Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 57: Escaping (II)

Meanwhile, Kael was sitting inside a cave near the central plains of Roc Forest. He could have continued traveling south through the night just to see that strange family, but a snowstorm had rolled in, and Grishaw had begged him to stay put for the night , saying that it would be too dangerous to proceed under such extreme weather.

Kael had scoffed at the suggestion. A mere snowstorm wouldn’t have stopped him even before he accepted the curse. But then he remembered how Jojo hated the cold, always curling up into a little ball whenever snow fell.

There was always a moment of weakness when Kael thought of his son.

So, despite himself, he silently complied with Grishaw’s request and rested for the night.

That said, he refused to sleep.

He hadn’t slept for almost a week due to their nonstop travel, and Grishaw was growing increasingly worried that his king might collapse from exhaustion, even though Kael showed no outward signs of fatigue.

Grishaw asked once, cautiously;

"My King, are you not going to sleep at all? I can stand guard, and some of the eagle soldiers are patrolling nearby. It should be safe for at least an hour’s rest."

"There is no need for me to sleep," Kael replied, only half-truthfully.

Indeed, the body of the Dusk Star did not tire. In fact, Kael often felt more exhausted after sleeping, tormented by dreams of his severed mate. If he were using reason alone, he would never sleep at all.

Yet his brain was not the only thing dominating his body. Because no matter how clear-headed Kael was without sleep, his heart would grow increasingly restless.

An uncontrollable itch would gnaw at him, tormenting him until he eventually closed his eyes—because he was addicted to watching his fated mate’s amethyst-colored eyes in his dreams.

He craved her smile.

Her warmth.

The way she spoke to him.

He craved everything about her.

And only in dreams could he have her.

"Instead of telling me to sleep like a nanny," Kael said coolly, "why don’t you update me on that family? We shouldn’t be far from them now, should we?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"I’ve sent three envoys to watch over them, My King" Grishaw replied. "They are my best soldiers. The family should be safe under their protection. The envoys should return soon, though their report may be delayed by the snowstorm. Since flying in this weather is difficult."

Kael nodded.

He was merely curious about this family. Once he saw them, he would either return to the kingdom, or continue farther south, just to confirm whether there truly was no trace of Jojo.

The storm intensified as time passed.

Kael sat in silence, contemplating his next move, when the sound of frantic wingbeats broke through the howling wind.

"MY KING! MY KING!"

Kael and Grishaw turned simultaneously to see an eagle beastman flying toward the cave.

The soldier was so panicked that he failed to control his descent and crashed face-first into the cave wall. Fear overrode his embarrassment; he scrambled to his feet and rushed toward Kael and Grishaw.

Grishaw frowned at the sight. The soldiers he trained should not display such incompetence before their king.

Just as he was about to scold the man, the eagle beastman dropped to his knees and blurted out his report in a single breath.

"My King, the tiger from that family has killed two of our men! He became hostile when we questioned him about the little prince and attacked immediately!"

Grishaw was stunned.

"You fought three against one! How could you lose to a tiger who can’t even fly?!"

"He is incredibly fast, General Grishaw!" the envoy said urgently. "I couldn’t read his movements at all. His aura radiates pure killing intent. I’ve never seen anyone as strong as him—except our Beast King!"

"How dare you speak such nonsense!" Grishaw snapped. "No one is as strong as our King!"

He turned to Kael, expecting approval.

Instead, he froze.

Kael’s expression had turned dark and grim, and there was a glint of anger behind his crimson eyes.

The Beast King studied the envoy closely and asked in a low voice, "That tiger beastman... does he have a large scar across his chest?"

"Y-yes, My King!" the envoy replied immediately. "It’s impossible to miss. It looks like the result of a life-and-death battle with someone incredibly powerful. My King, you must be careful if you want to face him!"

Kael rose to his feet at once.

"Take me to him," he said coldly. "I’ll kill him myself."

Grishaw jolted.

He had witnessed the Beast King’s mood shift before, but never this sharply. When the envoy confirmed the scar, Kael’s murderous aura poured out unchecked, suffocating everyone nearby. Grishaw and the envoy both knew—if they spoke another word, they would die.

So Grishaw said nothing.

He followed silently as the envoy led the way. The snowstorm raged even harder, but no one dared slow their pace.

The Beast King was in a hurry.

’Is that tiger his archenemy?’ Grishaw wondered. ’Vestor once mentioned that the Beast King was separated from his son because of a tiger ambush. If that tiger is truly this strong... should I worry about the King’s safety?’

He quickly dismissed the thought.

’If Kael were to lose, then that tiger would deserve the throne instead. Such was the law of the jungle among beastmen,’ Grishaw assured himself, silently observing the Beast King’s back.

He didn’t know what would happen, but bloodshed was inevitable tonight.

Kael, on the other hand, felt no concern about the tiger itself.

That beast must be the leader of the pack that ambushed him and Jojo.

Back then, it had been an unfair one-versus-ten battle. Even so, Kael had nearly killed the tiger leader after fighting off nine others.

Now that he had embraced the Dusk Star curse, that tiger stood no chance.

What worried him instead... was the white wolf.

That wolf who looked like his son.

’I hope he is not Jojo,’ Kael prayed silently.