I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 83: The Bear Who Should Have Stayed Hibernating

"What do you want?"

Bai Yue’s voice came out flat. Angry. The kind of angry that made her forget, for a moment, that her back hurt and her feet were swelling and she was pretty sure she had yelled at Hóng Yè for no reason earlier.

Tiě Xióng, the Bear King, stood in the doorway of her hut, his massive frame blocking the moonlight. That smug, condescending smile hadn’t changed one bit from the original Bai Yue’s memories.

He looked her up and down. His eyes lingered on her stomach, and his smile widened.

"Well, well," he rumbled. "The rumors were true. You actually let one of them knock you up."

Bai Yue’s hands curled into fists. "I asked you a question. What. Do. You. Want."

Tiě Xióng opened his mouth— 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

And then he was suddenly on the ground.

Not because he’d slipped. Not because he’d fallen.

Because three figures had materialized out of nowhere and slammed into him with the force of an avalanche.

Mo Xiao had come from the left, his panther form a black blur that sent one of the Bear King’s guards crashing into a cooking pot.

Han Shan had come from the right, his icy aura dropping the temperature in the clearing by twenty degrees as he positioned himself directly between Tiě Xióng and Bai Yue.

And Zhāo Yàn had simply appeared, his nine tails fanned out like a wall of fluffy death, his crimson eyes blazing with a fury that made even Bai Yue’s blood run cold.

"Explain," Han Shān growled. "Explain why you are standing near my mate. Explain quickly. Before I freeze your tongue to the back of your throat."

Tiě Xióng picked himself up from the dirt, completely unbothered. He brushed dust off his massive shoulders and chuckled.

"Still so protective," he mused. "You really think I came here to fight? Please. If I wanted your little village burned, it would be ash already."

"Then what?" Zhāo Yàn hissed. His tails lashed behind him. "What could possibly bring the great Bear King to our doorstep in the middle of the night?"

Tiě Xióng’s eyes drifted past them. Back to Bai Yue.

"I missed my pet," he said simply.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"The woman who used to follow me around like a pathetic little pup," Tiě Xióng continued, his smile widening. "Begging for my attention. Leaving her cubs to starve just to bring me gifts. Do you remember, Bai Yue? How you used to—"

"You are not welcome here. "

Han Shān’s voice didn’t rise. It didn’t need to. The words landed like stones in still water, and the temperature dropped another ten degrees.

Tiě Xióng laughed.

"You’re so foolish, all of you." He shook his head, looking at them like they were children playing at war. "You were so caught up in each other, so busy with your little mating retreat, your soap disasters, your turkey problems, that you didn’t even notice."

He gestured vaguely toward the tree line.

"My people have been watching for weeks. Seeing how the mighty Snow Leopard blushes around his mate. How the Fox Lord throws tantrums. How the pathetic scholar writes poetry about conception." He chuckled. "Entertaining. Very entertaining."

Zhāo Yàn’s teeth audibly ground together. His claws extended. "What. Do. You. Want. Bear. "

Tiě Xióng tilted his head, still smiling. "I want her back."

Another silence. Heavier this time.

"No you don’t," Bai Yue said flatly.

Tiě Xióng blinked, clearly caught off guard by her tone. "Excuse me?"

"You don’t want me back." Bai Yue stepped forward, ignoring Han Shān’s protective arm trying to hold her back. "You never wanted me. The old me was convenient. A plaything. Something to boost your ego while you waited for something better to come along."

She laughed. It wasn’t a nice laugh.

"News flash, Your Majesty." She spat the title like a curse. "I am not that woman anymore. I wouldn’t follow you into a burning building, let alone back to your stupid palace. So whatever game you’re playing—"

"Fine," Tiě Xióng interrupted.

Bai Yue stopped. "Fine?"

"Fine, you don’t want to come back." He shrugged, massive shoulders rolling. "I’m not here to fight over you. That would be.....beneath me."

"Then why are you here?" Mo Xiao finally spoke, his panther form shifting back, arms crossed, expression murderous.

Tiě Xióng’s smile returned. Slower this time. More dangerous.

"Let her come to my palace. Briefly."

"Absolutely not. "

All three spoke at once. Han Shān’s voice was a snarl. Zhāo Yàn’s was a hiss. Mo Xiao’s was flat and final.

Tiě Xióng ignored them completely. His eyes stayed locked on Bai Yue.

"I want to see for myself," he said. "Just how much you’ve changed. The rumors are.....intriguing. They say you fought a Hydra. Tamed a Dragon. Made a Snow Leopard smile." He glanced at Han Shān, who looked like he wanted to rip out the Bear King’s throat with his teeth. "I want to witness it. One visit. One dinner. Then I’ll leave your precious little family alone forever."

"Why would you possibly care?" Bai Yue demanded.

Tiě Xióng stepped forward.

He got exactly one step before Han Shān and Zhāo Yàn moved in perfect unison, blocking his path. But the Bear King didn’t try to push past them. He simply reached around—

And his massive hand brushed against Bai Yue’s cheek.

SLAP.

The sound echoed through the clearing like a thunderclap.

Bai Yue’s hand was still raised. Her palm stung. Tiě Xióng’s head was turned to the side, a bright red mark blooming on his cheek where she had hit him with every ounce of pregnant-lady strength she possessed.

"You do not touch me," she gritted out, her voice shaking with fury. "You do not come into my home. You do not threaten my family. And you definitely do not put your filthy paws on me while I am carrying my child."

Tiě Xióng slowly turned his head back. He touched his cheek. Looked at his fingers. Then he smiled.

"Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting."

He stepped back and bowed, like some kind of twisted gentleman.

"I’ll be at my territory’s border for three days. If you change your mind, if you want to prove just how much you’ve changed, come find me." His eyes glittered in the moonlight. "Bring your guard dogs if you must. I don’t care."

He turned to leave. Paused. Looked back over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Bai Yue?"

She glared at him.

"That slap? Best thing you’ve ever given me." He chuckled. "The old you would have just whimpered and begged for more."

He walked into the treeline. His guards scrambled after him. And then the forest was silent again.

Bai Yue stood there, her hand still raised, her heart hammering, her stomach churning with a mix of rage and adrenaline and pregnancy-induced nausea.

"I am not going anywhere with him," she announced to no one in particular.

"Obviously not," Han Shān rumbled.

"Over my dismembered corpse," Zhāo Yàn agreed.

"I’ll burn his palace down first," Mo Xiao added.

From the shadows near the cubs’ hut, a small voice piped up.

"Mama? Was that a mean bear?"

Yòu Lín was peeking out from behind the door. Behind him, Ruì Xuě clutched his brother’s arm, purple eyes wide.

"It’s okay, babies," Bai Yue said, her voice softening instantly. "Mama handled it."

"You slapped him REALLY hard," Ruì Xuě observed. "I heard it from in here. It was a good slap."

"Best slap," Yòu Lín agreed.

Bai Yue let out a shaky laugh. Then she looked back at the treeline where Tiě Xióng had disappeared.

His last words echoed in her mind.

We’ll see about that.