I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 80: A Night With The Snow Leopard

Detailed R18 scene

read at your own risk

The rough hemp cloth rasped against her skin, but the hand guiding it was shockingly gentle.

Bai Yue held her breath, staring wide-eyed at the dark ripples of the water ahead of her. The heat of the natural spring was nothing compared to the blistering, radiant warmth radiating from the massive Alpha standing just inches behind her.

Han Shān moved the cloth with agonizing slowness. He scrubbed the stubborn patch of dried mud from between her shoulder blades, his knuckles occasionally brushing against her bare spine. Every accidental point of contact sent a jolt of electricity straight to her brain.

System, Bai Yue screamed internally, gripping her knees beneath the water. System, is there an emergency eject button? A ’skip cutscene’ option? Anything?!

Only the crickets answered her.

"You are trembling," Han Shān’s deep voice vibrated through the steam, low and rough like grinding stones.

"The water," Bai Yue lied, her voice pitching up an octave. "It’s... brisk. Outside the spring, I mean."

Han Shān paused. The cloth slipped from his grasp, floating away on the gentle current, but he didn’t reach for it. Instead, his large, calloused hands settled heavily on her bare shoulders. His thumbs stroked the slick, wet skin at the base of her neck.

Han Shān’s grip suddenly tightened on her shoulders. Slowly, irresistibly, he turned her around in the water.

Bai Yue kept her arms crossed defensively over her chest, the water lapping at her collarbones, but she was forced to look up into his face. In the dappled moonlight filtering through the weeping willows, Han Shān looked breathtaking. The silver hair plastered to his forehead, the sharp, aristocratic line of his jaw, and those intense, predatory eyes that were entirely focused on her.

"Do not break our son’s heart again, Bai Yue," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, desperate whisper. He stepped closer, the water churning around his waist. His chest brushed against her crossed arms. "Promise me. Do not make him love you, only to turn cold again. And do not..." He swallowed hard, his mask cracking further. "...do not break mine."

The sheer weight of his confession shattered whatever reservations Bai Yue had left. This terrifying, powerful beastman had spent years starving for a sliver of affection, raising a cub alone, enduring the scorn of a mate who despised him.

The slow-burn tension that had been crackling between them for weeks finally caught fire.

Bai Yue slowly uncrossed her arms beneath the water. She reached up, her small, trembling hands resting flat against his broad, muscular chest. She could feel his heart hammering, a frantic, thunderous rhythm that matched her own.

"I won’t," she promised softly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere."

A ragged groan tore from Han Shān’s throat. His restraint snapped.

His large hands tangled in her wet hair, tilting her head back with just enough force to make her gasp, and he crashed his lips down onto hers.

Bai Yue whimpered against him, her hands sliding up to grip his thick shoulders as her knees buckled. Han Shān caught her effortlessly, one massive arm banding around her waist like iron, hauling her against the hard planes of his body. His arousal pressed insistently against her belly through the thin barrier of water and skin, thick, hot, already leaking with need. The heat of him scorched her, chasing away the cool night air and the lingering steam of the spring.

He tasted her deeply, tongue plunging past her lips to claim every corner of her mouth, swallowing her soft moans. She tasted of wild raspberry and citrus, sweet and sharp, and it drove him feral. A low, pleased rumble rolled through his chest as she yielded completely, her tongue stroking his in shy counterpoint.

Every nerve in Bai Yue’s body ignited. The hot spring water lapped at their thighs, but she was drowning in him. He bit her lower lip hard enough to sting, drawing a sharp gasp, then soothed it with slow, sucking kisses before dragging his mouth down the sensitive column of her throat.

"Han Shān," she whimpered, fingers curling tight into his hair, tugging in helpless need.

"Mine," he growled against her pulse point, teeth grazing the spot where her mating gland throbbed. "You are mine. You will pay for every cold, lonely night you put me through, Bai Yue."

He lifted her completely out of the deeper water as though she weighed nothing, strong thighs flexing as he carried her toward the shallower bank. The smooth, moss-covered stones formed a natural alcove beneath the drooping willow branches, soft and cool against her heated skin as he laid her back on the gentle slope. He followed her down immediately, his heavy body blanketing hers, caging her in.

No more waiting.

Han Shān’s hands roamed with brutal tenderness, palms rough from years of wielding weapons sliding over her breasts, thumbs circling her peaked nipples until she arched and cried out. He dipped his head, taking one into his mouth, sucking hard while his fingers pinched the other, rolling it between callused pads.

Pleasure-pain shot straight to her clit, she bucked against him, slick coating her inner thighs, her body already preparing, weeping for him.

He growled approval against her skin, scenting the fresh gush of her arousal.

One hand slid down her stomach, parting her folds with unerring accuracy. Two thick fingers pushed inside her without preamble, stretching her, curling to stroke that sensitive spot that made her vision white out. She clenched around him, hips jerking, a keening sound escaping her throat.

"That’s it," he rasped, pumping slowly, deliberately, letting her feel every inch of those long fingers scissoring her open. "Take what I’ve denied you for so long."

Bai Yue’s nails dug into his shoulders, leaving red crescents. "Please—more—need you—"

He shifted, shoving her thighs wider with his knees.

He notched himself at her entrance, rubbing the head through her folds, coating himself in her slick. "Look at me," he commanded.

Her eyes fluttered open, glassy with need. Their gazes locked.

Then he thrust, slow at first, letting her feel the stretch, the burn, the impossible fullness as he sank inch by inch until he bottomed out. Bai Yue cried out, back bowing, walls fluttering wildly around him.

Han Shān stilled for one heartbeat, letting her adjust, then began to move, long, powerful strokes that dragged against every sensitive ridge inside her. Each thrust pushed the air from her lungs in sharp, pleading gasps. The wet sounds of their bodies meeting filled the night, mingling with the river’s rush and her broken whimpers.

He hooked one of her legs over his hip, changing the angle, driving deeper.

Her release crashed through her like a storm, walls clamping down, milking him as she sobbed his name.

After some time, they stayed locked together, panting, trembling. Han Shān pressed soft, reverent kisses to her tear-streaked face, murmuring broken apologies and vows into her hair.

Bai Yue clung to him, spent and sated, her body still fluttering. That was.....wow.

The night wrapped around them like a blanket, the willow branches swaying gently overhead, as the river sang on.

~

Much later, the moon had reached its peak, casting a silvery glow over the steaming water of the hot spring.

Bai Yue lay completely boneless against Han Shān’s chest, her cheek resting over his heart. They were half-submerged in the shallows, the warm water a soothing balm to her thoroughly exhausted, aching muscles. She was wrapped securely in his arms, his large hand gently and rhythmically stroking her damp hair.

She let out a soft, contented sigh, her eyelids drooping heavily. The absolute chaos of the day, the lemon juice, the giant amorous turkeys, the system quests, the....ahem....felt like a distant fever dream compared to the solid, grounding reality of the man holding her.

"You are thinking loudly," Han Shān rumbled softly, his chest vibrating beneath her ear.

"Just thinking about the turkeys," she mumbled sleepily, nuzzling closer to his warmth. "And the lemons. And how lucky we are that Zhāo Yàn didn’t get carried off to be a bird bride."

Han Shān let out a quiet, genuine chuckle that made her heart flutter all over again. "He would have made a terrible bride. Too high maintenance."

Bai Yue smiled against his skin, her eyes finally slipping shut. The exhaustion was pulling her under like a riptide.

Han Shān shifted slightly, his hand trailing down from her hair to trace lazy, protective circles over her flat stomach beneath the water.

"Ruì Xuě should have a brother," he murmured, his voice rich with a deep, contented purr.

"Mhmm," Bai Yue hummed in sleepy agreement. "A brother... or a sister. Ruì Xuě would be a good big brother. Eventually. When we’re ready."

Han Shān’s hand paused on her stomach. His thumb stroked her skin affectionately. "We do not have to wait. Nine weeks is not a very long time to prepare, but I am an excellent provider. I will build a new nest tomorrow."

Bai Yue’s brain, which had been powering down for the night, suddenly slammed to a screeching halt. The gears stripped.

Her eyes snapped open. She blinked once. Twice.

Wait. What did he just say?

She lifted her head from his chest, her sleepy haze instantly evaporating into cold, hard panic. She stared up at his handsome, relaxed face.

"I’m sorry, what?" she croaked, her voice cracking. "Nine... nine weeks?"

Han Shān looked down at her, his silver ears flicking forward in mild confusion. "Yes. Nine weeks. The standard gestation for a strong Alpha bloodline. Though, considering my virility, it may be eight."

Bai Yue stared at him. The rushing sound of the river was suddenly replaced by a loud, ringing dial tone in her ears.

Nine weeks.

NINE WEEKS?! In what universe did a pregnancy last the duration of a summer vacation?! What kind of fast-tracked, speed-run biological nonsense was this beast world operating on?!

She looked down at her perfectly flat stomach, where his large hand was still resting so protectively, and then back up to his face.

"Uhhh???" she articulated eloquently.

Han Shān tilted his head, his eyes softening with amusement.

"Pregnant?" Bai Yue squeaked, her voice echoing shrilly over the water. "Nine weeks?! I.... I....."

She couldn’t form a sentence. She had just survived a turkey stampede, lost her virginity to a gorgeous snow leopard beastman in a hot spring, and now she was being told she had roughly two months before popping out a furry little bundle of joy?!

"I... you... we just..." she stammered, gesturing wildly between them.

Han Shān watched her absolute meltdown with a profound sense of endearment. His chest rumbled as a deep, rich chuckle escaped him. He reached up, gently tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear, utterly unfazed by her panic.

He leaned down, pressing a firm, lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep, Bai Yue," he murmured affectionately, pulling her sputtering, horrified face back down against his chest. "You will need your strength."