Chapter 120: I owe you no explanation
At first, Mira’s eyes creased. She was not sure if she heard him right. "What do you mean?" She asked carefully and took a step closer to him.
Ming Tao immediately snapped. "Like I said before, I owe you no explanation. You will respect my guests and treat them right."
There he was again, the cold person she met this morning. Mira swallowed. She almost fell for that and it made her feel stupid. It was as if he was purposely toying with her emotions because he knew it would get to her. Almost like he wanted to give her some hope all to snatch it away. Mira could not understand this new behaviour and she could not think of anything to warrant it. Why was her own husband letting an outsider into the clan when he knew fully well how dangerous that person was to her?
"Will you still treat me this way if you knew I was with child?" Mira asked in a solemn whisper. "If for instance, there was a possibility that our mating two nights before created an offspring." She voiced.
Ming Tao’s eyes softened. "But you’re not carrying any babies." He uttered. "Do not try to trick me into believing something that is not. I will not let you control me."
Mira swallowed. Not a flicker of change was portrayed by him in the slightest and it made her accept the fact that she would not inform him of her condition. Mira faked a smile. She felt furious yet drained at the same time. "You’re right." She proclaimed, accepting his words. "I won’t. I don’t have intentions of controlling you, Ming Tao." Mira stepped back. There was nothing more for her to say. He did not seem to care anyway. "Enjoy bonding with your guest." Mira added before walking away.
Her heart wrenched in her chest as she made her way back to his room. Mira could not help but feel foreign in her own husband’s home. In a clan where he was the only one who communicated with her like she was a being, it felt lonely to not have him by her side. She felt betrayed. It felt like a replay of what happened in the lion clan and Mira hated that this time, her lion king was not here.
No one was here to take her side, absolutely no one. Mira’s body bumped into someone. She looked up to see Shu Hua. A while ago, she thought this woman would be her greatest problem here but even this beast woman knew when to back off. Ever since Shu Hua witnessed Mira and Ming Tao share a passionate kiss, she stopped trying.
"Forgive me, mighty cheetah’s wife." Shu Hua said with a bow. Mira’s brow raised. That was respectful. Since when was Shu Hua respectful?
"I. . ." Mira stammered. "It’s okay. This was all me." Mira added.
Shu Hua raised her head up then flashed Mira a smile. "I plan to leave this home as soon as possible. If you need me, I will be at my abode." Shu Hua said.
This felt really sketchy and Mira could not help but narrow her gaze. "What changed?" She blurted out before she could process the words.
Shu Hua’s face turned red. "It is the least I can do to the woman who fed and provided a solution to our crisis. I am in your debt and out of your hair."
Mira’s eyes widened. Had the farm already began to produce fruit? She needed to go and check it for herself! And was all it took a good meal to make Shu Hua tame? Was this all Yu Xuan’s doing? After all, she was the one who assigned this ’overly fertile’ female to spy on her. Unless Shu Hua had met Hye Yang and wanted no competition. Mira could not tell so she just accepted the gesture.
A thought suddenly came to Mira. Hye Yang bragged about being liked by the cheetahs. Mira could use it against her. "You did say you are in my debt, right?" Mira asked.
"Yes. Anything you want."
A wicked smile immediately formed on Mira’s lips. Hye Yang might have escaped the pest infestation in the pride but she was going nowhere here. She wanted to stay, fine, Mira would let her, but not without consequences.
"I will hold onto that. I will need you very soon." Mira said to Shu Hua with a smile.
Shu Hua bowed again. Her voice was soft as silk as she murmured. "Whenever you need. And forgive me for overstepping boundaries when I newly arrived here. I knew so little."
This was another thing that made Mira stunned. All it took was meat? She could dominate them with this. It was like a super power.
[You are welcome, host!] System chimed. Mira rolled her eyes at that.
She returned her gaze to Shu Hua. "Please, say no more, all if forgiven." Mira worded. If the other cheetahs were this way, then it would be easy to chase Hye Yang away from the cheetah clan. But she would not let them know the real intentions of her plan. After all, there was still some likeness between the cheetahs and other beast people.
"You are too kind." Shu Hua said.
With that, Mira left her and walked into Ming Tao’s room. She could not help but replay the words he said to her back at the stream in her head.
’Darling. . . . please, help me, I am not myself.’
Mira let out a sigh. Help him from what exactly? She thought. She made her way to the bed and laid down flat with her back to the fur. She stretched her arms wide at both her sides and stared up to face the wooden ceiling. And what did he mean by ’I am not myself’?
Mira needed to find out. Something was not right, and truly, that was all she really hoped for. She hoped he was influenced by something rather than switched back to the old him the moment he knew her feelings for him deepened. Mira turns to the side, her face etched with worry. Whatever it was that was wrong, she would get to the bottom of it.
A/N: MASS RELEASE OF THREE ChapterS COMING UP SOON!
