Chapter 98: This Bunny Wants Her Wolf

The drive was long and quiet.

Blair sat in the backseat, her gaze fixed downward as she gently dangled her fingers in front of Kael’s face. The toddler giggled, his tiny hands swatting eagerly at her fingertips, but even his bright, bubbly energy couldn’t chase away the downcast shadow hanging over Blair’s expression.

The heavy silence in the car was a direct result of the explosive argument that had taken place hours earlier.

Before they had even left the snowy mountains, Clarice had turned around in the driver’s seat, her silver eyes flashing with disappointment.

"You are both adults," Clarice had scolded, her voice clipping the cold air. "I cannot force you to do anything. But I warned you, Blair. I expected Daemus to ignore my instructions, but I expected you to at least follow them."

Blair had sat rigidly in her seat, gripping the hem of her shirt.

"You are not his fated mate," Clarice reminded her coldly. "You do not have to listen to a word he says, nor submit to his whims."

"Daemus and I are together now," Blair had quietly argued, trying to keep her voice steady.

Clarice had let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "I have tried to be understanding, Blair, but this is too much. You are a human, and he is a wolf. The violence is in his blood. He will hurt you. He might even kill you in the process."

Clarice’s gaze had narrowed. "Didn’t we agree that you would help get him back together with Kyana?"

"He doesn’t like her," Blair pointed out, keeping her tone low and respectful so as not to provoke her further.

"That does not matter," Clarice shot back immediately. "He will eventually fall in love with Kyana, because that is his destiny. I like you, Blair. I think you are a nice, smart girl. Because you are smart, you must know that this relationship of yours will not last."

That had been the breaking point for Blair.

Taking a deep breath, Blair had finally stood her ground. "Your son chased me," Blair told her firmly. "When he asked me to be his girlfriend, I rejected him. And when I told him I was going to get him together with Kyana, he laughed at me."

Blair looked Clarice dead in the eyes. "I rejected him initially because of all the exact concerns you just mentioned, even though I had feelings for him. You need to stop trying to use me to control Daemus. Even with me saying otherwise, he does whatever he wants."

Blair’s voice softened, her honesty bleeding through. "He makes me happy, Clarice. He makes this world that doesn’t want me a bit more livable. And despite what you think, I am not afraid of him. I still believe he won’t hurt me."

Clarice hadn’t argued further. She had only stared at the human girl for a long moment before turning back around to face the steering wheel.

"I won’t stop your relationship," Clarice had said, her voice dropping into a chilling calm. "But when the time comes, I hope you’ll be ready to step aside. You cannot stop the hands of fate."

They hadn’t spoken a single word to each other since.

The silence stretched on for hours, remaining unbroken even when they stopped briefly for a tense, awkward lunch.

By the time the sun began to set, painting the sky in deep streaks of purple and orange, the snow-capped mountains were far behind them.

Blair finally looked up from Kael, her eyes widening in awe as she stared out the window. They were pulling into a bustling metropolis of beastmen. It was a massive, sprawling concrete jungle, a mixture that looked like New York City colliding with the glaring neon lights of Las Vegas.

Towering skyscrapers of glass and steel pierced the clouds, while massive, glowing billboards flashed advertisements in bold, vibrant colors. The sidewalks were packed, overflowing with thousands of beastmen of all shapes and sizes navigating the bustling evening rush. She had never seen such a crowded place, nor so many beastmen gathered all at once.

But her innocent wonder was shattered a second later.

As the car slowed to a halt at a red light, Blair’s gaze drifted toward a group of well-dressed beastmen chatting on the corner. Her stomach plummeted. Her breath caught in her throat.

The beastmen were holding leather leashes. Attached to the ends of those leashes were humans, stripped down to bare minimum clothing, walking obediently on all fours like dogs.

Blair shrank back into her seat. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and quickly turned her head away, unable to stomach the degrading sight for another second.

A small tug on her sleeve pulled her from her rising panic.

Blair opened her eyes. Kael was sitting beside her, a colorful bag of candy resting in his lap. Seeing the distressed look on her face, the toddler reached his little hand out, offering her a bright red gummy worm.

Blair’s shoulders relaxed just a fraction. A small smile touched her lips as she gently took the candy from his fingers.

"You’re so sweet," Blair whispered, popping the gummy into her mouth. "Thank you."

A few minutes later, the car pulled up to the valet stand of a towering, expensive-looking hotel where they would be spending the night.

The moment Blair stepped through the revolving glass doors into the lobby, she dropped her chin to her chest. The room was crowded with intimidating beastmen. Blair kept her eyes glued to the intricate patterns of the marble floor, terrified that accidentally meeting the gaze of an apex predator might invite unwanted trouble.

Clarice walked up to the front desk, unbothered by the crowd. A moment later, she returned.

Without a word, Clarice shoved a room key card into Blair’s chest.

Before Blair could even process what was happening, Clarice turned on her heel and walked away, disappearing into the bustling crowd toward the elevators with Kael holding her hand.

"Wait," Blair whispered, clutching the key.

She wanted to ask what time they would be leaving in the morning, but her throat clamped shut. She looked up, desperately trying to spot Clarice’s dark blue hair, but she was already gone. Blair’s crippling shyness anchored her feet to the floor; she simply didn’t have the guts to shout after her in such a crowded, intimidating space.

Blair swallowed hard, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. She stood frozen, a human woman left alone in a sea of beastmen in a foreign place.

How lovely.