Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 140: Saved by the Witch (II)

"You should’ve apologized to your Mistress," Kael said bluntly. "Didn’t you say you don’t want to be ruled by a witch? Go to her now—and admit your mistake."

Garou hesitated at first, but he wanted to live.

He hadn’t committed a grave crime, and he still wished to prove himself as a useful soldier to the Beast King. More than that, he was unmated. He wanted to settle down, to have a family. And if he had a son one day, that child would also serve the future Beast King—just as he did.

Then Kael added coldly, "I wouldn’t have spared you if not for her. She saved your life, Garou."

That was when Garou finally understood.

He had been pardoned because the Beast King cared for this witch.

Whether that care was a mere affection for the weaker sex or something deeper, Garou dared not speculate. Speculation led to reckless thoughts—and reckless thoughts led to defiance that almost killed him.

So Garou stepped forward and knelt before Sisi.

"T-thank you for your kindness, Mistress," he said sincerely. "I wouldn’t have survived without your help."

Sisi smiled. "You can stand up now. I don’t need to be worshipped like that. I’m not a queen."

Garou raised his brows, and so did the rest of the beastmen present, because they all had the same idea in mind.

They assumed the Beast King would have already informed her about her upcoming coronation, and she wanted Kael to announce her authority to the court today.

But she truly knew nothing?

Amidst his confusion, Garou rose obediently and lifted his gaze only to freeze as their eyes met.

His heart skipped a beat.

Up close, Sisi was even more breathtaking. Her gentle smile struck him harder than any blow Kael had ever delivered. It felt as though spring itself came two days earlier for him, just because Sisi smiled.

And then there was her scent.

A strange floral fragrance—foreign, distant, yet hauntingly familiar. As if he had smelled it once in childhood, only for it to vanish as he grew older.

With so many beastmen nearby, the scent was faint. Yet Garou was certain every alpha present must have liked this smell too if they had the chance to get up close to her.

He felt absurdly blessed, like the Moon Goddess herself had granted him this moment.

Before he realized it, his body leaned forward, his instinct urging him closer and closer to put his nose on her skin, inhaling that scent over and over until he was satisfied.

Sisi, oblivious to the young panther’s thoughts, turned away. She looked toward Kael and nodded. "I’ll return to my courtyard. I feel a little... tired."

She gently set Jojo down. "You should go back to your Daddy, Jojo. I’m not feeling very well."

Jojo held her hand tightly. "Sisi, are you alright? You look pale."

Her vision blurred. Dizziness washed over her, but she forced a smile. "I’m fine."

She took a step back, but her body swayed as she suddenly lost her consciousness.

"Mistress!"

Garou rushed towards Sisi, but a violent force shoved him aside, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Ouch, urgh!" Garou groaned. He lifted his head to check who shoved him, then realized that the Beast King had appeared behind Sisi and caught her before she fell.

He moved so fast that everyone thought the Beast King simply teleported to the Mistress Side in a blink of an eye.

"Sisi!" Jojo cried, clutching her hand. "Sisi, are you okay?"

Jojo remembered every time she had collapsed before—after being beaten in the shed, after fighting the bear, after fleeing through the blizzard.

Each time, she had looked as though she were fighting for her life.

"Sisi!" Jojo turned to the only adult he trusted. "D-Daddy... what happened to Sisi?"

Kael examined her briefly, then exhaled. "She’s exhausted. She likely used all her strength to restrain me."

"W-will she be okay?"

"She will. But she needs rest," Kael said, lifting her into his arms. "Come, Jojo. We’re taking her back to the courtyard."

Before leaving, Kael turned to the gathered beastmen.

"I’ve pardoned your defiance because your future queen wished it," he declared. "But this is the last time I show mercy to traitors. One more defiance, and your head will be displayed at the palace gate!"

With that, Kael left the training grounds with Jojo at his side.

Only after the King was gone did the beastmen in the training ground dare to speak.

"Our future queen is surprisingly kind," someone murmured. "If it were me, I wouldn’t risk angering the Beast King for a defiant soldier."

"Or maybe she’s clever, pretending to be benevolent so she doesn’t stain her reputation," another countered.

"Reputation?" a third scoffed. "The Beast King doesn’t care about his own reputation. Do you really think his queen would?"

"She’s still a witch," someone whispered. He shuddered thinking of those unbreakable vines suddenly wrapped around him and suffocated him to death. "And a powerful one."

"Is it possible there is a good witch in this world?"

As the discussion and debate continued in the training grounds, Garou’s gaze lingered on the direction where Kael had left with Sisi and his son.

He silently pressed a palm against his chest and realized his heart was still pounding—fast and heavy, like a war drum.

’What is happening to me? Why is my heart beating so fast?’ Garou wondered. ’Is it because I just fought the King?’

He then denied that idea in his head. ’No... that can’t be it. I’ve only ever felt this way when Mistress Sisi smiled at me.’

The young panther didn’t understand what was happening to him. Yet his feet moved on their own, carrying him in the direction the Beast King had gone—to the Queen’s courtyard.

His heart urged him forward, longing to see Mistress Sisi again, while his mind struggled to justify it, telling him that he merely wished to thank her properly... by serving her personally.