I Abandoned My Beast Cubs for the Protagonist... Oops?-Chapter 27: A Ripple In The Ice

Han Shān stood at the edge of the clearing, his arms crossed over his chest, and tried to make sense of the impossible.

The woman laughing with the cubs, his cubs, all of them really, since they’d become a communal pack, wasn’t supposed to exist. The Bai Yue he knew would have kicked Xiao Hei for getting dirt on her skirt. She would have sneered at Yòu Lín’s sticky hands and shouted at Miao Miao for being too loud.

But this woman? This woman was letting A-Li climb up her back like she was a tree while Miao Miao braided flowers into her hair.

What happened to make a monster this...soft?

Han Shān’s jaw tightened. People didn’t change overnight. They couldn’t. And yet.....

His eyes drifted to Zhāo Yàn, who stood beside Bai Yue like a shadow. The Fox Lord’s hand rested on her shoulder, casual but unmistakably possessive. When one of the younger wolf beastmen got too close, offering Bai Yue a piece of honeyed fruit, Zhāo Yàn’s ears flattened and a low growl rumbled in his chest.

The wolf backed away immediately.

Since when does Zhāo Yàn defend her? Han Shān thought, his brow furrow deepening. The Fox Lord had been the most vocal about Bai Yue’s cruelty. He had spent months keeping Yòu Lín away from her, protecting his son from a mother who treated him like a burden.

Now he stood there like a guard dog, watching her every move with something that looked suspiciously like...fondness.

Han Shān’s fingers dug into his biceps. This makes no sense.

"Why do you want to see my son?"

Bai Yue jumped, nearly dropping the flower crown Miao Miao had just placed on her head. Her eyes went wide as she spotted him, and Han Shān watched the color drain from her face.

"I—I—" she stuttered, her hands twisting in her fur skirt. "I’m sorry! I shouldn’t—I didn’t mean to—"

She was flinching, like she expected him to hit her.

The old Bai Yue would have screamed at him for daring to question her. She would have thrown something, called him names, threatened to have him whipped.

This Bai Yue looked like she wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

Han Shān rolled his eyes, annoyed at himself for caring about the fear in her expression. He let out a long breath through his nose, his shoulders dropping slightly.

"Ruì Xuě did ask after you," he admitted, the words tasting strange on his tongue. It had surprised him earlier this morning when his son had tugged on his hand and asked, in that tiny, hopeful voice, "Is Mama coming today?"

Mama. He had called her Mama.

Han Shān sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine. You can see him."

Bai Yue’s face lit up like the sunrise. "Really? Oh, thank you! I won’t—"

"But I will follow you," Han Shān growled, stepping forward. Zhāo Yàn sighed beside her, his tail flicking with irritation.

"What?" Han Shān snapped, turning his glare on the Fox Lord.

Zhāo Yàn said nothing in response, and Han Shān’s scowl deepened. He turned on his heel and began walking toward the huts on the western edge of the clearing, where Li Shuǐ lived with her wolf mate and their pup.

He didn’t need to look back to know Bai Yue and Zhāo Yàn were following. He could hear her soft footsteps, the rustle of her skirt, the nervous little breaths she took when she was anxious.

Since when do I notice things like her breathing?

They reached Li Shuǐ’s hut quickly. It was a modest structure, warm and well-maintained, with soft furs hanging in the doorway. The sound of high-pitched giggling drifted out, mixing with the deeper rumble of a wolf’s amused growl.

"In here," Han Shān said curtly, pushing aside the fur curtain.

Inside, the scene was peaceful. Li Shuǐ sat by the fire, nursing baby A-Wù while humming a soft lullaby. Her mate, Láng Fēi, was sprawled on a pile of furs, watching with tired but content eyes.

And there, in the corner, playing with a set of carved wooden animals, was Ruì Xuě.

The little snow leopard cub had a tiny wooden bird in one hand and a rabbit in the other, making them "talk" to each other in a squeaky voice. His white hair fell into his purple eyes, and his little tail twitched with concentration.

Han Shān felt his chest warm, the way it always did when he saw his son. My cub. My perfect, precious cub.

"Ruì Xuě," he called softly.

The cub’s head snapped up. "Papaaaaa!" he shrieked, abandoning the toys and sprinting across the hut with his arms outstretched.

Han Shān smiled and crouched down, catching his son mid-leap and lifting him high into the air. Ruì Xuě giggled, his little hands grabbing onto Han Shān’s white hair.

"Did you have fun playing?" Han Shān asked, pressing his forehead against his son’s.

"Yes! A-Wù showed me his new tooth! And Auntie Li gave me honey-sticks!" Ruì Xuě babbled excitedly. Then, mid-sentence, his eyes drifted past his father’s shoulder.

He froze.

Han Shān felt the change immediately. The little body in his arms went rigid, and Ruì Xuě quickly buried his face in Han Shān’s neck, his tiny fingers gripping his father’s tunic.

He saw her.

Han Shān turned slightly, still holding his son. Bai Yue stood in the doorway, half-hidden behind Zhāo Yàn. Her hands were clasped nervously in front of her, and she was biting her lower lip.

She looked...nervous.

For a long moment, no one moved. Han Shān could feel his son trembling against him, could hear the rapid flutter of his little heartbeat.

Then, slowly, Ruì Xuě peeked out from his hiding spot. His purple eyes, so like his mother’s, locked onto Bai Yue. He stared. She stared back.

And then, to Han Shān’s utter shock, Ruì Xuě waved. It was just a tiny, hesitant flutter of his hand, his fingers barely moving.

Bai Yue’s breath hitched. She waved back, her smile trembling at the corners.

Ruì Xuě looked at his father, then back at Bai Yue. Then, in a move that made Han Shān’s entire world tilt on its axis, the cub reached out with both arms.

Toward her.

"Oh—I—" Bai Yue stuttered, her eyes going wide. She looked at Han Shān like she was asking permission, like she didn’t dare believe what was happening.

Han Shān’s throat felt tight. He wanted to say no. He wanted to hold his son close and leave, to protect him from the woman who had caused so much pain.

But Ruì Xuě was still reaching, his little fingers opening and closing.

"You may take him," Han Shān heard himself say, his voice rough.

Bai Yue moved forward slowly, like she was approaching a wild animal. When she reached them, Han Shān carefully transferred his son into her arms.

Ruì Xuě settled against her immediately, his small body relaxing in a way that made Han Shān’s chest crack.

"Hi, little Xuě," Bai Yue whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I missed you."

The cub didn’t answer. Instead, he reached up and grabbed a strand of her long, dark hair, winding it around his fingers. He tugged gently, testing its texture, then let out a soft, happy sound.

Zhāo Yàn stepped closer, and without a word, reached out to pet Ruì Xuě’s white hair. The cub looked up at the Fox Lord and gave him a shy smile, leaning into the touch.

"Hello, snowflake. How are you?"

Bai Yue was murmuring softly to Ruì Xuě, telling him about the monkey she had chased and the dragon who was very grumpy. The cub giggled, and reached up to pat her cheek.

"You’re warm, Mama," he said simply.

Han Shān’s jaw tightened. Mama. There it was again.

Li Shuǐ, who had been watching the scene with wide eyes, caught Han Shān’s gaze and gave him a look that said do you see this? He nodded stiffly.

He saw it. He just didn’t know what to do with it.

Then Ruì Xuě said something that made the entire hut go silent.

"I want to stay with Cursed Female."

Han Shān’s brain must have snapped. "...What?"

Ruì Xuě looked up at him, and he nodded, his little chin set with determination. "I want to stay with her. At her hut. Please, Papa?"

This can’t be happening.

Han Shān stared at his son, at the hopeful expression on his face, at the way he was clutching Bai Yue’s wrap like he was afraid she’d disappear.

He looked at Bai Yue, who looked just as shocked as he felt. Her mouth was opening and closing, no words coming out.

He looked at Zhāo Yàn, who had the audacity to look smug.

If this is a trick...if she hurts him...

But Ruì Xuě was asking for this. His son, who flinched at loud noises and hid behind Han Shān’s legs when strangers came near, was asking to stay with the woman who had once locked him in a shed.

Very well.

"Fine," Han Shān said, his voice flat. He stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Ruì Xuě’s forehead, breathing in the scent that always clung to his son. "You may stay. For today."

Ruì Xuě beamed. "Thank you, Papa!"

Han Shān straightened, his expression hardening as he turned his gaze to Bai Yue. He leaned in close, and growled one final warning.

"If he comes back with so much as a scratch, there will be nowhere in this realm you can hide from me."

Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the hut, the fur curtain falling shut behind him.

He didn’t look back.