Imara Diversifies The Beastmen World

Chapter Twenty Two: Days at The Leopard Tribe Castle VI Unusual Friendship

As we walked into the room, Parker was talking to himself in his sleep, his voice hoarse and faint. "Qingqing... Qingqing..." he mumbled, his legs twitching as if he were trying to sprint even in his dreams. Harvey moved closer, noticing that Parker's movements were beginning to pull at his wounds.

"Stay still, do you have a death wish?" Harvey growled, his tone edged with concern.

Parker's eyes shot open, a ferocious golden gleam in them, and in an instant, he pounced on Harvey, knocking him to the ground.

"Wake up, you fool!" Harvey snapped, his voice ringing with authority as he tried to wrestle Parker back to his senses.

Parker's gaze cleared, and he blinked down at Harvey, confused. "Harvey?" he asked, his voice trembling with a mixture of bewilderment and desperation.

"Yeah, now move—and don't shift, or you'll tear your wounds wide open again!" Harvey pushed him off, annoyance flickering in his eyes.

Ignoring Harvey's frustration, Parker looked around, panic seeping into his expression as the fog of sleep lifted. "Where... where is Bai Qingqing?" he demanded, his voice cracking.

Sadness shadowed Harvey's face as he glanced down. He didn't need to say a word; his expression told Parker everything he needed to know.

I stepped forward, taking a seat beside Parker, and gently placed my hand over his, brushing a stray lock of his hair behind his ear. "Parker," I said softly, wanting to soothe him, "Bai Qingqing was taken by the feral snake."

The anguish in his eyes made my heart ache. His hands curled into fists as he stared at me, barely holding back the storm brewing inside him.

Parker's POV

When I woke, I thought I was still in the nightmare, chasing that snake beastman to snatch Bai Qingqing back. My mate—mine. My claws were out, ready to tear, but instead of the snake, I found myself on top of Harvey, snarling in his face.

"Harvey?" I growled, trying to make sense of it all. He shoved me off, and my head spun. "Where is Bai Qingqing?" I demanded, my chest heaving.

Harvey didn't answer right away. His eyes dropped, and that look on his face—that look like something precious had shattered—told me everything. My heart thudded heavy, harder than when I'd hunted for hours without a rest.

She was gone.

The world blurred as my thoughts raced. She was out there, cold, hungry, scared, and all alone. My fault. It was all my fault.

Then, I felt it—a hand, soft on mine. I smelled her before I looked—warm like a safe den, like when I was a cub curled up with my brothers, the smell of my mothers breast milk, and fighting for her attention.

I looked up and saw her—Imara. Calm, quiet, undeniably beautiful. Her fingers brushed my face, and those brown eyes, always knowing more than anyone else, locked onto mine. For a moment, I didn't feel so lost. My chest heaved, but her scent—it eased something in me, made the storm settle just a little.

"Bai Qingqing was taken by the feral snake," she said, and the words hit me harder than any blow, like claws to the chest, ripping me apart. I wanted to roar, to smash something, but instead, my mind dragged me back to that moment I couldn't stop..

I was returning home with a lamb I had caught for Harvey and Imara, paying my debts for them staying with Bai Qingqing. But my mood was ruined by the words my mate Bai Qingqing made about her outfit, and I couldn't help feeling irritated. I knew I wasn't good at sewing like that, but it still bothered me.

Then it got worse. Imara offered Bai Qingqing an outfit that Harvey could make for her, showing me up and making me feel inadequate.

It was like telling the world I wasn't enough, and jealousy consumed me.