Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 71: Arguing with The Wolf (II)

"What do you know about me?" Kael scoffed. "You, a mere witch, acting as if you understand all the pain I’ve endured. So what if I’m toying with you? Your life is in my hands anyway."

Sisi stared at the man in front of her. He had gotten worked up over just a few words, while she herself remained completely calm.

Under normal circumstances, Sisi would have been scared out of her wits. But having already resigned herself to her fate, she found a courage she never knew she possessed.

She smiled at Kael and replied, "There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve seen a human king as well. He’s no different from you—warmongering, cruel, and unreasonably forcing everyone to obey him. I suppose those qualities are what make a good king, right?"

She paused, then added quietly, "But you can be a good king and still be a terrible father."

That last sentence struck him like an arrow to the chest.

Kael felt his ears ring as if he’d been utterly defeated. It was as though this woman had seen straight through him. Even stranger that she remained completely unaffected by his dark aura, as if her willpower was simply too strong to suppress.

In the end, the mighty Beast King sat down and said nothing.

He glared at Sisi several times, but she didn’t even spare him a glance. She was busy checking Jojo on her lap, making sure he hadn’t been injured while she was unconscious.

"We will depart by dawn," Kael finally said. "Don’t think about running away. I’ll execute you once we arrive at my kingdom."

"And what will you do with Jojo?" Sisi asked calmly.

"What kind of question is that?" Kael retorted. "He’s my son. Of course I’ll raise him. His life will be far better without you. He’ll have food, protection, and everything he needs to grow up safe and healthy."

"That’s good," Sisi nodded. "Though I suggest you don’t hang my head too early. If Jojo sees it, he’ll hate you for the rest of his life."

She continued, "You can accuse me of brainwashing him with witchcraft all you want, but that’s an undeniable fact. If you kill me and display my head, Jojo will never see you as his father again."

"So kill me discreetly," she added. "Or send me away before executing me, so Jojo has a reason to think that I’m still alive somewhere. I’m simply giving you a way out. Just in case you’re too high and mighty to think clearly about killing your son’s caretaker."

Her words were clear and logical, and Kael knew she was right.

Yet her willingness to die unsettled him even more. This woman wasn’t simple. He had the uneasy feeling that if he took his eyes off her for even a moment, she might vanish into thin air—with Jojo.

So he made a silent promise to never let her out of his sight, so he could feel at ease.

"I’ll deal with you later," Kael said coldly. "But that tiger is as good as dead. I have no reason to keep him alive. Jojo is bonded to you, not him."

"Don’t you see that he likes Uncle Marik too?" Sisi pointed out. "Or do you simply refuse to admit that you’ve been replaced?"

"SHUT UP!" Kael roared.

Jojo startled awake.

Rubbing his eyes, he saw that Sisi was awake, but she was glaring at the crimson-eyed demon he was supposed to call ’Daddy’. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The little wolf immediately went on guard. He hopped out of Sisi’s lap and tried to shield her, because he knew they stood no chance against the demon.

"D-Daddy, please don’t be angry at Sisi," Jojo pleaded. "She just woke up. What if she faints again?"

"She started it," Kael said. But hearing Jojo’s voice calmed him. He patted his lap. "Come here and sleep on my lap instead. You don’t need to stay with her all night, do you?"

Jojo hesitated.

Ever since he’d been separated from his father, he had slept beside Sisi every night. Sleeping with someone else felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

But he didn’t want to anger the crimson-eyed demon.

So he walked over, and hopped onto Kael’s lap.

He curled into a ball, and covered his eyes with his tail.

Kael stared at Jojo and smiled thinly as he carefully patted the boy’s butt.

When he looked up, he gave Sisi a mocking scoff, making sure she understood that she wasn’t as irreplaceable as she believed.

One day, Jojo would move on from her and return to his rightful place. She would be forgotten.

But Sisi wasn’t affected by his mockery.

She simply watched Jojo and felt a pang of sadness, realizing that he was only doing this to avoid angering Kael.

Jojo was far more perceptive than people gave him credit for.

Once, when Marik and Sisi had argued, Jojo had tried to mediate. Though he’d ended up babbling nonsense, both adults noticed his effort and quickly eased their tension.

"Don’t pat his butt too much," Sisi said calmly. "You won’t put him to sleep like that."

"I raised him from the moment he was born," Kael replied. "I know what I’m doing."

"Then you’re doing it wrong. You only need to pat him a few times."

Jojo, who had been silently suffering, muttered, "Sisi is right, Daddy... don’t do it too much. You’re too strong. It hurts..."

...

Kael clicked his tongue and finally stopped. He sat in silence, watching Jojo for a while.

Miraculously, Jojo soon fell asleep.

"That’s good," Sisi said softly. "You’re naturally warm, so he relaxed faster. Just don’t move your legs too much, you’ll wake him."

"I don’t need you teaching me. Stop fussing," Kael replied, yet he he followed her advice and stopped shaking his legs by pressing the knees.

It felt strange. Jojo’s habits had changed so much in nine months. Kael remembered how his son used to sleep soundly even when he shook his legs or patted him roughly.

’Or was he always like this?’ Kael wondered.

The blizzard raged on outside as they passed the night in silence within the cave.