The Wife Who Rode Her Black Panther Husband Daily Didn’t Know His Child Was A Leopard Chapter 08
I jolted awake, terrified.
I sat up, staring at him wide–eyed. “J–Jax?”
His eyes darkened.
He tilted his head and flashed a bright, reckless
grin.
Nothing like Kael’s cold, restrained distance.
He lunged at me, hot and urgent.
“Lira. Surprised?”
Wait- that nickname.
My eyes blew wide.
Before I could react, his mouth crashed down on
mine.
His tongue, rough with a shifter’s sharp edge,
swept in
I tried to pull back, but a big hand pressed firm at the back of my skull, forcing me closer- rough,
possessive, no room to refuse.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes.
“Mmph…”
No. This wasn’t Jax.
It was Kael.
But… why?
The comments popped up right on cue:
[Holy crap, the main character’s catfishing himself! This is wild!]
[Dumb side character doesn’t know- he’s known
the kids aren’t his this whole time. He’s pretending to be the second lead to test her.]
[Last night, the two brats ran out in the rain and the dye washed off… he saw everything.]
In the dark, the glowing comments blazed bright.
My body went rigid as I read.
All color drained from my face.
I lifted my hand to push him away- then froze
mid–air.
Instead, I slid my arms around his thin, muscular
waist.
First, I had to keep him calm.
I had to.
He stiffened slightly under my touch.
He pulled back, searching my eyes stubbornly, begging for an answer.
“…Do you like me better like this than my brother?”
I hesitated for a beat.
I pretended I didn’t recognize him and nodded
without hesitation.
“Yeah.”
A low, quiet laugh breathed into the dark-
unreadable, neither happy nor angry.
When he dipped down again, his movements were desperate, reckless, like he’d given up holding
back.
I closed my eyes and went along with it.
Comments:
[She didn’t recognize him?]
[Wait, no- she knows and she’s faking it.]
[Why’d it go dark all of a sudden?! Nooo I’m a
paying member!]
He took his time, rough and unhinged, nothing like his usual self–control.
Right before I fell asleep, he buried his face in my
neck and mumbled:
“Wife. Don’t leave me.”
I stared blankly and said nothing.
After a long while, I made sure Kael was sound
asleep.
I climbed out of bed quietly, got dressed, and slipped into the girls‘ room.
I didn’t notice a shadow flash past the guest room
door at the end of the hall.
I dressed both kids in the dark and crept
downstairs.
I’d just reached the parking garage when headlights blazed to life right in front of me.
The light burned the shock right into my eyes.
The window rolled down.
Jax’s playful, devilish face came into view.
“Get in. I’ll get you somewhere safe.”
I stood frozen.
He softened, understanding. “If you don’t want me,
I won’t push. I just want you and the kids out of
harm’s way. My brother’s unpredictable… who knows what he might do.”
He dropped his gaze.
“This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you
wouldn’t be running. You could’ve been happy with
him.”
Comments:
[Second lead is such a green tea!]
[I smell 1982 Biluochun levels of fake nice.]
[Uh–oh- did she just jump out of the pan into the
fire? This guy’s shady too.]
I ignored the comments.
I stared at him, moved.
I pulled open the door, tucked the kids in, and
climbed into the passenger seat.
Jax started the car and drove into the night.
We drove all night toward Rabbit Shifter Territory.
I felt bad and offered to switch shifts.
Soon we hit a muddy dirt road, and a huge mud pit
loomed ahead.
I glanced in the rearview- Jax had his eyes.
closed, resting.
I looked forward again and slammed my foot
down on the gas, driving straight into the pit.
“…I’ll push. You hit the gas hard when I say.”
Mud splattered all over Jax’s expensive custom
shirt and dotted his face.
He didn’t care. He bent and shoved with all his
strength.
After a long struggle, the tires finally pulled free.
I hit the gas hard.
The car lurched forward.
I stuck my hand out the window and waved. “Baby,”
sorry!”
Not a single ounce of real regret in my tone.
Please.
Just because the kids were his didn’t mean I had
to be with him.
The kids weren’t my property. I wasn’t theirs,
either.
And I wasn’t about to gamble three lives on love.
I liked Jax well enough.
But I had my whole life ahead of me.
Once I got back to Rabbit Shifter Territory, I’d meet
plenty of tall, handsome shifters.
Staying with Jax was too risky. He and Kael were
family, same clan.
The truth about the kids would come out
eventually.
The Panther Clan wouldn’t go easy on me.
Thinking about Kael’s cruel side only made my
choice firmer.
I glanced casually in the mirror, ready to watch
him fume.
Instead, his eyes glistened, and a slow, shaky
smile spread across his face.
I frowned.
Had he lost his mind?
Mia wiggled and pressed her face to the back
window.
She stared at his moving lips and mumbled:
“Baby… she called me baby.”
Hearing that tiny voice repeat it was weirdly unsettling.
My face burned hot.
“Mia! Don’t read grown–ups‘ lips!”
My heart hammered in my chest.
Zara suddenly leaned over, pointing at my ears in delight. “Mom! Your rabbit ears popped out! They’re turning pink!”
I touched my ears.
They were standing straight up, burning hot.
Comments:
[Thump thump–she’s got it bad! Her ears gave her away!]
[Wait, I ship her with the second lead too! Am I the only one?!]
[I remember you! You’re the one who started
shipping her with the main character first! You’ll
ruin yourself shipping everything!]
[Nonsense! I keep a balanced diet!… Come on, just
take both cousins!]
[Lol, real monk move.]
My already messy thoughts spiraled even worse.
I forced my ears back down and slammed on the
gas.
Jax’s figure shrank in the mirror until he vanished
completely.
