Who Is the Beast King?
Season 1 — The Dragoness of Nature
Chapter 9 — Night Tension & Prophecy
The hut was small, the walls made of stacked hides and branches. Shadows stretched long, broken by the faint glow of embers Raion had coaxed to life earlier. The cave beyond was silent, but inside the air seemed too thick, too warm.
Areum curled beneath the fur cloak Raion had given her, listening to the beat of her own heart. Across from her, the panther man sat stiff-backed, restless, green eyes gleaming in the dark like twin embers. His excitement and possessiveness bled through every glance, every brush of his hand.
He shifted closer. His shoulder brushed hers, his knee pressed against her leg. She inhaled sharply at the contact, not pulling away.
His large hand rose, brushing a stray lock of her hair back from her face. He lingered there, fingers warm against her cheek.
"Are you warm enough?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she whispered.
Still, he pulled the cloak tighter around her, wrapping her in his scent — wild, musky, grounding. It was unlike anything she had ever known. A fragrance of storms, of blood and pine, of something raw yet safe. Her pulse quickened, betraying her.
His scent… why does it calm me and make me ache at the same time?
Their eyes locked. Raion leaned in, slowly, carefully, as if giving her a chance to flee.
Areum didn't move.
Their lips met.
It was clumsy at first, a brush of warmth, then deeper. She gasped at the taste — earthy, raw, wild — and kissed him back, surprising herself. Her hands trembled, but she didn't push him away.
Too close. Too sudden. But… I don't want to push him away.
Raion's world tilted. Her lips were soft, yielding, steady as the earth itself. He wanted more — to claim her fully, to brand her as his mate before all — but he clenched his fists, forcing restraint.
Her lips are soft, her warmth steady. Mine. Always mine. But not tonight. Not like this.
He broke the kiss, pulling her against his chest instead. His arms closed around her like iron, strong and protective.
"Sleep," he murmured against her hair. "I'll keep you safe."
Areum closed her eyes, head pillowed against his chest. His heartbeat drummed steady beneath her cheek.
And outside, Kane passed by. His sharp wolf senses caught the faint shift in scent — heat, closeness, a female's tremor of arousal. He halted, fists tightening. Through a slit in the hide wall, he saw the two wrapped together.
His chest twisted.
Why does it bother me? She's nothing to me. She shouldn't be anything to me.
He stalked off into the night, jaw tight, anger burning.
---
Kane's mind refused to settle. Shame pricked him.
Shame on her. This isn't even her tribe. How could she give herself to a stray panther?
But then the memory of what he saw needled deeper. They hadn't mated. They had only kissed. She had stopped.
Maybe she wasn't giving herself. Maybe she was only kissing him. Did she feel comfortable? Too comfortable. Maybe… she wants to stay. If she stays, we might get to know each other.
He snarled at himself.
What am I thinking? Me, with a female? Never.
The past slammed back into him.
He had been young — too young — when an older female cornered him, stroked his face, whispered vile promises. His small body froze, helpless.
When he ran to his mother for comfort, her words cut deeper than claws:
"You should be glad a female took notice. Many males die alone. At least you will not."
That day, something inside him hardened. Admiration for his mother curdled to hate. Trust in females turned to disdain. He became a warrior, sharp and unyielding, vowing never to be bound by desire or chained by pity.
And yet tonight, he could not deny the tightening in his chest when he saw her with the panther.
Why her? What makes her different? No… it doesn't matter. It must not matter.
---
Elsewhere, while Raion and Areum slept, another dream stirred.
The Wolf Tribe's witch doctor tossed beneath his furs, gripped by visions.
A woman cloaked in green light, hair like black silk, eyes of midnight fire. Beasts of every element bowed before her — lightning, fire, water, earth, air. On her brow blazed a mark of nature, bright and eternal.
The vision shifted.
Crops shriveled in a faraway tribe. Fish floated belly-up on the river. Children coughed, mothers wept, warriors stumbled with hollow eyes. Famine spread like wildfire, sickness curling through the land.
The woman appeared again, vines twisting from her palms, rivers surging full, blossoms blooming where her feet touched.
A voice thundered:
"The gift will unite. The gift will choose. The gift will heal."
The witch doctor woke gasping, sweat pouring down his temples.
The dream… I don't understand. Famine. Beasts bowing. A female in green light. Could it be the new one? The black-haired female who appeared with the panther?
His gut twisted. He didn't know the full meaning — but he knew enough.
If she leaves… we may never know the truth. She must not slip away. Not yet.
---
Narration (omniscient, unknown to the characters):
Far from the Wolf Tribe, the dream already walked close to reality. In a distant settlement, famine had rooted deep. Hunters returned empty-handed, rivers ran thin, fields yielded nothing but rot. Fear spread faster than hunger.
The tribe sent word to their city leader.
And in that city lived a family of power and wealth — a father with commanding presence, a mother of gentle grace, and three strong sons at his side.
They bore no memory of another world. But they were Areum's family, reborn as beastfolk.
Only the narrator knew this truth. Fate and the Beast God's design had placed them here. Their reunion waited, hidden in the currents of destiny.
---
The morning broke with soft light.
Areum stirred to find Raion already awake, watching her. His gaze was unguarded, reverent, as though she were the only thing in the world worth seeing.
She flushed. "What are you staring at?"
He reached for her hand without hesitation, lacing his fingers with hers.
"Making sure you're still here," he said simply.
Her chest tightened.
When she stood, he caught her in a brief hug, his chin brushing her hair. Later, as she tidied herself, he leaned over her shoulder, whispering her name like a prayer.
In his panther form, he pressed his muzzle against her cheek — a beast's kiss. She laughed softly, scratching behind his ears.
He makes me feel safe… even here, where everything is new and frightening, she thought.
She pets me like no one else could, Raion's heart thundered. She doesn't see danger when she looks at me. Only me.
Their lips brushed again, light kisses on cheeks, forehead, mouth. Their touches lingered, reluctant to part.
Areum's heart whispered the truth she didn't dare speak: she was falling for him.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the Wolf Tribe's hall, the witch doctor bent low before the chief, voice urgent.
"I dreamed of famine, of beasts bowing before a female of black hair and green light. She is tied to it, I am certain. If she leaves…" He hesitated, his voice trembling. "We may lose what the Beast God has sent us."
The chief's jaw hardened.
"A female like that cannot walk away. We will find a way to keep her close. If not now… then soon."
And so, even as Raion and Areum left the hut with laughter and warmth, the Wolf Tribe schemed, determined to bind the rare female — the Beast God's gift —