Werebeast Gongs CH 096 Unwanted Pregnancy
Moya didn’t have time to explain further. In his haste, he dropped that vague reply and carried Lei Jin into the house.
Berg didn’t catch much, but he heard the words "baby in the belly" loud and clear. Whose belly? Certainly not Moya’s—it had to be Lei Jin’s. He had noticed Lei Jin’s gradual weight gain but never dared entertain the thought. After all, if he guessed wrong, it would only lead to disappointment. Now, it seemed there really was a baby. But before he could feel joy, he spotted the blood on the ground and hurried after them, asking urgently, “What’s wrong with Lei Jin? Didn’t he go to see Mingya? What exactly happened?”
In his panic, Berg’s voice rose slightly. Roger, resting in the west room, faintly heard Mingya’s name mentioned and couldn’t stay lying down. An Sen had to hold him back, preventing him from getting up, and signaled An Luo to go check.
An Luo nodded silently and stepped out, just as Moya rushed in. Before he could speak, Moya quickly said, “Youngest Brother is fine. He’ll be back by evening.”
An Luo noticed something was terribly wrong with Lei Jin in Moya’s arms—his face was deathly pale, and he was trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to ask more, but seeing Moya’s anxious expression, he decided not to delay them and returned to relay the news about Mingya to Roger.
“Berg, could you fetch a basin of warm water from the kitchen?” Moya requested.
Hearing that Mingya was fine, Roger’s expression eased. His illness had been caused by excessive worry over Mingya, leading to loss of appetite and a weakened body. Now that he knew Mingya was safe, his burden lifted, and he recovered half his strength. An Luo fed him a large bowl of black fish soup, and Roger soon looked much more energetic.
Seeing him regaining his strength, An Luo hesitated briefly before deciding to tell Roger about Lei Jin’s condition. Firstly, he had smelled the heavy scent of blood on Lei Jin and knew the injuries were likely severe. But as fathers, they couldn’t inspect their son’s partner’s wounds themselves. Secondly, though Roger never said it aloud, he held Lei Jin in high regard. If something serious happened to Lei Jin and An Luo hid it, Roger would never forgive him. So despite Roger’s still-fragile condition, he told the truth.
When Roger had returned home earlier, he’d been too dazed to realize Lei Jin had gone to see Mingya. Now, he couldn’t fathom how Lei Jin had gotten hurt. From what Roger had observed, no one in the tribe could easily overpower Lei Jin—even six months pregnant. And male werebeasts, knowing Lei Jin already had mates, wouldn’t dare harass or attack him. Though these thoughts flashed through Roger’s mind in an instant, he had no time to analyze them further.
By the time Roger arrived, Moya was carefully wiping Lei Jin’s body. As he approached, the sight of the red and white sticky traces beneath Lei Jin made Roger gasp sharply. “What happened, Moya?” he asked gravely. What he really wanted to ask was who had done this, but seeing Lei Jin’s pained frown, he rephrased.
In truth, Lei Jin was too dazed, struggling against the relentless pain in his lower abdomen, to pay attention to anything else. He only flinched slightly when Moya accidentally touched the wounds on his backside.
“The old priest sent word that Mingya was dying, so Lei Jin went to him.”
Moya gently massaged Lei Jin’s belly, speaking softly, “Does it still hurt? The healer will be here soon. Hold on a little longer. I’ll help you expel what’s inside, and then we’ll treat the wounds.”
Upon examination, Moya found tearing. Though not severe, such a sensitive area must have been excruciating.
Hearing this, Roger understood everything. Judging by Lei Jin’s injuries, he knew Mingya—even in his unaware state—had instinctively been mindful of Lei Jin’s condition. Still, he couldn’t help but resent his youngest son for his lack of restraint, which had hurt Lei Jin so badly.
Berg brought in another basin of clean water. Moya murmured comforting words as he carefully inserted a finger. Lei Jin shuddered and mumbled a plea in his half-conscious state: “I’m tired, Mingya.”
Moya’s heart ached unbearably. He had always vowed to protect Lei Jin, yet time and again, he watched him get hurt. What more could he do to truly shield him from harm?
Roger sighed inwardly and patted Moya’s head.
“I’m fine, Father.”
Knowing this wasn’t the time to wallow, Moya forced himself to stay strong and whispered to Lei Jin, “If you’re tired, sleep a little. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
“Moya?” Lei Jin seemed to regain some clarity, recognizing Moya’s voice.
“En, I’m here.” Moya squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“Moya?” Lei Jin called again.
“I’m right here.”
“Moya… it hurts so much.” Lei Jin murmured weakly.
Moya, who had been holding back tears, finally broke. This was the first time he’d ever heard Lei Jin admit weakness. Lei Jin was always strong and proud—if he said this, the pain must be unbearable.
Though Roger stood by the bed, Lei Jin’s words were barely audible, so he didn’t catch them. Berg, standing farther away to give them privacy while Moya cleaned Lei Jin’s lower half, also missed it.
They only saw Moya bury his face in Lei Jin’s neck, shoulders shaking violently. When he finally looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed. He forced a smile and said, “I know.”
There was still plenty of the jade mugwort that Chunji had given Lei Jin back then. After cleaning him thoroughly, Moya applied the medicine. Thankfully, the bleeding had already stopped.
Before arriving, Healer Qing Qiao had heard a bit from Xiya and prepared for the worst—possible signs of a miscarriage. But he also brought medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. Seeing the bleeding had stopped, he knew it wasn’t too severe—the baby was safe for now. Assuming the injuries were from Xiya and Moya’s youthful recklessness in bed, he scolded them harshly and forbade any intimacy for a month.
Once he finished, Xiya asked, “Healer Qing Qiao, I’m worried his wounds might cause a fever tonight. Are there any herbs safe for pregnancy?” He remembered how Lei Jin had developed a low-grade fever just from being exposed to wind at the temple.
“You’re right to worry. Pregnant individuals are prone to minor illnesses. Medicine should be avoided when possible, but if they’re sick, it can’t be helped.” Healer Qing Qiao listed a few herbs—common ones most werebeasts knew for emergencies during hunts.
Xiya stayed with Lei Jin while Moya brewed a bowl of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. Together, they carefully propped Lei Jin up and fed it to him. Seeing his tightly furrowed brows, they gave him some honey water. They took turns eating dinner, though neither had much appetite.
Lei Jin desperately wanted to sleep, but someone nearby seemed determined to keep him awake—crying incessantly. He tried to treat it as background noise. Back in the bridge tunnels, he’d slept through trains rumbling overhead. But why did this person have to whisper his name between sobs? It wasn’t like he was dead yet. Finally, he snapped irritably, “Stop crying. Wait until I’m dead to mourn me.”
Mingya immediately stopped, though hiccups lingered from his prolonged crying.
Lei Jin rubbed his temples and wearily opened his eyes to see Mingya curled up on the floor beside the bed, face streaked with tears, looking utterly pitiful.
“Lei Jin, you’re awake?” Mingya bit his lip, another hiccup escaping.
“Come here.” Lei Jin sighed and beckoned.
“Papa said Mingya’s a troublemaker and shouldn’t get close to you.” Mingya wiped his tears messily with the back of his hand, smearing his face.
“Do you listen to me or your papa? If it’s me, come here. If it’s Roger, get out and stop bothering me.”
Mingya thought for a moment and decided to obey Lei Jin. But his legs had gone numb from sitting on the floor, and he stood up too quickly, stumbling and nearly collapsing onto Lei Jin.
“Stay back!” Even though Mingya wasn’t in beast form, Lei Jin’s eyes flashed with panic, and he instinctively pushed him away—though his weak arms barely had any strength.
“I’m not feeling well. I don’t want you crushing me.” Seeing Mingya’s hurt expression, Lei Jin quickly added an excuse.
The truth was, though he knew rationally that Mingya wasn’t entirely to blame, the psychological trauma of being with a leopard was too fresh. How could he treat its human form with the same trust as before? That familiar voice kept reminding him of what had happened in the temple—something he couldn’t erase.
“Oh. Then Mingya will sit on the edge and won’t move.” Only Mingya would believe Lei Jin’s flimsy excuse.
“En. Sit there, and we’ll talk.” Lei Jin pointed to a spot near the foot of the bed—not too close.
Mingya stood, giving him a reluctant look, but obediently moved.
“Didn’t you mature? Why are you still so small?” He remembered the leopard being quite large, but the human form seemed unchanged—still boyish, aside from a barely noticeable deepening of his voice.
“Human forms wouldn’t have changed much. But Mingya grew taller!” Mingya stood to demonstrate.
Without a reference point, it was hard to tell how much taller he’d gotten, but there did seem to be some growth. Lei Jin nodded.
Mingya grinned sweetly and snuggled closer. “Mingya’s all grown up now. Mingya can take you flying!”
Lei Jin stiffened but quickly forced a smile, patting Mingya’s cheek. “Go wash your face in the stream outside. You look like a mess.”
“Lei Jin… do you not like Mingya anymore?” Mingya twisted his fingers, voice tiny.
Mingya was sensitive. Though Lei Jin’s attitude shift wasn’t obvious, his words and actions carried a distance that hadn’t been there before.
“I’m too tired to talk about this now.” Though Mingya was young, Lei Jin didn’t want to lie about feelings. His non-answer was as good as admitting he didn’t like him. But he overestimated Mingya’s comprehension—to Mingya, no outright rejection meant the affection remained. Both misunderstood each other.
“Mingya knows he was wrong this time.” He didn’t dare admit that during the act, he’d been somewhat aware—but hadn’t wanted to stop, craving that closeness with Lei Jin.
“Don’t do it again.” This was as close to forgiveness as he could offer. Since he was leaving soon, what else could he do? Kill the kid? Giving the silent treatment wouldn’t work on someone so oblivious to social cues.
Mingya hesitated. He still wanted to be with Lei Jin. But seeing Lei Jin’s lips press into a thin line and his gaze turn cold, he guiltily whispered, “En. Mingya understands.”
Lei Jin knew the promises of werebeasts were rarely reliable—the key was to stay vigilant. But since Mingya had agreed, he wouldn’t give him a chance to backtrack.
“If you promise something, keep it. I hate liars.”
Mingya’s ears twitched beneath his silver hair.
“Lei Jin, the baby’s fine. Don’t worry.” Mingya agreed, his gaze dropping to Lei Jin’s stomach.
“What did you say?” Lei Jin tried to sit up, but the movement sent pain radiating through his body—especially his lower half.
“I said… the baby in your belly is fine.” Mingya blinked, noticing Lei Jin’s darkening expression.
At that moment, Moya entered carrying an uncovered wooden box with several bowls. Seeing Lei Jin awake, he set it down and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”
Lei Jin just stared at him, face blank.
“What’s wrong?” Moya brought over a bowl of medicine, gesturing for Mingya to go eat at the table.
“What is this?” Lei Jin eyed the dark liquid in Moya’s hand.
Moya pressed his lips together calmly. “Pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.”
“I didn’t hear you.” Though his tone was flat, his eyes were unreadable.
“Pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.” Whatever the outcome, he wouldn’t hide it anymore.
Lei Jin knocked the bowl from Moya’s hands, meeting his gaze coldly. “No need. I never planned to keep it.”
As if responding, the baby inside him kicked hard.