Chapter 128: The Crush And The First Mission Complete!
Everyone ate the meal that Neve had prepared.
It was warm and filling. The flavors were different from what every beastman was used to, but they enjoyed it. Even Popi, who had never cooked before, seemed satisfied with how the food turned out.
After eating, everyone went to sleep.
Doris’s siblings had woken up from the sleeping powder’s effects. They cried when they realized their sister was not there. They asked for her. They asked where she went. They wanted to know when she would come back.
Neve found a way to tell them a lie that would comfort them without causing more pain.
"Your sister went somewhere to look for food," Neve told them gently. "It’s a punishment from the chief because she disobeyed him. She will be back after a hundred moons."
The young beastmen looked confused. A hundred moons was a very long time. An impossibly long time.
They began counting from today. One moon. Two moons. Counting up to a hundred.
Surely, their sister would not return after a hundred moons. And they probably would not easily forget about her even after all that time. But at least they stopped crying. At least they accepted the explanation and went to sleep without more questions.
.
.
Neve was able to sleep with Cael’s hand wrapped around his body protectively.
The leopard prince was lying behind him, spooning him close. Neve could feel the warmth of Cael’s breath hitting his neck from behind. It was comforting. It made him feel safe despite everything that was happening.
"I heard you almost got into heat," Cael said suddenly, breaking the silence of the night.
"It’s nothing," Neve replied with his eyes still closed. He did not want to relive that experience. "Kelly helped me with it already. He took care of it for me."
There was a moment of silence.
"Kelly isn’t even marked yet," Cael said, and there was something in his voice that suggested he was not happy about this fact.
Neve opened his eyes and turned to look at Cael’s face in the darkness.
"Are you jealous?" Neve asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Cael did not deny it. Instead, he asked his own question.
"If I say yes, are you going to belong to only me?" he asked.
Neve was silent. He did not answer the question directly. Instead, he smiled and stretched his hand, trailing his fingers across Cael’s chest gently.
The leopard prince’s muscles were firm under his touch. His heartbeat was steady and strong.
"Do you have someone you loved?" Neve asked.
"Someone I loved?" Cael asked for confirmation.
Neve nodded.
"I don’t," Cael replied. "But I once had a crush."
Neve’s eyes widened in surprise.
A crush? Cael had a crush? The leopard prince seemed like someone who had always known what he wanted. Someone who had always been focused on his goals and his tribe. The idea of him having a romantic interest seemed almost unreal.
"Who was it?" Neve asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Why?" Cael asked, smiling as his finger gently touched Neve’s nose in a teasing gesture.
"Just tell me," Neve said, pushing for an answer.
"Fine," Cael agreed. "She died when we were kids. It was Bella’s older sister."
Neve’s jaw dropped in shock.
Bella had an older sister? And she was dead? Neve wanted to ask how she died. He wanted to know the details. But he knew it would be rude to pry into painful memories like that. So he just kept quiet and waited for more information.
"Would you have mated with her if she were alive?" Neve asked after a moment.
Cael shook his head.
"No," he said simply. "She was about five years older than I was."
Neve gasped.
"You pervert," Neve said, not entirely joking. "You were eyeing someone older than you were. That’s so inappropriate."
Cael laughed at Neve’s response, a genuine laugh that echoed softly in the darkness of their bedroom.
"I could almost sense the jealousy from you," Cael said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Neve did not admit to being jealous. But in truth, he was glad the older sister was dead. He was ashamed of the wicked thought as soon as it crossed his mind. What kind of person was he to be glad someone was dead just because Cael had once had a crush on them?
The system notification rang suddenly, interrupting his guilt.
A screen appeared in front of him.
{MISSION COMPLETE: Build Strong Bonds with Your Mates}
{Bonding Progress: 100%}
{REWARD: Level Up! Level 3 → Level 4}
{You are now ONE mission away from unlocking Market access!}
Neve sat up immediately, his eyes widening as he read the notification.
He had completed the first mission. He had achieved 100% bonding progress with all of his mates. The system had rewarded him with a level up.
He was now level 4.
And more importantly, he was one mission away from accessing the market. One mission away from being able to get ramen. One mission away from tasting his favorite food again.
"Everything okay?" Cael asked, noticing the sudden change in Neve’s demeanor.
"I just can’t wait to eat ramen," Neve smirked and laid back down beside Cael.
"Ra...Men?" Cael asked, clearly confused by the unfamiliar word. "What is that?"
"Something that blows your mind away," Neve explained vaguely, not wanting to spend too much time explaining something Cael would not understand. "It’s the best food in the entire world. Trust me."
Cael considered this for a moment.
"I wouldn’t want to blow my mind away," Cael said seriously. "But if it kills people, we can use it as a weapon on Soren."
Neve stared at Cael for a moment, processing what he had just said.
And then he burst into laughter.
He laughed so hard that his entire body shook. He laughed so hard that he forgot about Soren. He forgot about the system. He forgot about the original owner of his body inside his mind.
Cael covered Neve’s mouth with his hand, trying to muffle the sound so it would not wake everyone else in the cave.
"What’s so funny?" Cael asked, but Neve could not stop laughing even with his mouth covered.
The absurdity of it. The idea of using ramen as a weapon against Soren. It was ridiculous and perfect and exactly what Neve needed at that moment.
When he finally finished laughing, exhaustion crashed over him like a wave.
He had gone through a lot today. He had watched someone die. He had heard Soren claim him publicly as a mate. He had discovered that the original owner of his body was alive and conscious inside his mind. He had completed his first mission.
It was too much for one day.
Tomorrow would bring more challenges. More danger. Especially with Soren watching him. Especially with an unknown threat looming over him.
But for now, he was safe.
Neve cuddled into Cael’s body and remained there, finding comfort in the leopard prince’s warmth and presence. His eyes grew heavy. His breathing became deeper and more steady.
Sleep took him before he could think about anything else.