Lizzy was back at the cave as soon as her waddling body could get her there. She found Phantom waiting outside the cave, a cleaned and spitted carcass of something in front of him smoking over a fire. "My Lizzy!" He beamed, spying her making her way up the small incline towards the cave. He gestured towards the meat roasting over the fire, his ears flicking in pride. "I am preparing some meat for us to eat now and the rest to be stored. I found a whole herd of deer and sherken over the next rise."
Breathing heavily, Lizzy had no energy left to question what a "sherken" was and why Phantom was so excited. Instead, she sat on the stump he had pulled out for her to rest on. "Wonderful. I'm starving." She smiled softly, enjoying the way that her wolf mate lit up in her presence. She didn't care at all where the meal came from as long as she could eat it soon. She rest her hand on her bulging stomach, rubbing it gently to calm down the thrashing baby inside of it. It seemed that the fetus also wanted to sample some of the meat. "I've gathered enough materials that we should be able to head back to the village and get more supplies."
Phantom's ears pressed against his head, a frown crossing his face. "My mate, I think that is not safe. I would be more than happy to head back to the village this evening after knowing that you are secure in our den. Having you with me...I fear it would be too much for you and the pup."
Silence spread between the pair and Lizzy felt that there was more to the story that he wasn't sharing with her. Was she ugly now? Was it because she was large and moving around was difficult? Sure, she wasn't in the best shape when she arrived in this world, but she should still be able to handle the walk to the village and back. She lowered her head, refusing to meet his gaze as the meat continued to roast. "I can give you the items and a list of what we need." She mumbled, feeling a chill spread through her at the thought of being heavily pregnant and alone in the cave.
"That would be for the best." Phantom sliced off a portion of the cooked meat, blowing on it gently and passing it to her. Seeing the dejected look on her face, he knelt on the ground before her and held the meat up in an offering. "Please, don't misunderstand, my mate." He waited until she took the meat from his hands and began to nibble on it. "It's just that you are much larger than most she wolves are. I worry that if you begin to give birth that we will be exposed to the predators. I can at least prepare the cave to be the safest place for you and the pup while I'm gone and I can move much faster alone."
Understanding filled Lizzy and she felt like more of a burden than she had before. Of course, it was more about the speed that Phantom could travel. They had taken their time getting to the cave in the first place. She dipped her head. "Okay. But, how will you get everything back here that we need?"
"I'll ask Mother Asena to send some warriors with supplies. Warriors that are already mated that we can trust with the task." Phantom wiped his greasy fingers on his loin cloth and tipped her chin up with his fingertip. "My job is to protect you, so I will rush there and rush back. If you had another male, we could leave him to guard you. Until that day comes, I will do everything in my power to be your safety."
Lizzy blamed it on the hormones when the tears began to fill her eyes. It was the sweetest and dumbest thing that she had ever heard and yet she felt as if she had waited her entire life for such devotion.
Slam! The sound cut through the house like a knife. Fear caused her to tremble, pressed against the cabinet door in the kitchen. The screaming was getting louder and she knew that he was on the warpath now. No matter how much she had tried, the steak had not been exactly to the temp that Gary liked.
He had always been a brute. Elizabeth knew that. But when she had first gotten out of the foster care system, he had looked like the prince in shining armor that she had waited for her entire life. Now, cowering in the kitchen, she realized that he had never been that. He had groomed her to think that she was worth nothing. In his eyes, she was merely a maid and after their doctors appointment earlier in the week, his rage had overflowed. Being unable to bear him children and further the family's rich name had been the final straw that tipped the occasional shouting match into a physical manifestation of his rage. "I'll just go knock up the woman wanted me with in the first place. I don't care if you die or not." Those had been his words after the last beating. Now that she had "proven" she couldn't cook a steak the exact way that he wanted it? It was a matter of time.
A choking sound filled the clearing and Lizzy jerked back into her body, the tears running down her face freely now. There was a new understanding entering her mind with just that snapshot of a memory. She had been waiting all he life for such care and devotion. Just the gentle touches that Phantom gave her were a stark difference from the memory of bruises and pain. Part of her was glad that she couldn't remember things about her life if those were the memories that would be unlocked. She leaned down and kissed Phantom, the meat forgotten in her fingertips. She swore in her heart that she would never be the weak woman ever again. She would survive the Games, for the sake of the devoted male in front of her. That and the chance to be reincarnated into a better life on Earth. One that wasn't full of pain and misery.
{Congratulations, Contestant!}
{You have begun the process of healing from the past. Your determination will increase your likelihood of survival in the Games. You have unlocked [Will To Live]. This skill is passive and increases your chances of survival during dangerous situations. This is often one of the first skills unlocked for Contestants, so don't get a big head.}
A will to live, huh? Lizzy smiled. She could use that.
Once Phantom was done with the meat, he escorted her into their cave, showing off the progress he had made with a wooden door. It wasn't fancy, but he promised that it could be upgraded to stone as soon as he gathered some of the dark rocks and [Beast Shards] necessary to level up his skills. She watched from the window as he exited the cave and shifted to his wolf form. He gave her a toothy smile, his tongue sticking out before he sprinted off in the direction of the village.