Chapter 182: The Mark And The Acceptance!

The cave rooms were looking very simple but super comfortable. Maybe one of the brightness.

The snake beastmen had given them proper accommodations now that they were no longer prisoners. The stone chambers were carved into the mountain, with furs and blankets for warmth. Torches lit the walls with flickering flames.

Neve sat on one of the fur beds with Cael, Aldric, and Sable gathered around him. They were all in one room for safety and companionship. Cael, Aldric, and Sable had insisted on staying close to Neve, determined to protect him in case anyone tried to attack or cause trouble.

"So tell us about your journey," Neve said, wanting to hear their side of the story. "What happened when you left the leopard tribe? How did you find us?"

Cael started talking first, recounting their travel through the snow. The difficult conditions. The way the cold tried to kill them every single day. The constant fear that they would not make it in time.

"The snow was relentless," Cael said, his voice still carrying the exhaustion of that ordeal. "We pushed as hard as we could. Every day felt like it could be our last. Aldric’s medical knowledge kept us alive when we thought we would freeze to death."

Aldric nodded, adding his own details about finding shelter and rationing food.

Sable talked about his scouting ahead and discovering the outcast territory. How he had used his invisibility to search for Neve without being detected.

They talked about random things as the evening wore on. About the outcast beastmen and how different they were from the other tribes. About the culture and the strange rules. About how oppressive Zyreth had been.

Then Cael raised his brow with curiosity.

"Neve, what’s the situation with Maren?" Cael asked casually. "He seems very interested in you. Is there something going on between you two?"

Neve’s cheeks flushed slightly at the direct question. He wished he could just tell them that all he has with him was nothing. He was just assigned to watch his sick mother and that’s all. He doesn’t have any relationship with Maren. But, not yet. Maybe soon, he just can’t tell.

"Well," Neve said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I have to be marked by Maren tomorrow. He’s helping us and he wants to claim me as his mate."

Cael’s eyes widened slightly.

"Maren is one of your mates?" Cael asked, trying to confirm what he was hearing.

Neve nodded.

"Yes. He’s one of the ten I’m supposed to bond with. We made an agreement."

Aldric and Cael exchanged glances. They understood the system. They had accepted that Neve would have multiple mates. They had come to terms with it. It was just part of his existence in this world.

But Sable, who had not been told about Neve’s real life situation, looked completely confused.

"Wait," Sable said, his orange eyes widening. "Marking? Mates? What are you all talking about?"

Neve sighed and explained everything. The system. The missions. The requirement to bond with ten mates. The cubs he would be bearing. All of it. All two hundred of them.

Even Sable told him to refuse the system as he listened.

Sable listened silently as Neve laid bare the truth of his situation. All he could do was do his expression when he was.

When Neve finished, he added one final piece of information.

"And Sable, you’re one of my mates too," he said. Neve frowned.

Neve felt like this was the opposite to ask him. After all, it was favorability is already at thirty-five percent."

Sable froze completely.

His entire body went rigid. His hands clenched into fists. His breathing became shallow.

He could not believe what he was hearing. He was one of Neve’s mates. The system had designated him as one of the people Neve would bond with. One of the people Neve would carry cubs for.

But Sable had never wanted to share. He had always imagined finding someone and keeping them entirely for himself. The idea of being one of ten mates, sharing Neve with nine other beastmen, was almost unbearable.

Sable stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor.

"I need some air," he said, his voice tight and controlled.

He walked toward the cave entrance without another word and also with giving him a silence.

Cael started to follow him, concerned about the fox’s wellbeing. He wanted to see if he was good.

But Neve put his hand on Cael’s arm.

"Leave him," Neve said softly. "Let him process this. He needs time to think."

"But—" Cael tried to speak, his protective instincts kicking in.

Neve just smiled and shook his head.

"He can’t force himself to be my mate if he doesn’t want to be," Neve said, his voice carrying acceptance. "The system might push him toward me, but his feelings have to be genuine. He needs to make peace with the situation on his own."

Deep down though, Neve knew the truth. The system had programmed Sable to be his mate. The favorability meter would continue climbing. Eventually, Sable would accept his role in Neve’s life. Maybe Sable was just being dramatic right now. Maybe he was just playing hard to get to make things interesting. To create tension and excitement.

The system loved drama.

After Sable left, the atmosphere in the room became quieter.

Cael was still concerned but respected Neve’s decision to let the fox have space.

Then Cael asked another question.

"What about Aldric?" Cael asked, his curiosity directed at the bear beastman. "Is he one of your mates too?"

Neve looked at Aldric and a smirk crept up his lips.

Neve had almost forgotten about the cute bear. But when he checked his awareness of the system, he could see that Aldric’s favorability meter was already at thirty-nine percent. That was actually good progress. Very good progress.

An idea formed in Neve’s mind.

"Would you like to mark me, Aldric?" Neve asked suddenly, his voice playful and teasing.

Aldric’s face turned bright red immediately.

His eyes went wide. His mouth opened and closed without words. He was completely flustered by the sudden question.

"You mean..." Aldric started, trying to understand what Neve was actually asking. "You mean to become your mate? Officially?"

Neve nodded, his grin growing wider.

Aldric asked another clarifying question, his voice still uncertain.

"You mean we’ll wake up together and eat together?" Aldric asked, his voice stuttering slightly. "You mean we’ll sleep in the same bed?"

Neve furrowed his brows a bit before nodding to agree with what Aldric was saying. Those were indeed some of the implications of being officially marked as a mate.

But then Aldric’s entire demeanor changed.

"Does that mean..." he said in a deep voice, and a confident smirk appeared on his face for the first time. "You’ll be mine?"

Neve almost dropped his eyes to the floor because they almost fell out of his head.

This was something that he had never seen on Aldric’s face before. This confidence. This possessiveness. This dominant energy. It was completely different from the sweet, gentle bear Neve had known.

It was attractive.

Strangely, Neve did not feel weird about it. There was no hesitation in his response. Maybe yes, he would just accept Aldric’s claim. So he grinned widely and pulled up his short sleeve, exposing his arm to the bear.

The skin on his arm was bare and unmarked. Perfect for a mating mark.

"Go ahead," Neve said, his voice filled with anticipation. "Mark me!"

Aldric’s breathing became heavier as he moved closer to Neve.

The bear beastman took Neve’s arm gently, his large paw careful not to hurt the Neve He lowered his head, his mouth moving toward Neve’s exposed arm.

Neve could feel the warmth of Aldric’s breath on his skin. Could feel the anticipation building between them. Could feel his own heart racing as he waited for the mark to be made.

Aldric’s teeth grazed Neve’s arm, just barely touching the skin.

Then he bit down, not hard enough to cause serious injury, but hard enough to leave a clear mark. His teeth sank into Neve’s arm, marking him as his mate. Claiming him. Declaring to the entire world that Neve belonged to him.

Neve gasped at the sensation. It did not hurt. It felt intense and intimate and possessive. It felt like Aldric was pouring all of his feelings into that single bite.

When Aldric pulled back, his mark was clear on Neve’s arm. Dark marks from his teeth. A visible claim. The brown bond mark formed on the same spot.

The system notification appeared in Neve’s awareness.

[Aldric: MARKED - Favorability Increased to 45%]

[Bond Progress: 4 of 9 Mates Marked]

Cael watched the entire interaction silently, his leopard eyes observing everything.

He did not seem bothered by what was happening. He had already accepted his role as one of Neve’s mates. He had already accepted that there would be others.

Aldric’s confidence remained as he looked at Neve with possessive satisfaction.

"Mine," he said simply, his voice deep and certain.

Neve grinned at the declaration, feeling oddly comfortable with the intensity of Aldric’s feelings almost like the shy version had vanished.

"Yes," Neve said softly. "I’m yours. And you’re mine Aldric."