Who Is the Beast King?
Season 1 — The Dragoness of Nature
Chapter 7 — The Wolf's Invitation
The clearing still carried Areum's words like thunder rolling through the trees.
"I won't leave him!"
The wolves stared, stunned into silence.
Raion only looked at her, green eyes bright with disbelief and something deeper, heavier. Her small form stood so firm.
She doesn't understand, his heart whispered. She deserves better. Any tribe male could give her standing, safety, kinship. Not a tribeless panther. Not me.
But she had chosen. She had chosen him.
He bent low, voice hushed. "You had many questions. This is the best way to see how a tribe works. We don't have to stay—just a visit, if you want it."
Areum nodded, breath steady. "I want to learn." I need to survive. I need to adapt. So I will learn. She thought.
---
Wolves on the move
Raion slipped into the brush to fetch the fish he had caught earlier. Around Areum, the wolves shifted, bones snapping and stretching into silver, white, and gray pelts, their bodies lowering in silent offers for her to mount. All except Kane, who stood upright, his spear in the ground, pale hair catching the light. His eyes—gray as stormclouds—never left her.
She smells of panther, Kane thought, nostrils flaring. But she's untouched. Still pure. At her age? Rare. And she claimed him in front of everyone? Either she's cunning… or a fool.
Raion returned, dripping from the river. His form melted, fur spreading over muscle, lightning sigil glowing faintly red beneath his skin even in beast shape. He crouched, waiting only for her. Areum's hand brushed his neck—warm, steady—and she climbed on.
The wolves encircled them as they moved, Kane leading without a word.
---
Shadowfang Territory
The world grew ordered as they traveled deeper. Trails smoothed, roots cut back, stones placed carefully across mud. Carved pillars rose at intervals, claw marks etched deep alongside spirals of the moon. High above, woven platforms carried sentries crouched with glowing eyes.
Shadowfang's strength lived not in wildness but in structure.
Areum's gaze drank in every detail. Children darted across paths, hair glowing in colors impossible on Earth—violet, sapphire, flame-red. Young warriors drilled in circles, spears striking stone in perfect rhythm. Women carried baskets of roots and pelts, their laughter weaving with the low howls echoing through the trees.
Her black hair and black eyes drew stares at every turn. She felt it like sparks pricking her skin.
I don't belong, she thought, lips tightening. I've never belonged anywhere. But maybe… here, with him, I can make something new.
The trail rose, and suddenly the village spread wide before them.
---
The Plaza
Longhouses curved in rings around a great plaza. Meat racks smoked. Frames stretched wolf pelts taut. The plaza itself was stone-packed and broad, the heart of Shadowfang.
Raion lowered to crouch. Areum slid from his back, fox pelt glowing pale around her shoulders, the pink crystal necklace resting like a heartbeat against her skin.
Whispers struck instantly.
"Her hair—black as midnight."
"Her eyes… no color at all."
"She rides a panther?"
"Look at his mark—red lightning!"
Raion shifted to human form. His bare chest carried the lightning tattoo—burning red across his ribs. Not orange. Not yellow. Red.
The crowd stilled. Respect rippled through them—but not welcome.
---
Chief and Witch Doctor
Two men stepped forward. The first, silver-haired and broad, his gaze steady as cliffs—Chief Harun. The other, pale-braided with bone charms, his hands stained with herbs—the Witch Doctor.
Harun raised a hand. "You stand in Shadowfang's heart. Here, every wolf has a place—hunters, warriors, crafters, gatherers. We honor the Beast God and guard our kin. As chief, I welcome you."
He held Areum's eyes. "You are rare. Any tribe would give much to keep you. Here, you could choose strong mates. Our warriors, even our heir." His glance slid toward Kane.
The Witch Doctor's eyes caught on her necklace. "A pink power stone… hunted prey of spirit. Not common." Then Raion's tattoo. "And red lightning. A lone beast carrying red? Dangerous. Unusual. But blood is blood. Panther is still panther."
Whispers hissed through the crowd.
Harun raised his chin. "You, girl, are welcome here. You would strengthen our tribe. He—" his gaze cut to Raion "—would be tolerated, because of you."
Areum's voice cut sharp into the silence. "If I stay, I stay with him. He is my mate."
Gasps tore through the plaza.
---
The Jealous Female
Far at the edge, a plain-faced wolf woman overheard. Hair unkempt, her wrists bound with three cords marking three mates. She had been lingering near Kane, desperate for his attention. Her ears pricked when she heard Harun and the Witch Doctor murmur together.
"If she bonds with Kane…"
"…he will finally step into the role of leader."
"She would make the tribe stronger."
Her gaze shot to Kane, who was watching the strange black-haired female with an intensity he had never shown her. Rage bubbled in her chest.
So when the feast began and laughter rose, she stormed forward.
"Pretty words," she spat at Areum, voice shrill. "But a wolf female rises, not lowers herself. You cling to a panther? Pitiful."
The plaza hushed, eyes sharp and waiting.
Areum met her gaze, calm. "Comfort is what you already have—with three mates. What more do you want from others?"
Laughter cracked across the ring. The woman's face reddened, fury choking her into silence.
Kane's eyes flicked to Areum. She didn't shout. Didn't flinch. Turned it all with a single breath. She's… different.
---
The Feast
Drums pounded. Firelight danced. Meat roasted, fat sizzling into flame.
Areum seasoned a cut with salt-leaf and offered it to Raion. He took it gently from her hand, lips brushing her fingers. A low rumble escaped him, and she laughed.
The wolves whispered.
"Red lightning… rare."
"Few ever climb that far alone."
"With her bond, he'll grow faster."
"Dangerous… but useful if kept."
The Witch Doctor leaned to Harun. "The bond already fuels him. If red grows, and faster than we expect…"
Harun's jaw flexed. "If she stays, we prosper. Her beauty, her womb. His claws."
Kane drank nothing. He only watched. Watched her stroke Raion's fur when he shifted, watched her feed him, laugh with him, cradle his beast head in her lap.
No female acts this way, he thought. No female chooses a tribeless beast. And yet she does.
---
Guest Hut
Later, Chief Harun offered them a guest hut at the village edge. "See us in sunlight," he said. "Decide after."
The hut smelled of reed and ash. Raion checked the latches, his every move tense, until Areum touched his chest over the glowing lightning tattoo. "You might have thought I'd change my mind. But I won't. Thank you for bringing me."
He swallowed hard. "Thank you for choosing me."
When he shifted, great black fur rippling across the mat, she drew his head into her lap and stroked between his eyes until his chest rumbled. A sound of safety, long denied.
Outside, Kane lingered in shadow. His jaw clenched as he watched.
Purity. Loyalty. Wit. Calm. She might play a game. Or she might be exactly what she appears.
And under Areum's hand, Raion's red lightning pulsed once, twice. A vow the wolves could not hear.