B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

119. Jason's Dilemma

Jason was a male with high potential and natural talent, and like most of the other singles, he once coveted a female.

To him, she was beautiful and alluring. Easy to understand and not abusive towards her mates. She had a strong family, so he never had to worry about her safety or whether or not she'd be cared for while he was away hunting. Of course, because she had a strong family it was also difficult to approach and win her favor.

He had only two marks at the time, but he was still desirable. There were females who came to him with offers to join their families. He declined, but his confidence soared thanks to them. With that confidence, he openly pursued the female he desired: the then-tiger queen.

Others thought him strange for declining the much younger, newly mature females who had stronger fertility than his chosen female, but Jason found himself attracted to older females. It wasn't something he could explain, it was just his preference.

And it so happened that the former tiger queen preferred younger tiger males. It seemed like a perfect match and Jason developed high expectations.

It only took one misunderstanding to ruin it all for him. One accusation that he was actually interested in the queen's 14-year-old female cub.

He lost his chance and the former tiger king took his tongue so he could "Spew no more lies to his mate." Jason swore he would never pursue another since it would only bring him unjust pain.

That was still his mindset even after the current tiger queen and king came to power. While he now respected both, his feelings for Grace never crossed that line. Even after he grew closer to her cubs and started to enjoy his time with them, he didn't feel any different towards her.

...Perhaps that wasn't true. He'd come to trust her as a capable leader and respected her as a female who was both fair and kind to her mates and children. But that wasn't love, it was admiration. Having had those special feelings once before, he was sure of this.

He did not fall for the young Bai Qingqing or the young Nora, and he had no intention of falling for the proud and cold Qin. But that didn't mean he hadn't noticed her gaze.

It wasn't friendly or seductive, so he thought he was safe. He could brush her off and continue on with his day-to-day life.

But every day he came to the cove, he felt her stare like a claw tapping on his back. Whether he was alone or not, observing quietly or participating in play, he felt it. It bothered him to a point where he couldn't help but look back at her sometimes.

That was when he became aware of her. Curious even.

She always looked fed up with him despite him having done nothing to her. It sometimes made him chuckle. That always proved to be a mistake as she would look away and angrily inspect her fingers. He only seemed capable of upsetting her.

He eventually grew so used to the feeling of being watched, that he physically felt when the sharp gaze no longer fell on him. He'd sneak a look and catch her watching the surf with an unreadable expression. The sight of her eyes darkening and swirling with emotions had him wondering just what it was she was thinking about.

It was not long before he saw a change. It wasn't directed at him but at the cubs. Despite their father's strict teaching, the wolf cubs were playful at heart. The one Grace called Dos had innocently approached Qin.

He carried a frisbee dripping with water and sludgy sand while his drenched tail wagged. It was a clear invitation, but Qin was stumped.

"You want me to play? Me?" Qin was not the most familiar with land beast customs, but from what she knew, this was probably unusual.