Free Web NovelChapter 31: Episode 031: Do me a favor.
"You know I can’t stay here, Minx..." she sighs.
Minx frowned, her black beaded eyes searching the rabbit’s face. "Why not? You have a safe bed. My brother built a crib. Little Theron is comfortable. What else do you need?"
Rue rolled her eyes.
How do you even know that?
Rue did not respond. She shifted on the thick animal pelts, picked up a slice of fresh, bright yellow mango from the wooden tray Minx had brought, and took a bite. The fruit was sweet. It melted on her tongue perfectly. She chewed in absolute silence, completely ignoring the brown-skinned panther waiting for an answer.
It was very hard to hold a conversation when a bright blue screen was actively screaming in her face.
[Unify the Panther Clan to the Beastworld.]
The text blinked rapidly. It was incredibly annoying.
How the heck am I supposed to do that? Rue thought. Do I look like a predator to you?
[Your mind is that of a predator, Host.]
Rue scoffed.
Sure, my mind is going to jump out of my head and instruct a bunch of giant, anti-social cats on how to communicate with the other tribes. That makes perfect sense.
[...]
Caius watched her carefully. The giant snake stood near the edge of the bed. He could not see the floating blue screen. He only saw his mate staring blankly at the stone wall, chewing a piece of fruit, and scoffing at the air. He was instantly worried.
"What happened?" Caius asked, stepping closer.
Rue swallowed the mango. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "We might have another reason for staying here a bit longer."
Caius did not like that idea at all. His sharp jaw clenched tight.
He had been incredibly docile since arriving in the Nightwhisper Jungle. He kept his temper strictly in check. He only did this because of Rue and his newborn son. He knew perfectly well why the panther tribe was named the terrifying night beasts. They were ruthless hunters.
Caius possessed the raw military power to wipe the whole tribe out. But doing so would completely ruin the delicate balance of the Beastworld. Apex predators were needed to keep the wild borders secure. But if they laid a single hand on his mate, that careful logic would vanish instantly. He would wipe them off the map.
Knox stood silently near the doorway. The Black Panther King caught his sister’s eye. Minx sighed heavily, picking up the empty water basin.
"We will leave you to rest," Minx said.
Knox did not say a word. He just nodded once at Rue, completely ignored Caius, and followed his sister out of the bedroom. The door clicked shut behind them.
Rue stood up from the bed. Her injured leg throbbed slightly, but the bleeding had stopped. She picked up little Theron. The baby was fast asleep, his silver-white hair soft against her collarbone. She walked over to the massive ironwood crib Knox had built.
She gently placed Theron down onto the soft moon-fox furs. He let out a tiny, quiet sigh and settled perfectly.
Rue turned to face Caius.
"The Panther Tribe has good resources," Rue stated flatly.
Caius blinked. "What?"
"They have a very rare type of ironwood, this seems to even be the strongest one. They have rare furs," Rue pointed at the crib. "They have serious economic value. If they brought these things to the outside market, it would benefit the whole Beastworld in terms of trade."
Caius stared at her. He was completely baffled by her capitalism logic. She was a rabbit. Rabbits usually cared about finding safe burrows and eating fresh carrots. They did not care about market trade and resource management.
"Where did you learn all this?" Caius asked, tilting his head. "I thought you were just a spoiled rabbit princess."
Rue opened her mouth. She didn’t even think before she spoke.
"I studied Business in sch—"
She stopped halfway. Her teeth clamped down hard on her own tongue.
"I studied the business of trading in my tribe," Rue quickly corrected herself. Her face remained perfectly blank, completely burying the sudden panic.
Caius did not look convinced, but he let the slip slide. He stepped forward and gently grabbed her shoulders.
"I don’t want you to tie yourself to the panther territory to help them," Caius said, his golden eyes filled with deep, protective worry. "Let me do all the heavy work. You take care of yourself and the child."
Rue looked up at his handsome face. He was incredibly sweet. Her body betrayed her completely. A soft, warm flush crept up her neck. She leaned up and pressed a quick, soft kiss to his cheek.
"I don’t have a choice," Rue answered with a small chuckle. The system literally gave her a task. She could not ignore it.
She stepped back slightly.
"And you?" Rue asked, narrowing her pink eyes. "Do you have something to tell me?"
Caius stood perfectly still. "About what?"
"You keep leaving the panther territory," Rue pointed out. "You left me here to go back to the Swamps. Do you trust Knox so much not to harm me?"
Caius coughed awkwardly into his fist. He looked away, suddenly finding the stone floor very interesting.
"Any beastman that wishes to claim a mate so seriously does not harm her," Caius explained slowly. "It goes against every biological instinct we have. So I knew you were in very good hands."
He looked back at her, his expression turning entirely serious. "And besides, if something happens to you, I would sense it instantly through the mate bond. I would be back before he could blink." freewebnøvel.com
Rue nodded. Fair point.
"Since I am the Left General of the Swamps," Caius continued, "Queen Tanith always needs me to settle one or two border disputes. The hyenas were a mess. But do not worry. She is highly conscious of the fact that I have a nursing mate. She will not keep me away for long."
Rue smiled, stepping forward. She moved into Caius’s personal space. With a sudden, entirely unexpected burst of playful energy, she placed her small hands flat against his chest and pushed.
Caius stumbled backward in absolute shock. A tiny rabbit just pushed a high-tier predator. His back hit the cold stone wall with a soft thud.
Rue cornered him. She stepped right between his boots, looking up at him through her silver eyelashes. It was a cutely aggressive move. Her heart hammered against her ribs. ƒrēewebnovel.com
She ignored her brain. She leaned in close to his chest and whispered in a soft, incredibly sweet voice.
"And what else do you want to tell me?"
Caius gulped. His Adam’s apple bobbed sharply. The Left General was completely trapped by a girl who barely reached his collarbone. His golden eyes darkened slightly.
"Will you come with me to the Full Moon Festival?" Caius asked, his voice a low, rough rumble.
Rue tilted her head, completely confused. "The what?"
The blue screen flared instantly in her vision.
[Event Info: The Full Moon Festival.]
[Description: A massive, peaceful gathering held at the Convergence. All beast tribes declare temporary truces to trade goods, form alliances, and seek potential mates under the moonlight.]
[Benefit: Attending this event provides a neutral ground to introduce the Panther Clan to the public economy.]
Rue read the text quickly. It was the absolute perfect setup. It was exactly what she needed to complete the system’s ridiculous task.
She looked away from the invisible screen and smiled up at Caius.
"I will go," Rue said softly.
She reached up and traced the edge of his dark shirt collar.
"But can you do me a favor?"
