Chapter Sixteen: The Silver Storm
The silence of the mountain peak was obliterated by a roar that didn't just echo—it shattered. It was a sound of raw, primal agony and terrifying relief, a vibration so powerful that the loose shale at Lin Wan's feet began to slide toward the abyss.
Lin Wan stood frozen on the ledge, her breath hitching in her throat. She had barely pulled the snow-white goat hide over her shoulders when a massive, silver-spotted blur vaulted over the lip of the cliff.
It was Wang.
He didn't shift back into his human form immediately. He stood in his beast form, a monstrous silhouette of silver fur and lethal muscle against the darkening sky. His claws, thick as daggers, gouged deep, jagged furrows into the solid stone of the ledge. His amber eyes were glowing with a terrifying, luminescent light, and the scent of raw cedar, ozone, and fresh blood rolled off him in waves.
He looked less like her "Cold CEO" husband and more like a god of destruction.
Weiwei, tell me he recognizes me! Lin Wan's mind screamed, her legs feeling like jelly. If he's in a blood-rage, I'm just a target!
[Warning: Mate #1 is currently at 98% Adrenaline. His 'Berserker' state is active. His heart rate is 240 BPM. Suggestion: Stay absolutely still. His predator instincts are overriding his logic. Also, Host, he has definitely smelled the eagle on you. The jealousy levels are literally off the charts.]
"Wang!" Lin Wan finally found her voice. It came out smaller than she wanted, a fragile sound against the howling wind. "Wang, it's me! I'm here! I'm safe!"
The silver leopard froze mid-snarl. His head snapped toward her, his nostrils flaring as he drew in her scent. The recognition hit him like a physical blow. In a shimmer of golden light and a sickening crunch of shifting bone, the massive beast disappeared, replaced by the tall, battered figure of the man she had married.
Wang staggered toward her, his chest heaving. He was covered in soot, the grime of the battlefield, and splatters of dark scorpion blood. Before she could take a single step, he slammed into her, his arms wrapping around her waist with a force that knocked the air from her lungs. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, right over the small leopard print mark, his breathing ragged and desperate.
"Wan'er," he rasped, his voice sounding like it had been shredded by glass. "I thought... I thought they had taken you to the shadows. I thought I would find only your bones."
Lin Wan's heart broke for him. She reached up, her fingers tangling in his sweat-dampened hair, holding him as tightly as she could. "An eagle saved me, Wang. He caught me before the scorpions could... before they could finish it. He brought me here and protected me."
At the mention of the eagle, Wang's body went rigid. He pulled back just enough to look at her, his hands gripping her shoulders so hard she winced. His gaze dropped, landing with a jarring impact on the snow-white mountain goat hide.
The relief in his eyes vanished, replaced instantly by a cold, sharp possessiveness that made the air around them feel heavy. He reached out, his fingers brushing the soft, white fur. To a beastman, this wasn't just a garment. It was a gift of provision. It was the scent of another male's labor wrapped around his female.
"An Eagle beastman," Wang hissed, the name sounding like a curse. "I caught the scent of the sky at the base of the mountain. It was him. He touched you. He wrapped you in his own kill."
Wan's modern sense of fairness flared up even through her fear. "The scorpions dumped me in a ravine! If he hadn't swooped down, I'd be dead. He was injured because of me. He didn't mark me, he just didn't want me to freeze!"
Wang's jaw set into a hard, dangerous line. He looked over her shoulder at the darkening treeline where Wei Xiang had vanished moments before. The scent was still there, the crisp, sharp smell of high altitudes and cedar. Every instinct in his leopard soul screamed to hunt the bird down, to tear the wings from the creature that had dared to play 'provider' for his mate.
"Where is he?" Wang growled, his hand drifting toward the spear strapped to his back. "He fled because he knew a husband was coming to claim the blood debt."
"He's gone, Wang. He went to the Deep Forest," Lin Wan said, grabbing his arm to hold him back. "He said he wasn't worthy to stand near me because he got hurt during the rescue. He's going to train. He didn't do anything wrong."
Wang looked back at her, his expression a storm of conflicting emotions. In the beast world, another male providing for your mate was the ultimate insult to one's strength. But the fact that the eagle had admitted he was 'unworthy' and fled served as a silent acknowledgment of Wang's superior claim. It didn't stop the jealousy, but it satisfied his warrior's pride just enough to keep his spear sheathed.
Abruptly, Wang reached up and ripped the white goat hide from her shoulders. He didn't do it gently; he tossed the garment into the wind, watching as it tumbled down into the dark abyss of the cliff.
"Hey! That was. . ."
Before she could finish, Wang unfastened his own heavy, silver-spotted leopard hide. It was warm from his body and smelled intensely of him, of cedar, earth, and the scent of a male who had fought through a literal army to find her. He draped it around her, tying the leather thongs with a finality that made it clear she was never to take it off.
"You wear what I hunted or bought for you," Wang commanded, his golden eyes burning into hers. "You are my female. And I won't allow another male's scents or gifts to ever touch your skin again."
Lin Wan: Help! My husband is a big vinegar jar.