After a long silence, Hu Yan clenched his fists.
"We failed," he said simply. "We couldn't protect you. When they took you away, we could do nothing. We couldn't find you. We couldn't save you. We couldn't even protect our cubs."
Beside him, Han Jue's hands tightened, veins standing out on the back of his hands.
"When Xiao San and Xiao Er cried… I could only watch," Han Jue said quietly. "The Teng Clan sealed my strength. I couldn't break free. I couldn't protect them."
The atmosphere grew heavy. Not far away, the three cubs had stopped drinking milk and were secretly peeking over with worried little faces.
Su Qinglan looked at the two men silently. Her heart ached. These silly beasts. They had nearly died, yet all they worried about was whether she would be unhappy with them.
Su Qinglan sighed softly, then suddenly reached out and grabbed both their ears before pulling them.
Hu Yan blinked. Han Jue stiffened.
