Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 56: Escaping (I)

"Sisi, wake up," Marik whispered as he gently shook her awake.

Sisi frowned, grumbling as she tried to burrow deeper beneath the warm blanket. The cold was unbearable. Still, Marik persisted to wake her up.

After a while, Sisi reluctantly opened her eyes. She rubbed them as she slowly pushed herself upright.

She leaned on the cave wall, staring at Marik in a daze for a few seconds, then tilted her head toward the cave entrance. Her expression turned sour at being forced awake during such a comfortable moment. "You should rest, Marik," she muttered. "It’s still the middle of the night, and there’s another snowstorm."

Marik’s lips thinned. Seeing Sisi like this, fragile and half-asleep, made him want to let her rest longer.

It was rare for her to look so aggrieved. Usually, Sisi was steady and composed in front of both Marik and Jojo, only revealing her emotions when absolutely necessary. In many ways, she was the authoritative figure in their small family, even though Marik was far stronger than she was.

But he had steeled his heart at this moment, knowing the dire strait they were in.

"We need to leave the cave," he said firmly. "No, we need to move out to Jing Forest. Now."

Sisi became fully alert at once. She straightened, her guard instantly up.

"What’s wrong?" she asked. "Is there another bear attack? I—I can help you fight this time. Let’s kill it first and leave by morning," She complained as she reached for her pouch and drew her dagger. "Tsk, I know that we should’ve move long ago. I think this cave is too good for bears to pass up, so they come here often."

Though she found the thought strange. Marik was powerful enough to kill a bear in seconds if he wanted to, so why did he need to wake her up?

Marik didn’t answer immediately, and his silence unsettled her even more.

It gave her the idea that whatever they were facing now was worse than a bear.

"Tell me what’s wrong first, Marik," Sisi said urgently. "We can’t just leave tonight. It’s too cold, and the snowstorm won’t stop anytime soon. Why don’t we wait until spring? It should only take a week, right?"

At first, Marik considered hiding the truth. But Sisi was just as stubborn as he was. They would be stuck in a deadlock if things continued like this.

Thus, he finally muttered the truth;

"Jojo’s father is coming."

"...Huh?"

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Never in a million years had Sisi imagined that Jojo’s father—the one she believed was dead—would come here.

"Are you... sure?" she asked slowly. "Maybe the cold is making you hallucinate, Marik."

"I’m dead serious," he said. "I... I met three envoys. They said their king is coming to investigate because he heard about a strange family—a tiger, a wolf cub, and a female human. Judging from their tone, he doesn’t know his son is with us, so he’s not rushing."

He conveniently omitted the fact that two of those envoys were now dead in his hands. Not that it was important.

"We can’t stay here, Sisi," Marik continued. "If he realizes who Jojo is, it will be disastrous."

She noticed the panic in his voice.

It was rare, terrifyingly rare, for Marik to show even a hint of fear.

Still, she hesitated.

This was Jojo’s father they were talking about. Everything about him felt complicated coming from Marik’s words.

"No matter how evil you think he is," Sisi said carefully, "He wouldn’t hurt his own son, would he?"

"He would ruin him," Marik replied immediately. "I told you before—his existence will destroy Jojo’s life. He will turn into a horrible wolf that likes to wage war."

"Wage war? What are you talking about, Marik?"

"... every word I said was true. He has crowned himself the new Beast King of Roc Forest."

"The new Beast King?!"

Sisi was stunned.

Even as a human, she understood what a king meant—conquest, territory, and bloodshed.

Back at the orphanage, most of the children were victims of war. Their parents had died on battlefields, either by the direct war or starvation, and they were discarded by surviving relatives or handed over to authorities. Outside the orphanage, children spoke of kings as heroes—men of splendor with loving families and warm homes.

But it was easy for them who wasn’t affected by the king’s war. They had beautiful home, a pair of loving parents, and enough food to eat everyday.

But inside the orphanage?

No one ever spoke kindly of kings.

Those children were living proof of war’s cruelty: gouged eyes, missing limbs, shattered minds, trauma so deep some could no longer speak, and many more.

Now Sisi had to place Jojo’s father in the same shoes, and it made her furious.

She refused to let Jojo be influenced by someone like that. She didn’t mind if Jojo grew up ordinary, without glory or achievement that could be a weight on his shoulder. But she would never allow him to become a warmonger who destroyed lives and slaughtered innocents.

"Is this really true?" Sisi asked quietly. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Trust me," Marik said softly. "Just this once, Sisi."

His eyes pleaded with her—open, sincere, and afraid.

Sisi exhaled shakily and looked down at the sleeping wolf cub beside her.

Jojo was curled into a little white ball, mumbling in his sleep.

"Dad... dy..."

Her lips trembled hearing that.

Even now, in the dead of cold winter night, he was dreaming of the father who had become a king drenched in blood, a warmonger that Jojo should never know in his life, so the image of his good and kind father would never be tainted in his head.

Sisi wanted Jojo to know his father was a valiant hero who sacrificed his life for his son’s safety. It would be a beacon of hope for Jojo once he grew up in the future.

"Then we leave," Sisi said at last, her voice firm. "Now. No more delays."

She turned her head at Marik.

"Help me pack."