Chapter 448 - 446: Suppressing Feelings

Chapter 448: Chapter 446: Suppressing Feelings

One of the Beastmen was the first to react. He quickly lowered his head to hide the shock in his eyes, his voice taking on a deliberately exaggerated tone. "Our apologies! Esteemed female, it’s just that you are far too beautiful, like the Moon God descended. We crude Beastmen have never seen such a radiant face. We were so stunned we lost our manners. Please, forgive us!"

His two companions quickly bowed as well, chiming in, "Yes, yes! The esteemed female is just too beautiful! We were so stunned for a moment that we offended you."

Jiao Yin’s blue eyes shifted, scanning the two males, and it was obvious he didn’t believe them.

His tall frame leaned forward slightly, discreetly shielding Bai Wanwan further behind him. His voice was now laced with aloofness. "I have already brought you to a safe clan. If you have any other problems or need assistance, you can seek out the Clan Leader or the other Beastmen here."

His desire for them to leave was unmistakable.

The three males sensed the shift in Jiao Yin’s attitude and were inwardly frustrated.

They knew their earlier lack of composure had likely offended the powerful male who had just saved their lives.

’But... the female’s face was just too similar to *hers*. That’s why we lost our composure.’

But Jiao Yin clearly didn’t want their gratitude; he had even become wary of them.

The three males could only sigh. Under Jiao Yin’s sharp, almost tangible glare, they didn’t dare sneak another glance at Bai Wanwan and could only bow once more in thanks.

Then, filled with questions, they turned and hurried away, disappearing deep into the clan’s wet paths.

Only when their backs were completely out of sight did Bai Wanwan turn to look at Jiao Yin beside her.

She belatedly realized that her hand had been tightly held in Jiao Yin’s large, warm one the entire time.

Between her nervousness and the cold, she hadn’t noticed at all.

She subconsciously tried to gently pull her hand away.

Jiao Yin almost immediately tightened his grip, as if afraid she would slip away.

But when his gaze met Bai Wanwan’s eyes, he slowly relaxed his hand.

The cool, delicate feel of her skin lingered on his fingertips, yet he knew the female before him did not belong to him.

"The air out here is cold and heavy; you shouldn’t get chilled again." His voice regained its earlier gentleness. "I’ll walk you inside."

He carefully shielded her, using his own broad body to block the lingering cold wind at the entrance as they walked into the warm, dry stone house.

Hua Han was sitting by the fire pit, stirring the meat broth in a clay pot with a bone spoon. Snowball was curled up by his leg, napping, while the rest of the cubs chased a small grass ball in the corner.

Seeing them enter, he asked, "Are you hungry? The soup is ready. Go on and eat."

With that, Hua Han stood, offering the warmest spot to Bai Wanwan. He then handed her a bowl of soup that he had set aside to cool slightly.

"Have some soup to warm up."

Bai Wanwan didn’t stand on ceremony; she was indeed a bit cold.

As she drank the hot soup, her cold limbs gradually warmed.

The tension and worry of the past few days abruptly eased. Coupled with the fact that her body hadn’t fully recovered, an immense fatigue washed over Bai Wanwan like a tidal wave.

The warmth of the house and the aroma of food enveloped her, making her yawn. Her eyelids were so heavy she could barely lift them.

The gazes of the two males followed her every move.

Bai Wanwan could barely keep her eyes open. She set aside her empty soup bowl. "I’m sleepy. I’m going to go lie down for a while."

Hua Han immediately stood up and supported her as she walked, her steps weak, toward the inner room.

Jiao Yin held his own bowl, but his gaze never left the female’s form.

He watched her walk unsteadily toward the bed in the inner room, which was piled high with thick beast hides. He watched as she fell into a deep sleep the moment her head touched the pillow, her breathing growing even and long.

That face, which looked especially peaceful and gentle in sleep, filled Jiao Yin’s heart with an indescribable sense of peace and contentment.

Hua Han covered Bai Wanwan with a blanket, and after confirming she was sound asleep, he came back out.

He emerged just in time to see the look in Jiao Yin’s eyes as he gazed at Bai Wanwan—an emotion so intense and deeply seated it seemed impossible to dispel.

Hua Han silently walked over and sat down next to him. "Jiao Yin, I’m very envious of you."

Jiao Yin stiffened slightly. He withdrew his gaze and turned to Hua Han with a hint of confusion and bitterness. "Envious of me?"

The corner of his mouth curved into a self-deprecating smile. "What is there about me to be envious of?"

’If anything, I envy *him*,’ he thought. ’I envy his courage to pursue the one he loves with such abandon.’

Hua Han glanced at him. "These past two days... she’s been waiting for you. Her fever had just broken, and she was so weak she could barely stand, but she still kept going to the door to check for you."

Hua Han’s voice held a barely perceptible bitterness. "I was the one watching over her every day, racking my brains to make her happy, but I know that in her heart, you are more important than me."

It felt as if an invisible hand had fiercely squeezed Jiao Yin’s heart, and an immense warmth surged through his entire body.

Deep within his azure eyes, long-suppressed emotions roiled like molten lava, on the verge of breaking through the restraints of his reason.

’How I wish I could start protecting her from this moment on, and never leave her side!’

But...

"Thank you, Hua Han." Jiao Yin’s voice was dry and heavy. "Thank you for taking care of her, and thank you for telling me this. But..."

His eyes darkened as he forcefully suppressed the fluttering in his heart. "I’m afraid... I won’t be able to ’compete’ against her Beast Husbands with you anymore."

Hearing this, Hua Han’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Jiao Yin’s gaze returned to the sleeping Bai Wanwan, filled with infinite fondness and reluctance. "Once I have definitive news about her Beast Husbands, or find someone strong enough to protect her... I have to leave. I must return to our waters and save my people."

’Every moment I delay, more of my people could die at the hands of that traitor, Jiao Ming, and his lackeys.’

Hua Han’s handsome, charming face instantly contorted into a frown.

He knew perfectly well that without Jiao Yin, a powerful Orange Rank Peak Warrior, as his ally, his chances were slim. On his own, gaining Bai Wanwan’s favor and becoming her Beast Husband through conventional means—especially against her other powerful Beast Husbands—was a near-impossible task.

Hua Han’s voice was tinged with urgency. "I told you I’d help you. Once we team up and become Wanwan’s Beast Husbands, I swear to the Beast God that I will do everything in my power to help you get revenge and save your people."

"But I don’t have that much time to wait..."

’If it were possible, I wouldn’t want to have to choose. I want to be like Hua Han, free to do anything to win the affection of the female I love.’

Jiao Yin closed his eyes in anguish. When he opened them again, the emotion in them had been forcibly suppressed.

＊＊＊＊＊＊

「Meanwhile, on a distant continent.」

The thick smell of blood mixed with the salty tang of the sea breeze filled the air.

The battle was nearing its end.

Black Wolf Roger was covered in blood. His once agile body was now covered with claw marks deep enough to show bone, scorched patches, and bruises from being struck with immense force.

One of his forelegs was twisted at an unnatural angle, and only sheer grit was keeping him on his feet.

He leaned against a cold reef, gasping for breath as blood dripped ceaselessly from his fur onto the black rocks below, blooming into garish red flowers.

Across from him stood several males, each exuding a terrifying, oppressive aura.