Imara Diversifies The Beastmen World

Chapter Seventy One: Progress and Unity

Parker's POV

The words "useless" and "it's my fault" played over and over in my head as I sat beside Bai Qingqing. She was so still, and her silence felt like a heavy weight pressing down on me. Seeing her like this was a constant reminder of how close we had come to losing her.

I stayed by her side all day, my heart growing heavier as the hours passed.

Imara had left the room quietly, giving us some space. Alone with Bai, I felt helpless. The sound of her neck snapping echoed in my memory, a sound I could never forget. Her skin still showed the bruises from Curtis's grip, marks that told the story of what she had been through.

I fed her the soup carefully, one spoonful at a time. She ate without complaint, her eyes distant, as if lost in thought. I made sure she finished it all, but my hands moved on their own. My mind was too full of regrets to focus.

I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, how much I hated myself for failing her, but the words wouldn't come. They stayed stuck in my throat, swallowed by my guilt. I kept replaying the moment over and over, blaming myself every time.

The room was quiet except for the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. I kept hoping for a sign, anything, to show that she was getting better. The guilt in my chest made every second feel endless.

"Parker," she said softly, her voice barely a whisper.

I froze. "Mm?" was all I could manage.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of concern even though she was the one hurt.

Her question hit me hard. Memories came rushing back—her stepping in front of Imara, Curtis grabbing her, the panic in her eyes. My hands clenched around the soup bowl and spoon, and anger bubbled up inside me.

My head started pounding, and for a moment, I thought I might lose control. My chest felt tight, like I couldn't breathe. The mix of anger, guilt, and helplessness was suffocating.

I hated myself in that moment. I had let her be taken, marked against her will, and I couldn't protect her. She had lost her unborn babies—babies I would have loved, babies I would have cared for with all my heart.

She didn't even feel safe enough to come to me, to tell me how she was feeling. That thought hurt the most. I should have been her safe place, someone she could trust. My two stripes, a sign of my strength and status, felt meaningless if I couldn't protect her or ease her pain.

With every second that passed, it became clearer that I was adding to Bai's pain instead of easing it. Deep down, I already knew this, but my love for her had blinded me. Now, I was facing the harsh truth—I had almost lost her forever.

Bai's hands reached up to my face, her touch gentle as she wiped away tears I hadn't even realized were falling.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked softly, sadness in her voice. "I just wanted to save Imara. I couldn't stand the thought of her getting hurt because of me. She's always trying to protect me. I thought... I thought he wouldn't hurt me, not me," she finished, her eyes filled with pain.

My voice cracked as I replied, "I thought I lost you." The words felt like they were being pulled from my very soul, and as soon as I said them, I broke down completely.

"I can't live without you," I sobbed, each word coming out with ragged breaths. The weight of everything—almost losing her, the relief of her being alive, and the fear still lingering—crashed over me. My body shook as I cried, and Bai's hands stayed on my face, grounding me in her presence.

"Why would you do that?" I exclaimed, my voice trembling with both anger and desperation. "Why didn't you let me protect you? Am I so useless as your mate, your guardian, that you couldn't trust me to keep you or Imara safe? Do you think I can't protect you?"