, but she didn’t care. She launched herself out of the shallows, jumping up and throwing her arms securely around his neck.

Because of the massive height difference, Ren’s toes were barely brushing the very top of his feet.

Their bare, naked bodies pressed flush against each other. The contrast of her cool, wet skin against his hot, feverish body heat was entirely intoxicating.

Altair’s silver eyes widened just a fraction of an inch as he suddenly felt her soft, wet breasts press firmly against his solid chest. He stood completely rigid for a split second before slowly, hesitantly raising his arms, wrapping them carefully around her small, wet body to support her weight.

Ren smiled widely, burying her face into the crook of his neck as he held her up. She breathed in his crisp, clean scent.

They stayed like that for a long, quiet moment, perfectly still under the moonlight. The moment stretched on, growing heavier and increasingly intimate, until Ren distinctly felt his erection pressing right against her bare stomach.

"Okay," Ren giggled softly, patting his broad shoulder. "You can let me go now."

Altair immediately obliged, gently setting her back down onto her feet on the soft grass.

Ren looked up at his handsome face, her smile never wavering. "I was so worried you were hurt somewhere," she admitted softly, water dripping down her collarbone. "I wanted to see you before I left for the swamp."

Altair said absolutely nothing in response. He didn’t offer an excuse. He didn’t explain his absence. He only stared down at her face, his silver eyes dark and intensely focused. His unwavering, heavy stare always made Ren blush furiously, and tonight was absolutely no exception.

Ren shifted on her feet, wondering exactly when this stubborn, stoic bird was finally going to admit that there was a massive group of rogue beastmen actively hunting him down.

She decided to playfully poke the nest.

"So," Ren started, raising a skeptical eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest. "Where were you the entire day? Hiding from the new neighbors?"

Altair didn’t say a single word. Instead, he slowly reached around to the back of his own head, his fingers tangling in his thick golden locks. He pulled something out and silently offered it to her on the flat palm of his hand.

"I was looking for this," Altair stated simply, his voice a smooth, melodic tenor.

Ren looked down at his hand. Her jaw instantly dropped.

Resting in his palm was the beautiful, intricately carved hairpin Syris had given her.

Ren’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. An immense, crashing wave of relief and pure joy filled her entire body.

She eagerly snatched it from Altair’s palm.

Ding!

[System Alert: Quest Completed!] [Title: Needle in a Haystack] [Objective Cleared: Find the hairpin gifted by Syris.] [Rewards Dispensed: Survival Points +50, Syris’ Mood will improve.]

Ren quickly gathered her wet red hair into a messy bun and slid the carved hairpin securely into place to hold it up. She posed, putting her hands on her hips, and looked up at the Golden Eagle Prince.

"How does it look?" Ren asked, grinning playfully.

Altair’s intense, silver gaze was still completely trained on her blushing face, completely ignoring the hairpin entirely.

"Beautiful," Altair answered softly, his voice full of profound, unwavering sincerity.

[System: You should really reward him for doing so well.]

For once in her life, Ren was absolutely not against the System’s idea. Altair deserved a massive reward. Her legs were still incredibly sore and trembling, so sex was completely out of the question.

Ren looked up at Altair’s gorgeous, stoic face. Her green gaze slowly dropped down to his perfectly shaped lips, lingering there for a heavy moment before fluttering back up to meet his intense silver eyes.

She took a small step forward, completely closing the distance between their naked bodies once again. She tilted her head back, her heart doing a nervous little flip in her chest.

"Altair," Ren whispered softly into the quiet night air. "Do you know how to kiss?"