Chapter 98: Episode 98: Leaving with the Tiger King

The murmurs were instantly hushed by Roxy’s declaration.

How dare they belittle her as weak?

She was more ruthless than their king! The other females quickly lowered their heads in fear.

Roxy was not someone they wouldn’t want to mess with.

Roxy stood there, her simple blue dress stained with Nala’s blood, her finger pointing at the spot where the Tiger noble had been dragged away. The threat of “flesh for stew” hung in the air, grotesque and terrifying.

“She speaks of consuming a high-born!” an elder Tiger official gasped, stepping forward from the crowd. He was shaking in both fear and rage.

“My King! This female… She is savage! She has no decorum! You cannot allow this outsider to dictate the fate of our blood!”

“She is not an outsider,” Torian’s voice cut through the murmurs like a blade of ice.

He descended the final step of the dais. His eyes dead set on only Roxy.

“She is the Mother,” Torian declared, his voice booming off the walls. “And a Mother protects her young. If Nala wished to remain whole, she should not have raised a blade against a child.”

At least you said one thing right.

He turned to the official, his eyes narrowing into slits.

“Do you question her judgment? Do you wish to take Nala’s place in her pot of stew?”

Roxy cleaned her blade against her dress slowly as if brandishing her weapon.

She didn’t feel any ounce of regret killing that female, maybe because she has been sleeping with beasts ever since she came into this world, and even birthed their young.

It didn’t phase her seeing blood splatter against her face.

The official turned pale and bowed so low his nose touched the floor. “N-no, my King. I… I withdraw my words.”

“Good,” Torian murmured. “Take the traitor to the Wastes. Let the scavengers have her.”

Roxy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She wiped her hands on a cloth offered by a trembling servant.

Now she really wanted to go home.

Torian turned back to her. Slowly, deliberately, he reached up to the heavy golden clasp at his throat. With a click, the heavy, ceremonial silk her wore slid from his shoulders.

It pooled on the floor and everyone gasped.

Was their king really going to abandon them and join the female?

“My King?” General Titus stepped forward, his eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

Torian reached up and removed his crown. He looked at the heavy gold circlet for a moment, then tossed it to Titus.

Like he was tossing trash.

He shouldn’t be leaving his pack in such dire times but nothing was more important than finally having Roxy in his arms.

“I am finished with this,” Torian said simply. “You are Regent, Titus. Rule well. Do not let our kingdom crumble.”

“But… where will you go?” Titus stammered, holding the crown as if it burned him. He had never imagined this would ever happen in his entire life.

“I go to my mate,” Torian said, turning to kneel before Roxy. He was dressed only in a white silk tunic and trousers now, stripped of his royalty, leaving only the male beneath.

His females rushed forward crying and whining, bawling their eyes out as if they truly cared for him.

Torian didn’t spare them a glance. His eyes still remained glued on Roxy’s bored expression.

But the females could never be jealous, they saw how ruthless Roxy was from the beginning, they didn’t want to end up like Nala.

He took Roxy’s hand, ignoring the dried blood on her fingers, and pressed his forehead against it.

“I am no longer King Torian,” he vowed, his voice thick with devotion. “I am now Roxy’s pet.”

[System Notification: Harem Member Acquired! Torian (The Tiger King). Class: Wealth/Support. Loyalty: Obsessed.]

[TheSassyGoddess: HE DID IT! HE ACTUALLY QUIT HIS JOB FOR HER! Men, take notes. If he wanted to, he would.]

Roxy rolled her eyes.

Roxy looked down at him. “Then we are leaving immediately, do whatever has to be done before we go. We have a long journey.”

She turned to leave, walking toward the massive double doors with her new, mismatched pack trailing behind her. But as she passed General Titus, the system suddenly popped up before her eyes!

[System Alert: Regional Analysis Complete]

What’s this again!

[Hidden Quest Detected: The Failing Nurseries]

[Diagnosis: The Tiger Clan is suffering from a Severe Genetic Bottleneck. The mineral composition of their water source has significantly declined, leading to a 90% stillbirth rate. The species is biologically failing.]

[Choice Required:]

[Option A: Resolve Now]

[Option B: Resolve Later] Promise to return. Gain “Savior of the Species” quest line. (Time Limit: 6 Months).

Well damn you already know my answer!

She selected [Option B].

She turned back to Regent Titus, who was clutching the crown, looking lost.

“Regent Titus,” Roxy called out. Her voice was firm.

Titus looked up. “My Queen?”

“I will return,” Roxy promised. “Give me six moons. When the snow melts, I will come back to the Citadel. And I will fix your water source. I will ensure your females bear strong, living cubs.”

Titus’s eyes widened. Hope, raw and desperate, flooded his face. “You… you can fix the bloodline?”

They had doubt in her, but for their king to follow this female, they knew she was strong.

Respect began to bloom in their hearts.

“Trust me,” Roxy said simply. “Life is my domain. Keep the seat warm for your King, Titus. We will be back.”

She waved him goodbye and quickly left with her entourage.

As if she was being chased.

****

The journey back to the Iron-Wood was… intimate.

The wagon was designed for a small family. It was not designed for a human woman, three babies, a toddler, and three massive, broad-shouldered Alpha males.

Plus, the tiger brought with him a massive chest of gifts for his mate, gold, silk, wine, perfumes, and everything that the other beasts couldn’t even see or afford with their exchanges.

And Roxy didn’t give a bloody damn.

She just wanted to go home, take a dip inside the warm spring and then check on Syris who was in his room hibernating.

She wondered how he was doing.

Kaelen drove the ox-beast, his mood foul. Inside the covered wagon, Zarek and Torian sat opposite each other. Their knees knocked together with every bump in the road.

“Retract your leg,” Zarek snarled, irritated but couldn’t do anything because Roxy was there. “You are touching me, Cat.”

“I cannot shrink,” Torian replied haughtily, brushing dust off his white tunic. “This is barbaric. It has no suspension. My spine is being rattled against this wood.”

“It is a wagon, not a cloud,” Zarek snapped. “Maybe if you were not so large with arrogance, you would fit.”

“My arrogance?” Torian laughed, a cold sound. “Says the lizard who burned my guest wing because he could not control his inner fire.”

“I burned it because you touched my mate!” Zarek roared.

“She is our mate now,” Torian corrected smoothly.

“Quiet!” Roxy ordered, her voice sharp.

The two Kings instantly snapped their mouths shut.

Roxy sat in the corner, shifting Iris in her arms. The baby was fussing, her little face scrunching up in hunger. The stress of the day had made her hungry.

With a sigh, Roxy adjusted her dress and guided Iris to her breast.

The atmosphere in the wagon changed instantly.

The bickering stopped. The air grew heavy and thick.

Zarek stopped glaring at Torian. His golden eyes locked onto Roxy’s chest, his pupils dilating. He watched the baby latch, with pure jealousy.

Torian was even worse. He had never seen this before. In the Citadel, wet nurses fed the young. To see his Queen, his Empress-that-could-have-been, using her own body to nourish a child… It fascinated him.

And turned him on, let’s not forget that.

He leaned forward, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled the scent of sweet milk.

“You feed her from your own essence,” Torian whispered, his voice husky. His gaze traced the curve of her breast, hungry and intense. “That’s beautiful”

“She has not eaten.” Roxy said, feeling her face heat up under their collective gaze. “Stop staring. You’re making her nervous.”

“I am not staring at the child,” Torian purred. He reached out, his finger hovering just above her skin. “I am wondering… if the Mother has enough for her new mate as well.”

Zarek swatted Torian’s hand away. “Do not touch. She is nursing.”

The system notification popped up again and Roxy barely looked up until she had no choice.

[TheSassyGoddess: Girl, stop. Look at that baby. She’s huge. And I see a tooth poking out. You are not a dairy cow.]

[TheMotheroftheWorld: The Goddess is right. The pups are growing. Their wolf blood demands iron. Their dragon blood demands heat. Milk is no longer enough.]

Roxy blinked. She looked down at Iris. The System was right. Iris wasn’t a newborn anymore. She was heavy, strong, and yes… she did have a tiny, sharp tooth breaking through her gum.

“Ouch,” Roxy flinched as Iris bit down.

She gently unlatched the baby, who whined in protest.

“No more,” Roxy whispered, buttoning her dress. “You’re getting too big, little flower. Tonight… we are eating meat today.”

Iris sniffled begging for more milk but Roxy refused.

She parted the baby and laid her down on her thighs, but baby Iris didn’t protest for long as soon as she saw Zarek’s glare and she piped down immediately.

Her dragon daddy could be scary sometimes.

Torian looked disappointed. “A pity. I was hoping for a turn.”

“You eat meat, Cat,” Roxy snapped, handing Iris to Zarek to burp. “Raw meat.”

****

They arrived at the cabin just as the sun was setting behind the Iron-Wood trees.

The familiar sight of the rough-hewn logs and the mossy roof usually brought Roxy a sense of peace. Today, however, looking at it with Torian standing beside her, she realized something.

How were they going to fit?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep