Chapter 179: The Private Talk And The Marking Agreement!

Neve turned to Sable immediately after he had agreed to talk to Maren.

But, if he was going to do that, he needed to speak to Maren privately. He did not need the others to be here listening to this conversation. It was personal. It was important. Even if they stood and listened to them, they wouldn’t still understand what they were saying and Neve wasn’t ready to answer questions.

"Can you take the others somewhere safe?" Neve asked. "Stay away from the other snake beastmen. Make sure they don’t try anything suspicious."

"Sure," Sable said without hesitation. The fox assassin turned to Cael and Aldric, giving them a look that said he would explain everything later. "Come on. Let’s find somewhere to rest. We’ve had enough excitement for one day."

Cael and Aldric looked worried as they watched Neve with Maren. Their eyes were filled with concern. They clearly thought Maren was going to do something bad to Neve. They wanted to stay and protect him. As if they could.

But Neve knew well to choose Sable for this task. Sable would understand that Maren was actually a good person since he had spent some time with him under water. Sable would trust Neve’s judgment and would not interfere.

As Sable led Cael and Aldric away through the forest, the tension in the clearing turned cold.

The air felt different. Heavier. More colder. Just Neve and Maren standing alone in the forest with just wind blowing.

"What do you have to say?" Neve asked, breaking the silence.

"Does your hand hurt?" Maren asked suddenly, looking down at Neve’s injured palm.

The hand that Skarr had cut to perform the ritual. The hand that had bled dark red onto the ground. The hand that should have been throbbing with pain.

Neve lifted his hand and stared at it. He flexed his fingers, testing the wound.

The cut was still there. It was still visible with blood still seeping from it, but there was no pain. No throbbing. No burning sensation.

"I can’t even feel the pain," Neve said, looking away from his hand to focus on Maren. "So it’s fine. The ritual didn’t cause any permanent damage. I hope."

He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"So about going home," Neve said, his voice becoming more serious. "What are you planning to do? What’s your plan for returning to Earth?"

Maren took a deep breath before responding.

"I need your help to treat my mother completely," Maren said, his voice carrying urgency. "I want her to be healthy and fully recovered. Once she’s healed, one of my missions can be completed. That way, I can leave the outcast territory and search for others from Earth who might be trapped here like we are."

"Oh," Neve muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He was already running calculations in his head. "If it’s that, I’ll be able to get her on her feet and fully healthy in two days. Maybe three days at most. The poison is almost completely flushed from her system."

Maren’s eyes beamed immediately, and a smile crept across his face.

"Thank you Neve. I don’t know what I’d have done without you," he said and nodded his head once before looking back at Neve with intensity. "Once I find others from Earth and we figure out a way to return, are you going to come with us? Will you abandon this world and return home?"

Neve felt his heart skip a beat.

"I..." he muttered, unable to find the right words. He still did not know the answer. He was getting so used to this world already. The beast tribes. The magic. The mates. The bonds. The system. Every. Damn. Thing. So the question still lingered in his head... Does he want to go home? Back to earth where his real life is?

And in one month and a half, he would be giving birth to cubs. His first litter. How could he abandon them? How could he leave them with Cael and the others?

"Listen to me Neve," Maren said, stepping closer. His voice carried the weight of experience and understanding. "You know medicine better than I do. I might lack knowledge in a lot of areas, but I’m not foolish enough to miss what’s happening. Giving birth to two hundred litters means death. Your body cannot handle that. It’s physically impossible."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"I was also given a death mission," Maren continued. "A mission that should have ended with my death. The mission to make sure war doesn’t break out between the outcasts and the other tribes. But now that Zyreth is dead and his body is being used by Skarr, the mission has been cleared automatically. If the war had actually happened, I would have died a second time and I don’t fucking want that."

Neve understood what Maren was saying. The system had weird rules. Sometimes missions cleared themselves when circumstances changed. Maybe death missions were given to almost everyone.

"Death mission, huh?" Neve said, rubbing his chin. He wanted to tell Maren something. Something important. Something that might give him hope.

He wanted to tell Maren about the voices in that room. About the mysterious entities watching their every move. About the fact that his original body was in a coma in a hospital somewhere. About the fact that they were nothing but entertainers to people watching from another dimension.

Maybe that would increase Maren’s hope about returning to Earth. Maybe that would make the shark king more determined to find a way home.

But Neve did not know how to say it. The words were stuck in his throat. The explanation was too complicated. The situation was too bizarre.

A sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head.

"I’ll help you treat your mother," Neve said, making his decision. "I’ll get her healthy in two days. And about returning to Earth... I guess I’ll find out what to do when it’s time. When the moment comes, I’ll make a choice. Right now, I need to focus on surviving and taking care of my cubs."

He turned away to leave, to go find Cael and the others.

But then Maren’s voice stopped him.

"I’ll see you tomorrow then," Maren said. "Let’s mark each other. Let’s do the bonding thing so you’re officially mine too."

Neve froze completely.

Heat crept up his face as his cheeks turned bright red. He blinked rapidly, trying to process what Maren had just said.

He turned to look back at Maren, his voice shaky.

"It’s just marking," Neve said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We can’t bond and complete any full ceremony since I’m pregnant. My body can’t handle the strain of a full bonding ritual right now."

Maren raised a brow, clearly confused by the distinction.

"I have no idea how it works," Maren admitted. "What exactly do they do to complete the ceremony? What’s the difference between marking and bonding?"

Neve pressed his eyes shut as his lips trembled. How was he supposed to explain this to Maren? How was he supposed to tell a straight man from Earth, a man who had been a wealthy man, about mating rituals and sexual ceremonies?

"You know," Neve said, poking his fingers together nervously. His embarrassment was written all over his face. "Let’s just say... mating."

He let that word hang in the air between them.

Maren’s eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. Then he smirked, clearly amused by Neve’s embarrassment.

"I don’t care which one it is," Maren said casually, as if discussing the weather. "Marking or bonding or mating. It doesn’t matter to me. I want to claim you as mine either way. So I’ll see you tomorrow."

Like that, he turned around and left, disappearing back toward the shark territory.

Neve heaved a breath of relief as he watched Maren go. He turned away and went to look for Cael and the others. He had to meet them and make sure everyone was safe. He had to tell them that they could rest now. That the immediate danger had passed.

As he walked through the forest, he looked at his injured hand. His fingers trailed along his own neck, following the line where Maren would likely place his mark.

Just where was Maren going to mark him? On his neck? On his shoulder? On his wrist? He did not know.

He would deal with that later. After all, the most important thing right now was whether Varek would agree to support Popi or not. If Varek refused to become the new king, the outcast territory would fall into chaos. Everything they had done would be for nothing.

Neve quickened his pace, trying to find Cael and the others.

He had so much to think about. So much to worry about. So many decisions to make.

But right now, in this moment, he was just relieved that everyone he cared about was still alive. That was enough for now.

That would have to be enough.