The Wrong Cub

The moment the word "Divorce." left my mouth, the entire ballroom fell silent.

It was not hard to see why.

I was the last pureblood Forest Tiger in North Amerion. For nearly four hundred years, the White family had guarded the forests of the Rocky Mountain. Ever since the colonial era, anyone in the supernatural world who knew me, whether they were werewolves, vampires, witches, or anything else, addressed me by the same title: the White.

Today was my son's birthday celebration.

I had rented out the most luxurious mountaintop hotel in the city for the occasion. The underground garage was packed with Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and Ferraris. Every guest was someone important in the supernatural world.

The color drained from Evelyn Larson's face.

She tightened her arms around the tiny orange furball sleeping against her chest, clutching the little baby blanket wrapped around him with her trembling fingers.

"Honey..." she whispered. "Is it because there are too many people here? Are you overwhelmed?

"I'll have everyone leave right now. Please... don't scare me like this."

I stood, took hold of her slender wrist, and led her straight toward the exit.

"I'm not joking.

"We're going to the Supernatural Affairs Bureau right now. We're getting divorced."

For ordinary people, ending a marriage was simple. They signed a few papers at the local government office and, within an hour, everything was finished.

However, supernaturals were different.

Every registered supernatural resident had to record their marriage with the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. During the process, both spouses entered into a magically binding soul contract.

Without that registration, they could not legally live among humans, buy property or enroll their children in ordinary schools.

If they wanted to end the marriage, both of them had to appear in person to dissolve that contract.

Evelyn's eyes instantly filled with tears. Her big doe-like eyes shimmered as she looked up at me, and the sight made my chest tighten.

"If you really want a divorce..." she said softly, her voice shaking. "I'll agree.

"However, at least tell me... what did I do wrong?"

I stayed silent. Instead, I lowered my eyes to the orange kitten in her arms.

We had been married for eighty years. She understood immediately.

Her entire body went rigid.

"Is this... because of our child? Because... he isn't a little tiger?"

From the day we learned she was pregnant, I had counted the days with anticipation. My child should have become the strongest predator in the forest.

It was not just my expectation. The entire supernatural world believed the same thing.

I had been born a pureblood Forest Tiger, blessed from birth with power far beyond that of ordinary supernatural beings.

Evelyn belonged to the Deer Clan, but her bloodline was exceptionally rare. She was a White Deer, gifted with the ability to command lightning itself.

Despite her young age, she had already been appointed Senior Advisor to the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. Even the Bureau Director stood to greet her whenever she arrived.

Before our child was even born, he had already become the hottest topic in the supernatural world.

I had even heard that the Bureau created his official file before his birth.

Under the Remarks section, it read:

[Potential Alpha-Class Magical Offspring]

Yet...

After two days and two nights of agonizing labor at the finest private hospital in the state, after Evelyn had nearly given her life to bring him into the world...

She gave birth....to a chubby little orange kitten.

He had no magical aura whatsoever and could not even transform into a human. His tail was crooked, and his eyes were always blank and unfocused, as though he could never quite focus on the world around him.

Whenever he was awake, he either smacked his lips or drooled.

When he slept, his purring was so loud it nearly drowned out the baby monitor.

Everything finally came to a head on the day officials from the Supernatural Affairs Bureau arrived to register our son's birth...