Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 28: A Stalking Tiger (II)

Sisi waited until Jojo was fast asleep before carefully placing him on a pile of leaves. She picked up the bird Jojo had hunted and her flask, then quietly stepped out of the cave.

She used her power to cover the cave entrance with vines so Jojo would remain safe while she was gone.

After what happened a week ago—when he had been left alone for a long time while she went to the riverside—Jojo had developed a fear of being left by himself. He insisted on following Sisi everywhere. Even when she only wanted to take a quick bathroom break, he would stand nearby to make sure she didn’t go too far.

Even during hunts, Sisi noticed that Jojo would stare at her for a long moment, ensuring she stayed rooted in place before he dashed off. He had grown clingy ever since that incident.

Personally, Sisi didn’t fully understand why he had become so attached.

As a child, she had never clung to anyone. She had always known she had no parents, so she never cried, threw tantrums, or acted cute to gain affection from the nurses, the Matriarch, or visiting potential parents. She simply stayed in a corner, minding her own business while quietly hoping a pair of good parents would notice her and adopt her.

But she had seen plenty of children in the nursery develop clinginess, especially toddlers. At the orphanage, she never had trouble with clingy children. They either grew out of it naturally or were adopted early.

’Maybe because he already lost his father. So, he’s scared of losing me too,’ Sisi thought as she remembered how Jojo cried before.

He might seem determined and courageous, but he was actually quite a crybaby.

She knew this behavior wasn’t healthy. Jojo shouldn’t depend on her too much, or it would become disastrous in the future. This forest was dangerous, what if she died unexpectedly, or what would happen when Jojo grew up and refused to leave her side because he was too attached.

’Ah, what am I supposed to do? How do I make him less clingy? If I leave him alone again, he might be traumatized and cling even harder,’ Sisi thought absentmindedly as she cleaned the bird by the riverside. ’Maybe I should just leave him be until he’s a bit older and teach him independence then...’

Just as she finished cleaning the bird and refilling her flask, she suddenly sensed something big leaping from one of the tall trees and landing right in front of her.

The moment it landed, Sisi reacted instantly. A vine shot from the ground, but the creature dodged.

Sisi turned, and saw a big tiger.

The tiger looked terrifying under the moonlight. His amber eyes shone in the darkness, and his claws were unsheathed.

But before she could summon more vines and flee, the tiger opened his mouth and spoke in a language she understood.

"I didn’t expect you to be so alert. Good."

Sisi frowned, then her eyes widened. "Marik?"

"It’s been a while, Sisi," Marik said with a nod. "I thought I’d never see you again. I suppose the Moon Goddess wants us to know each other better."

Sisi didn’t answer right away. She studied him, then asked, "How are you doing? It’s only been a week. How can you already leap from a tall tree? What if your wounds open again?"

She didn’t feel attached to Marik as she still saw him as a stranger, but she felt responsible for the wound she had treated. If all her efforts were wasted because he refused to rest, then she shouldn’t have helped him in the first place.

Upon hearing her concern, a faint smile tugged at Marik’s lips. He shifted into his beastman form, revealing the scar she had treated.

"I’ve recovered, thanks to your care."

Sisi stared, amazed. The grotesque wounds from a week ago were completely healed, leaving behind only a prominent scar. It looked ugly, but at least he wasn’t dying anymore.

"That’s good. Well, um... I have to go back to my son. Goodbye, Marik," Sisi said as she tried to walk past him.

But Marik blocked her path, smiling. "You know, doctor, although I’m recovered, it’s still hard for me to hunt. I’m very hungry. Could you... give me something to eat?" he asked in a teasingly ambiguous tone.

Sisi raised a brow. She glanced at the bird in her hand and sighed. "You can eat this. But make sure you find something more filling later."

Marik watched her reluctantly hand over the bird Jojo had hunted. She looked just as unwilling as she had when she forced the hare meat into his hands a week ago. It amused him.

"I’m only teasing you, Sisi," Marik said. "I can hunt perfectly fine."

"Really? Then I can leave you alone perfectly fine," Sisi replied, sidestepping him.

But again, he stepped in her way.

Sisi looked up at the seven-foot-tall tiger beastman with exasperation. "What do you want? Didn’t you promise not to eat your savior after I saved you?"

"I want to be honest with Doctor Sisi," Marik said calmly. "I accidentally saw you in the cave with a white wolf before coming here. But I didn’t see a human child. All I saw was a little wolf beastman."

He downplayed the truth. He knew Sisi would be scared if he admitted to following her for an entire week. So he simply claimed to have ’accidentally’ seen them. But his goal was the same; he wanted to learn more about Sisi and the little wolf boy.

Sisi’s eyes instantly turned cold, and she stepped back.

"And what of it? Yes, he’s my son," she replied frostily.

"Then where is your mate? Wolves usually live in a pack. You and your vulnerable son look more like strays," Marik pressed.

"Our lives are none of your concern, Marik. If you still respect me for saving your life, then It’s better if we go in separate directions and never meet again," Sisi said sharply as she walked past him. This time, Marik didn’t block her.

As Sisi walked away, Marik stared at her back and asked, "What do you plan to do with that wolf boy, Sisi? Raise him and sell him once he’s grown?"