"He is my cub. Even if he is a Fallen Beastman, I will protect him until he is safely grown."
"If the prejudices of the Beastman Continent will not accept him, then I will shatter its rules!"
"If you don’t believe , then try ."
Evangeline’s gaze swept over the many Beastn present. Her voice was cold and defiant, each word ringing with conviction.
Orion’s lips thinned into a tight line, his hands at his sides clenching into fists.
’He knew that after the ss his tribesn had made, there was no way Flora would go to the Sky-Rend Tribe now.’
Elias Moretti stared at Evangeline, his gaze fixed on her for a long mont. His forked tongue traced a dangerous arc in the air before he suddenly chuckled. "You were originally a mber of the Grymdale Tribe, which makes your cub one of us as well. My offer still stands. If you are willing, I will raise him myself."
"Elias Moretti!" Gable, standing to the side, was practically fuming with anxiety.
’Morgan Moretti is dead. This is the perfect ti for Elias to beco the leader. Has he gone mad?’
’Flora is carrying a Fallen Beastman!’
’If the rest of the Grymdale Tribe finds out, they will never tolerate her or the cub in her womb. If Elias insists on protecting them, he’ll probably lose his claim to the leader’s position!’
Evangeline narrowed her eyes, studying Elias Moretti thoughtfully.
’This man... he truly is a formidable figure, saying sothing like that under these circumstances.’
Thorne suddenly spoke, his voice laced with scorn. "My cub hardly needs your concern."
He reached out, draping an arm around Evangeline’s shoulder. Lowering his gaze to et hers, an intoxicating gentleness brewed in his deep green eyes. "Don’t be afraid. I’ll raise our cub well. I’ll protect him, and I’ll protect you."
Evangeline froze for a mont, then turned to Thorne. "You don’t care that he’s a Fallen Beastman?"
Thorne’s lips drew into a taut line as a flash of pain crossed his eyes. He pulled Evangeline into a tight embrace.
His arms constricted, as if trying to rge her into his very bones, but his voice was unshakeably firm. "If it weren’t for , you never would have thrown yourself from Thorncliff. It’s all my fault. I failed to protect you. From now on, this cub is mine. I will be a proper Beast-father to him."
Leaning against Thorne’s chest, Evangeline listened to his powerful heartbeat. Her expression was complex, and she sighed inwardly. ’This really is The Beast World... they don’t even care about bloodlines. Such broad-mindedness is incredible!’
She hadn’t expected Thorne to take such responsibility.
A male nearing the end of his life, his heart consud by hatred, yet at a mont like this, he chose to cast aside his resentnt and take the cub in her womb under his protection. He truly was a good male.
She gazed at his taut jawline and curved her lips into a small smile, but said nothing in response.
’Caden Albright will be coming back. How could I let Thorne be the cub’s Beast-father?’
’Still, no need to fight. There’s a spot for everyone!’
Seeing Evangeline’s soft and affectionate expression, Elias Moretti scoffed in exasperation. ’Was my offer any worse than Thorne’s?’
’He just couldn’t figure it out. She’d once cast Thorne aside like a worn-out shoe, yet now she was determined to be with him again. Even though Thorne would kill her sooner or later, she didn’t seem to care in the slightest. What on earth was this female thinking?’
Elias Moretti turned his head away. Out of sight, out of mind.
His voice drifted over. "Let’s head back to the Grymdale Tribe first. Our people need to be escorted ho."
Thorne shot him a look but said nothing further.
Orion, however, didn’t just storm off. He sternly called a halt to the agitated Wyvern Beastn and ordered them to escort the females of the Grymdale Tribe away first. Only after the last winged shadow vanished into the twilight did Orion slowly approach Evangeline, his feet dragging hesitant tracks in the sand.
"Don’t worry," Evangeline said, nibbling on a piece of fruit with a casual air. "Even if Thorne were to go to the Sky-Rend Tribe, I wouldn’t."
"That’s not what I ant!" Orion’s brows furrowed sharply, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
He said in a deep voice, "You’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t looking down on the cub in your womb. I just wanted to apologize on behalf of my tribesn." His voice softened, trailing off into a sigh. "They’re just... terrified."
"Perhaps you don’t understand what a Fallen Beastman represents on the Beastman Continent..."
"Flora, I won’t let my tribesn spread rumors. You... you shouldn’t ntion this again, either. Wait until the cub is born safe and sound. Otherwise, you’ll definitely be targeted by other Beastn."
Orion’s eyes were downcast, his gaze falling to her abdon. He swallowed hard.
Evangeline sized up Orion, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. "Do you have feelings for ?"
’She wasn’t an idiot. The way Elias Moretti and Orion were acting was bizarre. One could argue the forr was after her power, but Orion’s behavior was just strange. His words were laced with concern. Was he afraid she would drag Thorne down with her?’
"No! That’s not it!" Orion answered at once, denying it without a mont’s hesitation.
"Oh." Evangeline took another bite of fruit and gave a small nod, completely unconcerned with his denial.
Orion’s gaze lingered on Evangeline for a mont, his eyes swirling with an indescribable emotion. His throat moved as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he simply turned and left in silence.
Once all the females from the Grymdale Tribe had been moved, it was ti for Evangeline and Thorne to leave the Monitor Tribe as well.
A fluorescent green halo gathered at Evangeline’s fingertips as she bent over to counteract the tranquilizing drug affecting the unconscious Monitor Beastn.
Thorne stood behind her, his deep green eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
If she didn’t counteract the drug for these Monitor Beastn, Wild Beasts would surely follow the scent, attack them, and treat them as prey. Then the consequences would fall back on her.
"Alright! Let’s go," Evangeline said, dusting off her hands and taking Thorne’s arm.
The pair had just left the Monitor Tribe’s territory when they saw Elias Moretti’s massive, crimson body slithering down from a giant tree.
He stared at Evangeline and said, "Get on. I’ll take you back to the Grymdale Tribe."
Thorne’s handso face tensed. Pulling Evangeline closer, he demanded in a low voice, "Elias Moretti, what is the aning of this?"
Elias Moretti’s eyes flashed with impatience. He sneered, "Flora is carrying a cub, and you can’t even shift into your beast form. Are you going to make her walk all the way back to the Grymdale Tribe? I’m not bound by a Contract, and I don’t have a female. What’s wrong with carrying her?"
Orion stood in the distance. This ti, he didn’t co forward to join the commotion.
Evangeline studied Elias Moretti, then said suddenly, "I just saw Saskia. Aren’t you taking her back with you?"
Saskia was a Witch, not an ordinary female; her value was naturally different.
The mont she finished speaking, Elias Moretti’s body went rigid. His scarlet Beast Eyes narrowed into thin slits.
Back at the Midridge Tribe, Evangeline had seen him press Saskia down onto a beast skin mat with her own eyes. The mory of their damp panting and tangled bodies flashed through her mind, but now it all felt like a biting taunt.
Evangeline then acted as if she’d just rembered sothing, tapping a finger to her chin. "Oh, and I almost forgot about Cecilia West—"
She deliberately dragged out the na, her eyes sliding toward Elias Moretti. "She’s carrying your child, you know. Elias, you’re not going to make Cecilia West crawl all the way back to the Grymdale Tribe by herself, are you? You’d better go get busy!"
Before Elias Moretti could react, she had already turned to Thorne. "My Thorne will carry back on his back, won’t he?"
The corners of her lips curled into a sly smile. Without even glancing at Elias Moretti’s grim expression, she bead at Thorne.
A smile touched Thorne’s sharply defined features. He bent his knees into a half-crouch, his pale white hair tracing a cool, elegant arc in the twilight.
Evangeline glanced down. Though his fra was thin and gaunt, his back and shoulders were broad. Every smooth line of his form spoke of the power settled deep within his body. He was still so reliable.
She reached out and squeezed Thorne’s muscle, her lips curving. "You’re so thin. I’ll have to nurse you back to health properly."
"Okay." Thorne was completely docile. All his grim ruthlessness had vanished, leaving him looking like a tad Serpent King.
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