Imara Diversifies The Beastmen World

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five: This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Turning away from Rosa after Winston's words, I scoffed, looking down at my shoes, now covered in mud. "Messed up my damn shoes anyway." Irritation rolled off me in waves. I should smack her again for that.

Memi was placed atop James in his leopard form, preparing for us to head back to the castle and summon the Four Kings. Her mates and guards fell into formation, securing the captured males and Rosa.

Winston kept his grip on Bart, forcing him to be the one to continue restraining his own mate. Bart must have been the strongest among Rosa's males, given his stripes and the resistance he put up. But even now, he had no choice but to comply.

Bai was placed on top of Parker by Muir, with Shugh following closely alongside her.

I stopped and crouched beside the tiger, his brown eyes dull but still alert. "I will try my best to save you," I murmured, my voice low. "It may not be much... but I will try."

Then, pointing to Nicholas and Frank, I ordered, "Put him in the wagon."

But before they could act, Nicholas suddenly dropped.

Panic surged through me.

"Nicholas!" Voices overlapped—mine, Gabriel's, Frank's—rushing to his side as Frank let go of the tiger male entirely, capturing Nicholas instead. Mr. Orangutan stepped in swiftly, lifting the tiger into the wagon with minimal effort, but my focus was completely on Nicholas.

I was cradling his face in an instant, my hands cupping his cheeks, his skin warm and damp beneath my touch. "Nicholas, my boy, sweetie, look at me!"

His body trembled, eyes scrunched in deep pain, sweat beading along his forehead. Small groans slipped from his lips as he struggled to regulate his breathing. My own breath hitched as my hands moved over him, checking for hidden wounds, searching for anything I might have missed. I thought back to the battle—when he was slammed into the tree, when he went against males with more stripes, when he fought despite the clear difference in rank.

"Quick, give me a crystal!" I demanded of Gabriel, my heartbeat thundering.

Frank exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "He's okay, Imara."

I snapped my head up. "How do you know?!"

Gabriel, now beside me, nodded in agreement with Frank, his hand steadying me. "He's just leveling up."

I gasped, my hands pausing as I brushed away Nicholas's dark hair, tucking it behind his ear, and there it was.

A second stripe.

The air left my lungs.

A deep laugh of relief bubbled up in my chest, pride surging through me like a tidal wave. My fingers traced over the mark with reverence, my thumb brushing against the fresh stripe as if memorizing it.

My boy had become a two-stripe.

Nicholas's trembling gradually slowed, his breaths steadying. Finally, his hazel-green eyes fluttered open, locking onto me. Despite his exhaustion, his voice was soft, laced with that quiet, stubborn confidence.

"Told you I was alright, Imara."

A choked laugh slipped from my lips, and I held his hand to my cheek, warmth seeping through my skin.

"I can see that now."

Around us, the others began to take notice. Frank was the first to let out a low whistle. "Two stripes now huh I won't be too far behind but congrats."

Bai clapped her hands together, a wide smile on her face. "Nicholas, that's amazing!"

Parker made this noise of acknowledgement.