Chapter 4: Afraid for Her Child

Nuru released his grip and snarled caustically, "Jealous? Of a mere brown wolf?" He scoffed. "I only let him live so he could hunt for us and raise your cubs."

Thinking about Tar's haughty face slowly crumbling in exhaustion from raising his sickening cubs and filling their stomach, a smirk curled at the edge of his lips.

"The fool was stupid enough to step into my territory alone. But I won't complain." His grip tightened on her hips. "Bringing you home was the best decision I ever made. With you around, my cock has been well entertained these past two years."

"You're soft, tender, and loud in bed," Nuru licked his lips. But his amusement faded as his thoughts shifted to another. "Tch. Unlike my stoic wife."

The sneer in his voice was unmistakable.

"Fuck, that useless woman. She acts high and mighty, but in bed? She's nothing more than a stiff pole who never shows any sign of emotion." Whenever he thinks of her impassive gaze, he feels his pride as a man wounded.

"A predator who flinches at the mere thought of breeding." His scowl deepened. He used everything at his expense to woo her, thinking she would fulfill all his urges with her great body.

But what rotten luck?

"I barely touched her, and she was quick to get pregnant."

Worse, he could barely recall copulating with her or hearing how she would moan his name when pleasured. But how can he ask her to do it with him again when that bitch tucked away inside the fire vein below their lair and started nesting in there after realizing she was pregnant?

"It's been over two years…" Nuru mumbled hatefully. "Two fucking years but even now, she's too weak to bring my child into the world. That darn bitch! Nothing good ever happened to me after I mated with her."

Frustration burned in his veins. Once he caught a glimpse of the huge scar on his chest, Nuru's expression turned to an uglier shade.

"She's a damn eagle but cowers like prey in the face of my manhood."

Tracing lazy circles on his chest, Yemane giggled.

"Oh you poor thing," she cooed and turned mocking, "Even if she's pregnant how can she neglect her husband's needs? Yemane won't do that to you, darling."

'What a stupid woman. No wonder her husband cheated,' Yemane snorted. 'Saturn or Earth men are always the same. They think with their head, the one below their belts.'

"Darling, no need to care for that woman. I'm already with you..."

Fluttering her thick, exaggerated lashes, she gazed at him meaningfully. "My body isn't as bad as your defective wife. You can touch me whenever you want while carrying our dear baby," she muttered proudly.

Nuru growled clearly unimpressed and still seething in anger. Thus, when he heard the woman's giggles and needless gloating, Nuru's patience finally snapped.

"Turn around and spread your legs."

"Wha—? But darling, I just came—ah!"

Wenshi squeezed her eyes shut, hands pressed against her ears as if that would drown out the noises. But it was futile. The walls of the cave did nothing to spare her from the sounds of betrayal and lust.

She couldn't take it anymore. Or else, she might lose it again and barge in to strike them. But if she faces Nuru in her current state, the one doomed to die is her.

She had to leave.

Now.

Away from this filth. Away from these disgusting people.

With trembling legs and a heart weighed down by despair, Wenshi turned away from the wretched scene, stepping aimlessly into the unknown where the wind would take her.

---

Back in the present, beneath the ancient towering Shihuahuaco tree.

Wenshi wiped the corner of her cold, pallid lips, though the tears never ceased. The suffocating pain still was gripping her chest, as if unseen hands were squeezing the very life out of her heart. But her violent retching obviously subsided.

"Why?" she exhaustedly questioned, her voice hollow and fragile. "Why did you do this to me?"

As she forced the words out, her throat tightened in despair.

"How could you cheat on me just because I was pregnant and couldn't satisfy your so-called 'needs' as a man?" Her weary voice cracked with fury.

"You jerk! Nuru, your dirty asshole!" She shouted, with fists clenched at her sides. "It wasn't even for me that I entered the underground nest—I did it for the baby! Our baby!"

It was her first time becoming a mother and that, without the guidance of an elder, because she ran away from home just to be with him.

She had been careful and extra cautious, wanting to ensure a safe pregnancy. Had that been her crime? Choosing to protect their child over satiating his lust?!

She gave up her life as a flight beast and endured a life living in that cramped cave with him instead of flying freely! All for him, Wenshi had given him everything! 

Even though she had the right to take multiple mates, she had given herself wholly to him—a rare pledge from a Zulna to a Satyr. Unlike other female orcs who easily cast aside their partners, she had given him every bit of assurance that she would never abandon him. 

Yet, how ironic. In the end, it was she who had been discarded.

"I rejected every other beast who wanted me—just to put your mind at ease. I defied my elders to marry a flight beast so you would never feel inferior."

And how had he repaid her? With betrayal. With disgrace.

"I trusted you! So, how could you give up everything we had over your damn libido you damn bastard!"

Wenshi huffed. "What's so special about those Earthlings anyway, aside from their ability to conceive multiple times a year? I can also do that if I put my mind to it! But chose not because I would rather nourish a strong and healthy child instead of carrying a sickly litter of cubs of just any random man!"

"Besides..." her gaze fell to her own stomach as her vision blurred with unshed tears. "Wasn't I already carrying his child?"

A bitter laugh slipped from her lips. "What more does he want that I failed to give? Was he so desperate for sex that he abandoned his pregnant wife just to impregnate another?"

The betrayal cut deep, and the contempt inside her bottled up with so much unwillingness, that she couldn't stop asking what the hell happened!

But more than that—she grieved for the innocent life growing inside her.

"Oh, gods..." Wenshi sucked her breath. Her arms wrapped protectively around her belly, with the guilt twisting inside of her.

"I know! I know that I shouldn't be feeling this way. I shouldn't be crying. My baby doesn't deserve this." She sobbed and leaned against the Shihuahuaco tree, inhaling sharply as she struggled to compose herself.

With a trembling hand, she rubbed her stomach and whispered, "My lovely child, please forgive me for running away like this. Mama was hurt… lost… and couldn't think straight when I saw your father defile our home with another woman."

Her voice wavered, but she kept speaking as if trying to reassure both herself and the child she carried.

In Saturn, Zulnas were rare—precious entities who carried the lifeblood of their tribes. They were revered, pampered, and cherished above all else.

With Satyrs outnumbering them by a staggering degree, beastmen would do anything to please their mates. Some would even resort to desperate, unspeakable acts just to gain favor.

It was to such an extent, which is why, she couldn't get over the fact that she had been treated like a used rag no matter how reality slapped her with everything she had seen.

Yet again, despite her value, here she was. Wenshi had been cast aside by her own mate for a frail human girl she could literally snap in half with the sheer grip force of her razor-sharp claws.