Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 97: Jojo’s New Home (II)

Sisi shrugged. "It’s not my place to comment on what you and your concubine did when Jojo wasn’t here yet. But now that you have Jojo by your side, I ask you to be more careful."

"I didn’t do anything with her," Kael tried to clarify. "I appointed her as a concubine because the kingdom needed a figurehead while I was away. She happened to be eye-catching and looked harmless, so no one would dare challenge a harmless lady to a death match."

He knew the clarification was unnecessary. Sisi had no right to know what he did in his personal life, and she didn’t even seem interested in it.

Yet, he still wanted to make sure she knew that he had never done anything to wrong her or Jojo. As strange as it was, Sisi’s approval mattered to him.

Sisi raised a brow. She almost laughed at his attempt to sound reasonable.

As much as she wanted to believe his "clarification," she still believed most of it stemmed from Ruela’s beauty. Based on her experience and observations, men might appear virtuous at first, but once they encountered a woman they fancied, they would do anything to make sure she ended up in their arms—or their bed.

They were hunters, and the women they desired were prey.

Kael was no different.

He might not be interested in Ruela now, but would he remain chaste if he met an even more beautiful woman in the future? Sisi doubted it. She believed he would eventually take another concubine, probably younger, livelier, and bouncier.

In Sisi’s eyes, every woman who might enter Kael’s future harem was a potential threat to Jojo’s existence. And so, she intended to uproot the weeds before they could grow wild.

"Well, even if you chose her out of convenience, she’s still your concubine in the end," Sisi sneered.

Her sharp tone pierced Kael’s heart, as if he were guilty simply for choosing one.

Vexed, Kael raised his voice. "I only wanted to make sure the kingdom I built for Jojo would remain intact while I searched for him! What’s wrong with that? Why are you judging me for making the right decision?!"

His impatience flared the more Sisi refused to yield.

Her disapproval became a thorn lodged deep in his chest. With every sneer, scoff, and condescending look she gave him, the pressure tightened, making it harder to breathe.

"Like I said before," Sisi said, her smile devoid of warmth, "you might be a good king, but are you a good father to Jojo?"

"You’re unreasonable, Sisi," Kael said.

"Perhaps I have to," she replied calmly, "when dealing with an unreasonable king."

They fell into a deadlock, glaring at one another. But while Sisi felt only anger, Kael felt something far worse, his chest constricting until it nearly hurt to breathe.

The silence broke when Jojo’s voice cut through the tension.

"Sisi! Sisi! Let’s go inside!" Jojo exclaimed as he grabbed her hand and tugged eagerly. "The cave is warm and smells like Daddy. It’ll make you feel safe too!"

But Sisi didn’t move.

She smiled gently and patted his head. "Jojo, I can’t sleep with you anymore."

Jojo froze.

Tears welled in his eyes almost instantly. "D-did you not want me anymore, Sisi? Did I do something wrong? I-I’m sorry! I’ll be good, I promise! Please don’t leave!"

"Oh no, no," Sisi sighed softly. "You didn’t do anything wrong."

She knelt to his level. "It’s just that... you have your Daddy now. You should sleep with him here. As for me, I’ll stay in the palace below. Your Daddy will prepare a room for me."

"But why can’t you sleep with us?" Jojo asked, wiping his tears. "What if you get eaten by a bear down there? I can’t save you if you’re too far away!"

"There are no bears here, Jojo," Kael said flatly. "Well, there are bear beastmen, but they’re the palace cooks. They’re harmless."

Jojo was annoyed that his father didn’t comply with his persuasion to make sure Sisi stay.

But he knew if he could get his father’s support, Sisi would likely stayed with them here.

So, he turned to his father with pleading eyes. "Daddy, why can’t we all sleep together? It’d be warmer, right? Uncle Marik used to sleep near the entrance while Sisi and I slept inside the cave. Can’t you do that too?"

"Really?" Kael asked slowly. "He always slept at the entrance? He never slept under the same blanket as you two?"

"Nope!" Jojo shook his head. "Uncle Marik said it wasn’t... um... ap-apuro—oh! Appropriate!"

Jojo didn’t knew what that word meant, but he simply repeated what the tiger uncle told him back then.

Kael’s already sour mood darkened at the mention of Marik, but relief flickered beneath it. At least that damned tiger had known his boundaries.

Sisi shot Kael a glare for asking such a weird question to a toddler.

"Anyway," she continued, "I can’t stay here. Your Daddy is a king. If he sleeps in the same den as a woman, that woman must be his mate... or his concubine."

She paused before adding, "Like the concubine you met earlier."

"Oh," Jojo said thoughtfully. "That auntie with the coconut chest?"

Sisi almost burst out laughing, "Yes, the coconut chest auntie."

He frowned. "But I don’t want her to sleep with Daddy. I don’t know her at all!"

Then he looked up at Kael. "Daddy, can you make Sisi your mate? I want us to sleep together."

"Impossible," Kael answered without hesitation.

"Why not?"

...

Kael fell silent.

He knew the answer immediately, and it wasn’t because Sisi was a witch.

It was because he already had a fated mate.

Even though the bond had been severed, she still lived deep within his heart. He still wanted to find her, if only to apologize for destroying her life.

A bond forged by the Moon Goddess meant devotion to one soul alone.

Even after he severed their bond, it condemned both parties to a lifetime of longing, unable to mate with someone else as their fate had been sealed.

It was a lifelong torment for both of them.

Kael believed his fated mate was likely living a chaste life, just like him, vowing to never mate with another, bound by a tangled love that could never truly be undone.