Chapter 183: The Unexpected Awakening!

"So Aldric marked you?" Cael asked, folding his hands across his chest.

His tone was careful and controlled. But there was an edge to it that Neve recognized immediately.

Neve yawned hard, clapping his hand over his mouth as his eyes stung with tears. He blinked back the water and furrowed his brows at Cael.

"Is that how you say good morning?" Neve asked, tilting his head with a slight smile.

Sure, he probably should not have done the marking so soon, especially when he was pregnant. It took a strain on his body that he went straight to sleep after Aldric marked him. But Neve had wanted to complete his mission immediately. He had one more mate remaining to meet. How he was going to find that final person, he did not know yet.

Neve wanted to focus on the ones he already had before worrying about the future, especially with his cubs growing inside him.

"I roasted some meat," Cael said, his voice still not greeting Neve properly because clearly he was irritated. "And prepared some fruits. You need to eat."

Of course, Cael knew that Neve was going to get marked by Aldric since he was the one who even asked about the bear. Yet Cael was acting surprised and jealous. It was confusing behavior.

Well, maybe it was because Cael had gone after Sable last night to check on him, and Neve had not even realized it until now.

"Thanks," Neve said and stood on his feet carefully. He held his stomach, rubbing slow circles with his palm, feeling the cubs inside him respond to his touch.

"Good morning, babies," he greeted his cubs softly as he looked back at Cael. "You’re not going to greet your cubs too?"

Cael’s face immediately softened as he dragged himself closer to Neve and hugged him gently. He lowered his head and kissed Neve’s huge stomach, showing affection to the unborn cubs.

"Good morning baby," Cael also greeted, his voice tender and loving. "I hope you’re being good to your mother."

Neve’s lips curved into a warm smile as he leaned his head down to plant a kiss on Cael’s forehead.

"You can’t get jealous of my other mates and other beastmen just because I got marked by them," Neve said, lifting a brow with understanding. "Don’t forget, you’re the first one who marked me. You were my first mate."

Cael looked up at him with a slight frown.

"It’s Vaelthorn, technically," Cael said, correcting Neve gently. "The dragon marked you first. Before I ever did."

"Ah, that’s true," Neve muttered, his smile fading slightly. He had almost forgotten about that because he had been in the middle of an unplanned heat when it happened. He did not remember the details clearly. The experience had been overwhelming and confusing.

He sighed and touched his neck where Vaelthorn’s mark was hidden.

"I wonder if he’s doing well," Neve said quietly, thinking about the sleeping dragon.

"I hope not," Cael said bluntly, making it clear how he felt about the competition for Neve’s affection.

Cael stood up and looked at Neve with determination.

"Sit, I’ll get some meat and fruits for you," he said and walked toward the door. "I can’t wait to get home. I miss the stew and soup. I miss everyone at home. I miss the warmth of the tribe."

"They are all waiting for you," Cael said as he returned with a plate. "Let’s end this immediately and get home. Let’s finish what we need to do and leave this place."

Neve nodded in agreement and started preparing for his day. After he ate the roasted meat that was seasoned with salt and some fresh fruit, he went to Maren’s mother’s hut to continue the treatment.

Since he was no longer deliberately slowing down her recovery, he had to make sure she opened her eyes today. He had promised Maren that she would be healthy in two days. Today was that day.

He wanted to summon someone to help him, but he did not know anyone around that he could trust. He needed water to help with the acupuncture treatment. He needed fresh water to clean the needles.

Just before he finished thinking about it, Popi walked in carrying the wooden bowl of water. Neve squinted his eyes in surprise.

"Wow, I thought you had abandoned me," Neve said as he pulled out his golden needles. "I thought you were too busy with Varek to help me anymore."

Popi placed the bowl down carefully on a table and rushed to Neve. She did not get close enough to hug him because he was holding needles and she did not want him to hurt himself by accident.

"What do you mean by abandon you? There’s no way I would do that," Popi said as she folded her hands across her chest defensively. "I just had to convince Varek to accept the title and stay here with his people and ended up staying with him myself."

She paused and cleared her throat as if she was waiting for Neve to say something judgmental or surprised.

"I see," Neve replied as he began the treatment. He could not let himself get distracted, especially when he had a lot of talking waiting for him. He positioned his golden needles carefully on Maren’s mother’s skin.

"So... I know you’re busy and also..." Popi paused nervously. "Since you’re a kind of expert in medicine, I wanted to ask if... I wouldn’t get pregnant with snakes, right?"

Neve froze completely.

His hand hovered right above Maren’s mother’s skin. He would have acupunctured the wrong spot and caused serious damage if he had not frozen to listen to what Popi was actually saying.

"What and why are you asking me that?" he asked, his voice filled with shock.

"You see, just like I said, I went to stay there for a few minutes to convince him about accepting the kingship," Popi said, her words coming out in a rush. "I ended up being seduced by him and... it kinda happened."

She shrieked, clapping her hands over her face in embarrassment.

"Damn, he has two!" she added, her voice muffled behind her hands.

"That’s not the important thing!" Neve shrieked back, his focus shifting entirely. "What about Gideon? You said you had someone you liked yesterday. You said you had feelings for someone else."

"About that..." Popi said slowly, lowering her hands. "It really is Gideon but, I think I love Varek. Can he come with us? Please, please, please. I’ll watch him! I’ll take care of him! Just please let him come home with us."

She was begging now, her voice desperate and sincere.

"What makes you think I’m going to say no?" Neve asked, genuinely confused by her urgency. "Why would I refuse to let your mate come with us? Of course he can come."

Popi shrieked with joy, rushing to hug Neve slowly and carefully.

"Now now, get off my skin!" he shoved her away gently and continued working on the treatment. "So... tell me everything. Tell me what happened between you and Varek."

But just as Popi was about to start explaining, another voice spoke from the bed.

It was a thick voice. Weak but conscious.

"I also want to hear," Maren’s mother said, her eyes fluttering open.

Neve shrieked when he realized the woman was actually awake. Even Popi almost jumped out of her skin in shock.

The woman was alive but barely able to move her body. Her muscles were still recovering from years of poisoning. But her eyes were open. She was conscious. She was aware of everything happening around her.

"Ma’am?" Neve called out, dropping his hand and rushing to check on her. He examined her eyes, ears, nose, and other organs that had been failing due to the poison. "I can’t believe how much you’re getting better!"

Neve shrieked with excitement, stepping back to observe her condition more carefully.

"But how are you awake when the treatment wasn’t complete?" he added, confusion clear in his voice. "The acupuncture sequence is not finished. You should still be in a deep sleep. You should not be conscious yet."

He looked at Maren’s mother with wonder and confusion written all over his face.

The woman was supposed to have one more day of treatment before she would fully wake. But here she was, opening her eyes and speaking before the scheduled time.

It did not make sense.

Unless something had changed. Unless something had accelerated her recovery beyond what Neve had calculated. But he didn’t care anyway. As long as she was breathing and healthy.

Popi looked just as confused as Neve felt.

"Can she even speak?" Popi asked, her voice filled with uncertainty. "I thought poison victims took longer to recover consciousness."

"They do," Neve said, his medical knowledge confirming that this was unusual. "This should not be happening. Not this fast. Not without the complete treatment."

Maren’s mother tried to smile, though the effort seemed to cause her pain.

"My son..." she said weakly, her voice hoarse from disuse. "Is my son here? Is Maren alright?"