Chapter 108: Ready to kill
Mira felt her heart race. She had never seen Jia Hao be so cautious of his surroundings as intensely as he was right now and she wondered if this was because he was aware that she was with child.
The heavy banging on the door continued and it felt like whoever was behind that door wanted to break it till only bits remained. Mira swallowed. Anyone who habited the cheetah clan would know that you could just push the door and it would open because the woodwork of the doors were not as firm as that on earth yet whoever was there was idle of that fact. This was another hint that it was not a cheetah.
Mira swallowed, she placed her hands on her belly and stayed behind Jia Hao. She heard the cracking of his bones before he shifted. Jia Haoโs canines were visible and his growl resounded in the space they were in.
Whoever was behind that door was about to come in and Jia Hao was prepared to launch an attack once the person or people set foot inside.
Mira heard the wood creak. The scene unfolded in her head in slow motion as every single movement made her heart skip. She could even hear her own breathing slowed.
"Wait!" Shot through the other end faintly, Mira recognised that voice but she could not put a face to it because of how distant it sounded. "Do not make entry without permission. That home belongs to the ruler of this clan, show some respect!" The person who shouted before was a male. This made Miraโs brow raise. She heard the sound of feet stomping against the ground accompanied by heavy pants, like someone was running.
"Sorry. We did not know." Another one said, this voice was foreign and refined. From the accent Mira could tell it was not a beast man from these parts. The banging on the door came to an abrupt halt and so did the movement of the door.
"My King, are you inside?" Shot from the other end of the door, a breathy voice. It belonged to the man who stopped the intruders from entering.
"That is a lion. A member of my tribe." Jia Hao turned his face back and said to Mira. He redirected his attention to the door and hardened his face. "You have said it." He responded to the man at the other end.
"Forgive our uncouth intrusion, my king. Messengers from the Ruling Oracle have arrived with word for you." The beast man said. Jia Hao did not let his guard down but he let the hardness on his face falter. Those messengers were lucky a member from the pride arrived before they came in, he would have massacred them.
Jia Hao remained in his lion form. "Make your presence known. But do not let them enter." Jia Hao said to his pride member.
"As you wish, my king." The pride member responded. Chatter came from the other end of the door before the beast man came in.
Mira recognised him immediately. It was one of the lion beast men who escorted her to the cheetah clan. She let out a sigh of relief on sighting him. The change in the atmosphere at his appearance was a change Mira desperately needed. So many thoughts ran through her head and one of them were pretty.
At the sight of her, the lion beast man bowed. "It is an honour to be at your presence again, mother." He worded.
Mira smiled. This respect from the lions was something she did not get in this clan and she had no idea how much she missed it. These cheetahs wanted to drive her to some best world alternative of a psych ward and they nearly achieved it.
"I am delighted to see you are doing well. Forgive me for not relieving you of your duties after my arrival to the clan. I have been occupied with countless things." Mira said to him. Her voice was soft and feminine and full of respect.
Jia Hao spared Mira a gaze. He knew nothing was going on here but part of him was filled with jealousy. It had been so long since he saw her and he did not like that another man heard her soft, feminine voice.
[Warning!
Lion King Jia Hao is jealous of Hostโs interaction with the lion beast man.
Stop being nice to the lion beast man, host!]
Eh? Mira thought. She could not even begin to think about this. She shook the warning off with a nod.
"Oh please, do not worry at all. I have had the most fun spending time with my cheetah cousins. I should thank you for giving me the opportunity." The lion beast man responded. Mira parted her lips to say something but Jia Hao cleared his throat.
Such a petty king, me likey, Mira said in her mind.
The lion beast man redirected his attention from Mira to Jia Hao and went on his knees and bowed, his head touched the ground and he shut his eyes while holding both of his hands before his head. "Long live the king." The beast man said.
"Rise." Jia Hao said to him.
"Thank you, my king." The beast man said. He raised his body up but stayed on his knees. "The messengers came with urgent news. The oracle needs you for a matter that could not be passed on to the messengers. Only the lion king needs to hear it first hand."
Jia Haoโs eyes darkened. He did not come to the cheetah clan all to be dragged away for something else. He wanted to spend time with his wife and relay to her all the things her children wanted her to know. And now that he knew she was pregnant, in her most vulnerable state, he wanted to stay. The cheetahs had not welcomed Mira into their clan and Jia Hao thought she would need the warmth.
"How soon am I needed?" Jia Hao asked. If there was going to be any bit of time for him to laze around with his wife, he would take it without a second thought.
"According to them, as soon as possible. It is a dire matter that requires your urgency. All the other ruling clans will be notified too. But only after you make your presence absolute." The beast man said.
Jia Hao felt crazed. How on earth did these people find him all the way from the lion clan to Ming Taoโs coalition? Was he followed the entire time? He did not like this one bit.
"Tell the messengers that I have received their message and I will give my response in due time. Since this was on such short notice without any of this being a plan in my schedule, I have to prepare. At my own pace." Jia Hao uttered.
The beast man understood the assignment. He bowed again before getting on his feet. "I will do my best to stall and let them back on their journey, my king."
The beast man faced Mira and bowed before heading out of the entrance.
Mira let out a sigh. "Theyโre lucky. You would have turned them into lunch." Mira joked.
On a normal day, Jia Hao would have laughed at it but today was not the right day. That news had ruined his mood. He smiled just to let Mira know he understood the joke.
"I guess duty calls for you." Mira said.
"I wish we could spend more time together." Jia Hao said. "I do not want to go." He breathed.
Mira sighed. She wanted him to stay too. They just met after so long. She had a lot of questions to ask. She wondered how he coped being the singe dad without her there to coparent with him.
She wanted to also ask for him to visit when she has birth again so her kids would meet their sibling from a different father. They had so much to catch up on yet he just had to be the king.
"We can always spend time together. It may not be now, but I wonโt be pregnant forever." Mira teased. "Go and be the king we love you to be then return to this humble subject and show me some love." Mira grinned.
Jia Hao walked to her. He let his nose run against her stomach and licked. That tickled Mira tried not to laugh. She let her hand sink into his hair and threaded through it, giving him a pat.
Jia Hao shit his eyes and let her pat him. He purred. That felt so good. So so good. He missed her touch.
"I will stay with you for another day or two before leaving." Jia Hao worded.
"I will appreciate that." Mira said, still stroking her giant kitty on the face. His tail whooshed behind him so vigorously that she could tell he enjoyed it. He was still the same. That was nice to witness.
"And while I am here, I will leave with a gift. I will do my best to aid solve the cause of your problem." Jia Hao said. His eyes shot open and a sinister glint fixed onto his orbs. He knew what fox he smelt and he wanted to be the one to get her.
