Chapter 123: The stream....

The evening came slowly.

The sun went down. The lanterns were lit. The settlement grew quiet. The workers went to their homes. The children were called inside. The women finished their work and gathered their materials.

Anaria sat outside the shelter that her mate usually sleep in. Her leg was propped up. Kenai was beside her. Kai was holding Ana. Rylan was speaking to one of the elders.

After a while, she bent down and smelt herself and she wasn’t feeling the smell that was coming out from her, it wasn’t bad tho but the heat that was piled up after that day’s activities was still on her and she needs to wash it off then she looked at the stream.

She hadn’t had a warm stream bath for a while, she only had washed her face and hands with the beauty kit that she has earned from her tasks. But now she needs to soak herself in water and allow nature to do its course.

She stood up immediately

Kenai looked at her. "Where are you going?"

"To the stream. I want to wash."

"Alone??" Kenai said as he stood up "I will come with you."

"No."

He stopped "Why??"

"I want to be alone. Just for a little while."

He did not look happy at all but he can’t just force himself to join her "Be careful."

"I will."

She walked to the stream slowly, her leg has gotten a lot better but she still feel tiny pain here and there. The night air was cool and the moon was very bright which made the stream bath more perfect than ever.

She reached the edge. She looked around the stream. It was calm, quiet and no one was there.

Anaria smiled and nodded "Perfect, at least I can now spend longer here" she immediately started taking off her clothes from the upper coverage down to her tiny loincloth that covered her lower body.

Anaria had been resting with her eyes closed, half-submerged in the cool water, when she heard the soft splash of someone entering further along the bank. At first she dismissed it as a bird or one of the night creatures that sometimes disturbed the surface. The sound continued deliberate, steady like someone bathing. Annoyance flickered through her until a thick stand of water plants and low-hanging branches screened most of the view, leaving only a broad, powerful back and the wet gleam of dark fur.

She opened her eyes fully and stared.

The body looked familiar in the way all the beast-men did: wide shoulders, strong spine, the solid build of a warrior but the shape of those particular hips and the full, rounded curve of the ass were something she would never forget. One of her own. The recognition settled slowly, almost reluctantly, while she watched water slide down the hard lines of muscle.

Then he turned slightly to reach for more water, and the profile confirmed it.

Rylan.

A soft gasp escaped her. The lingering ache in her leg vanished as if it had never been there, replaced by a sudden, sharp wetness between her thighs and a deeper, unnamed pull that left her breathless. She stayed perfectly still, hidden by the plants, and watched as he cupped water in both hands and poured it over his chest and shoulders. The water ran down the planes of his stomach, traced the deep V of his hips, and finally slid over the thick, heavy length of his cock. It hung full even in the cool water, larger than she remembered, the sight of it after so long making her mouth go dry.

The system chimed, quiet but firm.

[Warning: You are still recovering]

[Physical exertion is not advised]

[Recommendation: complete your bath and allow the other party to finish undisturbed.]

Anaria ignored it with a small, almost dismissive shift of her shoulders. Her eyes never left him.

She rose slowly from the water, the surface breaking around her bare skin. Water streamed from her breasts and the soft curve of her stomach as she stepped forward, brushing aside the dense water plants that had hidden her. Rylan still had not noticed. She moved closer, gaze locked on the powerful lines of his body—the wet fur, the strong thighs, the heavy cock she had not felt inside her for far too long. The memory of how he had once tasted her, how thoroughly he had claimed her mouth and body, rose sharp and sudden. She wanted him right there, in the water, without waiting.

Rylan caught the soft splash of movement behind him. He turned.

Surprise flashed across his face first—genuine shock that she was even here. The last time he had seen her she had been with the others, carefully watched, still recovering. His eyes widened, then dropped almost involuntarily, taking in every exposed inch of her: the wet gleam of her skin, the full weight of her breasts, the soft swell of her stomach, the bare juncture of her thighs. Something darker and hungrier replaced the concern in his gaze. He could scent it on her now—the sharp edge of want, the clear invitation her body was already offering.

He did not look away.

"Anaria." His voice came low, rough around the edges. "What are you doing here?"

Anaria moved a little closer through the water, the surface rippling around her waist. "I came to bathe."

He looked at her for a moment, still surprised she was even out here. "You could have asked someone to bring water for you. Why come alone?"

"I just wanted the feel of the stream," she answered. Her tone was calm, almost casual, but her eyes stayed on him.

She let her gaze travel over him slowly starting at his wet hair, down the strong line of his shoulders and chest, across his stomach, and lower. She didn’t rush it. She took her time looking at every part of him, and a small smile touched the corner of her mouth. Rylan felt that look land on him like a physical weight. He clenched his jaw and tried not to react, but her eyes alone were already making it hard to stay soft.

Anaria spoke again, quieter this time. "Since we’re already here... together and alone... we can just bathe. Nothing more."

Rylan nodded once. A short breath left him, something close to relief. He hadn’t wanted to say what was actually running through his mind. She was still recovering. He didn’t want to put his hands on her yet, no matter how much he wanted to.

He turned slightly, ready to go back to washing himself and put some distance between them. Before he could move further, Anaria reached out and lightly tapped his arm.

"Bathe me."