Chương 69: 69 - The Rootless's First Desire (3k words)
Bart's POV
"Wait," Mitchell suddenly halted at his steps, switching his attention from Yaya to me, "What do you mean you were used to Rosa mating with other males, and why would that foul female care if you heard her mating or not?"
I was too stunned to answer and looked around for support. Muir was sleeping in his eagle form, and Vick was leaning against him, along with the cubs, also sleeping. Curtis went hunting for food in the ocean, and Gold had already returned to his people.
Yaya was leisurely dipping her feet in the ocean, but when she noticed my predicament, she beckoned me to join her.
I did as I was told and sat down next to her. I felt blood rushing to my face when she suddenly pushed my head into her lap and caressed my head like she caressed my cubs, then explained in my stead, "Bart wasn't always my male, right Bart? It didn't matter if he was mated or not. I wanted him the moment I saw him, so I snatched him from Rosa."
My heart skipped a beat. The way she twisted the truth to make me sound so desirable almost made me believe it myself.
"What?" Mitchell gasped in shock, "So not only do you treat your males as servants, but you also steal them from other females?! I knew you were a nasty female!"
No, it wasn't like that. It wasn't Yaya's fault. I should be the one to take responsibility for my decision. I thought that Rosa was a cruel female, but Yaya was on a different level. She had no mercy, not even toward herself...
I got up and opened my mouth to explain, but she put her hand over my lips. I wanted to speak up in her defense, but the soothing touch of her fingers running through my hair rendered me silent. It was as if they were saying, don't worry, everything will be fine.
Why was I such a coward? I no longer had to fear the consequences of defying Rosa, no longer had to fear being cast out. I spent enough time with her to figure out that she would never hurt my cubs, or anyone they cared about.
I was free, so why couldn't I speak up? Nobody around me was standing up to her, so I decided to follow their example and pretend that nothing was wrong. But it was wrong. I felt wrong.
The only time I saw someone stand up to her was when Vick confronted Rosa, and it was only because Rosa offended him directly.
Mitchell was the Flame City's King. He could hurt her, her males, our cubs, and anyone associated with her. Yet she was still mocking him without batting an eye, and even had the guts to say, "And what's wrong with that? Doesn't your kind kidnap other females and remove their male's spousal imprints as well?"
Mitchell didn't say anything. He was probably thinking hard of a comeback. She always had a way to shut him up, and I could only imagine how frustrating that must have been. After a while, he turned his attention to me again.
"So you don't have feelings for her?" He laughed, "Hahaha, now it finally makes sense why you keep such a distance from her. It turns out you don't even like her!" He paused, "It's my first time hearing about a case where a female turns a male into a rootless to keep him by her side. She must be really desperate, huh? I wonder if it's because she looks like a toad?"
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't frightened at first, not by her looks but by her intimidating aura. She didn't have five eyes, two mouths, and five nostrils. Underneath the thick frog skin, her features could only be described as flawless. I could still feel the power emanating from her, the confidence in her wicked smile when she revealed her face. There wasn't a single trace of insecurity or shame.
I didn't know what she had to go through to become this way, but I wished to have at least half as much guts as she did. I wanted to live life without the fear of judgment and have the confidence and strength to stand up against anything, no matter how much misery or pain it may bring.
Mitchell's words were taunting, probably expecting her to break down and cry. But instead, she laughed, and insulted him back, "Just continue. I love seeing your disappointment. The way you expected a beautiful face and the crushing despair and frustration that came when you were wrong is such a turn-on. Did you really think I would need to resort to forcing other males if I had a pretty face? I thought you were smarter, but it seems like your head is filled with nothing but sand."
Mitchell gritted his teeth. His expression was dark and ominous, and before I knew it, he pounced toward her.
She pushed me in his direction, forcing Mitchell to stop and avoid hitting me. We crashed onto the sand, and I heard her laughter in the background.
She didn't even get up. She simply leaned back on her hands and lifted her head, daring him to try again.
I didn't want Mitchell to hurt her, so I tried to restrain him, but her confident reaction angered me, too. She was like a second Rosa, provoking people she shouldn't have, so I snarled and released my beast pressure at both of them. "Do you both have a death wish?! If you keep provoking each other, everyone is going to die!"
I growled, my claws appearing, "You can't just insult a female that kidnapped you and not expect her to retaliate. And you," I pointed at Yaya, "Are you really that confident that Mitchell will never hurt you?! Or is your head full of nothing but sand too?!"
I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth, and before I could take them back, she stood up and kicked my ass, sending me flying into the ocean.
Her silhouette was visible under the moonlight. The way she crossed her arms and looked down on me gave me an urge to bow and apologize, but she spoke up first, "You have some nerve barking at me. Just who the hell do you think you are?"
She was right. Who the hell did I think I was? I had no business reprimanding her, yet I still did it. I should be apologizing. But my anger overcame my fear and desire to make amends, and instead, I stopped struggling against the waves and sank further into the ocean.
Water entered my nostrils, and I welcomed the sting and pain that followed. If I drowned and died, that would have been the best thing that could have happened to me.
Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me out of the water.
My lungs were burning. It felt like a fire inside me. I couldn't breathe. Then, I felt her lips on mine, blowing air into my lungs, and the water rushed out. I coughed and coughed, trying to inhale as much air as possible. Her lips parted from mine, and I took the chance to catch her arm and pull her toward me, forcing her back into the ocean with me.
I wrapped my arms around her body and hugged her tight. I'll make her suffer, teach her a lesson. I was done taking crap from everyone, especially her. I was going to make her apologize, and if she refused, I would let the ocean have her, even if it was the last thing I did.
My lungs screamed for air, urging me to swim upward. I did, kicking toward the surface frantically, realizing I took it too far. Her lips pressed against mine, offering her breath of life again. Stunned, I felt my grip on her slip, and she took the advantage to push me away with a final shove.
'What is she doing?!' I screamed in my mind as I followed her deeper and deeper into the ocean, and suddenly, she turned around and kicked me. It was so fast, so powerful, I flew out of the water, and crashed into the sand.
I panicked, ready to rush back, but Vick pushed me to the side and jumped into the ocean. He soon returned with Curtis, holding Yaya in his arms. She seemed to have passed out, and I felt the blood leaving my face.
What have I done?!
Vick performed the same breathing technique as she did on me. Her body twitched, coughing up the remaining water in her lungs. I sighed in relief, but I still felt the nerves eating me from inside.
"Have you gone mad again?!" Vick bellowed, shaking her like a wet cloth, "I thought you were done with the crazy shit, and look what you did! You almost killed yourself again!"
The night was dark, the clouds covered the moon and the fire was too far away to see her features clearly.
Curtis was holding her back against his chest closely while Muir whispered and begged her not to do that again. When she didn't respond, Vick actually slapped her. He slapped her right across the face. Her wet hair whipped around, and her head swayed to the side. It was so shocking, so sudden, so unexpected. Nobody moved, or said anything, or breathed.
Vick raised his hand and slapped her again, "Answer me, goddamnit!"
Neither Muir nor Curtis scolded him. They both held her down and seemed ready to slap her, too. They were angry, so very angry. They kept calling her an idiot, their voices harsh and unforgiving. Yet, amidst the fury, they clung to her desperately, hugging her as if she were their only anchor in a storm.
"It was me... I... I..." I tried to explain, "I pulled her into the ocean with me. She... She's not responsible for it. I am."
Vick snarled at Yaya for the last time before cradling her in his arms. He picked her up and mounted Muir's eagle form, "I'll tell Gold to fetch you in the morning. You are free, both of you. Do whatever you want. We're leaving."
I couldn't see his expression, but the way he clutched her against his chest and the way his shoulders trembled made me want to cry. I could feel his anger, his sadness, his grief.
I watched their figures disappearing into the night sky, and fell on my knees. The guilt and remorse were suffocating, and the tears that rolled down my face were hot.
"You," Mitchell called out, his voice strained, "Tell me exactly what happened."
I growled at him. "I almost killed her. Isn't that enough?!"
Mitchell probably noticed the murderous expression on my face and decided not to provoke me.
He paced around as if trying to figure something out, "I can control myself, you know? I lashed out at her because I thought I would do that if I had emotions. It wasn't real. It was all pretend. Just an act. And she knew it too, so she played along and mocked me. We were both having fun, so why did you have to interrupt? Why did you have to ruin it?!"
He stopped and kicked the ground, "She will come back, right? If not for you, then for me. She kidnapped me. I'm her spoils. She will come back and pick me up eventually."
Mitchell seemed really eager, and I wanted to believe him, but I couldn't, and he noticed, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something you want to say?"
"Didn't you hear what Vick said?!" I clutched my chest, only now realizing that my ribs were fractured, if not broken, "You were unconscious at that time, but I heard what they said. You are just a surprise gift, a present her males decided to give her. You are just a present they can take back whenever they want."
I saw the hope on his face fade, replaced by indifference.
"Oh... Oh." Mitchell laughed, "So I'm free, huh? Free. I don't have to worry about her ever again. Hahaha. Good. Great."
His laugh sounded so fake, so hollow, so empty, so broken.
He lay on the sand, covering his eyes with his arm. He stayed silently in that position the entire night, not sleeping, not moving, just waiting.
Mitchell's POV
The next day, Gold's silhouette appeared early in the morning.
None of us slept that night.
Bart was howling and crying the whole time, and even now, he was still sniffing while picking up the baskets with the cubs. I didn't know if it was because of the soul stone around his neck or the old him, but he looked miserable nonetheless.
The little ones sniffed the air, probably looking for the foul female, but she was nowhere in sight. I have to admit, she was a good mother. I'll give her that.
I raised my injured hand that tried to catch her leg when Bart dragged her into the ocean with him. She was abusing her male's spousal imprints too much, didn't she? She actually kicked me, that foul female.
We tried to ask Gold if he knew anything about her whereabouts, but Gold just shook his head. He seemed as frustrated as Bart.
"Will you follow me to the Flame City or return to your Rosa?" I asked.
"I'll go with you," Bart said, nudging his cubs to walk on their own once we were on land. The male was acting strong before his cubs, but we both knew he was barely holding on, "I can't enter the Beast City as a rootless. I'll have to find a way to get rid of its traces first and then go look for Yaya."
"Beast City? That place is impossible to enter without a female or connections with the beastmen inside," I said.
Bart snorted in a way that reminded me of the foul female, "Connections, huh? Does the wolf king count?"
"Wolf king?" I repeated after him, "What is your connection with him?"
"He is my father," Bart said, his claws extending. The way his gaze pierced the air, the way his lips pulled back, showing his canine teeth. It was as if he was ready to tear someone apart. "After I take over his position, I will have access to all of the wolf beastmen's territories. Then, it will be easier to find the one I'm looking for."
The Wolf King's son, huh? I was a little taken aback. I shouldn't have been surprised, considering she had the guts to ambush me, but I was. The male with no backbone suddenly had the gall to plot against one of the four Kings...for that foul female's sake... a female he just tried to kill yesterday.
It didn't make any sense.
But I guess love is a fickle thing, huh?
Just look at the length my father would go for mother.
From his description, my mother was the exact opposite of the foul female. Mother was the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful female in the world. She accepted my father, a scorpion, as her mate and gave him the love and affection he so craved. She was a dream female─a perfection.
I could see why father would want her for himself only, why he removed all her male's spousal imprints. He thought mother's love for him was unconditional. But the reality was much harsher than that. It wasn't. After that incident, my loving mother became a heartless one.
I was the result of both their suffering. My mother didn't want me, not because she didn't love me, but because she feared for my fate as a rootless. She thought I would have been better off dead.
Well, the joke's on her. The only reason I'm still alive is that she's the one who died.
I wonder what my father's expression would be if I introduced the foul female as my mate. In name only, of course. Like Bart here.
Would he approve of us?
Unlikely.
But at least, I could enjoy watching him trying to keep a straight face while she taunts him and humiliates him like she did with me.
That female was insane enough to piss off the scorpion king, and I'm sure enough she was suicidal enough to mock my father as well.
My father would probably kill her for daring to defy him, and I would watch her die.
Just like I watched her almost die last night.
And then what?
I glanced at Bart.
Would the desire to kill resurface again?
My first desire ever had to be this one, huh? It was so easy to get lost in its simplicity. I recognized it because I had no reason to kill the beastman, who taught me how to swim. But at that moment, everything else was secondary, and unimportant.
Trying to suppress an urge was a first for me. My stinger was pulsing, and my pincers were twitching. The only thing keeping them under control was the thought of losing the first thing that made me feel something.
Also, that female deserved that.
And just like that, the desire for murder had become a desire to preserve life.
Ironic.
╔═══ Author's note ═══╗
Dang, just when YY was starting to grow on me, she decided to: NOPE. Fuck you, Author. Go ahead, and hate me. I don't give a damn.😩😢😭
I'm still a bit biased toward YY, since I know a snippet of the future. She is also a bit more fleshed out in the unwritten parts inside my head, but I wonder about your current thoughts on the MC of this story. 🙈
Any thoughts on Bart's and Mitchell's development? 👀
╚════════════════╝
Load failed, please RETRY
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực