Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter Sixty-eight

Shuu had made many decisions in his life that went against what was advised, all because they felt right. This moment with Bailey in his arms felt more right than any decision he had ever made. He had berated himself many times for almost letting her slip away. When he was in Harvey's clinic for days after being whipped, he had plenty of time to think about how much help he'd received from Bailey and how Qingqing had always seen his assistance and advances as burdensome. Even so, he thought that Qingqing was the one he truly cared for. At least, until his nephews got into trouble in her territory.

He hadn't seen the whole thing, but what he did, told him that Qingqing, though kind to everyone, truly only cared about herself. She was one to speak without thought and act without consequence, but was too much of a coward to make decisions when it really mattered; allowing her mates to run rampant. His nephews almost lost their lives because she let her feral mate do whatever he wished. It was Bailey who put herself in harm's way and prevented the deaths that most assuredly would have taken place if she hadn't been there.

This fiery female found value even in a stranger's life and when she nearly lost hers, he felt like the world would end. His world would end. Since then, he finally understood what it was that he felt for her. He didn't dream that she would accept him as a male after all his foolish entanglements with Qingqing. So, when she proposed to mate, not with Shuu, but with the wolf prince, he was overjoyed. He would have been willing to stay her guardian for the rest of his life and would have been happy with that, but she claimed to want him and his grey world suddenly had color. He felt that even if her hair was the only color he could see for the rest of his life, he would be happy. That beautiful, soft, straight waterfall that lay across his skin as she used his arm for a pillow; he prayed it would never be out of his reach again.

With his mark on her left ribs, his mate had fallen asleep. It took an hour before he could disentangle himself from her, be he wished it had taken longer. He watched as her eyelashes flickered with the dreams that he wished he could see. But she was his dream and would be for the rest of his life.

Wilbert had gone back to his castle as fast as he could after he acquired both the emerald and the cleansing bar recipe. After his mate consumed the emerald and used the sample bar, her mood had been better than he'd seen it in years. After so long, she finally gave him her favor. They held each other until long after the moons had set.

Now exhausted, his mermaid mate was fast asleep atop her lavish bed of only the softest furs. He slowly and quietly extricated himself from them and though loathe to leave her even for a second, he had something he needed to do before the sun rose.

He had not come back with only two items, but three. He made his way to one of the quietest, darkest rooms of his castle and in his hand, a single strand of red hair reflected the starlight. The room he soon arrived at was the one he used to practice his mental skills and was entirely unadorned. Only a single bearskin rug laid upon the ground where he would sit for hours on end. In this room was also a leather bag hidden behind a loose stone in the wall.

He took the bag from its hiding place and sat down on the rug, upending it in front of him. Three tiny clear gems glittered on the furry backdrop. He then laid the long strand of hair down just above them. He congratulated himself once again for having the forethought to blackmail the ape healer living in the tiger king's castle to steal these few gems during the chaos after the duel. Though three gems could buy a village, he didn't think the new tiger king would know if was him that took them. He purposefully did not take all of the gems in their treasury to make it seem like it was the old tiger king who squandered them and not a thief. Three was the minimum he needed to succeed in his plan.

Wilbert didn't have time to wait around and gain his stripes naturally. It took apes twice as long as any other beast to gain them and though the tiger king was replaced, he was no closer to gaining complete control of the city. If anything, he was further away from his goal. He still had the Wolf King, Winston, the tetra-marked feral, the Leopard King, and the Tiger Queen's feral to contend with. Neither Bailey nor the red feral's female had done anything to him yet, but Bailey knew too much and Qingqing's feral was stronger than any of the kings. If they joined forces to take over the city, he wouldn't be able to stop them. Both females posed an unpredictable threat. He needed to be stronger. Now.

That was what the gems were for. With those three little things, he could get his third stripe and then using the Tiger Queen's hair, he would be able to see just how much she knew and where she got that information. He grinned in anticipation. Gaining stripes with gems wasn't recommended but he had been close to his third for years. He weighed the risks and figured it worth it.

Reaching his long knobby fingers out, he swiped up the gems and placed all three on his tongue. As they melted, he felt an incredible surge of energy and then his pulse quickened almost painfully fast. He could hear the rush of blood through his veins and each muscle fill and expand with power. His eyes turned white and the stars which were outside this windowless room filled his vision. But it wasn't just his physical body that gained strength, his mind did as well. Things he had thought confusing were now clear. Conundrums he had agonized over resolved themselves. And then the string that connected him with the powers of nature and gods grew stronger, wider.

With a gasp, Wilbert collapsed onto his back and his body shook with painful tremors. His fist clenched to the point of drawing blood and his teeth clenched with horrible grinding sounds. His nose bled, his ears bled, and tears streamed down his face. An hour that felt like an eternity went by like that and when the tremors finally ceased, he felt born again.

Taking what felt like his first breath, Wilbert lifted himself back into a sitting position. He didn't need anyone to tell him, he could feel the power of the third mark coursing through him. He smiled so wide he felt his face might split in two. Chuckling to himself over his success, he reached out for the red strand of hair. It was time to put his power to the test.

Wilbert held the strand aloft and as he concentrated, the very end sparked and ignited. Smoke quickly filled the room despite such little fuel and Wilbert gazed intently into it. Soon, images formed and he could see a female fox cub being born surrounded by cries of happiness. The images changed the growing cub taking her first steps. Then again, she grew old enough to attend her first bonfire, to be introduced to the village. She grew again into a female coming of age and choosing her first mate. The scenes of happiness changed to ones of death and disease, to her running away with her mate and being attacked by scorpions. Wilbert waited for the rest to come, to see the female meet Winston and arrive at the City of Beasts, but instead the smoke shimmered with iridescence. He peered into it, forcing it to take shape until two eyes stared at the Ape King from the hazy depths. The eyes glowed with an ethereal golden light. Great fangs formed beneath the eyes and with a deafening roar, the fangs devoured the smoke until the air in the room was devoid of it and Wilbert on his rug was the only thing left.

Sweat covered every inch of his body and he trembled as though all heat had left the world. His eyes were bloodshot but he continued to stare into the blackness until dawn broke. When his mind finally processed what he had seen, his body shivered once again but this time, in fear. The fox female whose fate he wished to see would forever be unattainable. Hers was a fate protected by none other than the Beast God.