Chapter 203: Roan’s Awakening And The Discovery!

A few hours before Roan collapsed at the edge of the leopard territory, he was already fighting a losing battle against the freezing snow and his own failing body.

Roan was the son of the strongest hunter in the Lion Tribe. From the moment he could hold a spear, everyone expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps—to track the largest prey, feed the tribe, and carry the heavy mantle of their family line.

But the Lion Tribe was not a home. It was a prison ruled by fear.

Years ago, the Lion King—a proud, ruthless tyrant—had forced Roan’s father into an arranged marriage with a female chosen strictly by the royal court. The elders claimed it was for the good of the tribe, arguing that a master hunter needed a strong mate to breed powerful cubs.

In reality, it was a trap. The King forced the bond so he could hold Roan’s father hostage through his mate. Whenever the King wanted a dangerous task completed or extra game brought to his royal hearth, he simply threatened to harm the female. For years, Roan’s father lived as a glorified slave, his unmatched hunting skills exploited for another man’s greed.

Eventually, Roan’s father reached his breaking point. He tried to flee the territory, desperate to escape the relentless control and migrate to peaceful lands.

The Lion King refused to let his prized hunter walk free.

Instead of hunting him down with spears, the King ordered the female to break the mate bond. She obeyed without a single second of hesitation. In the beastman world, a forced, violent severing of a mate bond was lethal... it tore open the soul, causing internal hemorrhaging that no medicine could stop.

Roan had watched helplessly as his father bled out on the cold stone, dying in agonizing pain.

Years later, history repeated itself.

After his father’s death, the King turned his sights on Roan. He forced a chosen female upon him, binding Roan to her against his will to ensure the Lion Tribe never lost its greatest hunter. Roan endured the forced servitude for as long as he could, but the weight of living as a pawn finally broke him. He tried to escape.

And just as before, the King ordered Roan’s female to sever the bond.

She obeyed.

The moment the connection snapped, a sharp, tearing agony exploded in Roan’s chest. Blood welled in his throat, spilling past his lips as his body began to shut down.

Refusing to give the Lion King the satisfaction of watching him die, Roan ran. He sprinted through the blinding blizzard for days without food or rest, driven entirely by sheer spite. The biting winter cold froze his open wounds, slowing the internal bleeding just enough to keep his heart beating, but every step was pure torture.

By the time he crossed into the leopard border and stumbled through a maze of hidden perimeter traps, his legs gave out. Roan collapsed face-down in the freezing drifts, his vision fading into blackness.

A brief, hazy memory flickered through the dark void of his mind.

He remembered feeling a warm weight pressing down against him, a soft body moving urgently over his, accompanied by hushed moans.

"I will save you... Just... Ugh! Give me a little time..." a sweet, breathless voice had whispered near his ear.

Then, darkness took him completely once more.

.

When Roan finally dragged his eyes open, the freezing wind was gone.

He was lying on a soft, thick fur inside a warm, dry cave. The scent of woodsmoke and warm food drifted through the air.

Panicked, Roan blinked hard, his blurred vision slowly coming into focus. He reached up with a trembling hand, feeling his chest and throat, half-expecting to find himself in the afterlife.

Then his eyes fell on his wrist.

Roan froze.

The blackened, jagged scar left behind by his severed mate bond was completely gone. In its place rested a fresh, beautiful bond mark... pulsing with a gentle, soothing warmth that circulated through his veins, stitching his internal injuries back together.

He stared at it in utter disbelief. Was his old bond somehow repaired, or had someone else claimed him while he was unconscious?

"Since you’re awake, get up already," a sharp voice barked from the doorway.

Roan’s instincts flared. He scrambled off the fur bed, dropping into a defensive stance as he confronted the two men standing near the entrance.

He blinked, recognizing their faces instantly. Stories of their strength had reached even the distant Lion Tribe.

Standing before him was Cael, the famous young Chief of the Leopard Tribe, and Ryker, the formidable Chief of the Tiger Tribe.

"Where... where am I?" Roan rasped, his throat dry and raw.

Cael crossed his arms, letting out an annoyed groan as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Why the hell did Neve have to save him?" he muttered under his breath.

"Because he’s his last mate, obviously," Ryker answered smoothly, his expression completely relaxed.

"You’re in the Leopard Tribe’s," Cael said, glaring at Roan with a mix of jealousy and reluctant tolerance. "You were dragged out of the snow and saved by Neve—our mate."

Roan raised a brow, his forehead creasing in deep confusion. "Our mate?"

"Yes, our," Ryker repeated casually. "If you can walk, come outside."

"You’ve had enough sleep already. The last thing I want is to speak to you,"

Without another word, Cael turned on his heel and walked out.

Ryker smirked and waved a lazy hand at Roan.

"Don’t mind him. He’s just being on the edge because he was worried about Neve. Come out, will you?" Ryker added, following right behind Cael.

Roan stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing. He was bonded to a male? A male who already had multiple mates? In the rigid, traditional Lion Tribe, such a thing was unheard of.

Curiosity overrode his confusion. Roan pushed past the curtain and stepped out into the main cavern.

He was met with a scene that instantly stunned him.

The cavern was bursting with life, warmth, and laughter. Several powerful male beastmen were lounging around the central hearth, each bearing clear, glowing bond marks on their skin. A young female was sitting at the corner, busy with some fabric, while three young children chased each other across the clean stone floor.

It was loud, cheerful, and full of vibrant energy... a stark contrast to the cold, miserable, and fearful atmosphere of the Lion Tribe.

"Neve didn’t want my help in the kitchen," Popi was saying with a fond laugh as she adjusted what she was sewing. "He said he wanted to make the best ’ramen’ all by himself."

"What even is a ’ramen’?" Kael asked, tilting his head with a puzzled frown.

Popi just shrugged helplessly. "No idea, but it smells amazing."

"Uh... excuse me?" Roan rasped out, his quiet voice cutting through the chatter.

Every single head in the room turned toward him at once.

"Oh! He’s awake!" someone called out.

"Look at that, he can actually stand," another beastman remarked.

"I still can’t believe Neve found him right at the border trapline," a third added.

Roan kept hearing that same name over and over again. Neve. His savior. His new mate.

"Can someone tell me where my savior is?" Roan asked politely, swallowing his pride despite his lingering weakness. "I need to thank him for saving my life."

"He’s busy cooking right now," Popi replied warmly, pointing toward a side. "Just sit down and rest for a bit. He’ll be out soon."

Roan nodded, quietly walking over to the corner to sit down. As the others resumed their lively conversations, he watched them closely.

One of the young children suddenly trotted over to him, flashing a bright, gap-toothed smile. "Come play with us!" the child chirped, tugging gently on Roan’s fur sleeve.

Roan blinked in surprise. In the Lion Tribe, children were kept hidden, dirty, and terrified of adults. But these kids were spotless, well-fed, and radiating joy. Everyone here looked healthy, clean, and genuinely happy. They weren’t just living together... they actually cared about one another like a real family.

It was strange, breathtaking, and entirely foreign to him.

Suddenly, the heavy fur curtain of the kitchen area was pushed aside.

A young man stepped out into the cave, carefully holding two large, steaming wooden bowls.

He had vibrant red hair, soft, striking features, and a heavily rounded belly that clearly showed he was in the late stages of pregnancy. Multiple, distinct bond marks rested gracefully against his skin, glowing softly.

Roan’s breath hitched in his chest. That’s him.

Neve was about to turn back to the kitchen to grab more bowl when his gaze shifted, locking directly onto Roan sitting in the corner.

For a second, the entire cavern seemed to fall silent.

A warm, electric current hummed through Roan’s veins as the newly forged mate bond pulsed in his chest, connecting his soul directly to the red panda beastman before him.

Neve’s eyes lit up with a sweet, radiant smile.

"Oh! You’re finally awake!"