Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 68: Little Wolf’s Substitute

Kael returned to the cave, only to find Jojo dozing off near the fire. He must have been exhausted after everything that happened tonight, but whenever he was about to fall asleep, the boy would force his eyes open and check on Sisi.

He kept pressing his forehead against hers, making sure she stayed warm throughout the blizzard.

When Jojo noticed his "father" returning, he quickly spoke up. "Daddy, can you find a stone to boil water for Sisi? Her face is wet from the snow. Uhm... I want to wipe her face with her cloth, but it’s the cloth is so cold and dry. I’m scared it might hurt her..."

"A stone?"

"Mm! Sisi usually looks for one that’s, uh... curved, like a bowl, so she can boil soup!" Jojo explained.

Kael raised a brow. Jojo had clearly picked up some of the woman’s practical knowledge. He also found it strange. If she truly was a witch capable of controlling various plants, wouldn’t it have been easier for her to shape hardened wood that could withstand heat?

Nevertheless, he simply picked up a nearby rock and punched it several times until it cracked. With two more strikes, he shaped a rough curve into it to make a stone bowl.

"Here," Kael said, handing it over.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Jojo almost lost his grip as he accepted the stone bowl. It was surprisingly heavy. Sisi often used a stone bowl to make a soup, and she didn’t seem to struggle as much.

This was the first time Jojo had done something Sisi usually handled herself, but he had always been a careful observer. He took the flask from her pouch, poured water into the stone bowl, and pushed it closer to the fire so it would heat faster.

Once the water began to boil, Jojo reached for the cloth in her pouch, intending to dip it in—but Kael quickly grabbed his hand.

"It’s too hot. You’ll burn yourself, Jojo," Kael warned.

Jojo shook his head stubbornly. "It’s okay, Daddy. I’ll just blow on my hands later. But Sisi needs warmth. She’s still very cold."

Kael frowned. "If you touch that water, your skin will blister. It will hurt."

Jojo looked at the crimson-eyed demon, then back at Sisi. "It’s okay. Jojo is strong. I won’t cry even if it hurts, but Sisi... Sisi needs warmth..."

Jojo knew he shouldn’t cry too much, Sisi once scolded him when he cried until he gave himself a headache. But he couldn’t hold back his tears now.

"Sisi promised she’d stay alive as long as I’m a good boy all year," Jojo muttered between sobs. "I-I’ve been good this whole time. So... Sisi has to stay alive!"

He was about to dip his hand into the boiling water again when Kael stopped him.

Kael sighed.

Was it worth scalding one’s hand for a witch? Obviously not. But Jojo was far too young—and far too influenced—to think clearly.

"I’ll do it," Kael said at last.

Jojo wiped his tears and looked up at him. "Daddy... p-please don’t hurt Sisi when you wipe her face. She’s very important to me..."

Kael clicked his tongue and gave a brief nod.

He took the cloth from Jojo and dipped it into the boiling water without hesitation. He showed no sign of pain, because he felt none at all. Since accepting the curse, his pain tolerance had risen to the point where he barely felt anything, even when Sisi had stabbed him in the chest earlier.

Jojo’s crying, however, still hurt his ears. It made Kael wonder if his son’s tears were his natural weakness, or maybe it was his fatherly instinct that made him gave in whenever he cried.

After wringing out the cloth, Kael turned toward the unconscious woman.

He hadn’t had time to observe her appearance while she was fighting him, but now, with her eyes closed and body still, he realized he still wasn’t immune to her beauty.

She was objectively beautiful, even in such a pitiful state. As he leaned closer, he noticed an alluring scent of an unfamiliar flower.

He felt as though he’d smelled it before, though he couldn’t remember where and when.

Then he caught another scent.

Rot.

Not the rot of a corpse, but of fruit gone bad. It was bearable, but Kael’s sensitive nose preferred not to smell it.

’As expected, she’s a witch,’ Kael concluded. ’My nose never lies.’ 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Holding his breath, he wiped dirt and small cuts from her face. It was the first time he had ever cleaned someone’s face besides Jojo’s.

In fact, he had never been this gentle before. Not even with his son.

Because Jojo was watching him closely, Kael took extra care, tracing her features carefully with the cloth until her face was clean.

When he finished, he found himself staring again.

Kael wasn’t vain, far from it. But he was still a man, and her beauty was hard to ignore.

Sisi had a gentle face, the kind that radiated warmth when she smiled. But the longer he looked, the more he sensed something amiss, as if he had forgotten something, but couldn’t recall it at all.

In the end, he dismissed it as witchcraft. Maybe this woman’s witchcraft on her face was too good, that’s why even Kael wasn’t immune.

’It’s still a pity, though. Having such face, only to be wasted on magic,’ he thought.

He placed the cloth on her lap and turned to Jojo. "That’s enough. She’ll recover by dawn. You’re worrying too much."

"I’m not worrying for nothing!" Jojo protested. "Sisi is very weak, Daddy. She just never shows it! W-when you hurt her, she must’ve wanted to cry too..."

Jojo glared at him fiercely, as if Kael had committed a great injustice by throwing her aside earlier. Then he remembered his promise, lowered his gaze, and stared into the fire instead.

Kael said nothing seeing his son’s behavior.

He was too tired to deal with Jojo tonight. But he was also relieved. Jojo was alive, safe... even if he was inexplicably bound to a witch.