It wasn’t any of them, Ming Tao thought as he walked back to his home. He and the people in his clan had a discussion and it was narrowed down enough to know neither of them did it.

Then who? That, he could not answer. He felt devastated for not trusting them earlier but he could not tell if his reaction was justified considering how they united to stand against Mira. If he had not been with her nearly all night yesterday, the blame would have been on her. The council would have found a way to convict Mira for a crime that she did not do and tag her as the same old demon who needed to leave the clan before she did something worse. Ming Tao let out a tired sigh.

Whenever it came to choosing between his people and his wife, his choice always leaned more towards his wife and he could not help but feel guilty. His clan had always been there even when Mira was not so it was uncalled for him to accuse them even if he was their king. Just because he was living in a present bliss did not mean he should forget the past that stood by his side.

Ming Tao arrived at his home. He stood outside his door, still living in his thoughts.

He formulated a temporary solution to their problem. They were to redo the farm but this time, it would be watched both day and night, with some armed men taking turns. No one wanted to see this thing repeat itself again. More than anything, the cheetahs wanted to hold on to this hope of an end of their crisis.

If this farming thing worked, then it would be the start of an era where they would never have to go hungry again. And they would not have to depend on hunting to feed. The cheetahs would hunt less as focus more on training and strengthening the clan. And their young will have food for the rest of their days.

Ming Tao took a deep breath then let it out slowly. He wanted to rid himself of the thoughts before going in. Mira would be inside, probably waiting for him and the last thing he wanted was to appear to her feeling gloomy. He wanted her to rest. They had not had any alone time since their first night together and Ming Tao hated it.

He stretched a hand to the wooden door and noticed the scratches on it that was not there before. Ming Tao’s eyes creased and he used a lazy finger to push the door in to check to sturdiness before deciding whether to step inside. The door was looser than before. It looked like someone had intruded his home while he was away.

His face immediately went pale. He had to check on Mira!

Ming Tao pushed through the door and gushed inside his home. His eyes scanned the empty space before him right in front of the door before he made his way through the nicely decorated and furnished corridor. He ensured to push the doors of every single room open, checking each of them as he paced forward till he reached for his own room.

Ming Tao swallowed when he got to the door. Please be inside, he prayed in his head as he reached his hand for the door. He pushed the door open.

His face immediately palpitated with sweat. The room was empty. Mira was not here.

Ming Tao felt his heart race violently in his chest. His entire body felt uneasy and he began to panic. "Mira?! Darling?! Are you here?!" Ming Tao yelled in distress. He ran his hand through his hair and walked around in circles before running back forward to check the other rooms.

"Mira!!" He called, his voice raised. He received no answer. "Wife?! Wife, where are you?!" His tone bore his worry. The more he pushed through each door and searched in to see an empty room, the more the panic heightened. "Darling?!!" Ming Tao yelled at the top of his voice when he reached the last door.

"Yes?" Rang from inside. Mira made her way out of the last door. Ming Tao immediately pulled her in for a tight hug, sinking his body into hers. Mira just stayed there, puzzled by his sudden action. Ming Tao broke the hug and ran his eyes all over her body to check for any sores or bruises. There were none.

"Is everything okay?" Mira asked carefully with a raised brow. Her voice was soft and inviting yet was filled with confusion.

"I got back from the farm and when I arrived home noticed the door had been tampered with," Ming Tao paused to catch his breath before resuming his sentence. "Then I immediately came to search for you but I did not see you in my room or in any of the rooms and was worried if anything happened and-"

Mira put a hand on his lips to hush him. She heard his fright in his tone. "I’m okay." She worded. "Every part of me is fine." Mira smiled. She pulled her skinny cat in for another hug. Ming Tao let his face sink into her shoulder as he ran his hand through her hair and body. He shut his eyes as his nose got filled with her delicious scent. It calmed him and made him worry less. His breathing steadied.

Mira ran her hand down his back in a pat. "I am glad you worried about me." She whispered, if he was this scared for her life without knowing she was with child, then she wondered how much more terrified he would have been if he assumed both she and their baby were in harm’s way. "As for the door, some messengers from the Ruling Oracle arrived and almost broke it down. Jia Hao was here with me and got it all sorted. Nothing bad happened to me." Mira stated.

Ming Tao parted his body away from hers and stood a few inches apart from her to look her in the eyes. "What did the oracle want?" He asked, his tone low and levelled.

Mira remembered the lion beast man telling Jia Hao it was urgent and confidential. She remembered him saying the lion king was the only one needed for now before the others so she found no need to say anything about it, yet. "I am not too sure of the details."

Ming Tao took a sharp breath in. He ran his hand through her hair. "I came up with a solution for the farm." He stated, his way of changing the topic.

"Intrigue me, husband." Mira stated, she raised her hand to reach for his ears and stroked him gently.

Ming Tao’s face reddened. His tail began to waggle. "The cheetahs will replant and we will keep watch of if day and night in turns to ensure this won’t be repeated again." Ming Tao said.

"That seems like a lot of work. Would they be happy?" Mira questioned.

"You would be so surprised. They wanted to prove their innocence more than anything." Ming Tao responded. Mira instantly felt bad. According to Jia Hao, other intruders must have been the cause for the ruin.

"Let me host a feast tonight. As a show of gratitude for eceryone’s hard work and an apology. I will cook for everyone in the clan tonight, my special meat recipe." Mira said.

Ming Tao’s eyes widened when he heard that. More than anything, he wanted to taste her tasty meat again. "Ask for anything and we will get it done!" He blurted out.

Mira giggled. She looked down to face her belly even though it was barely seeable because of her boobs blocked it from her sight. "I have something else I want to tell you, Ming Tao. After the feast."