The moment Qin Mo shifted his hold, tucking Lin Wan into a secure, protective bridal carry against his chest, the atmosphere of the forest changed.

The eerie silence of the Whispering Woods was obliterated by a heavy, rhythmic thrumming, a sound like the beating of massive war drums, but faster, more visceral.

It was the sound of air being displaced by something colossal. The smaller branches of the ancient, twisted oaks above them began to snap and splinter under the sheer force of the downdraft.

Qin Mo froze, his entire body coiling like a spring. His pupils narrowed into vertical, obsidian slits, and a faint, shimmering pattern of silver scales began to ripple across his jawline.

His first instinct was the one that had kept him alive as a King in the treacherous beast city, even long before he became the king: to vanish. He wanted to merge into the shadows, to find a crevasse where his snake form could strike from the dark.

But the sound was descending directly upon them with the precision of a predator who had already locked onto its prey.

Lin Wan, her face pressed against the cool, herb-scented fabric of Qin Mo’s tunic, squinted through the shifting fog. High above the canopy, a flash of brilliant, metallic red caught the dim light, looking like a streak of fresh blood against the grey sky.

"Wait! Stop!" she whispered, her voice frantic as she felt the killing intent radiating from Qin Mo. She reached up, clutching his torn lapel with her small, scratched hands. "Don’t attack! It’s a friend. It’s Long Zhan."

Qin Mo didn’t relax, but he didn’t strike. A moment later, the Dragon Sovereign slammed into the earth with the force of a falling star.

The impact was so violent that a shockwave rippled through the clearing, sending a cloud of dust, dead leaves, and ancient mulch swirling around them in a choking vortex.

Long Zhan didn’t retract his wings immediately. They stayed unfurled, two towering, leathery sails of blood-red and gold that seemed to block out the rest of the world.

He stood there, his chest heaving, his violet eyes glowing with a terrifying, incandescent light. He looked like a god of destruction who had just descended to claim a soul.

But the moment his gaze landed on Lin Wan, safe, breathing, and looking back at him, the lethal fire in his eyes flickered and died, replaced by a sudden, agonizing relief that made his hands tremble.

That relief, however, lasted only a heartbeat. His eyes shifted downward, focusing on the man holding her.

"Put her down."

Long Zhan’s voice was no longer that of the composed, noble guest she had known in the village.

It carried the primal, bone-shaking resonance of a dragon’s roar, vibrating in the very marrow of Lin Wan’s bones. It was a command, backed by the authority of a High-Ranked Sovereign.

Qin Mo didn’t flinch. In fact, he seemed to grow taller, his own aura expanding to meet Long Zhan’s like a wall of cold iron. He tightened his grip on Lin Wan, pulling her closer until her heart was beating against his own.

"And why should I?" Qin Mo countered. His voice was smooth, elegant, and cold as the mountain ice, providing a sharp contrast to Long Zhan’s heat. "Who exactly are you to demand anything of me?"

The situation made Lin Wan want to vanish into thin air. She could feel the friction between them, two of the most powerful males in the beast world standing on the edge of a literal abyss, their auras clashing with enough force to make the nearby trees groan.

Qin Mo’s gaze was sharp, his muscles coiled and ready to strike the moment he could set her down safely. Long Zhan, on the other hand, looked ready to tear the forest apart to get her back into his own arms.

"I am her guardian beast," Long Zhan growled, taking a heavy step forward. The ground beneath his boots cracked, the obsidian soil unable to withstand his weight.

’Oh no... he actually said it, am doomed’ Lin Wan screamed internally, her face flushing a deep, embarrassed crimson. She couldn’t believe Long Zhan was still using that title, especially in front of Qin Mo, who was already prone to jealousy.

She buried her face in the hollow of Qin Mo’s throat, her fingers nervously twisting the fabric of his shirt.

"Guardian beast?" Qin Mo repeated, the words tasting like poison in his mouth. He looked down at the female in his arms, his silver eyes darkening until they were almost black. His teeth were gritted so hard Lin Wan could hear the faint creak of his jaw. "Wanwan, is his words true?"

Lin Wan didn’t look up. She couldn’t. ’’Thank God I didn’t fall for the chief’s and elders’ persuasion on choosing a new beast husband," she muttered into Qin Mo’s chest, her voice muffled but audible.

She was rambling now, the stress of the day finally making her filter disappear. She knew she was being a bit selfish, letting them argue, but she figured Qin Mo was more than capable of handling the "guardian" explanation once they were back in a place that didn’t have soul-eating trees.

"Wanwan..." A hurt, strained voice came from the side.

Long Zhan was watching her, his violet eyes filled with a raw, naked envy that made his heart ache.

He had spent the last hour in a state of near-insanity, pushed to the brink of a blood-rampage, ready to burn the entire Northern region to the ground to find her.

And now, he found her—not dying, but hiding her face against the chest of this silver-haired snake.

His dragon senses, sharper than any other beast’s, immediately picked up the details. He noticed that Lin Wan didn’t carry the snake’s mark on her neck or shoulder.

This meant that this male, despite his obvious familiarity and the way she clung to him, was also still waiting for her acceptance. They were on equal footing, and that thought gave Long Zhan a flicker of renewed hope.

"Are you okay?" Long Zhan asked, his voice softening only for her, the dragon’s roar subsiding into a low, rumbling purr of concern.

"Yes, I’m fine," Lin Wan answered, finally finding the courage to look up, though she stayed firmly tucked into Qin Mo’s embrace. "You don’t need to worry about me anymore. I’m good. I’m so sorry for worrying you, Long Zhan."

"No, it’s okay," Long Zhan replied, though his gaze never truly left Qin Mo, watching the snake’s hands as if expecting him to vanish with her at any second. "As long as you’re fine."

He squared his massive shoulders, his draconic horn glowing with a faint, internal heat. "Let’s take Wanwan back to the tribe. She needs a healer and a bed. She’s not alone anymore."

Qin Mo, who was already pivoting his body to carry her away from the cliff, paused mid-step. His brain took a second to process the phrasing. "What do you mean, ’not alone’?"

Long Zhan looked at Qin Mo, a smug, triumphant smirk finally tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He felt a petty, burning sense of victory in being the one to deliver the news. "Wanwan," he said, his voice echoing with a strange, solemn pride. "The cubs. She is carrying cubs now."

The effect on Qin Mo was instantaneous. The King of the Northern Caves, the man who had faced down armies of rogue beasts without blinking, went completely rigid. He looked down at Lin Wan, his silver eyes wide, searching her face for any sign of a lie.

"What? Really?!" he breathed, his voice barely a whisper.

He looked at the delicate, rosy blush creeping up her neck and the way she bit her lip, unable to meet his gaze. The realization hit him with the force of a physical blow to the heart. "Wanwan... you’re with cubs? You’re pregnant?"

"Yes," she whispered, her hand moving instinctively to cover her stomach.

The transformation in Qin Mo was something Lin Wan would remember for the rest of her life. The cold, regal mask of the Snake King vanished, replaced by a man struck by a state of pure, unadulterated ecstasy.

"Wow!" he laughed, a loud, bright, and jarring sound in the middle of the gloomy, cursed woods.

He didn’t care about the Dragon Sovereign watching them with a scowl. He didn’t care about the abyss or the monsters in the dark.

He hugged her so tight she let out a small squeak, and then, with a burst of energy, he began to spin her around in a dizzying circle.

"Cubs! My Wanwan is having cubs!"

Lin Wan couldn’t help it; the pure, radiant joy in his face was too infectious. She let out a small, bubbly giggle, the sound echoing through the twisted trees like a chime of silver.

For a moment, the horror of the day faded away. However, the joy was quickly followed by a distant, territorial roar from deep within the forest—a predator drawn to the sound of life and happiness in a place meant for death.

Long Zhan cut through the moment, his expression stern and authoritative. "Enough. Let’s go back to the tribe. It’s too risky here, and the air is turning. We need to get her into a warm room." He shot Qin Mo an accusatory look, as if the snake’s celebration was personally responsible for every monster in the woods.

Qin Mo quickly nodded, his brief moment of obliviousness replaced by a fierce, terrifying protectiveness. He held Lin Wan even closer, shielding her body with his own as if he could hide her from the very wind.

He took off running, his movements fluid, silent, and incredibly fast, while Long Zhan took to the air, his red wings beating steadily just above the canopy to guide them through the fog.