Chapter 157 – The Wolf King’s Naughty Little Wife – Did You Come for Me? (03)
In the quiet forest, the moonlight was just right. Silvery beams filtered through the leaves, casting specks of light on the strong beastman and the small, adorable sub-beastman. A beauty paired with a hero—it seemed only fitting.
“P-put me down,” the sub-beastman said with a flushed face, half-angry, half-shy.
He never expected his first meeting with the male lead to be so embarrassing. Due to a fall from high up, the straps of his beast-hide clothing had come loose, leaving him half-covered and half-exposed as he was caught in the male lead’s arms.
Though Kyle Murphy was reluctant to let go of the warmth in his embrace, he had no choice but to release Bai Tang when the latter spoke.
As soon as Bai Tang was on the ground, he hurriedly tugged at his beast hide to cover himself, then turned and limped away.
He had only taken two steps when his body suddenly lifted off the ground. Startled, Bai Tang let out a cry and looked up—his gaze met Kyle Murphy’s eyes, filled with pain and concern.
“The forest is dangerous at night, and you’re having trouble walking. Let me take you back,” Kyle Murphy said.
Bai Tang calculated the distance. At his current pace, he wouldn’t make it back to the back mountain until dawn. So, he didn’t refuse. He simply gave a small “Mm” in response, his hands nervously twisting together, not knowing where to place them.
Would wrapping his arms around Kyle’s neck seem too forward? After all, this was only their first meeting in this world. Bai Tang thought quietly to himself.
Before he could dwell on it for too long, Kyle Murphy took his hand and placed it on his shoulder.
“We need to hurry back to the tribe. It’s not easy to deal with nocturnal beasts. It’s safer if you hold on to me,” Kyle said. No sooner had he finished speaking than a beast’s roar echoed from somewhere in the forest, almost as if to confirm his words.
The original Bai Tang had experienced a beast attack and lost both parents to it, so he had developed an instinctive fear of wild animals. Bai Tang couldn’t help but shiver.
Kyle Murphy gently set Bai Tang down and shifted into his beast form—a silver-winged wolf.
He turned his head back, his icy-blue eyes glowing with a warmth that could melt glaciers. “Get on.”
If Bai Tang had studied the rules of the beastman world more thoroughly before teleporting, he would’ve realized this was Kyle Murphy’s way of expressing his love.
In the beastman world, only a beastman’s mate or children are allowed to ride on their beast form’s back. If a single beastman invites an unmarried sub-beastman or female to ride on their back, it’s a way of expressing romantic interest—essentially saying, “I like you.”
If the invited sub-beastman or female agrees to ride on the beastman’s back, it’s considered a response to that confession—an acceptance of the beastman’s feelings and a promise to become their prospective partner.
Why only a prospective partner? Because in the beastman world, to officially become mates, the pair must bond during the Beast God Festival and receive the Beast God’s blessing.
Unfortunately, Bai Tang was still unfamiliar with the rules of the beastman world and didn’t know the deeper meanings behind these customs.
Upon seeing a silver-winged wolf with sleek, shiny fur that looked irresistibly soft, his eyes lit up, and his hand reached out to touch it without thinking.
The winged wolf’s fur felt amazing—better than he had imagined. Bai Tang, who naturally loved anything fluffy, was reluctant to pull his hand back.
Kyle Murphy noticed that the sub-beastman liked his fur and subtly straightened up, trying to show off his “strong” side.
Looks like the sub-beastman really likes me. Come on up, come on up. Kyle Murphy silently prayed to the Beast God.
Not disappointing Kyle’s expectations, Bai Tang climbed onto the wolf’s back amid the occasional roars of nearby wild beasts. Following Kyle’s instructions, he held onto the long fur around the wolf’s neck, his bare feet dangling on either side.
The wolf fur was incredibly comfortable. Bai Tang wiggled his little feet, and as the winged wolf took flight, he secretly buried them into the thick fur. Soon, the chill faded away.
When Bai Tang climbed onto his back, Kyle Murphy’s heart nearly burst with excitement. Of course, to avoid startling the sub-beastman, he forced himself to stay calm as he took off with Bai Tang on his back.
He also noticed Bai Tang’s little gesture of warming his feet, but rather than minding it, he found the sub-beastman’s playfulness endearing.
The gentle night wind made Bai Tang drowsy. He nearly nodded off several times but forced himself awake at the last moment. He kept reminding himself: I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep—it’s so high up. If I fall, I’ll die.
Kyle Murphy could feel the sub-beastman swaying unsteadily on his back, so he stopped dawdling and sped up, flying straight back to the tribe.
He greeted the night guards at the tribe, and under their surprised gazes, he landed in the central plaza with the sub-beastman still on his back.
“We’re here.”
Back when Kyle had rescued Bai Tang, he had left him with the tribe’s priest before heading out on a training journey. So he didn’t know where Bai Tang lived and assumed he stayed in the tribe like everyone else. After landing, he set Bai Tang down and returned to human form.
“Thank you,” Bai Tang said, wiping away the tears that had welled up from sleepiness. He swayed a little as he started walking toward the back mountain.
“You’re not going home?” Kyle asked.
“My home is in the back mountain,” Bai Tang replied, turning back with a smile and waving at him. “Thanks for bringing me back.” With that, he hobbled off in the direction of his house, dragging his injured leg along.
Kyle didn’t hesitate for a second—he stepped forward and scooped Bai Tang into his arms, carrying him toward the back mountain.
“It’s late. You should go home and rest,” Bai Tang said.
Though the one carrying him was technically his future husband, walking so closely together in the middle of the tribe’s central in the dead of night still felt… a little strange.
The little squirrel was shy and traditional. With the dark night and the wind blowing, two single males alone together could easily stir certain intimate associations in people’s minds.
Kyle Murphy: “Mm, going home.”
In his view, Bai Tang was already his prospective mate. Bai Tang’s home was his home. Going to Bai Tang’s place was the same as going home—there was nothing wrong with that.
The tribe’s central wasn’t too far from the back mountain. Before long, Kyle Murphy was carrying Bai Tang into the forested hillside.
They returned to the tree hollow. It wasn’t very large, just enough for one Bai Tang. With an extra Kyle Murphy inside, it instantly felt cramped.
Beastmen had already learned to use fire, but the original Bai Tang, living in a tree hollow, didn’t dare light a fire for fear of burning down his home and having nowhere to sleep. So he usually went to bed early, not long after nightfall. Because of that, he hadn’t prepared any flint.
Kyle Murphy looked around the hollow. So this was how the sub-beastman had been living these past three years? Crude, lonely, cold… He didn’t even need to guess. An outsider, with no support, and a lame leg—unable to work, looking pale and thin when he first arrived—of course the tribe had little regard for him.
At that thought, Kyle Murphy’s heart ached like it had been scraped with a knife. He grabbed the sub-beastman’s hand and made a solemn, heartfelt promise: “I’ll treat you well.”
But Bai Tang, upon returning home, had only one thought in his head: sleep.
He barely responded to Kyle Murphy’s words with a vague “Mm,” his little head bobbing lower and lower with drowsiness.
Kyle Murphy gently touched Bai Tang’s face and said, “I mean it.”
Then he transformed into his winged wolf form and lay down on the leaf bed, letting Bai Tang sleep on top of him.
Sleeping on the silver-winged wolf was more comfortable than lying on a Simmons mattress—and it maintained a constant, cozy temperature. Bai Tang sighed contentedly, turned over, and curled up on the wolf’s soft belly. His pink lips were slightly parted, his breathing slow and steady.
The silver wolf rested one front paw protectively on the sub-beastman, while the other was hugged by him. He turned his head and gazed at the sky outside the tree hollow.
He thought about many things. He had only seen Bai Tang once before leaving the tribe. He didn’t know what Bai Tang liked, what his hobbies were, or how he had managed to survive over these three years.
This place was too small—where should they build their new home? How big should it be? What kind of gift should he prepare for the Beast God Festival six months from now?
Thoughts flowed one after another, from past to future—especially the future.
Sub-beastmen of the squirrel tribe liked eating pinecones, but it wasn’t pinecone season yet. Maybe tomorrow he could go into the forest to gather some other fruit. He wondered if Bai Tang liked those bright red ones…
Meanwhile, in a house somewhere in the tribe, a beautiful female was in shock. She clutched her head, overwhelmed by memories that didn’t belong to her.
In the beastman world—females, sub-beastmen, a primitive society… Oh my god.
Ran Xiayue was in utter disbelief. She had actually transmigrated into a world that only existed in novels—a beastman world, and a primitive, undeveloped one at that. There was nothing here. They lacked food and clothing, and in the winter, people even died from cold and starvation.
This place was terrifying. She wanted to go home. She refused to stay in the beastman world.
After her initial panic, Ran Xiayue calmed down. She had been camping in the forest when the transmigration happened. The forest was likely the key. According to the original body’s memories, there was a forest just a few kilometers from the Winged Wolf Tribe. It was the place where beastmen went hunting. The beasts there were especially ferocious at night. She decided she would go early the next morning—right after the nocturnal creatures had returned to their dens and before the daytime ones began searching for food—to see if she could find a way back home.
At dawn, Ran Xiayue tiptoed out of the house and slipped out of the tribe during the shift change at the gate.
It had to be said—Ran Xiayue was clever. She had used the original host’s memories to identify a weak point in the tribe’s defenses and escape. Otherwise, if the beastmen had seen her, they would never have allowed a precious female to leave the tribe alone—especially to a dangerous place like the forest.
After the sun had fully risen and warm light streamed into the tree hollow, Kyle Murphy gently got up once he was sure the sub-beastman wouldn’t catch a chill. He picked the softest pelt from the ones he’d brought back from his training, laid it carefully on the ground, and then gently moved the still-sleeping Bai Tang onto it.
Looking at Bai Tang’s peaceful, sleeping face, Kyle Murphy’s heart melted completely. He whispered with a smile, “Little lazy pig.”
‘I’m not a lazy pig—I’m a little squirrel~’
Kyle Murphy froze. In a hazy memory, it seemed that a young boy had once said this to him in protest.
Who was that? Who was he?
Kyle traced the sub-beastman’s facial features. The blurry face from his memory slowly became clearer. It was a delicate, unfamiliar face—more beautiful than even the most stunning female in the tribe. And yet, despite their different appearances, that boy had given him the same feeling Bai Tang did.
He smiled silently. During the three years he spent training outside, his mind had become filled with memories of things he had never actually done. He was sure they didn’t belong to this world.
Then yesterday, he met Bai Tang—and that overwhelming sense of familiarity returned.
Tang Tang… did you come for me?