Ryan suppressed his anger and slowly squeezed a curse from the depths of his throat, turning away from Scarlet's house.
Scarlet's figure flashed in an instant.
Before Ryan had become the chief, he had been on the leopard elders. He could be said to have survived two leaders before, so he liked to think he had seniority.
For example, this issue with Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu. Scarlet had to make his decision for the breeding of the race. He thought that even if Ryan was angry, he would eventually be pressured into compromising.
However, now, it seems otherwise.
When Ryan arrived in the backstreet where the females lived, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu had disappeared.
A wounded male beastman lay in front of him and was surrounded by several helpless females.
When Ryan stepped forward, he saw the other's hand was pierced by a blade and there was fragments of a firecracker on his body. Ryan's eyes sharpened. He stretched out his claws and clutched the top of his neck to lift him off the ground, squeezing tightly as he said dangerously, "Where is she?"
These kinds of strange things could only come from Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's space.
The male beastman was wounded in the stomach and groaned in agony, "Who?"
Ryan's voice was cold, "My female."
The male saw Ryan's face and his body shook. His whole body was alert and though he didn't know why Ryan had appeared, he subconsciously said, ". . . she went there."
Ryan threw him heavily backward on the ground and went in the direction he had pointed.
The male breathed a sigh of relief and thought he had not escaped. He did not expect Ryan to leave behind a sentence, "Once, I said whoever dared to get ideas about her can leave the race. Pierce, you know what to do."
On the last hunting trip, Corey had jokingly talked about Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu, and Ryan had warned the tribe then. Pierce had also been there.
Pierce heard these words and he was astonished. He endured the pain and sat up, "Chief, you. . ."
Ryan's face was expressionless, "Be warned. I mean immediately."
Olympus stood in the back and looked at Ryan's leaving back, her face changing.
Chief Ryan had actually came to this place personally for that female. . .
Olympus thought that Ryan had only felt "saving grace" for that female, but it was far from that.
Was it true what the tribe were saying? That he would violate the rules of the clan and monopolize that female?
However, Olympus turned to think. What if Ryan really found that female? The rules of the leopards were simple. Unless he wanted to become the enemy of the entire tribe, he could not poke the anger of his people.
*
When the minute hand pointed to five o'clock, it was going to get dark soon.
Concealed in a narrow corner, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu sank with her hands around her knees and tried to reduce the intensity of his presence.
The catnip sachet on her body was lost when she fled and the scent of oil on her body was getting lighter and lighter. Once it was dark, if the leopard beastmen found her, she had nowhere to run in midst her "estrus."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu recalled all she saw during the day. The beasts were on that female's body. . .
There was even a leopard that transformed into his animal shape.
Although it was clear theyu were both leopards, the image had a lasting impact on Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's mind and her psyche wasn't well.
She wanted to puke. . .
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu covered her mouth and even her breathing was light. She was afraid she was going to be treated the same if she was taken back.
Even so, there were abrupt footsteps nearby.
In the distance then they came closer, stepping on Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's heart.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's body suddenly tensed and she shrank back. Holding her taser, she reached in her space for a firecracker.
All her defenses were raised.
However, she knew deep inside that the other person was very powerful and her taser would only cause temporary paralysis for him. The firecrackers were not explosive after all, and they weren't powerful. They could scar, but they weren't enough to repel them.
The only lucky thing on her side was that they were alone.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu held her breath and prepared herself, waiting for them to come in front of her. The tall figure stretched above her and lifted the taser without hesitation toward his chest——
Her wrist was caught in midair and the other cut her off. The large hand clasped her wrist tight and she couldn't move at all.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's face paled and she immediately tensed her hand with the firecracker and the other suddenly said in a low-pitched voice:
"Xiǎo Ōu, it's me."
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu opened her stunned eyes to look at the other's face.
. . .
That was the first time Ryan ever called her name.
It didn't feel that strange at all. It fell from his tongue naturally, like he had called her name many times in his heart.
In that moment, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu pulled with all her strength and retreated.
Ryan reached out for her but she subconsciously hid. It was with an instinctive repulsion and an undisguised aversion.
Ryan's arm went stiff, then he defied her resistance, and bent over to carry her, straightening back up.
Through that all, nothing was said.
"No, don't. Let me down!" Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu desperately struggled against his shoulders. But now, she didn't care about anything, other than needing to leave this place. After struggling for a long time with nothing to show for it, she ruthlessly bit down on Ryan's neck and soon her mouth overflowed with the sweet scent of rust.
Times like this, she wished she had never saved Táo Táo, that she didn't know Ryan, that she hadn't fallen into such a bad situation.
Instead of loosening his hold on her, Ryan held her tighter and freed one hand to clasp at her back.
After a time, he sighed, "I'm sorry. I broke my promise."
When Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was taken by Rhode, Ryan had promised her that he would never let her encounter something like that again.
But today, he broke it.
Now she was in an even more precarious situation and saw such an embarrassing part of their race.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu's teeth on Ryan's neck slowly loosened and big, fat tears rolled down from her eyes as she cried out.
The warm, hot tears streamed down her cheeks and onto Ryan's neck, her wet lashes licking at his skin and itching it, almost melting his heart.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu shed her tears, and though she didn't say anything, she no longer resisted him. She wrapped her arm around his neck and buried her face in his throat, sadder still.
"Ryan. . ." Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu whimpered, cringing to ask, "You asked Wilbur to knock me out and take me to that place?"
Ryan froze and his eyes hardened, "No." He never wanted to share her with anyone.
"Living with you, don't I give you trouble?"
"No."
"Olympus said you should set an example and if you can't resist the pressure, to let me out of here. I don't want to go to that kind of place. I am not your people, why should I be treated like this by them. . ."
Ryan hugged the little girl to him, one arm holding her hips and the other he raised to her small face. He deliberately withdrew his claws and wiped away her tears with his finger.
"I said you are different from them," her tears continued to flow and the more he wiped them away, the more she cried. Eventually, Ryan simply bowed his head and licked them away, "Give me another chance to handle this matter."
*
Ryan carried Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu home but the sky had quickly turned black.
The darkness of night was so dark one could almost ring out ink.
That evening, Ryan appeased her for a long time and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was finally able to set aside the idea of leaving for the time being.
Her small body huddled in the corner and was in the most primitive defensive posture, and even asleep, she wouldn't let Ryan touch her.
Ryan tried to hold her in his arms but she struggled and gave a knee-jerk whimper, "No, I don't want to stay here. . ."
Today's matters had left a shadow on her psychological state.
The next day, even before it was bright, Ryan commanded Dole to lead all the people to the competitive highlands behind the race.
This was where the leaders of the leopards were elected.
Saying elected, but it was more appropriated that "competition" was more suitable.
Whoever had the power to defeat all the people that came to challenge would be the next leader.
The leader was elected for ten years and since Ryan had been an adult, he had been the leader of the tribe. Now it was his tenth year.
After daybreak, all the people of the leopard family was gathered there. The males to females beastmen had a ratio about seven to one.
All the people's faces were full of questions.
One year before the next election, why did Ryan bring them all here?
Was the time being brought up?
Some of the tribe looked at Elder Scarlet who stood to one side and tried to seek answers from him.
Scarlet just shook his head and said uneasily, "The Chief didn't tell me beforehand." That meant don't ask him, he didn't know either.
After a while, Ryan finally arrived.
But he was not alone.
All the people shifted their eyes to the female in his arms. When they recognized Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu, they knew she was the female that Ryan had brought back.
Because the female had exquisite facial features and delicate skin and a compact figure not seen in their race, many of the males were impressed with her.
Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was being held in Ryan's arms, her face buried in his neck, feeling ashamed and puzzled.
Ryan took her out of bed early in the morning and did not explain any reasoning to her. Then he brought her here. . .
It was all of his people and after what happened yesterday, she didn't like any of them.
"This is my female."
Ryan met the eyes of each one and calmly, quietly said, "Or, rather, my spouse."
As soon as the word "spouse" was said, all the people were blinded with shock.
A spouse?! Wasn't that when just a female was paired with a male?
Scarlet trembled and his face was incredulous, "Chief, you. . . what does this mean?"
"It's simple, but anyone who dares cover her will end up like Pierce." Ryan licked his teeth and everything was cold and gloomy.
Pierce was kicked out of the race by Ryan yesterday, and that smell of blood soon led over a group of hyenas. The hyenas ganged up on Pierce and without the protection of the race, Pierce was quickly defeated by the hyenas and eaten until there wasn't even the bones left behind.
In the face of the astonishment of the tribe, Ryan then said something more——
"From now on, the leopards will no longer share the females, but only a lifelong spouse."
End Chapter 46 of 77
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