《Beastmen Love》


 Chapter 1: Was I Shot?

    Chapter 1: Was I Shot?Damascus, in Virginia, is a small town in the United States. It''s a peaceful place, most of the inhabitants know each other, giving the idea of how small the town is. Astri White decided to go live there believing she could live a calmer life than New York.


    Astri grew up in an orphanage in New York, she was found in the middle of a park when she was around 6 months old.


    A police officer found her, he was around 55 years old and he was the one who named her when they didn''t find any family of hers.


    Astri, because her eyes look like stars, and White, her surname, because her hair is almost white with thin red locks, and her skin is so fair that she looks like a snow field. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While she was growing up, everyone could notice that she was different. And Astri herself could see that too.


    She was like other girls in looks, having beautiful curves, round eyes, and plump lips. But since she was little she was stronger than others, when she became an adult no normal man could beat her in terms of strength.


    She is a glutton, being capable of eating three or four servings to actually feel full, and even eating all that she wouldn''t get fat.


    When she was a child, the orphanage had to control her meals and since she couldn''t control her strength well she would also be kept away from other children.


    She was treated as a problem in the orphanage, so she didn''t know what love was.


    At school, she could make friends, but she never felt part of them, she never felt whole anywhere. And whenever she would show her strength or how much she can eat, people would notice she was different, so she just pretended she wasn''t hungry or wasn''t strong enough for anything to don''t call attention to herself.


    And when she became an adult, she realized she was really alone in this world... She could only stay at the orphanage until she was 18 years old.


    On the same day of her birthday, she was put out of the orphanage and she had to live in the streets until she could find a job to rent a place.


    Astri is a beautiful woman, she calls men''s attention, but she feels deep inside of her that if she gives herself to a man it will mean much more to her than to him.


    Also, she fears being used and then thrown out like in the orphanage. She would do everything for the children, she accepted taking care of them all the time in the hope the orphanage would accept her there, but they just used her until the day they could get rid of her.


    When she was 20 years old she decided to go live in Damascus, to try living a quiet life and being distant from other people, deep down in her job as a waitress, and her hobbies were singing, reading, and drawing.


    ¨C


    One night, around 3 am, Astri was taking her heavy backpack, full of her books and notebooks, pencils and art supplies, some snacks, and spare clothes, preparing to leave the bar where she works.


    "I''m so tired today. That''s what I get from not sleeping what I needed for two days straight reading." She thinks.


    She decides not to take her spare clothes and just leaves in uniform. The next day would be her day off, so it doesn''t matter if her uniform would get dirtier.


    She throws her backpack on her shoulders and says good night to everyone.


    As she walks on the dark streets, she senses she''s being followed. She could always sense things more than normal people, she noticed that long ago.


    She pretends to look to both sides of the street for any cars but her intention was to know where this presence she sensed was.


    "There!"


    A man wearing a black hoodie was following her in the distance. As she kept walking, he quickened his steps to get closer to her.


    So she quickened her steps too, and when she found a curve she sprinted afraid that the man following her would be armed.


    When he turned the same curve, he noticed she was running and he ran after her.


    She knows she can run for a long time and wait for him to get tired of following her. Then she decides to take another curve that leads to the park, and when she turns she feels her eyes darken and her body loses its weight.


    "Did he shoot me?" She thinks before losing consciousness completely.


    ¡ª-


    She wakes up slowly feeling the sunshine, as she starts to remember she was being chased she wakes up with a jump. She looks around and only sees trees and grass.


    "Am I at the park? Did the.." She talks frantically.


    She touches between her legs scared to death, but she doesn''t feel anything strange. She gives a relieved sigh.


    She checked her backpack and the maniac didn''t steal anything, even her cellphone was there.


    "Isn''t that luck? Maybe I lost him before..." She tells herself, but then she doesn''t even understand what happened to her.


    She simply lost consciousness from nowhere and woke up in the morning.


    She starts walking and she doesn''t find the road or gates. The trees are endless and she''s sure she didn''t go deep into the park. She looks around again worried and getting scared.


    When she was getting desperate she hears men talking, she followed their voices feeling relieved, but when she found them the relief was transformed into horror.


    There were three naked men sitting around a deer eating raw meat. Their hands and faces were all dirty with blood. They sensed Astri and together looked in her direction.


    "Oh, look what we have here!" One of them says with a terrifying smirk, standing on his feet and walking in her direction.


    "What a beautiful female!" The second one stands.


    "Our lucky day!" The other stands and Astri is already feeling that their eyes are not friendly, they''re looking at her as if she were their next meal.


    She was stepping back since the first one stood up, asking herself how she could escape those maniacs. However, in a blink of an eye, she knew all she could do was run for her life.


    "The deer is walking away!" She points behind them and they looked back.


    When they turned their heads away she ran as fast as she could. She ran, having no direction at all, she just ran.


    "Smart female! But you can''t run away from us!" One of them laughs out loud starting to run after her.


    Astri was fast, even with her backpack on her back, but when she looked back she didn''t see three men following her. She saw three huge wolves.


    "What the..?! Wolves?!" She cried running with all her strength.


    She had to stop running when she was met with a cliff and almost fell into the river on its end.


    She looked at three wolves getting closer, their faces looked like they were having fun. And then they started changing shape.


    Astri felt the air missing from her lungs and her heart stopped beating when she saw the wolves transforming into the three maniacs from before.


    "I-I must be having a nightmare.. What is..?" She stutters, completely in shock.


    "Oh, you wish. Don''t worry. We''ll be gentle." One of them says sarcastically while the other two laugh.


    She diverts their hands and kicks them away. Her strength took them by surprise, but they felt even more excited to have her.


    It took her one more breath for her to decide she prefers dying from falling on a river than in the hands of perverts who walk naked and eat raw meat like savages.

 Chapter 2: Mr. Voice

    Chapter 2: Mr. VoiceShe felt like she hit a wall before her body sank into the water. Her eyes darkened a little as she tried to emerge from the water.


    She finally could breathe and she moved her legs and arms to keep her head off the water. The material of her backpack is impermeable, so it helped her to float.


    Looking up, she saw the three men on the top of the cliff, angry and discussing with each other as they were blaming the other for not getting her before she jumped.


    Apparently, they didn''t notice she survived the fall, so she decided to swim following the current of the water. This way if they notice she''s alive she will have more time to outrun them.


    The current is getting stronger, so she looks back to check if they''re following her, she looks around and doesn''t see them either.


    The current is too strong now, she can see rocks up ahead, so she tries to swim to the edge of the river.


    She ends up hitting her side strongly on a rock, she cries with the pain and holds herself on that rock.


    She pushes herself from the rock and holds herself on a tree root, pulling herself to the edge.


    When she tried to breathe to take her strength back, she choked with the water. She kicks her legs strongly to finally put half of her body out of the river.


    She coughs the water out of her lungs and takes her breath back laying on the grass with her chest down.


    She sits down and feels a sharp pain on her side, she''s breathing heavily still in a panic about everything that just happened.


    "Three men, eating a deer with their bare hands, transformed into wolves and hunted me to do who knows what. And I''m not dreaming." She let her anxiety dominate her.


    "And not dead. Thankfully." She hears and she jumps startled, looking around scared that more monsters appeared.


    She holds her side trying to soothe the pain, but either way, she stands up to be ready to run.


    "Are you hurt?" She hears.


    She looks around frantically, trying to find who''s talking to her.


    "If you want to eat me, show your face, you bastard!" She says, trying to show she''s not scared, but inside of her, she''s in panic.


    She only needs to know where he is so she knows where to run.


    "I''m talking to you through your mind. And, definitely, I don''t want to eat you." She hears.


    "My mind?" Then she starts crying and laughing. "I''m crazy! I''m hearing voices now. I knew I was much weirder than usual. All these are hallucinations." She cries while pointing around.


    "You''re not having hallucinations. This is real. I''m talking to you through your mind because I''m far away from where you are." The voice speaks to her.


    "And where are you Mr. Voice?" She asks, cleaning her tears.


    "Very far from you. At least 2 months by foot."


    "And why are you talking to me? Where am I? This doesn''t look like Damascus."


    "Because you''re not in Damascus anymore. You''re in a different world now."


    "Different... world? What do you mean? You said I''m not crazy and that you actually exist, but why are you saying things that don''t make sense?" She says leaning on a tree and sitting down slowly.


    "It doesn''t? In Damascus were there men shifting into wolves?" He asks. She bites her lips.


    "No.."


    "I know it looks crazy like you say, but you''re not in Damascus anymore. You need to calm down if you want to survive. There are more than just wolves in this world. This is a Beastmen''s World."


    "Beastmen..?" She asks, confused.


    "Yes. People that shift into a beast. Not all beasts are like the wolves you saw. They were feral and they would kill for anything and mate with every female they found." He explains, making her even more confused.


    "All right.. Why am I here? Why are you talking to me? Is this a cruel game?" She asks, trying to don''t cry, but failing since her side is hurting too.


    "...You have too many questions. But I understand." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why are you not answering?" She asks, getting angry now.


    "You will find your answers soon. For now, you have to stay alive. Are you hurt?" He asks. She could sense through his voice that he was worried.


    "My ribs.. I think I broke one or two when I fell on the river or when I hit the rock inside of it." She answers and lifts up her shirt to see that the skin on her side is dark red. "It''s red and looks swollen."


    "Tsc.. Try to stay in the sun so your clothes dry and you don''t catch a cold. Try to find a dark purple fruit with red stripes, it has a round shape and has pointy leaves on its top. It has a sour taste, but it will help you heal faster." He explains to her.


    "All right.." She could only agree and follow what that voice is telling her to do.


    "I''m Astri. Thank you for helping me, Mr. Voice." She says softly.


    The voice stopped for a few seconds.


    "My name is Claud. Claud Yue. Don''t tell anyone you know me or that you talk to me through your mind. It is not normal talking to yourself and with voices. I can''t talk to you all the time, but I''ll talk to you whenever possible to know how are you and if you found a village. Find somewhere safe to rest and find the fruit I told you, then when it''s morning again you go against the sun."


    "Against the sun? Do you mean West?" She asks.


    "I''m not familiar with the words from the other world. But if you follow that direction in 3 to 4 days you should find a village where you can ask for help." Claud speaks.


    "4 days?! What if I find those ferals again? Or other ones?!" She asks scared.


    "Keep quiet, avoid common paths, and make sure where you will rest there''s no sign of people there. Ferals are fierce but they''re stupid, you can avoid them if you avoid where they normally walk." He answers. His voice sounded less clear. "I need to go now. I''m tired and I can''t keep our connection any longer. Please be careful.. I''ll get in contact with you when I get my energy back." His voice got less and less clear.


    She''s scared to be alone. Even if it was just a voice and also she was always alone all her life. It was always like that, she always had to face things by herself.


    "All right.."


    Claud didn''t answer anymore.


    She stands up and looks up to the sky, she''s sure it''s afternoon because she walked for hours before finding those ferals, so she''s sure the sun''s direction is West now.


    She will try to find the fruit Claud said, and also a cave or something to rest on her way.


    After walking a few hours, she finds the fruit Claud said.


    She tastes a tiny piece of it and she feels she''s safe after confirming it has the sour taste Claud told her about. She picked a lot more and stuffed them in her backpack.


    Her backpack has a material that doesn''t wet what is inside, it''s impermeable. Since she would always have to walk in rain or snow, she had lost many books and art supplies in the past, so she saved a lot of money to buy that backpack that was made for camping and enduring anything.


    She finally finds a place to put some leaves and trunks on it so she can hide under them.


    She takes a protein bar from her backpack and eats it slowly, revisiting her memories of everything that happened that day.


    Will she wake up back in Damascus the next morning?

 Chapter 3: Wanting Answers

    Chapter 3: Wanting AnswersThe next morning, Astri wakes up hearing the sound of birds. She opens her eyes slowly and gets startled when she realizes she''s not at home, hitting her head on a wooden trunk above her head.


    She cries soothing the pain in her head.


    "Damn.. It wasn''t a nightmare.. I''m really in a different world." She says softly and looks around.


    She keeps walking in the direction Claud said. The pain in her rib is not as painful as yesterday, which means the fruit is working so she eats two more as she keeps walking.


    She is wary of her surroundings, afraid of appearing more ferals hunting her.


    After some hours of walking, she wants water. Her water bottle was almost over. Soon, she would need to go after a water source. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I can see you''re fine. I''m glad to know." From nowhere, Claud speaks in her mind, making her choke on the water with a fright. "Are you sick?" He asks, worried.


    "No.. *cough!* You scared the crap out of me!" She answered and quickly lowered her voice, scared to call the attention of ferals. "Good morning to you, too." She whispers.


    "Good morning.. I apologize for scaring you."


    "Never mind. I don''t know if there''s a way for you to talk to me and make me notice you approaching to talk or something." She says.


    "I don''t think so. But I can try."


    "Well, thanks for that. Now, why are you talking to me again?" She asks.


    "I told you I would check up on you when I could." He answers.


    "Do you talk to everyone who falls into this world from another world?"


    "No. Only to you. And I don''t think many people can easily come to this world."


    "How did you know I was here and I came from another world?" She keeps attacking him with questions.


    "You will find out soon."


    He answers. She rolls her eyes. "Are you following the direction I said? How is your injury?"


    "Yes. I''m going West. My ribs are not hurting so much, I can handle it." She answers.


    "Good."


    "So, after I find this village, what should I do? Is there a way for me to go back home? Will I become a slave or something to pay for the favor of having some food? There must be a catch."


    "A catch?"


    "Yes. Something bad behind. Or will people help me without anything in return?"


    "You''re a female. You will notice that females are rare here. They will treat you well, but for sure, they will try to be your mates. You can choose mates for you to help you survive and protect you."


    She stops walking.


    "Mates? What do you mean by that?"


    "Spouses." He said nonchalantly.


    "SpouseS? You mean more than one?"


    "Yes. In the other world, there weren''t spouses? How did they procreate?" He asks with a shock.


    "Yes, but a woman has only one spouse!"


    "I see.. The world you came from, are there many females?"


    "I think as much as men. Why?"


    "Females are rare. For this reason, they have many mates. Being rare, they''re also targets. Other villages would focus on getting the females to weak others. Will weaken her mates because once she dies, they will feel the backlash of their bond being broken. They will feel so much pain that they will wish to be dead. Many go crazy with the backlash. That''s also another reason for having more mates: to be protected." He explains to her.


    In her mind, it makes sense what he says, even if it still looks weird having multiple relationships. Must be tiring and complex.


    "Well, I don''t think I''m prepared to have a mate. Or mates." She says.


    "It''s your choice. If you think you can survive on your own."


    "I always did." She says.


    He could feel through her voice that those words were heavier than they sounded.


    "Whatever, you didn''t answer me if I''ll be capable of going back home if I find a village."


    "No. You won''t. And I don''t think you should tell anyone about where you came from. They might think you''re crazy." - He answers. - "I believe that you need to give time to understand this world better and stop worrying so much. When you settle somewhere, I''ll find a way to get you and bring you here."


    "Why would you do that?"


    "I need you to stay alive. Simply as that." He answers.


    "Again. Why?" She asks, trying to don''t show she''s angry. She wants answers now!


    "You will find your answers soon. Believe me, learning not prepared to learn is more harmful than not knowing about something."


    She clicks her tongue and sighs.


    "You know what? Whatever. I''m hungry, and if I keep talking, I''ll be rude to you. I''ll focus on finding more food." She speaks, stopping on her feet and looking around.


    "Yes. That would be a smart thing to do."


    She rolls her eyes. She knows he''s the only one she has now in this world, but she''s annoyed by him already.


    Since she never hunted, never killed an animal, she started to plan what she could do to have food.


    "What are you planning to do? I know females don''t hunt, but I''m afraid you will need to do that. At least until you find someone to help you." He asks, worried that she will be capable of finding a village before starving herself.


    "I never hunted, but I''ll find a way. Wait, if I kill an animal, is it the same as killing a person?" She asks, actually shocked.


    "No. There are many animals that don''t have the same souls as beastmen."


    "Good.. Good." She says, relieved.


    Thinking better, she knows it''s more important to find water than other things. If she finds a river, she could get water and could try to fish for something.


    She doesn''t have anything to use as a weapon, but she has some paper clips she can make as a hook.


    "That''s a good idea. You''re smart." Claud speaks in awe.


    "Can you read my mind?"


    "Yes. To be capable of talking to you from this distance, I need to be completely connected to your mind."


    "Well... you know what? Welcome." She says that after taking a deep breath, she was sarcastic, but what could she do anyway?


    "I know you''re angry, but I''m here to help. I don''t mind you being rude. Most females are."


    "I''m not everyone. I don''t like to be rude unless I need to be. And I''m not angry with you, I''m angry with this whole situation. Just let me focus on finding a river." She says, sitting under a tree.


    "And how wiil you find a river?" He asks, really curious. She sighs.


    "Water is the main source of life. I need to follow animals to find water. Or watch and listen to where there are more birds since they eat bugs or little fishes from the river."


    Her answer made him more impressed. Maybe he doesn''t need to be so worried.


    "Impressive. Who taught you this?"


    "Books."


    "You know how to read? That''s even rarer here. You can take advantage of that in the future. Most beastmen don''t read. Only the ones with the high status of priests."


    "Like you?" She asks, and he doesn''t answer. "Oh, come on! I''m not stupid. You want me to believe that you talking through my mind from a high distance is something anyone does? You must be powerful. And your silence makes me believe you know how to read, so you have high status."


    He actually laughs.


    "You''re impressive! I''m really amazed."


    She could discover more details about him just by talking to him like this. She''s smarter than he imagined.


    He watches most of her search for the river and wants to keep the connection and watch how she will find the river and fish, but it''s too tiring for him, so he can only promise to check up on her once his energy is back again.


    She doesn''t know if she feels grateful he''s away from her mind or if she''s sad that she''s alone in the middle of nowhere again. Focusing herself on finding a river is what she will do from now forward.


    She tries following animals, but what she finds is another cliff. A large and long cliff, she can see birds flying in the distance, but there''s a high chance of her falling if she tries to go down the cliff.


    So the best thing is to round the cliff somehow, and that can delay her, but she doesn''t have a choice.


    Rounding the cliff, she finally finds a path that is not too high, so she decides to go down.


    While she''s going down, she misses her foot and ends up falling and twisting her left ankle.


    "Great! Just great! What else we got?!" She says angry.

 Chapter 4: Survival Skills

    Chapter 4: Survival SkillsAlmost night, she makes a place again for her to sleep, and the next day she keeps walking.


    However, this part of the forest is very dense and she''s getting stuck many times. Her clothes are getting ripped and she''s getting cut sometimes too.


    "Good morning." Claud speaks with a low voice. Trying to don''t scare her anymore.


    "Oh, look who is here again! Good morning. How was your day?"


    "Good.. Did you find a river?"


    "Not yet. Ouch! This damn thing didn''t look so sturdy and sharp!" She says after she tried to move away a liana.


    "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"


    She can sense his worried voice.


    "I sprained my ankle climbing down a cliff, but I''ll be fine." She tells. He''s now worried again she won''t make it alone. "Hey.. What if I use this?" She stops looking at the liana. It''s sturdy and can hurt someone. She could use it for protection.


    She envelops her hands with her spare clothes and holds the liana, then she tries to break the liana.


    She twists and bends to break it, then she cuts her shirt to create a handle so she can hold it without getting hurt.


    "Well, it is something. It won''t kill a feral, but it will hurt." She tells herself.


    "Good job. How bad is your ankle? And how are your ribs?" He''s more worried about her health than with ferals right now.


    "The ribs are very good. It hurts, but not much. The ankle is fine, the problem is that it will take a long time to heal because I need to keep walking. When I find the river, I''ll wash myself and try to dress the ankle in a way to support it better. Now I just need to endure."


    "Do you still have those fruits?"


    "I have two." She says going back to walk, now using the liana sword she made to move things away from her.


    "I sensed where you are, the village is still 2 days away. I think you need to save energy, fishing will tire you. Try finding fruits to eat until you find the village."


    "Not actually. Making a fire that might be more tiring."


    "Fire? What do you mean?"


    "To roast the fish."


    "Roast it?" He sees in her mind the process of making fire and roasting the fish. "No. That will be too tiring. Eat it raw like it''s normally done, if you get a fish."


    "No way. I don''t know what kind of fish there are in this world. What if they get diseases? I might die of food poisoning. I can''t take risks. Even more that I''m weaker now, my body will get sick easily."


    He sighs again. Females are indeed more fragile and she was raised somewhere different, with different food, she might be more fragile than normal.


    "Then eat fruits. Go after them now. I can tell you which ones are not poisonous."


    "All right. It''s not like I will find it right away, but let''s try." She simply keeps walking, but trying to pay more attention to the trees too and try finding fruits. "What about edible plants? Or roots?"


    "There are some, I''ll deepen our mental connection so I can see through your eyes. You might feel strange."


    "Ok..."


    "Is that an approval?"


    "Yes. Yes. You''re super powerful. Seeing the world without leaving home."


    "I don''t do this often. Only when it''s necessary. And I need to keep you alive."


    She feels like her head got heavier like she was carrying someone on her head. She keeps walking and looking around as usual.


    She doesn''t ask why he needs to keep her alive because she knows he won''t answer.


    He helps her find some edible plants and fruits. She puts a lot inside her backpack, and keep walking.


    "Look at your wounds. Let me check them."


    She does what he asks.


    "At least those things on your feet prevent you from getting flesh wounds, but your foot is swollen. Bathe on the river when you find it, it will help with the swelling and pain. You can take the Smell Plant I show you, crush it, and put it on your foot and that will help too. On your flesh wounds, you can use the yellow fruit with spikes, it''s a very powerful medicine for wounds."


    "All right. Thank you. You should write a book about medicinal herbs and fruits."


    "If you want... I can write someday."


    "If I want? Wouldn''t it be something good for the people to have? Oh yes, not everyone knows how to read. I would for sure like it, I''m less than useless in this world." She says and laughs at herself. Thankful that she''s lucky to not find any feral beasts.


    "That''s not true... I''m sure you will get used to this world fast. Even being fragile, you''re smart. That already puts you above others."


    "Thank you. I guess." She speaks, and then she sees a clearing in the distance. She keeps walking and then sees a little river bend. "A river bend! Claud, you brought me luck, my friend!" She walks faster and more excited.


    He chuckles.


    "Glad you think that way."


    She looks around and sees a wider place where she can bathe, but first, she fills her water bottle where she thinks it''s cleaner and safer because the water is moving and there''s sand at the bottom of the river.


    "Interesting thing you are using to take water."


    "It''s a bottle. Preserves beverages." She says, then drinks some sips of water and gives a relieved sigh.


    First, she finds a long piece of wood that she can use as a fishing rod. Then she uses many stripes of clothes to create a line.


    She curves many paper clips and ties them together to create a hook, then sharps it on a rock. She ties the hook on the line, then she finds a huge bug to use as bait.


    Claud is impressed, watching that little fragile female creating a hunting tool by herself. Something no one does there because they can simply hunt with their hands. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She chooses a place where she can see fish and then puts the line in the water. Claud notices she is dead silent, to not scare the fish away, and then from nowhere, she pulls a fish from the river.


    "Hah!! Dinner is on me!" She says proudly.


    "I must admit that was brilliant."


    "No one fish here?" She asks.


    "Not like that. Beasts hunt with their hands and claws."


    "Interesting. I would love claws now to remove the guts from the fish."


    He watches her searching for rocks, she hits rocks together until one breaks into a sharp form that she can use as a blade.


    She uses it to cut open the fish and remove the guts. She puts the fish on a stick, then she walks around to gather wood.


    She makes fire after many tries, Claud protests in her mind constantly for her to stop but when the fire starts burning he actually becomes proud of her.


    She leaves the fish cooking next to the fire, then she prepares to bathe. Claud had to leave because he was tired and also because she asked for privacy, she didn''t want him to see her naked.


    The cold water made her relax deeply, she almost fell asleep. She looked up to the sky and sighed, worried about how things would be now.


    She rests her chin on her crossed arms at the edge of the river and closes her eyes to relax. She hums softly and tries to meditate, understanding that worrying too much about the future won''t help her. She needs to live now and then try to build a future somehow when she''s ready.

 Chapter 5: Wayde

    Chapter 5: WaydeDeep in her meditation, she doesn''t hear that she''s not alone anymore.


    There was a presence in the woods in front of her, who got curious about the smell of food first, but then he smelled a sweet scent and now he''s watching the most beautiful female he ever saw in his life. Her calm fair face looks smooth and soft.


    He gets closer, getting into the clear near the river. He''s tall, with white skin and long white hair, and his eyes are light blue almost gray. He''s wearing a skin skirt to cover his parts, but the rest of his muscled body is exposed.


    Astri is still deep in her relaxation, not noticing this man near her. He looks at the fire and sees that it is contained somehow and there is a fish near it, smelling quite nice.


    Then he looks around to see if there are signs of other beastmen, but he doesn''t see anything. His eyes go back to the beautiful female in front of him. Her arms had some scratches and cuts, but it didn''t take her beauty away.


    "Are you all right?" He asks, touching her head.


    She gasps loudly, scared, and jumping away from him. She covers her breasts quickly and tries to stay away from him, finding a way to run. She keeps her eyes on him to know when he will move, and her eyes mesmerized him.


    "I won''t hurt you. Are you alone?" He asks. She doesn''t answer, she doesn''t know if he''s a feral. "I promise you I won''t hurt you. My name is Wayde. Why are you here alone? Did you get lost?" He asks. His voice is soft to show her he doesn''t want to harm her.


    "Yes.." She answers.


    He smiled, happy that she answered and could finally hear her voice. He stands up, showing how tall he is.


    He walks to the fire and then starts to throw water on it.


    "No!" She cries softly. Then he stops and looks at her.


    "Did you make this fire?" He asks and she nods. "It won''t get bigger or spread? It might hurt you."


    "No. I need the fire to cook my food and also warm me." She answers. "And it was super hard to make it." She thinks.


    So the fire is from the female. She can create and control fire. This female is not simple.


    "All right. Will you eat only this fish?" He points to the fish.


    "Yes. And some plants and fruits I''ve found." She answers.


    "You need more meat."


    "This was all I could get in my condition. Errm.. Thank you for not attacking me but why are you here?"


    "I smelled food first, but then I found you. You need help, right?" He says, looking at her face. "Are you of age?" He asks.


    "...What?"


    "Are you of age? How old are you?"


    "20.." She answers, not knowing if she should have answered.


    "Where are your mates? Why are you alone in such a dangerous place?"


    "I don''t have mates.."


    Her answer impressed him.


    "How can you not have mates? You''re beautiful." He speaks truthfully, and that makes him even more interested in her.


    "Well, thank you." She blushed and he found her even cuter when he noticed that. He never saw a female blushing.


    "I can be your mate."


    She got startled, covering herself more and walking back.


    "You don''t know me. What if I''m someone bad?"


    "I don''t think you''re bad. And I like you." His answer is simple and, for him, those reasons are enough.


    "You don''t even know my name. How can you like me?" She speaks.


    She raises her hand to ask him to wait, but she makes a funny face and then sneezes. He gets inside the water.


    "You need to leave the water. You will get sick."


    "Stay away! I''m naked!" She says louder and covers herself as much as she can.


    "And?" He asks after stopping on his track.


    "And no one ever saw me naked. I can leave by myself. Turn around." She says louder.


    That female was raised not exposing herself, she for sure is not a female like others. He steps outside the river and turns around. He hears her leaving the river and he waits until he hears her dressing clothes.


    He turns around again and sees her wearing only underwear, her body is more beautiful than he imagined.


    "Who told you can look already?!" She squeals.


    "You''re hurt." He points to her rib, which is still bruised.


    "Yeah. It''s been two days." She dresses quickly, she stumbles when she starts to wear her skirt because she forgot about her twisted ankle.


    He quickly moves and catches her before hitting the ground. She flushes when she sees his muscles so close to her and how warm his skin is compared to hers which is cold. She steps back awkwardly.


    "Sorry." She says softly finishing wearing the skirt.


    "Your foot is also hurt." He speaks.


    Then he carries her princess style, taking her by surprise. He sits her on the ground next to her other belongings, to check on her ankle.


    "How did you get so hurt like this?" He asks.


    His worry looks genuine and that made her calmer, but it''s still uncomfortable such a beautiful man so close to her and touching her leg.


    She explains what happened with the ferals and when she fell that morning too. Then she takes the plants Claud told her to use on her ankle, and she starts to put them together and twist them.


    "What are you doing?" Wayde asks.


    "Medicine for my ankle." She answers.


    "Do you know medicine?" He''s getting more amazed by this female with each breath.


    He takes the plants from her hands and asks her what he should do, she tells him to crush the herb until it''s all sticky, then pass on her ankle.


    She takes the ripped cloth she already had and rips more, he takes it from her hand again and starts doing what she was doing. Then he asks for directions again of what she wants to do, then he dresses her ankle making a tidy bandage.


    "Thank you.. Wayde, right?"


    "Yes. And you are...?" He asks, wondering if she would tell the truth. He already knows she must be a female with secrets since she is surviving on her own and knows medicine. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Astri. My name is Astri." She answers.


    He didn''t feel she lied.


    "Astri... Beautiful name."


    She checks her fish and it''s already good to eat. He watches her putting more wood on the fire to keep it on, then she focuses on eating.


    "Do you want some?" She asks.


    "No. Eat. Why the fish looks like this?"


    "Because it''s cooked. I can''t eat it without being cooked. The fire cooks the meat. Try it. Tastes good." She explains and then hands him a good piece of the fish.


    He eats it and is impressed that the fish tastes better than raw. She finished eating the fish, then sighed looking for the fruits she got. He stood up, then pulled down his skirt and she got startled seeing him completely naked.


    Before she closes her eyes protesting, he shifts into a huge white tiger.


    Her jaw was wide open and she felt like her breath completely left her lungs. The tiger walks to the river and jumps in it, then one by one he throws fish outside. When he got five more fishes he stepped outside the river and shook the water off his big body


    ---


    He shifts back to his human form and notices that the little female turned her head away, blushing again.


    He smiles, wondering if she liked what she saw. He asks her what he should do to cook the fishes, she tells him to remove the guts and then put them on sticks and where to put them near the fire.


    "How long will it be ready?" He asks. She thinks he must have liked the roasted fish.


    "It will take a bit longer. You don''t need to stay close all the time." She answers. She sighs and looks around. "I need to build a shelter, so no animals can find me."


    "You don''t need to worry. With me here no animal or feral will come near." He says, looking very sure about that.


    She wonders if he''s powerful. A tiger is always strong and dangerous.


    "Will you stay all night?" She asks.


    "I''m not planning to leave you. I want to be your male." He speaks.


    "W-what? Why?"


    "You don''t have to answer now. I just want to stay with you. Take care of you and protect you." He answers.


    She sighs, thinking that beastmen must choose a woman to court for no reason. If they are like that, women might take advantage of them.


    "You don''t want me that much?" His question took her by surprise.


    "No. It''s not that. I just... think that giving yourself to another one for life is something very serious and shouldn''t be taken lightly. Even if it''s normal for females to have many mates, I think the least I should give him is my love and heart. In order to do that, only time will nurture such feelings between us. Mates shouldn''t be objects, they should be partners."


    His heart felt something he never felt. Warmth. It beat stronger and warmed his whole body.


    "How old are you?" She asks.


    "31."


    "And you never had a mate?"


    "No. No female caught my attention." He answers, with a smirk. She pretends she didn''t see his smirk. "Most males can''t survive the backlash of losing a mate. If they do, they wouldn''t want a new mate."


    "So you know you shouldn''t choose your mate so easily like that, since you will be connected to her all your life."


    "It''s true. But I trust my instincts."


    She can''t say he''s wrong, she''s the same way.


    "Where are you from? Why are you here by yourself?" He''s really curious to know more about her.


    She stays in silence for some moments.


    "I don''t know.." She softly answers.


    "You don''t know?"


    "I never met my parents, nor remember anything about them. I don''t know where I came from and I don''t know why I was brought here." She didn''t lie, but she didn''t tell everything. And he could see she wasn''t lying. "Do you live in a village or city?" She asks him.


    "I stay in the Stone Moon Tribe mostly. I''ll take you there to see the tribe doctor." He tells. She nods, so it would be easier to find a village now. "What kind of beast are you? I never smelled your kind of scent."


    "Me? I don''t know... I don''t think I''m a beast." She speaks.


    "What do you mean? Everyone is a beast. You never shifted?"


    "No.."


    She told him she never met her parents, and he thinks she was raised secluded. For this reason, he imagines she doesn''t know her own identity.


    "Don''t worry. You will find out one day." He stopped asking her questions, sensing she was getting sad and confused.


    He rubs his hand softly on her head, as to comfort her.


    They eat together the fishes. Astri felt very satisfied, now she was grateful that Wayde had found her. He doesn''t look like a bad person. She takes the apron from her old uniform and uses it to cover her arms and uses the other clothes as a pillow. She puts the socks back on her feet to protect herself from the cold and then she curls herself on the ground, looking at the fire.


    Wayde removes his skirt again and shifts to his tiger form, then he lays down behind her. Instantly she felt warmer. She felt her eyes getting heavier and then she fell asleep without even noticing how tired she was.

 Chapter 6: What Am I?

    Chapter 6: What Am I?The next morning, Astri feels something soft on her hands, and when she opens her eyes she sees her hands holding onto a tiger. She gets startled getting away from him.


    "Sorry!" She blushes looking somewhere else and keeping a safe distance.


    The tiger rubs his face on her head like a cat, a giant cat on his case, like saying she doesn''t need to apologize. He shifts back to his human form and, like yesterday, he doesn''t let her do anything. He didn''t let her wear her shoes alone, he was extremely careful not to hurt her.


    "Your skin clothes are very different." He speaks.


    "These are not skin. It¡äs made of cotton." She says softly.


    "Cotton? ... I didn''t know it was possible to make clothes with cotton. Females normally use them when they''re bleeding in the mating season."


    "Yeah... That too." She doesn''t want to talk about women''s periods, so she focuses on organizing her backpack.


    She stands up and then wears her backpack.


    "Let me carry this bag on your back. It''s heavy." He says.


    "It''s not needed. I have things here that I really don''t want to lose, so I prefer having them stuck with me."


    "I understand." The female still doesn''t trust him entirely, so he needs to accept her conditions. "I''ll carry you either way. You can''t keep walking with your foot injured like that. Let me know if you get tired and want to rest and eat." He speaks and then undresses again.


    She turns her face, to don''t look at his parts, but she already noticed that he really doesn''t mind being seen naked. He shifts into his tiger form, then he lays down and calls her to ride on him.


    She protested a bit, but he didn''t move until she accepted riding him. Thinking better, maybe she needs to let him help her. It will be much safer and easier to find safety and the village.


    Deep inside he''s happy to have the female riding him, only mates do that and he wonders if she knows that or if she accepted him. He doesn''t care which option it is, he''s not planning to leave her side.


    After getting used to his movements, she decided to take notes about what she learned until now.


    "Good morning." She hears Claud in her mind.


    She looks at Wayde and he really didn''t see to hear Claud indeed, so he''s in her mind for sure.


    "Can you hear me if I talk in my mind?" She asks in her mind.


    "Yes. Why can''t you talk normally?"


    "A beastman found me yesterday. His name is Wayde, he''s a tiger."


    "That''s good. I''m actually relieved to know that. Is he taking you to the village?"


    "Yes. He said he wants the doctor to check on me."


    "Good. I told you normal beastmen would want to help you." Claud is relieved indeed, he couldn''t rest properly thinking about whether Astri would survive. "Do you know how powerful he is?"


    "How can I know that? He''s a tiger, that''s all I know."


    "Did you see any pattern on his body? Like a drawing." He asks. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes. On his arm, looks like a black tiger tattoo, but I didn''t pay attention to the details."


    "On these patterns, there are marks on it. You can measure how powerful someone is by those marks. Didn''t he tell you how many marks he has?"


    "He just said that no animal or feral would come after me if he is with me." She tells.


    "He must have at least five marks then. You can rest assured that you will be safe with him on most of the occasions in this forest." Claud explains.


    "How many marks do you have?"


    She asks.


    "Only six. My abilities are more about knowledge if I can say that."


    "So the marks measure physical strength? Or battle abilities?"


    "Thinking like that is not wrong. It''s a simple way to put it."


    "I see... He wants to be my mate. Will he want to harm me if I keep saying no?"


    "No, but he will be around you if he wants to. If he likes you, he will stay with you accepting him or not. Even more that he knows you will be alone if he leaves. He might give up if you simply say he''s not worthy of you." He answers.


    "I can''t say that. It''s more like I''m not worthy of him."


    "So he will stay. Don''t think too much about that. If he didn''t force you until now, you shouldn''t worry."


    She sighs. As long as he doesn''t force her into anything, it''s better than nothing.


    "Will you still find a way to come and get me?" She asks.


    "I will find a way. Until then I''ll be contacting you like this whenever possible." Claud answers.


    "Until then I should stay in the village where Wayde will take me?"


    "You should take the opportunity to learn about the Beastmen''s World. Learn how we live and how you can adapt your life."


    She stays in silence for a while.


    "Am I a beast?"


    "What do you think?" He asks after a short silence.


    "By your reluctant question... I''m not a mother, but I helped take care of dozens of kids. I know that making the other answer has two reasons. One option is: You don''t know the answer. The second option is: The answer is yes and you don''t want to be the one to say it." She speaks. He chuckles softly.


    "You''re too smart. You''re not a common beast."


    Her eyes are wide with what he said and he realizes his mistake.


    "You''re VERY smart."


    "I''m a beast... How is that possible? You said that there are no beasts in the world I came from. I never shifted into a beast."


    "I''ll only tell you that you''re a beast. But I already told you that it''s better not to know something that you''re not ready to learn. You never shifted because you never knew you were a beast and your environment didn''t tell you needed to. Learning how to shift is something you have to learn since you''re a child. You can learn now, but it will take time."


    "That''s why you told me to learn about life here. You want me to learn how to live as a beast, to then go to you and learn the reason I''m here."


    She''s in shock to learn that she wasn''t a human at all. But thinking better... It makes sense. She was never like other humans. She only pretended to be one.


    "I''m sorry. One day you will have all your answers. Day by day you will understand better about yourself, but please be careful. Others can''t know about your beast form and you need to stay safe no matter what." Claud speaks.


    She stays quiet not knowing what to think at that moment. Claud could sense that she won''t talk anymore.


    He felt horrible, he felt like betraying her for not telling the whole truth, but he also needed to protect her and it was too much for her to learn in a short period of time.


    "Please, trust me, Astri."


    "OK.. " She answers.


    She falls silent again and keeps looking to nowhere. He sighs and decides to leave her be.

 Chapter 7: Points Of View

    Chapter 7: Points Of ViewWayde felt that Astri''s energy changed. He looks to her on his back and she''s deep in thought with her eyes looking nowhere specific. He stops walking and she breaks from her thoughts, to look at him.


    "Is everything all right?" She asks. He points at her with a move of his head. "Do you want me to get down?" He denies it with his head. He does the same movement with his head. "Are you worried about me..?" He finally nods. She smiles softly. "I''m all right. Thank you."


    Her smile was little, but it was enough to lighten the mood. Wayde keeps walking almost until the end of the day.


    Wayde shifts into his human form and then carries Astri princess style, he jumps to a tall tree and puts her there.


    "Stay here and be quiet. I''ll hunt dinner, and I''ll be right back."


    "Sure. Thank you." She says softly.


    He smiles and passes his hand on her head. He doesn''t know what is making her feel sad, but he hopes he can help her forget it somehow.


    "You need to teach me how to make fire when I come back. I don''t want you to get sick by not cooking the food." He says.


    "Sure. I''m sure it will be easier for you."


    He jumps down the tree and shifts. Astri loses the white tiger from sight. She needs to be thankful that he''s helping her, he''s a quiet person but he''s not rude.


    She needs to admit that he''s very handsome too, she wonders if he has a line of fans. In the human world, he would be women''s favorite.


    She wonders what Claud looks like. His voice doesn''t sound like an old man''s, but for being as powerful as he is he must be around his 40''s? She doesn''t have an idea.


    And what does she look like in beast form? What kind of beast is she? A tiger like Wayde? Her endless stomach makes her wonder if she''s a big kind of animal.


    When Wayde is back, he brings a boar. He removed its skin and then had it cut into many pieces. She teaches him how to make fire, he had some hard times creating the first sparkle, but soon he understood how to use the rocks and keep the fire going.


    As they wait for the meat to roast, Wayde notices that Astri is deep in thought looking to the sky.


    "Are you all right?" He asks. She looks at him. "You look gloomy all day. Is there something I can do to help?"


    She smiles. He is kind for worrying about her.


    "I just have many things on my mind. Too much, to be sincere." She answers.


    "Bad things?"


    "Not necessarily. I''m thinking about how weird it is to not know about yourself, about what you know of the world. I was raised not knowing about who I am, I never even shifted and don''t know what beast I am. I have no idea how to shift. That all makes me sad, I think." She says, then looks to the sky again. "I''m trying to think about this from another perspective because being sad will not solve anything."


    "What is perspective? I can help you find it to help you." He says. She chuckles.


    "It is not a thing. It''s a point of view." She speaks.


    He loved her laughter, but he was still confused. She takes her notebook and raises it to their eyesight, one side facing each one of them.


    "Here. What can you see from my notebook?" She asks.


    "A black thing." He answers.


    "A black thing. That''s your point of view. My point of view is yellow. If you were where I am, you would see that." She says and then turns the notebook for him to see that it is yellow. "This is an object, it''s easier to change the point of view, you just need to move it. But when you''re trying to see another perspective from a thought, it''s a bit harder because it''s not something you can touch and move." She explains.


    "And how can you get another perspective about a thought?" He asks. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Time. Or talking to someone and hearing what they have to say about it. For example, what do you think about fire?"


    "It''s hot and burns."


    "What I think is heat, meals, power, light."


    "I think I understand now."


    "Good! What do you think about what I said before?" She asks him.


    "I understand that you might feel powerless or lost not knowing about anything, but maybe that''s a good thing. At least you can learn, it would be a problem if you couldn''t learn." He speaks.


    She smiles. His thought was so simple, but it made her feel better.


    "That''s a great point of view. I feel better. Thank you." She says. Her smile made him smile too.


    "You''re the most beautiful female. Even more when you smile."


    She blushes and looks at her notebook again.


    "Don''t lie just to make me feel better." She says.


    "It''s not a lie. For me, you''re the most beautiful." He affirms again. She chuckles.


    "All right. I''ll believe you."


    She carefully puts her notebook back in her bag, and he wonders what she cherishes so much in that bag.


    "What''s inside of that bag that you''re so afraid of losing?" He asks, curious.


    "For someone else, this is just trash. But for me, it is the most important thing... I don''t know if I''ll be able to find more of it around here, so I need to protect it and use it only when I really need it." She says.


    She pulls out three books, two notebooks, and three big pencil cases.


    "What are those?" He asks.


    "These three here are books. They tell stories."


    "Do you know how to read?" He asks, impressed. She nods. "And write?" She nods again. - "This is a knowledge almost no one has. If you don''t be careful, people will use you because of this."


    "That''s why I need to keep a low profile." She says softly, when noticing his questioning eyes, she changes her words. "I need to try not to call attention."


    "I will protect you, but it''s good for you to hide your abilities." He says, passing his fingers on her soft hair. His heart got warm again when he realized the female trusted her secret to him. "Thank you, for trusting me."


    "No. Thank you for helping me."


    This man can easily play with her heart, she needs to be careful.


    "Since I can remember books and drawing have been my best friends." She says, opening one notebook and giving it to him.


    Her drawings are amazing, and look real. Astri always liked to draw animals the most, and now she knows why. She could also draw a person in detail, also a scenery.


    "Who are these people?" He asks.


    "Have no idea. I saw them passing where I was. - She says. It''s not a lie, but she hides that they''re from another world.


    "It''s amazing. They look real. How is this possible?"


    She shows him her art supplies and shows a little how to use them. Seeing how much she gets happy talking about that he understands now why she doesn''t want to lose those things.


    They eat together and Astri feels full, something hard to happen. He was going to trash the rest of the meat, but she stops him saying the roasted meat won''t spoil so fast. She asks him for higher sticks to put the meat above the fire to smoke the meat.


    "This way the meat won''t spoil too. We won''t have to spend the whole day hungry." She says.


    Her knowledge is already something he''s getting used to, but he can''t wait to test if the food will be good to eat the next day.


    "What kind of beast do you think I am?" She asks, lying down on the ground and watching the stars.


    "Your smell is very different from the beasts I know. Sometimes I smell bird on you, but I''m not sure." Wayde answers, lying down on her side, wondering why she''s looking at the sky so much. "Why are you looking at the sky so much?" He asks.


    "The stars. The moon. I''m trying to fix them in my mind and their locations."


    "Why? There are so many."


    "The ancient people used the stars to direct their way at night. Not everyone has a great sense of smell like you." She says. She points to the stars explaining. "They would define patterns or shapes with the stars, the same ones are there every day. A group of stars that has a shape is called a constellation. I don''t know which is which, so I''m trying to create my own so if something happens I can locate myself through the stars at night."


    "Interesting. I can''t see the shapes there. Do I need to change my point of view?" He asks. She chuckles.


    "Maybe. Try to focus on the most shining ones or the bigger ones. I could see a bunny, so I''ll call it Hopping Constellation. When I look at the Hopping Constellation, I know I''m looking East." She explains.


    "East?" He asks.


    She keeps teaching him things almost all night, and he''s a fast learner and loves to learn new perspectives from his female. Yes, he''s decided that she is his female.

 Chapter 8: The Stone Moon Tribe

    Chapter 8: The Stone Moon TribeMorning, Astri is riding the white tiger again. All these days sleeping uncomfortably and sleeping so little yesterday made Astri very tired. She yawns and rubs her eyes, Wayde stops walking and looks at her.


    "No. Don''t worry. I slept a little, that''s all." She says.


    He walks to a tree shade and lays down, she stands up and he pulls her to him again. Making her lay down on his body. Supporting part of her body on him, his fur is soft and inviting to sleep.


    "Now I got it. Your fur is comfortable indeed. Thank you."


    She falls asleep quickly, Wayde stays awake to keep her guarded, but he always gets himself staring at her sleeping face. Even her slightly opened mouth is cute.


    His female is too special and he will need to work hard to protect her, he will need to keep getting stronger to keep danger away from her.


    He also needs to build the best shelter for her, comfortable and the way she desires. He never imagined that he would be all mushed with his mate even before mating.


    Claud tries to connect with Astri, but soon he realizes she''s asleep and decides to try connecting to her again later. He wonders why she''s sleeping until now, but he could feel that she''s alive so Wayde must be taking care of her.


    He wonders why she''s still sleeping, though. Were they attacked at night? Is she wounded? Is she still upset and didn''t sleep? He didn''t sleep well, worried about her.


    She must be feeling so lost and lonely in this different world, not knowing who she is and where she came from. But he needs to keep her protected, as long as she still doesn''t know who she is and doesn''t call attention, she can live and learn about this world.


    The Sacred Mountain of the Great Wall City is where Claud lives, it is far from where Astri is and is where he wants to bring her. Though, he also doesn''t want to bring her there, knowing it''s risky. This world is much more complicated than it looks like. He only knows that he needs to find a way to meet with her.


    Astri wakes up after a few hours feeling much better. Then Wayde resumes walking to the village, and at the end of the day, they will arrive.


    Noticing that the forest is over and they''re walking on an open field, Astri looks forward to trying to take a glance at the village.


    "Wayde?" She calls the tiger. He looks at her. "Are we close?" He nods, making a sound.


    At the same time, she''s curious, she''s nervous about meeting more beasts. When she could finally see some tents and people walking, Wayde stopped and shifted to his human form.


    "I''ll take you directly to the doctor. Then I''ll take you to my house." Wayde speaks.


    "All right." She could only agree. He has a house, she''s already thankful enough about that.


    He carries her like a princess again.


    "I feel like a baby being carried all the time." She says softly.


    "You''re injured. Bear with it for now." He speaks, with a smile, but he would carry her even if she was fine.


    As they walk closer, Astri starts to smell something bad and soon she sees that there is feces and urine outside the houses and tents. She gets shocked, covering her nose and feeling like vomiting.


    Astri looked to the people, the men looked pretty similar to men of the other world, but here they would dress in skirts of animal skin and normally have long hair. However, the women shocked Astri.


    Most are fat, and their faces are not very pretty, but all of them felt like queens as they walked with a tail of males behind them.


    Soon they were noticed by the people, and all eyes fell on Astri. Single males were amazed by Astri, she''s a pure beauty in their eyes.


    "Wayde! You''re finally back! Who is this? Is she your mate?" A man with blond hair and as tall as Wayde comes fast to his side.


    Looking closer at Astri the man soon fell into her eyes, he blushed and held her hand.


    "My name is Dean. Please let me be your mate. I''m not as strong as Wayde, but I''m useful."


    Astri is impressed that the first thing this man said was asking to be her mate. Few females looked at Astri envying her beauty, and that she was with Wayde. Other males tried to do the same, but Astri pulled her hands to her chest, showing she wasn''t comfortable.


    Wayde growled and released his strong aura, other males stepped away and gave them space.


    Astri thought that it could be dangerous for those beastmen to attack them, but when they stepped away she noticed they wouldn''t take the chance to anger Wayde. Not for fear, but for respect.


    Astri could notice not very friendly eyes from some women. She was right in thinking that Wayde had a line of fans.


    Wayde arrives at a cave above a rock mountain and is greeted by an old man. He has short white hair and a beard, a thinner body, and wears more skin clothes than other males.


    "Oh, Wayde. I never saw you here." The old man says, then he looks at Astri. He opens a big smile. "But I can see why. I didn''t know you had a female. Congratulations."


    "Can you check up on her? She was attacked by ferals and fell into the river." Wayde says.


    "Oh, sure! Put her down here." The doctor quickly got worried.


    Wayde puts Astri on a rock bed. The doctor checks her ribs and ankle.


    "You don''t have a fever, so you''re going to be fine as long as you rest. Your ribs are broken, they might take a long time to heal, and your ankle will be good in two days at the most." He explains.


    The doctor stands and shows Wayde how to prepare the medicines Astri needs, then gathers the medicines in little bags to give to Wayde.


    "Also, ask salt from the tribe leader. It will be good for her. Keep her nourished with plenty of meat. Keep her warm during the night. Sorry, but mating might hurt her ribs more, so you should avoid it until her ribs don''t hurt when touching." The doctor says.


    Wayde nods. The doctor smiles at Astri again.


    "Don''t worry. You will be fine. If you get worse, tell Wayde and he will bring you to me again. Apparently, he already knew some medicines and applied them to you, so you are not as bad as it looks." She nods.


    For now, she doesn''t want to say anything until she understands those people better. Wayde''s reactions to her little knowledge of medicine made her wonder if it would be a good idea to expose that too. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Thank you, doctor." She stays with that.


    Wayde thanks the doctor again too, then carries Astri again and the bag with herbs and medicine.


    First Wayde goes to the tribe leader''s cave. It''s near the doctor''s cave. A man around his 40s, with darker skin and dark blond hair, tied on a ponytail appeared on the door.


    "Wayde! Good to have you back. We were worried you wouldn''t be back before the snowing season." The man speaks, he looks at Astri and is impressed with her beauty. "What a beautiful female. Where did you find her?"


    "In the forest. She was lost." Wayde answered a few details, so he doesn''t get questioned even more.


    "How lucky... Will you be living in your house? You should live closer to the center of the tribe to keep her protected."


    "No. Thank you. I can keep her protected." Wayde speaks. He wants to keep Astri away from unnecessary attention for now.


    "My name is Shung. Leader of the Stone Moon Tribe. If you need anything, you can ask me." He says to Astri.


    "Thank you. My name is Astri." Astri speaks softly.


    He smiled, but Aika noticed it wasn''t a hungry smile like the men outside, and that made her more relaxed.


    "I came to ask for salt. The doctor said it would be good for her and her injuries." Wayde speaks.


    "Oh, sure! Dieg! Bring two cups of salt!" Shung speaks. "What happened to her?"


    "Attacked by ferals." Again, Wayde didn''t give many details.


    "Where? We should send a party to get them."


    "It was far from here. Five or six days from here, where the sun rises. But if you want to send a party, it''s your choice. I didn''t sense anyone coming here when I was in the forest." Wayde answers.


    "I trust your judgment. You might not like to be around us very much, but you''re the best we have here." Shung speaks.


    Astri is sure that Wayde is the strongest there. For the leader to say such a thing, he must be.


    "I need to send someone to bring the skin clothes we make to exchange for salt at the Beast City Market. Our stock of salt might not be enough for the snowing season and I don''t want to risk losing our females. You''re who I trust the most for this task, Wayde." Shung says.


    Wayde thinks for some moments. Astri will need salt too, so he can''t simply deny this task.


    "When do you want me to go? I don''t want to leave until Astri is healed." Wayde speaks.


    "As soon as possible. I can set some males to take care of her." Shung answered.


    "In 10 days I can go. I want only mated males taking care of her, and I want skin clothes for all seasons and for bed too." Wayde says. Shung chuckles.


    "Jealous of your mate? I understand. She''s beautiful indeed."


    A young man, who looks very much like Shung, but with shorter hair and is around 20 years old appears holding a little bag.


    "Here, father."


    "Thanks, Dieg." Shung says, taking the bag and giving it to Wayde.


    Dieg looks at Astri and he is impressed.


    "What a fine little thing, right?" Shung says to Dieg. "This is my eldest, Astri. Please consider having him as your mate. He is young, but he already has 3 marks. I know Wayde has 7 and is the strongest, but until Dieg is at Wayde''s age he might be as strong as Wayde."


    "Erm.. Right. I''ll think about it." Astri said softly, but it was sarcasm.


    "Good! Dieg, go take clothes for the common and snowing season for Astri and bedclothes. Then bring them to Wayde''s home." Shung said happily. Dieg nods with a big smile.


    Wayde walks away.


    "Will you accept the boy?" Wayde asks Astri.


    "No. Didn''t you hear the awkwardness in my voice? The guy was throwing his son on me while making a deal with you. The guy is manipulative, he would remove half of the deal if I denied it. And for you accepting the deal it''s because it''s important. Right?" She speaks.


    Wayde looks at her impressed.


    "You noticed that just by his talking now?" Wayde asks.


    "Yes. And, I said I would think about it. I didn''t say I would accept him. This way your deal is not compromised."


    "You''re very smart. I like that." Wayde smiles proudly.


    "Is salt so hard to get for you to accept doing what you don''t want to do?" She asks.


    "Yes. And you need salt, so I have to do this."


    Everything that for her was pretty normal to find in the other world looks hard to find there.


    What other common things will be so hard to find or to do?

 Chapter 9: Fan Number 1

    Chapter 9: Fan Number 1Astri takes a relieved breath when Wayde walks away from the center of the tribe and goes to a wooden cabin near some big trees. The shitty smell is far from them and she''s happy that Wayde''s house doesn''t smell the same.


    "It smells so much better here. I''m relieved." She softly says.


    "What do you mean?" He asks.


    "The tribe houses and tents. There were feces and urine outside, and it smelled horrible. How can they live like that? Is it common?"


    "Yes." He nods.


    "Do females die young?" She asks.


    "Most of them.. in their thirties. Forties sometimes." He answers not liking to think that Astri might die before him. "I''ll take care of you. Even if I have to build my own village and find our own doctor. Don''t worry."


    "I''m not worried, but all that... "dirt" might be the reason. It can cause many health problems. Too many to count. It can cause people to poop like water. It can bring worms to their bellies and die with a big belly. Skin problems. There are so many diseases caused by a dirty place. I prefer to run away from ferals than live there. I have a chance to live a long life if I escape the ferals, living in the dirt I don''t have a chance." She explains.


    He trusts her knowledge now, and he''s impressed that the reason for so many deaths is actually a simple thing to solve.


    "You don''t need to live there. You will live here and I''ll keep it clean for you." Wayde promises. He puts her in the front of the house, and the medicines too. "Stay here for a while. It''s been a long time since I haven''t come here, it must be dirty."


    "I can help." She says. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No. The doctor said you need to rest. And I don''t want you to get sick from the dirt."


    "When I said dirt, I said poop and pee. If there''s any of those inside, you shouldn''t go inside without proper clothing." She speaks.


    "Oh... Now I understand. No, I didn''t poop or pee inside. Still, stay here. It won''t take long."


    She thinks of a way to have a toilet that is not smelly and not dangerous for their health. Then she decides to taste a bit of the salt, realizing it''s common salt.


    Maybe they use the salt to make their blood pressure higher and give them the feeling of being warmer. It makes sense to her, but she will use this for cooking and not as a medicine at all.


    She tries the other medicines and one has the taste of black pepper, but the grains are bigger than the ones she used to see in the other world. She can try cooking with those too. She will ask Claud about it when she contacts her again.


    When she thought about Claud made her realize he hadn''t contacted her that day. She thinks that he didn''t contact her because now she has Wayde and he doesn''t have to worry anymore. He will contact her only when it''s time for her to go meet him.


    She sighs, disappointed. Many times that happened and she shouldn''t be disappointed anymore, but she was. Wayde might act the same if he doesn''t get what he wants from her.


    She hears someone arriving and then she turns around to see Dieg arriving with a big skin bag.


    "I brought your clothes. And lines and fish bones to sew if you need." Dieg speaks.


    "Thank you. Leave it here, please. Wayde is cleaning the house." She says.


    She''s so polite to him that he thinks she''s being gentle to him.


    "Sure. Do you want help with anything else? I can go hunt while he cleans." Dieg speaks.


    "I don''t.." Astri softly says, but Wayde interrupts her walking outside.


    "You can hunt. Will save me time." Wayde tells Dieg. Dieg nods and then shifts into a black and caramel wolf, running into the woods.


    Astri shrugs shoulders letting Wayde do what he thinks is better. When Wayde is finished with the cleaning, Astri goes inside and it''s a simple one-room cabin. There''s no bedroom or kitchen, but she imagined it would be very simple. She''s happy enough that if it rains she won''t get wet.


    Wayde spreads the bedsheets on the ground and then organizes the rest in a corner. Astri starts thinking about building closets, shelves, a bed, and a bathtub. Her mind is full of projects.


    "Is there sand near here?" She asks Wayde.


    "I think so. Why?" He''s always curious about the requests and questions of his female.


    "Can you put it in a box around this big? Fill it with sand. It will be where we will poop and pee. Keeping in the sand won''t be dangerous for us too, and being kept in a box will be easier to get rid of too." She says gesturing with her hands.


    "All right. I''ll do it now. Stay here. It won''t take long."


    She nods, and he smiles at her cute obedient nod. She already made him smile more than he smiled his whole life. He leaves and she takes the chance to look at her new clothes.


    She''s a bit uncomfortable because they will expose her body a lot. It''s basically bras and skirts. And no underwear.


    While Wayde is coming back home, he''s met with a female who has long blond hair, and blue eyes and wears a bra and a skirt of tiger skin. Her body is a bit fat and her face is not bad compared to the other women of the village, even if her long nose calls for a bit more attention.


    "Hi, Wayde! I heard from my father that you are back. I''m happy to see you." She says.


    "Hi." He answers.


    "He also told me you have a female now, but your beast mark doesn''t show you''re mated. Are you just babysitting?" She asks, following him, and behind her five males.


    "No. We''re not completely mated because she''s recovering from some injuries. But I''m her male."


    "Oh, come on. My father said she''s beautiful, but I''m sure that she''s not as beautiful as me. And I''m the chief''s daughter. You can own this village if we become mates since you''re the most powerful." She says, trying to sound sexy with her voice.


    "No, thank you. Not interested. Astri is my female."


    She keeps trying to convince him until they arrive at Wayde''s home. Astri walks outside limping a little bit. She heard a woman talking to Wayde, but she didn''t imagine so many males were behind her.


    "She must be his number one fan. I''m outta here. She smells like crazy." Astri thinks.


    Astri starts turning around again to get inside when she hears the other female say:


    "She''s so thin. Can she have cubs like that? She will die pregnant, Wayde. It''s risky for you."


    Wayde ignores the female, showing Astri the sandbox.


    "Where should I put this?" He asks Astri.


    "Behind the house. Thank you, Wayde." She answers with a little smile.


    She felt eyes burning her and it was the other female.


    The other males also think that Astri is very beautiful even if they are already mated. Dieg arrives carrying a deer, then he shifts to his human form. Astri looked somewhere else since he was naked.


    "What are you doing here, Dieg?" The female asks.


    "I''m courting Astri to be her mate. And what are you doing here, Ana? Wayde is already taken." Dieg says with a mocking voice.


    "Not yet. He''s not completely mated."


    "But he''s courting Astri. He never did with anyone here, so he will be her mate for sure. Just leave with your mates." Dieg speaks.


    "Are you kicking out your sister?!"


    "Yes. You will bully Astri just because she''s new here."


    "She''s the daughter of the chief. Double the problems." Astri thinks as Ana and Dieg keep arguing back and forth.


    Astri sighs and starts going inside again, ignoring this commotion. Wayde smiles with the maturity Astri has, but he doesn''t like that Astri can''t be comfortable around her own house. He releases his aura again and that makes everyone mute.


    "You''re bothering. I need to prepare dinner and Astri needs to rest. Leave now." Wayde says very seriously.


    Ana clicks her tongue and leaves, fuming in anger.


    Astri didn''t say a word to Ana, but Ana already hated Astri with all her might.

 Chapter 10: I Don’t Want To Hurt You

    Chapter 10: I Don''t Want To Hurt YouWayde and Dieg skin the deer carefully to save the skin then cut the meat into many pieces. Dieg is shocked that Wayde made a fire and could control it.


    "Hey, wait!" Astri says rushing outside with the salt pouch.


    "Don''t force your foot." Wayde stops her.


    "Let me season the meat with salt." She takes a few pinches of salt and spreads evenly around the meat. "You will see that it will taste better." She says happily.


    "Isn''t salt a medicine?" Dieg asks.


    "It can be used on meat or other food. It will have the same effect." Astri answers.


    "How do you know this?"


    "When you try the meat you will believe me."


    She noticed that the deerskin was already put to dry, she already had plans for that skin. She sits near the fire and looks to the sky again.


    "The stars are beautiful here too. We can see them better here." Astri says.


    Wayde and Dieg sit around the fire too. Wayde sits closer to Astri.


    "Sorry about my sister. She''s a pain when she wants to. And she was always crazy about Wayde since he got here." Dieg tells Astri.


    "I noticed she likes him. You don''t like her Wayde?"


    Wayde denies it with his head.


    "I like you. You''re more beautiful, mature, and smarter." Wayde answers.


    "Well, beauty is relative. But the rest I can understand." Astri chuckles softly.


    She sighs a bit painfully as she''s lying down on the grass.


    "Don''t you fear she will take Wayde? When females want the same male, they normally fight each other." Dieg asks Astri.


    "Why waste my time with that? Wayde is free to choose whomever he wants. Besides, if I win and deep inside he wants her, he will be only unhappy with me. And Wayde said he doesn''t like her, so why fight? I fight only those who touch me against my will." She says, going back to drawing on the stars and choosing constellations.


    "I see... You''re different."


    "Thank you. I guess. Wayde, are we staying here for a long time?" She tries to change the subject.


    "Why?"


    "Just asking. I would like to try a few things, but it takes time and I need your authorization. It''s your house, otherwise." She speaks. He smiles at her.


    "Don''t need to ask me for anything you want to do. It''s your house now. You can do whatever you want."


    "Then it''s our house. I want to hear your opinion. You built it. Have you ever seen a closet or a drawer?" She speaks.


    Astri is a very different female in Dieg''s eyes. She is polite, not rude, and asks for the male''s permission.


    She explains how to build a closet and a table, saying the reasons to have them. He agreed to build it. Then she talks about a plantation, this way when he''s not around she can have access to vegetables without risking herself in the woods. He also agreed to make one.


    "Nice! And the bed, the bedsheets are good, but I was thinking about making a cushion and pillows to make it softer. We can put feathers, hay, cotton, or grass in between the sheets and sew it together so it doesn''t spread and dirt the house." She explains.


    "I like that. This way you will sleep better, but I like it when you sleep on me." Wayde says with a smirk.


    She flushes punching his arm.


    "I''m being serious here!"


    "Me too."


    She rolls her eyes.


    "Enough with projects."


    "I can help too. Is there anything I can do?" Dieg asks.


    "You''re the chief''s son. His eldest son. Don''t you have daily obligations?" She says.


    "I do, but I can have time to stay with you. My father will understand."


    "You can try keeping your sister away from me. She is not done with me yet."


    "Do you think she will try to harm you?" Wayde asks.


    "I''m not saying that. I''m just saying that if eyes could kill I would be 6 feet underground."


    "She might try to bully you, but won''t hurt you. She knows we need more females here. But I can try to keep her away." Dieg speaks.


    "Good. Let''s hope you''re right."


    She turns to her good side and then pushes herself to sit.


    "I think this one here is good to eat." She points to a stick of meat.


    When she tries to move to take it, Wayde holds her in place.


    "Why can''t you ask me to do things for you like other females?" Wayde asks.


    "I''m not like other females. And you know that." She answers bitterly. She always hated being compared to others.


    Wayde bit his tongue, realizing his mistake.


    "I''m sorry." He apologizes.


    "Don''t need to apologize for telling the truth."


    "What are you two talking about?" Dieg asks. Astri sighs.


    "Let''s say that not all females were raised as your sister did." Astri speaks.


    Neither Dieg nor Wayde pressed on that matter. They could sense she was tense. Wayde gives the stick of meat to her and she tries the meat by poking it with her fingers a little bit, then she bites a piece.


    "Oh yes! This is good! Try it." She says happily. She gives a big piece to Wayde and then another to Dieg. They try it and they''re impressed with how good it is. "Look at those eyes! You loved it." She laughs looking at them.


    Wayde and Dieg are carnivores and love red meat the most, so she imagined that barbecue would make them happy. They ate happily, and when Astri was full Wayde and Dieg kept eating. They left very few of the deer and Astri tells Wayde to save it for the next day.


    "I wish I could clean myself. The river is near?" Astri speaks.


    "Not much, but I can bring water for you to clean yourself and for drinking too." Wayde says.


    "I can go." Dieg jumps up and then goes to take two old buckets from the side of the cabin.


    He leaves Wayde and Astri alone.


    "I''m sorry about what I said. I feel you got angry." Wayde says to her.


    He was actually thankful Dieg left them alone.


    "It''s all right. Don''t worry." She speaks, standing up. He holds her, not letting her walk away. She looks up to his face. "I''m feeling better. I just need to walk slowly." She is grateful that he worries, but she wants some freedom to walk a bit.


    "What did you mean about not all females being raised like Ana? Where were you raised? In the Demon''s City?" He asks, very serious.


    "Demon''s City?"


    "A city of ferals and monsters. Females are only sexual slaves there."


    "Wow.. No, I wasn''t raised there." She answered, and her answer made him visibly relax.


    "Then what did you mean?"


    "Who doesn''t have a hard past here? Forget it." She says trying to walk away, but he keeps her in place with his strong arms. She sighs, knowing that his eyes are telling her he won''t move until he knows the answer. "Why do you want to know?"


    "Because I''m your male. I don''t want to be the one hurting you and I could sense you were hurt about what I said." He answers. She sighs.


    "I was found when I was 6 months old, and I was raised in a place full of orphans. For some odd reason, I was always treated differently and no one liked me there. While other children were being adopted by a family, I wasn''t even put up for adoption and who raised me just made me work to pay for my food. I had to do everything if I wanted to stay alive. I wasn''t pampered by anyone. Then I lived by myself and survived by myself, until.." She says, but then she stops because she can''t say she came from another world.


    "Until you found me." He finishes her sentence.


    She nods, it''s not wrong, it''s just not completely right. But he was indeed the first one to actually help her do something without feeling it was for teaching to never ask again.


    "I don''t want to leave you. I''ll help you forget this hard past. I just need you to trust me and don''t keep me away. You''re not there anymore and won''t be." He was so serious looking into her eyes while saying that, she felt her heart jump.


    This man really wants to be in her life. Is this for real? Will he abandon her later? She steps back, but he brings her back.


    "Trust me, Astri. I won''t leave you."


    Their eyes are locked on each other''s, so their heads get closer as magnets. When their lips met, finally Wayde relaxed his grip because Astri gave up on running away.


    "I want only you. Even if you don''t mate with me, I will always be yours." Wayde says, now holding her face and waist.


    Her eyes filled with tears. This is too soon to say something like that, but it''s a different world and maybe what she learned about love won''t necessarily be true. He kisses her eyes and hugs her firmly, trying to make her feel that he would never leave her.


    "Wayde?"


    "Hum?"


    "My ribs."


    He loosened his arms a little bit and looked again at her face.


    "Sorry." He says smiling. She smiles too. "I will fight to keep this smile on your face."


    "I''m sure it will be easy for you." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They kissed again, more deeply, and soon Wayde''s breath was getting faster. Her taste is so sweet that it makes him want to taste all over her body. He stops and takes a deep breath to calm down.


    "Sorry... If we continue I won''t be able to stop. And you can''t mate yet." He says.


    She flushes by hearing that, then becomes pure red when she looks down and sees that his skirt has a big tent. Quickly she looks away, making him chuckle.


    "You''re so cute."

 Chapter 11: Fighting To Sleep With Her

    Chapter 11: Fighting To Sleep With HerShe goes inside and tries to look for clean clothes that are not so little. What she really needs to work on in that place is how to keep hygiene, this is something she really can''t get used to.


    Dieg arrives with the buckets of water, then after kicking both of them out, she cleans herself and changes clothes. She wears a yellow skin bra and skirt, but she keeps her panties, she would never feel comfortable without them.


    She checks her ribs, it''s still purple and hurt when she touches them, but only when she touches them. For her, it''s a lot better, but since there''s no medication besides herbs and fruits in that world, she needs to behave so it doesn''t get infected.


    She needs to study more about medicine. She smiles remembering when Wayde said that not knowing about anything may be good. In the end, she has a lot to do and learn. Her life isn''t boring anymore.


    "Can I come in?" Wayde asks.


    "Yes. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. I was mixing things for my medicine." She says, mixing the herbs.


    Wayde comes in, walks to her, and takes everything from her hand. She looks at him confused, he smiles and keeps from where she started. But he looked at her new clothes, her body was even more beautiful with those clothes.


    "Wow.. You look beautiful in these skin clothes." Dieg speaks, after getting inside too. Dieg is liking her more and more. Then he notices her ribs. "You should lie down. I didn''t know you were so injured like that." He says worried.


    "You know what? You guys won. But just to remind you, when I get better, I like to do things. I don''t just go walking around choosing males or bullying others, or just eating to be fat. If I don''t do things I might go crazy." She tells.


    "Why do you like to do things?" Dieg asks.


    "Guess. Oh, you''re right. I''m strange."


    She lays down on the bed.


    "Take a bowl. I need to mix some herbs in the water for her to drink." Wayde tells Dieg, who takes a bowl and gives it to Wayde.


    Astri watches Wayde pouring herbs into the water in the bowl.


    "What is that bowl made of?" Astri asks.


    "Rock." Wayde answers.


    "Then put it near the fire, please. Boiling the water will make the medicine better and I will get better faster."


    "How do you know this?" Dieg asks curious again. This female knows a lot of things.


    "I tried before." She answers.


    Wayde does what she asks. While he''s waiting for the water to boil, Dieg looks at Astri with curiosity.


    "Are you feeling better?" Dieg asks.


    "Yes." She answers.


    "Can I ask you how old are you?"


    "What a gentleman. I''m 20." She answers, giggling.


    "Did you have mates before Wayde? Or your mates are traveling?"


    "I don''t have mates. At least not yet."


    "You''re so beautiful that you could have anyone you wanted."


    "I don''t want just anyone. I''m not like your sister. I care about who I''ll spend the rest of my days with. My mates won''t be just objects of pleasure or to get me things, or to give me children. I want to make them happy too. We will be partners, not just mates." She answers.


    "I still don''t understand very well.."


    "When a female dies, what happens to the male?" She asks.


    "They feel a backlash and they can go crazy." He answers.


    "A deeper connection is when the male dies I will feel the backlash."


    "Is it possible?"


    Wayde enters and gives the bowl to Astri with a cloth so she doesn''t get burned. She thanks him and smells the medicine.


    "I believe that the backlash the male feels is because they nurtured a deep love for the female. The pain of losing someone you love so much is too great. I''m someone that if my male dies, I will feel this pain and I will mourn their deaths as I lost a part of my heart."


    Wayde and Dieg are impressed with her thoughts. She said that she wants to love her males more than anything.


    "I will work hard to have the honor of having your love." Wayde says. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Me too." Dieg confirms.


    She chuckles.


    "Good luck." She says, awkwardly. She drinks her medicine and coughs. "This tastes horrible." She whines.


    "Bear with it. It''s for your good." Wayde says, rubbing her head.


    After she finishes drinking her medicine, she bites a piece of the sturdy bark of a fruit. It''s dry and this is how she noticed that Wayde "brushes" his teeth. And it works well. She lays down, covering herself. Wayde walks to the bed and Dieg stops him.


    "I know it''s your house, but you''re not her mate yet."


    "Not completely, because she''s sick and can''t mate. But I''ll be." Wayde answers, not happy that someone stopped him from being close to his female.


    "I can say the same thing. So I''ll sleep with her too."


    "You met her today. I have known her longer and I have already slept next to her many times."


    "Stop, you two. If you want to keep making noise and fighting I''m going to sleep outside." Astri says.


    They shut their mouths, but keep glaring at each other. She sighs feeling the tense energy in there.


    "This bed is clean and you''re both dirty. So none of you can sleep here."


    "I''ll go wash myself then." Wayde takes the bucket of water.


    "Me too." Dieg takes the other bucket.


    She rolls her eyes and holds her head sighing. They clean themselves outside and then go back to her.


    "Why do you two want to sleep next to me so much?" She asks, annoyed.


    "To be closer to you." They answer together.


    "You have two options. One: Sleep outside. Two: Sleep in here, but in your beast form. This way you will stop arguing because you won''t fit in this bed, it will barely fit another person besides me. You choose." She says, then tries to get cozy again in between the bedsheets.


    Both of them turned into their beast form and laid down around her. Like making a circle around her.


    She falls asleep quickly, Wayde looks at her sleeping face and he wishes to kiss her again, but he noticed she doesn''t like people fighting because of her so he won''t shift again. Dieg dared to challenge him, but he can''t kill Dieg because it would make the tribe expel him and he needs to be in this tribe to protect Astri.


    Claud got busy all day and couldn''t contact Astri, on his bed he decided to try again, but again she was sleeping. It''s late, it''s no wonder she''s asleep. But he can''t deny that he''s worried and anxious to know how she is. Deep inside, he''s afraid. Scared that she''s angry with him and won''t talk to him again. His worries didn''t let him sleep well again.

 Chapter 12: Precautions

    Chapter 12: PrecautionsNext day morning, Astri wakes up hearing birds singing. Wayde and Dieg are still sleeping around her, when she moves to sit down they wake up and raise their heads to look at her.


    "Good morning. The day looks beautiful today! Stay here. I''ll go do my morning business." She says, standing up. They look at her confused. "Pee." She clarifies.


    After understanding what she meant, both just watched her walking away and opening the way for her to pass. They noticed she was limping less, so they let her go alone.


    The sandbox worked perfectly, Astri took the bark of a tree to use as a mini shovel to pull the sand and make the smell dissipate. To clean herself, she used water from the bucket she brought with her from inside the house. She leaves the water there, then covers it with a bigger tree bark.


    "Finally awake." Claud speaks in her mind, showing he is relieved. She was startled at first. "Sorry for scaring you."


    "That''s all right. I wasn''t expecting you would come. Yesterday you didn''t."


    "In the morning, when I tried to talk to you, you were asleep. I could try again only at night and you were asleep again. I was starting to worry that you were sick or something. How are you?" She smiles.


    "I''m fine. We arrived at the village. Stone Moon Tribe. I''ll be living in Wayde''s home."


    "Stone Moon Tribe. You''re farther from here than I imagined. But I''m glad you''re fine and somewhere safe. How was the experience of meeting more beastmen?" He sounds happy talking to her.


    "A bit weird. I was shocked by the way they live, if I can say that."


    "What do you mean?"


    "They live around their own poop and pee. It''s so smelly that I almost puked. I''m happy that Wayde''s home is far from the village center."


    "I see. The bigger the tribe, you will find more of this issue. I''m afraid."


    "You know that''s probably the reason for women dying young right? Dejects have more diseases than anything."


    "Oh really?" He curiously asks.


    She explains again about what happens when people live around their own dirt. Then she explains what she will do to keep the hygiene. She also tells him all of her projects, he''s happy to hear her excited voice. Apparently, she''s not sad anymore.


    Wayde and Dieg noticed that she was very lost in thought, drawing things on paper like planning something. They didn''t want to disturb her, so they simply watched her. They don''t have any idea she''s talking to someone.


    But since she''s excited, they don''t want to disturb her. Wayde imagines that since she was raised relying only on herself, that''s the reason she acts this way.


    "This is amazing. I want to know how all this will end." Claud says.


    "I''m more excited about the kitchen supplies. Barbecues are great but I''ll get tired of them someday."


    She finally realized Wayde and Dieg were staring at her.


    "What is it?" She asks curiously.


    "You were so deep in thought and concentrated. We''re just watching." Wayde answers.


    "Oh.. Sorry." She laughs awkwardly, she must have looked weird while she was talking to Claud. "Just thinking about the things I want to do."


    "Is Wayde there?" Claud asks.


    "Yes. And a wolf beastman. Dieg. He''s the chief''s son."


    "Both are courting you?"


    "Yes. Things get tense sometimes."


    "I''m impressed that there are only them courting you."


    "I think it''s because of Wayde. He has 7 marks, he''s the strongest here. Dieg''s father asked me to consider him as a mate, that''s why he''s here." She says.


    "He''s strong indeed. I wonder why he''s not the tribe leader."


    "He doesn''t look interested in that. Wait a moment."


    She stands up and starts telling them what she is thinking to do, then explains to them what they need to do.


    Wayde will be making the table and Dieg will be making the pot for her to cook. When they left she could talk to Claud again. She asks him about the herbs, she shows him the herbs she got yesterday, and asks about the one that looked like black pepper and why the doctor told her to take it.


    "It is to help to breathe because it burns. He was worried you could get sick not being capable of breathing because of the pain." Claud explains.


    "Oh, then I could use it as seasoning too. Like salt. In the other world, we use them as seasoning, to improve the flavor of the food. What about this one?"


    He patiently explains to her about everything she asks. Note everything so she doesn''t forget.


    "Why do you want to know all this?" He asks.


    "I just want to know. Precautions."


    He can see in her mind memories of people leaving her, she also thought that he left her because he didn''t talk to her yesterday. She wants to be independent in case she''s left alone again.


    "Astri..."


    "Yes?"


    "..Tomorrow I want to know how your projects are going. I''ll try making the pillows and the fluffy bed too. I must admit that the floor is hard." He decides not to mention anything. She might get angry and feel violated somehow. He will wait until she opens up herself.


    "Great. I won''t be holding you any longer. You must be tired from using your powers too long. Sorry about that."


    "Don''t apologize. I''ll be going then. Take care of yourself and let others help you."


    After he breaks the connection, he smiles happy to know that she''s fine.


    Astri spent the day showing Wayde and Dieg what to do, she was happy to see the table ready.


    Dieg has a harder task because he has to break and smooth a big rock to create a pot. However, he''s the happiest because he believes that he can prove to her he''s the best mate.


    In the following days, they made a closet, bigger and fluffy bed sheets and pillows, shelves, a stove outside, kitchen supplies, and a bathtub, and they planted some vegetable seeds and some flowers around the house.


    "You guys are awesome. What would take 40 days to finish or more, you took 10 days." She says, looking proudly at the little charming cabin. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I want to try cooking that hot pot you cooked yesterday. I think I remember all the steps." Wayde speaks, but instead of looking at the cabin, he''s looking at her happy face.


    "Nice! You''re getting better at cooking, but shouldn''t you rest for your trip?" She asks.


    "I asked for two more days to stay with you. I will be away for more than 20 days, but I''ll try to be faster."


    "It''s a long trip.."


    "Not so long. Luckily he chose the closest market. Normally he chooses a market that is more than 40 days."


    "Wow.. Won''t it be dangerous?" She asks, worried.


    He smiles at the little female on his side. They got closer after those ten days together, Wayde doesn''t want to leave her, but bringing her carrying expensive things is dangerous, and he will be only with two more beastmen.


    He would feel safer if the other beastmen had the same marks he has, or if there were at least 10 of 3 marked beastmen.


    Wayde hates the idea of leaving Astri alone with Dieg, he knows Dieg will try everything to mate with her during his absence. And Wayde wants to be the first.

 Chapter 13: Future Plans

    Chapter 13: Future PlansAstri is conflicted. She likes Wayde, she wants more with him, but she also fears the eternal connection. As she understood, they would never stop being mates and it''s impossible for a male to leave the female.


    He would suffer too much and would probably go crazy. If Wayde wishes to be with her, he knows what will happen if they mate.


    Beastmen are very straightforward about mating. If they like each other, they don''t think too much and just mate. Maybe it''s because the males don''t have many choices, and they choose what is best in their perceptions. Astri was raised having to think very much and fearing being thrown away.


    She helps him mince the vegetables for the hot pot and watches him prepare the hot pot. Wayde has an amazing memory, most of the time she only needs to tell him once about anything and he will remember.


    Dieg arrives and sits on Astri''s side. They also became closer, but Astri still looked at him as a friend. He''s happy deep inside because Wayde will be out for a long time and he will be alone with Astri every day.


    "Hot pot again today?" Dieg asks.


    "Wayde wanted to try making it. He''s doing it perfectly." Astri answers.


    "Can you teach me how to cook it too?"


    "I actually didn''t teach him. He simply watched me."


    "I don''t want to watch him cooking."


    "You were here when I made the hot pot yesterday too."


    "But I was focused on you, not on your cooking." He answers with a smirk.


    She rolls her eyes, chuckling.


    "Even if he watched properly he wouldn''t remember." Wayde mentions, making Astri hold her laughter.


    It''s true, Dieg couldn''t be more different from Wayde. Dieg is younger and he has the spirit of a young fun man.


    "Let''s see if I can''t cook for her when you''re traveling." Dieg said with a mean voice.


    Wayde looks at Dieg seriously, knowing Dieg is taking advantage of the situation.


    "Stop, you two. I would love some peaceful time." Astri speaks.


    "Well, I have night patrol today. I need to go. See you in the morning." Dieg says and kisses her head.


    "All right. Be careful." Astri is used to Dieg''s behavior already, she just doesn''t let him hug her in bed because he gets too horny.


    He shifts and leaves running.


    "Annoying cub. Next time they need someone to go to the trade market, I''ll tell them to send Dieg." Wayde mumbles.


    She giggles, then stands up.


    "If you don''t want to get mad at him. Just don''t." She says, looking at the pot.


    "I only get mad when I feel he wants to take you away from me." He hugs her waist and brings her closer.


    "Remember that if that ever happens, it''s my choice to be away from you. And if I decide to be away from you, it''s because you made me make this decision. Not anyone else." She says, poking his chest.


    "That means you will never leave me then." He answers, with a smirk on his face. He kisses the top of her head. "I''m just hating this idea of traveling now. I wish I could bring you with me, but it will be dangerous. Especially carrying expensive products."


    "I don''t want you to go too. Is the sea away from here?" She asks.


    "Around 2 days from here. Why?"


    "Because when you come back, I might know a way of never having to go exchange things for salt again" She answers with a smile that shows she has some plans. "How is salt made?"


    "Merman people do it. We just buy from them. Do you know any merman?" He answers.


    "No. I don''t. I just know a way to make salt." She answers. He looks at her impressed. "It''s a lot of work, but since it''s something so rare and expensive, maybe we should try to do it."


    "Are you serious?" He asks, shocked. She nods. "Don''t tell anyone about this. People will try to get you for this."


    "I won''t."


    "This is something that will make someone very rich. A tribe be powerful as a city."


    "Do you want to be rich?" She asks, curious.


    "I just want to give you the best and safest life." He answers.


    "And how do you think you can do that? What are your plans for life? I mean, you''re the most powerful here. Even more than the chief. You''re smarter too. Why did you never think of being a tribe leader or something?"


    "Do you want me to be? I can be if you want."


    "I don''t want you to do something you don''t want. I want you to be happy with your choices, that''s all."


    He smiles, so in love with that little female. Hearing her say she wants his happiness makes him believe he''s the luckiest man alive.


    "I come from a big city. I didn''t like how things worked there and decided to leave. I kept traveling for years until I arrived here. The chief offered me this cabin to stay around and keep the village safe. I simply stayed and lived day after day, until I found you. You make me want to have more." He tells.


    "Why is that?"


    "Being my mate is already the best reason." He answers with a playful smile, but he sees that she''s waiting for more. "You''re special, Astri. Females are already targeted, but even if you try to not call attention people will notice you''re special. People from this village already noticed just by seeing our house. Because most males want you. I can''t protect you just by being who I am forever, you will need more. And I don''t want to lose you."


    She blushes, smiling. She knows he''s right.


    "Who''s the most powerful beast you know?" She asks.


    "There''s the King of Beasts. But he''s not the most powerful. The Higher Priest is the most powerful beast. No one ever sees him besides the temple guards and the king. It''s said that he has powers and doesn''t need to go anywhere to know what is happening. He''s also the most knowledgeable about medicine." Wayde explains.


    She wonders if Claud is this Higher Priest.


    "What are their names?" She asks.


    "The king is Tyr. The Higher Priest I don''t think anyone knows his name besides his closest guards."


    Should she ask Claud if he''s this Higher Priest? It''s very probable he is. He said that not everyone has the power he has to communicate with her like this.


    "Why do you ask?" He asks her.


    "Nothing. Just curious. You don''t need to aim to be a king or a priest if you don''t want to, but I believe that there''s much more besides this tribe. However, having a tribe or village means more responsibilities. Is it something you want?" She asks.


    "If that means keeping you safer. Yes."


    She smiles and nods.


    "You''re a natural leader. You will have success with anything you choose, Wayde." She says.


    "Why are you so sure about this?"


    "A leader tries to provide for his people. A good leader provides for his people. And an amazing leader knows that happiness can be found even if it''s not his own. What I learned until now is that true happiness comes to us when we do things for others. Planting a tree which it''s shade others will sit in. I''m sure you''re an amazing leader." She tells.


    His heart jumped. Only she can make him feel like losing his balance. He hugs her waist, pulling her up a little bit to kiss her lips. He''s already hard just by hearing what she said, he wants to explode after kissing her.


    Astri can''t lie to herself, she also wants him. She fears that soon she won''t be capable of denying him anymore. She likes him and he''s been the most gentle boyfriend. It''s just a bit scary that once they make love they will be husband and wife! S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 14: Spouses

    Chapter 14: SpousesAfter dinner and a good bath, Astri is reading on the bed with the help of the moonlight. Wayde comes inside after taking his bath, he got used to bathing to not dirt the bed like Astri asked. Tigers don''t have problems with water. Now for Dieg, it is a harder task to keep clean.


    He lays down on her side and looks at the book, trying to understand the letters.


    "I can teach you to read and write if you want." She says, after noticing his curious eyes.


    Reading is a rare knowledge and that wouldn''t be passed by easily too. So when she offered to teach him, shocked him.


    "Would you do that?"


    "Why not?"


    "Knowledge is power, Astri. If you show you have power, people will follow you."


    "Really? Well, you said you don''t want to leave my side. I don''t see a reason to not teach you." She answers.


    He loses his voice for a moment.


    "I won''t. What I worry about the most is being capable of protecting the power you have." He says.


    She closes the book and puts it aside, then looks at him again.


    "I will be teaching you, not strangers. How can I not trust who I should trust the most? Or you don''t want to be my mate anymore?"


    "It''s what I want the most." He says holding her face.


    "I believe in you, Wayde."


    Completely lost in his passion for her, he kisses her lips trying to hold himself to not jump on her and mate with her. However, she kissed him deeper and her sweet tongue made him tremble.


    He pulls her by the waist and she feels his bare chest on her hands, and his hard thing on her leg. Roaming his hand around her waist, feeling her smooth skin is taking away all his self-control.


    "Astri... Please.. Be mine."


    "I am.."


    Taking that as approval, he rolls to her kissing her more passionately. Their breathing became faster and hotter. Wayde licks and kisses her body while removing her clothes. Her body is so fair and beautiful, getting red with his hot kisses. He could hold her like this forever.


    And he could live inside of her.


    It''s not something both had experience doing, but Wayde tried his best to be gentle and give her the same pleasure he was feeling. Astri already had boyfriends but never had sex with any of them. The farthest she went was pleasuring them with her hands, and she knew that Wayde''s length was bigger than she had ever seen.


    Even being big and muscular, Wayde is gentle and raises her to climax many times.


    ¡ª


    Next morning, Wayde wakes up feeling a happiness he never felt. And the reason for his happiness is laid on his chest, sleeping soundly. He didn''t imagine that mating with her would be so magical, she''s finally his forever.


    Wayde looks at the tiger mark on his arm, he can see the shape of wings around the tiger. It''s the element that represents her beast form and their pact as mates.


    She must indeed be some kind of bird. He smiles kindly to his mark. The wings look like a warm shield around the tiger and it''s very much like her personality.


    "Astri~~~ Good morning!~~" Dieg''s voice ended Wayde''s happy moment. "I brought you.." Dieg says, opening the door. That sound scared her and she sat with a jump. Her breasts were exposed and Dieg''s heart jumped, making him drool and gulp. "You mated?!"


    That was when she noticed she was still naked. She pulls up quickly the sheet to hide her breasts.


    "Yes! That means I''ll be next soon!" Dieg says happily. "I''ll make breakfast!" He goes outside again.


    Astri sighs, relieved. She thought there would be a fight. Dieg and Wayde are always throwing growls at each other when she''s around, but Dieg apparently knew from the beginning Wayde would be the first and he would be the second.


    Wayde sits down and pulls Astri to his arms again, kissing her head.


    "Are you all right? Did I hurt you too much?" He asks her.


    "I''m fine. Dieg just scared me with the noise."


    He spots something on her right shoulder, then moves her hair away to see a mark of a tiger. Its color is almost the same as her skin, but it''s an almost glistening white which he can see only in some positions.


    He touches her mark and it becomes red, like magic, taking him by surprise.


    "What is it?" She asks.


    He moves all her hair from her back and tries to see any other mark, but there''s nothing more than his mark.


    "Your spousal mark is... It has a soft color, almost like your own skin, but when I touched it became red. I never saw anything like that." He keeps moving his head to try to see her own mark, but he can''t see anything. "A spousal mark always stays near our own beast mark, but I can''t see yours. I never saw your beast mark, actually. I think it''s because you never shifted. A beast mark only appears after your first shift."


    She tries to see his mark, he touches his mark on her and it becomes red making her impressed. She will have to ask Claud about that.


    "Well, we can''t focus on what we don''t have clues. Maybe it will appear when I shift indeed." She says.


    "Have you ever tried?"


    She denies it with her head. Claud told her to not show her beast form to anyone, even if she doesn''t know how to shift either way.


    "Don''t worry. It''s something natural and you will shift once you understand that in your body." Wayde says after kissing her head.


    She smiles and nods. He got even more gentle with her after they became mates, she feels lucky to have him.


    After breakfast Claud talks to Aika in her mind, then Astri pulls her notebook and starts drawing. Dieg and Wayde understand that when she''s doing that it''s when she is lost in her little world and they don''t disturb her. She uses that as an excuse to talk to Claud.


    "Claud. The Higher Priest all mighty~" She sings. He gets shocked.


    "What?"


    "What?~"


    Claud knows she''s smart and it''s making him admit things she already knows.


    "How did you discover it?" He asks.


    "Yesterday, Wayde told me about the most powerful beastmen. Then he told me that the Higher Priest is known to have powers and is more respected than the king. I already assumed it was you, because you''re powerful."


    "I see. Always smart."


    "Don''t worry. I won''t tell anyone."  S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Thank you. Would be safer for you that no one knows yet that we''re related somehow."


    "Yeah. And for you too. I don''t want to make things hard for you."


    "You already make things hard with your smart brain." She tries to not laugh out loud.


    "And you make things hard for people not to think I''m crazy." She laughs in her mind and he chuckles too.


    She takes a deep breath to try composing herself.


    "I have something to tell you, but I don''t know how." She says, feeling embarrassed.


    He sees in her mind that she mated with Wayde.


    "You mated with Wayde. Congratulations. I''m glad you officially have a partner to protect you." He says this to make her feel even more embarrassed.


    "It''s not fair! I want to read your dirty thoughts too."


    "Someday I might teach you. Who knows?"


    "Well, Wayde said he never saw a spousal mark like mine. It has almost the same color as my skin and when he touches it becomes red. It''s on my shoulder." She says.


    "Hum.." He thinks deeply. "Did your beast mark appear?"


    "No. He said that spousal marks stay near our beast marks, but the beast marks after the first shift."


    "That''s correct."  He affirms.


    "Why is his spousal mark reacting like this?" She asks.


    "It stays concealed because your beast mark is concealed. Probably it''s because of that. But the reason it reacts to him might be because mates share energies and when he touches it connects with his energy. I''m not sure if that''s the reason because I also never saw something like that. I can only imagine that''s the reason. You''re the only one I know that didn''t shift and has the age of mating, so we can only imagine the reason." He explains.


    "I see. Isn''t this something I need to be careful of? People might notice that. It''s on my back, even if my hair hides it a little, someday someone might notice. Even more risky if Wayde touches it by chance."


    "It''s true... Use your snowing season clothes for now. It''s already approaching, so it won''t be strange. In the hot season, it would be good to have silk clothes, but only richer tribes or beastmen have it."


    "I''ll see what I can do. I can try sewing my own clothes too." She says.


    He thinks that she deserves to wear the finest clothes in the Beast World, but he can''t tell her that because she can''t afford anything now, and her mate too.


    "Another thing. I know how to make salt."


    "You do? That''s a great way to have money, but it will attract the attention of dangerous beastmen."


    "Yeah. I know, but Wayde believes it''s a way to have people to protect me. He said that having more people to protect me with him is better than only him when people notice that I''m different."


    "It''s true. Since you will be building this from nothing, you should go slow." He says.


    "Sure. I''ll try only when Wayde is back from his trip. And I''ll start with a bucket or two to make sure it''s clean salt. But it''s a quite simple process, even if it takes a lot of work."


    "How is it?"


    She explains that there are two ways of making salt, but one she will try during the hot season because the salt will dry faster. The other one is basically boiling the sea water until there''s only salt.


    "Interesting. I wish I could try doing that.." He speaks.


    "Isn''t there sea near your place?"


    "It''s a bit far. And I can only leave here hidden."


    "I see. You''re an important person, you would be hunted. And how would you come and get me?"


    "I would send my most trusted guard. But now that you have Wayde, you can come with him."


    "When should I go?" She asks.


    "Don''t think about that now. The trip to come here will be dangerous and will require a lot of preparation."


    "OK. I imagine what you look like. Being this powerful you must be older than me, but your voice is not from an old man."


    He chuckles.


    "I am an old man."


    "White hair and beard. Holding onto a staff to walk?"


    "I''m old, but I don''t look old."


    "How old are you? 40?"


    "I''m not sure. More than 200."


    She almost broke her pencil.


    "200?!?! How is that possible?"


    "There are some beasts that can live longer. Like dragons, mermaids."


    "And what is your beast form?" She asks, curious.


    "Only my guard knows my beast form. No one else knows."


    "Oh. Then it''s a powerful beast. It must be kept as a secret."


    "Like yours."


    "Do I have powers like you?" She asks, shocked.


    "As I know, the power of investigating everything." He plays. She rolls her eyes.


    "Are we the same kind of beast?"


    "No. We''re not. See? You will keep me asking things until you find a hole and make me say the answer you''re looking for. That''s a power few have."


    "Idiot. Lucky you for being my best friend in this world. Actually, lucky me." She says, giggling.


    His heart warmed hearing her call him "best friend". He hopes she feels that way forever.

 Chapter 15: Other Sexy Side

    Chapter 15: Other Sexy SideAfternoon, Astri says she would like to go to the river. Wayde and Dieg take her there to play. She jumps in the water and swims in the crystal clear water.


    "Don''t go far." Dieg tells her as she swims away. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why?" She asks.


    "Because I can''t reach you if I need to."


    "Don''t worry. I know how to swim." She says.


    "Still. Don''t go far."


    "Just in case." Wayde says to her. Also worried.


    She nods and keeps swimming close to the land.


    "Did you get the males to keep the cabin guarded?" Wayde asks Dieg.


    "Yes. The best ones will be guarding her."


    "I will kill you if something happens to her."


    "I would kill myself if that happened."


    Wayde sighs.


    "If she accepts you... Be gentle with her."


    "Of course." Dieg answers with a smile.


    When the weather started getting too cold, Astri got out of the water. At least she''s bathed already.


    They go back to the cabin, but they get shocked when they get inside. Everything was turned upside down. The bed sheets were torn, and the table and closet were broken. But what made Astri more shocked was to see her notebooks ripped and her books ripped too. Her art gears were all thrown on the floor and some were broken.


    Wayde knows how important that was for Astri, and Dieg imagined it was something she liked a lot because every day she uses it.


    "Astri..." Wayde goes to her.


    She''s trembling and crying in anger.


    She releases herself from his hands and then leaves the cabin. She walks fast in the direction of the village.


    "Where are you going, Astri?" Wayde asks, following her.


    "Was it Ana?" She asks, still walking.


    "Astri.." Dieg is also following her.


    "WAS IT ANA?!" She asks, angry.


    "Yes. But what are you going to do?" Wayde asks.


    Both are shocked to see the always calm and gentle Astri so angry like that. They found Ana near the path to the rock mountain that leads to the Chief''s cave. She was with three of her mates.


    "Oh. Look at the strange female. Hard to see you here. Hi, Wayde." Ana says, very satisfied.


    "You invaded our cabin." Astri speaks, seriously.


    Her serious energy is making Wayde and Dieg''s blood freeze.


    "Your cabin? No, that cabin belongs to Wayde. I just went to check what people were saying. Everyone was saying that Wayde and Dieg were building things there. I just saw trash there." Ana says, with an air of a queen.


    "You asked your males to destroy my mate''s things?" Wayde says, angry, and stepping forward.


    "She''s not..." Ana starts saying, but then she sees that Wayde''s beast mark is different, showing that now he''s mated. "I don''t believe it... You mated with this.."


    Wayde growls louder and releases all his energy, making everyone feel the pressure. Her males instinctively looked down.


    "You better start showing respect for her, Ana. " Wayde speaks.


    "Ana, you did wrong. That was too low even for you." Dieg says, very serious.


    "So what?! What will you do? You can''t do anything!" She says, angry.


    Before Wayde and Dieg say anything, Astri holds their arms. They stop and look at Astri, who steps forward.


    "You''re right. They can''t do anything." Astri says getting closer to Ana.


    Then from nowhere, Astri''s fist hits Ana''s face making a boom!


    Ana fell on the ground, her males quickly went forward, and Astri kicked the balls of the first one that came to her. He falls to the ground screaming in pain, dizzy, and holding his precious jewels.


    The other one, Astri twists his arm, making him low down his head and then she kicks his chin strongly. He falls knocked out.


    The third one, Astri rushes forward and uses her right leg to make him stumble back and fall, then she kicks his nose.


    Ana was standing up holding her bleeding face, Astri held her hair and Ana tried to punch Astri, but Astri was faster and yanked Ana''s head down and hit her knee on Ana''s face.


    Then Astri punches Ana''s face again, Ana falls with her back on the ground. Astri rides on Ana, holds Ana''s arms down with her knees, and then punches her face again and again.


    Everyone around was looking at Astri in shock.


    Wayde and Dieg are the most impressed. Another two of Ana''s mates arrived running, and then after him, the chief also arrived. Astri decides to stop when she sees that Ana is almost unconscious.


    "Wayde and Dieg might not be capable of doing anything against you, but I can. Do you understand, you disgusting bitch?" Astri says, holding Ana''s cheeks with one hand.


    "Y-yes.." Ana cries.


    "You destroyed the things that Wayde and Dieg made. They used their time and did it with love. And you destroyed my things. Nothing you do can repay it. So STAY AWAY from our things or else we will have another round. Do YOU understand?!"


    "F-father!" Ana cries.


    Astri punches Ana again.


    "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"


    "YES! I UNDERSTAND."


    "Good." Astri stands up, she bows to the chief. "I''m sorry for the mess. Excuse me."


    Then Astri turns around and walks away pulling Wayde and Dieg. When they were away from the village, they stopped her.


    "How did you do that? How did you learn to fight like that?" Dieg asks, impressed.


    "I had to learn to protect myself." Astri answers.


    "That was amazing. No one could ever beat Ana like that. I''m so happy." Dieg says laughing.


    "Sorry. I didn''t want to cause problems. She just.. took me to the edge." Astri sighs.


    "Why are you apologizing? You just protected your territory. I''m just shocked you could beat three males and Ana." Wayde says.


    "Astri was so awesome." Dieg says.


    Both were so proud of Astri and looked happy about what she did. She was afraid she would bring problems to them, but apparently, it''s a normal thing.


    "Are you saying that your father won''t be mad and kick me out?" Astri asks Dieg.


    "No. He would kick you out only if you killed innocent people. If you''re protecting your territory it''s not his business. If you didn''t protect it, we would have fought her males to make them apologize for her." Dieg says.


    "They didn''t do it. They fear Wayde. It was her hands. But are you serious? No one ever fought with Ana?" Astri speaks.


    "As hot as you? Not that I know." Wayde says with a proud smile.


    "And you were angry that she broke the things we made for you. That was...hot." Dieg speaks.


    She could sense the lust in their faces and voices. She looked down quickly and saw that they were excited.


    "Ok! I can see you''re too happy. I have the cabin to clean." She quickly turned and walked away blushing.


    They follow her back to the cabin. Astri sighs sad, she tries to put the pages of the book together and in order. Wayde finds a drawing Ana didn''t rip, it was a drawing Astri made of himself. He smiles, he didn''t know Astri made a drawing of him.


    After they cleaned the house, they fixed the bed and Astri went to sleep after eating some roasted meat.


    "I''ll give you the money I have. If you find paper in the market, buy the most you can." Dieg says in a low voice to Wayde.


    Wayde nods.


    "Those books were important to her. While she lived alone, almost all her life, all these were everything she had to make her happy."


    Dieg sighs sad.


    "It''s my fault. Astri asked me to keep Ana away and look at what happened. She wouldn''t have lost her things and hurt her beautiful hands if I had been more careful." Dieg speaks.


    "Now it has already happened. Hope she won''t be sad for too long."


    Wayde lays down on her side. Dieg lays down near her too, Wayde didn''t complain, as long Dieg didn''t cross too much of the line Wayde would always let him near Astri.


    Next day morning, Wayde and Dieg wake up and decide to make a special breakfast for Astri. She told them that from where she came from couples would do breakfast in bed for each other. They prepared scrambled eggs with smoked meat, cut some fruits, and made juice.


    Astri wakes up and when she sits down she''s surprised with a warm breakfast ready for her on her side. She smiles at the two males next to her, they are checking if they can fix the table. Those two know how to be gentle, that is something she doesn''t miss from the other world.


    "Good morning." She says.


    "Good morning." Both answer with smiles on their faces.

 Chapter 16: Make Him Desire To Come Home Faster

    Chapter 16: Make Him Desire To Come Home Faster"Good morning." She says.


    "Good morning." Both answer with smiles on their faces.


    "Did you have breakfast? This is so pretty and looks so good. I don''t want to eat alone."


    They join her to eat, but just a little, they want her to eat more. Wayde and Dieg spent the day rebuilding what was broken. Claud was mad that Astri was bullied, but he''s proud Astri beat up Ana.


    Claud saw in Astri''s memories she had to deal with drunk men at the bar where she worked. Sometimes they were violent, sometimes they were just perverts, but she knew how to protect herself. Also, she took some self-defense classes.


    At night, Wayde walks to Dieg, who is washing the dishes.


    "Sleep somewhere else. Tomorrow I''ll leave and I want to spend the night with her alone." Wayde didn''t ask, he just stated. Dieg sighs and nods.


    Wayde goes inside the cabin, and Astri is trying to fix her books. He sits behind her and hugs her between his legs.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Book pages are sewn together. I''m trying to sew back the pages I glued together." She answers.


    "Can I ask you something?"


    "Sure."


    "Why did you decide to live alone for so long?"


    ".. I never felt like I belonged anywhere." She answers.


    "I see... I think I understand that. Now do you feel you belong here?"


    She stops and looks up to think. She must admit that she feels more like herself in this world. She feels like she lives around people like her somehow, but not entirely because she was raised differently.


    "I''m not unhappy here. But I don''t feel like I belong here." She answers.


    "And where do you think you would be happy?"


    She looks at him.


    "It''s not only a matter of place, but with whom. I belong with you, I''m happy with you. So as long as we''re together, I''m happy anywhere."


    His heart jumped and he lost his breath. He kisses her with a passion he can''t hold in.


    "Correction!" She says between their kisses. He stops and looks at her. "Not anywhere. I can''t be happy living where there''s poop and pee around." He giggles and goes back kissing her.


    He rolls together with her to bed making her giggle. They make love almost all night, and Wayde tries to fix this memory with her in his mind so he travels faster and returns faster.


    Astri wakes up sore. The tiger has a stamina she didn''t imagine he had, but she wants to make his breakfast since he would be leaving that morning.


    Wayde wakes up shortly after her. He soon noticed the warmth of her body was missing. She was at the stove cooking and preparing breakfast. He stands up and dresses himself, then goes to her.


    "Good morning." He says hugging her from behind.


    "Good morning, handsome. You woke up early, I''m almost done here.'' She answers, then kisses his chin.


    "Let me finish this for you." He tries taking the kitchen supplies from her hand, but she moves her hands away.


    "No. I want to make breakfast for you. I don''t know when I''ll be able to spoil you. Eating my good food now will make you remember to come back fast." She says.


    He smiles and stays hugging her from behind.


    "So this is the meaning of her love.. I''m the luckiest man alive." He thinks.


    They eat breakfast together. She feeds him in his mouth, but he prefers putting the piece of fruit in her mouth and then stealing it with a kiss.


    "This way I''m not leaving even for 10 bales of salt." Wayde says.


    She giggles and then the Chief, Dieg, and two more beastmen arrive.


    Wayde sighs internally, sad that he needs to go. He looks to Astri again.


    "Stay in the cabin and only leave with Dieg. He won''t be taking night patrols while I''m out, and there will be guards around the cabin all the time." He tells her looking deeply into her eyes. She nods, smiling.


    "Don''t worry. Be careful and come back safe."


    "I will."


    They kiss and then Wayde goes to the males outside. Dieg gives Wayde a leather pouch he already knew what it was. Wayde leaves with the other beastmen, and Dieg goes to Astri''s side.


    "I came here to apologize for my daughter''s behavior, miss Astri." Dieg''s father says.


    "You didn''t have to." Astri speaks.


    "Dieg told me that the things Ana destroyed were very precious to you and rare to find. If there''s anything I can do to try repaying for it, please tell me."


    "No, sir. Thank you. Besides, she''s a grown woman with mates. If I want any repayment I''ll ask them, not you."


    "You''re a fair female, miss Astri. Maybe that''s why my son likes you so much." When he said that she blushed. Dieg smiles when he notices her blushed face.


    Dieg''s father looks at the plantation of vegetables and flowers around the cabin. The stove and bathtub outside.


    "Is there something wrong?" Astri asks.


    "No. I was just curious. What is all this?" Shung asks, pointing to the stove.


    "It''s where we make our food. Astri can''t eat raw meat, so we cook with the pot and fire."


    Dieg explains everything he learned from Astri to his father.


    Astri smiles looking at the father and son, they look a lot alike. They start to talk about what Dieg discovered from Astri about the diseases females get from their wastes, they plan to teach males to build sandboxes like Astri''s.


    Astri only listens to them talking at the table, then she brings them a plate of meat and a jar of water. Dieg and Shung were impressed, they didn''t notice her doing that. She was trying to be quiet and not disturb their conversation.


    "No, you eat, Astri." Dieg says.


    "I did. Don''t worry, this is for you. You were talking about improving the village, I didn''t want to disturb you. You had great plans. Eating helps you think better." She tells them holding Dieg''s shoulder.


    Dieg''s heart melts. He pulls her to sit on his side and kisses her head.


    "Thank you for your kindness. And for teaching me all this." Dieg speaks.


    "May I ask where you learned all this, miss Astri?" Shung asks.


    "In a city, a doctor told me about it." She makes up an excuse.


    "Good morning, Astri."


    Astri hears.


    "Good morning. Just a moment." She says in her mind.


    "Excuse me. I''ll try to cook something else now. Take your time, you two." - She tells to Dieg and Shung.


    Dieg saw that she was staying at the stove and on his eyesight, so he let her be.


    "She''s very caring. Did she accept you entirely?" Shung asks Dieg in a low voice.


    "I didn''t have the opportunity to talk to her, but now that she''s healthy she became Wayde''s mate, so I think soon we will talk about that." Dieg answers in the same volume of voice.


    "Looks like she cares for you. I think she will accept you."


    "I would be the luckiest. She''s amazing."


    Astri is taking some roots that look a lot like potatoes, but each one has different colors.


    "What are these, Claud All Mighty?" Astri asks in her mind. Claud chuckles.


    No one ever talks to him like she does. Even knowing his identity, she never changes the way she talks to him. And that warms his heart more than a summer breeze.


    "Rock Roots. They''re edible but taste horrible. They''re very nutritious, though."


    "They look like potatoes from the other world. I''ll try some things with this and taste after. So! How was your day yesterday?"


    Claud and Astri talk a lot about their days, even if Claud doesn''t talk about her past, who she is, or about his beast form, but he tells her all about his life in the temple.


    He tells his worries about some council members of the Great Wall City. This council is composed of the leaders of the most powerful beast cities of the continent.


    Claud knows some leaders are joining forces with monster beasts, which are beasts who sell their beast souls to demons.


    Most monster beasts were already born this way because they know that to have more power than beastmen they need more of them in numbers. So they often steal females to increase their numbers.


    "I see. You''re not sure if they''re plotting anything or you think they''re being forced to do this?" She asks.


    "It could be both. There are many beastmen who would love to take me out of power. However, my powers are related to nature itself and the Beast Gods, taking it away will make the world unbalanced and chaos would take the peace away. They''re smart, they don''t come near me because they know I can read their minds. Just fearing me reading their minds is already suspicious, don''t you think?"


    "It sure is. You don''t have to read their minds to know what they''re doing. There are other ways to understand their movements."


    "What do you mean?"


    "They for sure have spies near you to keep them informed about your movements. This way they can avoid having a front meeting with you. They wouldn''t be capable of avoiding you for so long if they didn''t know where you are." She explains.


    That made him have an idea.


    "It''s true. I just have to find who the spies are and learn from them about the traitors."


    "Exactly. Play dumb until you have enough information and proof."


    "You gave me a great idea, Astri. Thank you. You would be a great priest."


    "Pff. The best I would bless is my food! Look! The pasta idea worked! The fried potato too! Now I have more kinds of food to eat." She says happily.


    "You''re a glutton. Do you know that?"


    "A smart glutton. Sue me." She jokes, making him chuckle.


    "I hope that I don''t have to wait too long to eat your food." He actually wants to see her and talk to her freely, instead of a mind link.


    "Who is the glutton now?~"


    "Idiot. Have to go now."


    "OK. Have a nice day and be careful."  sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She makes him feel like he has a family when he talks to her. He smiles and thanks her, wishing the same.


    Astri called Dieg and Shung to taste the spaghetti with meatballs and fries. They''re impressed with that, it''s very tasty and looks nutritious.


    "It''s made with Rock Roots." She says.


    "Really?! No one likes those things. We only eat it during winter when we don''t find prey to eat." Dieg says.


    "Well, I can teach you to prepare it. The pasta can be stocked with smoked meat for a long time. It might help everyone endure the winter." She softly says.


    "Would you do that?!" Dieg asks, excited.


    "Of course. Why wouldn''t I help who is helping me?"


    Dieg hugs her happily.


    "You''re amazing. I''m the luckiest!"


    Shung smiles, but deep inside he''s now even more worried. Astri already calls attention enough for being a beautiful female, if she''s smart like that it''s because she must have come from somewhere with a more powerful background.


    She must have fled from where she was and now is hiding with them, it doesn''t matter, but she will be aimed first when enemies see her.


    "Protect your female, Dieg. Don''t forget that the Red Eagle Tribe will come to visit us in four days. You as the next leader need to be present." Shung speaks.


    "Sure."


    "Bring Miss Astri too." Shung smiles, and leaves to go back to the tribe village.


    Dieg spends the rest of the day learning how to prepare pasta and smoked meat to teach others another day. At night, he prepares Astri''s bath and he waits for her to finish outside the cabin, imagining if she would accept him that night.

 Chapter 17: Accepting Dieg

    Chapter 17: Accepting DiegAfter dressing in winter clothes again, Astri calls him inside. She knows that if Dieg will be spending nights with her it''s because Wayde accepted him as her mate too.


    However, she doesn''t know if she should accept him now. Even more so with her delicate situation of where she came from and her beast form.


    "Can I ask you something?" She asks sitting down on the bed.


    "Of course."


    "Would you still want me if I told you that someday I might need to travel somewhere far?"


    "Yes, of course. But why would you need that? Are you running away from someone?"


    "I''m not. But you''re the future leader, if you leave who will take care of them?"


    "I''m not the only one fit for leadership. It''s just a matter of being the oldest, but I have brothers and cousins that can also be leaders. If you don''t want to stay, we can leave."


    "It''s not that I don''t want to stay. I''m just saying that as a possibility." She softly says.


    "I know you''re more special than you look like. You need protection and I''m aware of that since I noticed the things you like to do. You have knowledge no one here has. I also noticed that Wayde hides things about you, things I still don''t know, but I feel you''re hiding." He says. She smiles sadly. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m sorry. It''s not that I don''t trust you, I just fear putting you into something you don''t want to be part of."


    He moves closer to her and holds her hands.


    "I want to be part of it. I know it might be something beyond my strength, but I''ll get stronger to protect you. I''m planning to talk to Wayde when he''s back about how we can build a place where no one will invade it easily. With his help, we can make the tribe stronger and if we get the partnership we want with the Red Eagle Tribe we will get stronger too. I''ll do anything to keep you protected." He says.


    He''s normally very playful and not serious when talking, so his serious face impressed Astri and she felt she could trust him too. Her heart warmed again and she was shocked to know she might be falling for him too.


    She stands up and closes the windows and the door.


    "Wh-what are you..?" Dieg asks, getting excited.


    "If you really want to stay with me, I have to tell you something."


    She tells him what she told Wayde when they met, but hides everything about Claud, and about being from another world. Dieg now understands why she never shifted and why she never told him about her beast form. She doesn''t know.


    "I feel that my beast form was actually kept a secret even from me all these years. So, I need to try to discover who I am hidden from people. Maybe if it was kept a secret it''s because it needs to be kept this way." She tells him.


    "It''s true. You don''t owe anyone an explanation of why you don''t shift. We can try to discover a way for you to shift together and away from people. I can bring you far away and I can teach you what my father taught me when I first shifted." He says.


    She smiles, then brings his hand to her face, which is holding hers all the time.


    "I like that you see things in a simple way." His heart was already pounding fast.


    "Astri.." He comes closer and kisses her lips, and her sweet lips give him goosebumps.


    Her heart was torn between the fear of cheating Wayde and that this was actually a normal thing. Dieg has a more demanding kiss like he is trying to have all of her through that kiss.


    "Dieg.." She says between their kisses. He stops and tries to slow down his breath and calm down. He looks into her eyes. "I''m still sore from yesterday..." She says awkwardly. He smiles softly.


    "That''s all right. Your kiss was enough for today." He speaks, holding her face and touching his forehead. "That means you accepted me?" She nods, and a bright smile appears on his face. "Thank you! I''ll do anything you want to make you happy." He''s so happy that it made her giggle.


    "I want us to be happy. We don''t need to hurry, we should just enjoy the time. And you and Wayde need to work together without fighting too much."


    "Urgh.. I''ll try. But I need him to keep you safe. I will always be weaker than him." Dieg says bitterly.


    "He respects you. And he trusts you. You should do the same."


    "And who said I don''t? Any male in my place would feel the same. It''s hard knowing we are weaker but we respect each other." Dieg affirms.


    "I hope so."


    Even if they didn''t mate, Dieg is overjoyed that Astri accepted him and plans to mate with him. He''s happy to be capable of holding her while she sleeps. And he''s happy that she trusts him.

 Chapter 18: Lee Braze

    Chapter 18: Lee BrazeTwo days later. Dieg and Astri haven''t mated yet, but Dieg is happy that she lets him be close and kiss her whenever he wants. They walk together holding hands and she''s always gentle with him. Dieg is in the clouds.


    That afternoon Astri was left alone at the cabin, being guarded at a distance by some mated wolves. She was removing weeds from her plantation, which was growing pretty well and really fast.


    She hears the wolves around the cabin talking and looking to the sky, and then she looks to the sky too, and sees six men flying, with wings on their backs.


    "Wow..." Astri is impressed. She thinks that it must be awesome to fly like that.


    The group of flying men was led by a man with dark red wings, he had long red hair tied in the middle of its length. He wears a dark green cloth that reminds Astri of a Greek God. It looks like silk, covering one of his shoulders and the side of his chest, going down to a skirt tied on his waist that covers until his knees. He looked in her direction and their eyes met.


    "Must be the Red Eagle Tribe, and that guy must be the leader. Dieg and Shung were preparing to greet them with a feast. Hope everything goes well with their partnership." Astri thinks.


    She goes back to work, imagining that this tribe must be richer for Shung wanting their partnership. The leader looked rich indeed.


    End of the afternoon Dieg came back, Astri just finished taking a bath and she smelled freshly clean. He hugs her from behind smelling her neck.


    "Hum.. You smell so great I could bite you." Dieg says playfully, biting her shoulder.


    "Don''t! Ouch!" She says giggling and pinching his cheek.


    "You look beautiful. Let''s go?" He asks.


    "Go where?" She asks, confused.


    "To the gathering with the Red Eagle Tribe. My father told me to bring you, remember?"


    "Oh... I actually didn''t remember. Am I wearing good clothes for this?"


    "Yes. You look beautiful, even if it''s still the fall season. But you''re wearing it because of your beast marks, right?"


    "Yes. Letting my body be too exposed will make people wonder where my beast mark is." She answers.


    "It''s true.. And I like to know that no other male will be seeing your perfect body instead of me."


    She rolls her eyes with a smile.


    "And Wayde."


    "I''ll pretend he doesn''t exist for now. Let''s go, my beautiful mate." Dieg says, holding her hand and showing the way with his hand like a gentleman.


    Dieg is always fun and that makes Astri feel less lonely, but she can''t deny she''s already missing Wayde.


    Holding hands, Dieg and Astri arrive at a clear spot where the full moon is shining.


    Several beasts are around, talking and feasting. Dieg taught the tribe members how to make fire and control it to not spread, just like Astri taught him. So the whole area is not dark, and there''s a charming light coming from the little fires around.


    Dieg spreads his aura to keep unmated males away from them. Most of the other tribe members are three marks or less. Even if they could challenge Dieg, they wouldn''t because they respect their future leader.


    They finally arrive where Shung, his mate, the doctor, and the guests are sitting. Dieg is happy to show all those males his beautiful mate.


    Astri felt that many eyes were on her, but the deepest one was from the leader of the Red Eagle Tribe. He''s looking at Astri like he was calculating things. Astri sits on Dieg''s mom''s side and smiles at her, greeting her and then Shung.


    "Good evening, Astri. This is Lee Braze. He''s the leader of the Red Eagle Tribe." Shung introduces them.


    "Good evening, leader Lee Braze." Astri politely bows her head, but Lee is focused on her beautiful eyes that look like the stars.


    "Good evening. I didn''t know you would have such a beautiful female here, Shung." Lee says, still not removing his eyes from Astri, and that is making Dieg angry.


    Shung holds his smile, not showing he''s happy with that comment. He knew that Lee was single and he hoped that Lee would be interested in mating with one of the females of the tribe.


    Until now Lee didn''t stop his eyes on any female, but Shung knew that Astri would call Lee''s attention.


    Astri looks behind Dieg''s mom and counts 8 men. So she has 9 mates! Astri is shocked. Ana had five already, so she shouldn''t be so impressed.


    "You look so beautiful. It''s nice to finally meet my son''s mate." Dieg''s mom says.


    "It''s an honor to meet you too." Astri speaks, with a smile.


    Ana arrives with that cheap queen attitude, followed by her five mates, but she still has one purple eye and is trying to hide it with her hair. She sits near Dieg and looks at Lee. She never thought she would see another beautiful male like Wayde in her life, and Lee is both beautiful and rich.


    Lee didn''t pay any attention to Ana, his eyes were still on the little female with eyes like the stats who was still talking to Shung''s mate and not eating at all, while the other females were eating.


    "Do you want me to roast the meat?" Dieg whispers to Astri.


    "Don''t have to. I can eat at home." She whispers back.


    "Aren''t you hungry?"


    "Not yet. I would love some water, though."


    "I''ll get some." He says smiling.


    Dieg stands up and leaves. Ana glances at her father and by her eyes, Shung understands that she wants to be introduced to Lee. He does introduce Ana, hoping Lee would have more interest in his tribe.


    However, Lee just ignored Ana.


    Ana kept trying to seduce Lee, but he ignored her all the time.


    After a long time, Astri wanted to go to the toilet. She whispers to Dieg that she will be going to the sandbox, he knows she doesn''t like to be accompanied to the sandbox so he only nods. He knows that there are guards all around their cabin.


    Astri walks away and gives a relieved sigh of not feeling the tension from Ana''s side. She walks back to her cabin, Dieg made wooden walls around the sandbox so Astri has more privacy. After washing her hands she turns around and it''s surprised to see Lee in front of her. She was startled and held her chest.


    "You scared me..." She says softly.


    "I''m sorry. It wasn''t my intention."


    He''s tall like Wayde, but not as muscular. He has a long feather earring hanging on his left ear. He looks like pure pride, his smile shows Astri that he''s very sure of himself.


    "I saw you here today. Is this your place?" He asks, looking around.


    "Well, yes. I live here." She says walking away from the toilet and going to the front of the house.


    "I think you deserve a better place. Better clothes. That boy doesn''t have the money to provide all this for you. Is he your only mate?"


    "Our cabin is cozy. And no. Wayde is my mate too." Astri answers. This man has no sensitivity.


    "Shung told me that this Wayde is the strongest here, he''s a tiger and has 7 marks."


    "Yes. He''s traveling now to bring salt to the tribe." Astri nods.


    "An important task. But also risky. He left you guarded by a 3 marked kid. Living in this cold cabin away from the others."


    "I asked to live here. I hate the smell of poop. Though it''s better now that they learned how to use sandboxes, I still prefer to stay here."


    "I see.. Thinking better, you''re right. You''re too beautiful to be seen by just anyone. It''s dangerous because soon ferals and monsters will be coming to get you." He tells.


    He''s waiting for her to ask him to be her mate like all other females, but she doesn''t pop the question even if he brings her to the edge of it.


    Besides thinking about asking him to protect her, she was thinking about warming the cabin more because it gets cold in there late at night and it will get worse during winter.


    "You should have a bigger and better place." He says.


    "I was thinking of asking Wayde and Dieg to widen our cabin to have more rooms, but I think we will have to wait until summer for that."


    "Just more rooms? Not a cabin, think bigger. A castle. With beautiful skins and tapestry."


    "A castle is too big to keep clean.. And I like wood. Maybe mixing rock walls with wooden floors and walls too. Tapestry is a nice idea! I think we still have deer skin I can use to keep the floor warm so it''s not so cold during winter. I can also take some skins and sew them together for warmer clothes." She says, then starts talking about projects she wants to do, like talking to herself.


    "You won''t keep anything clean. Other beastmen would keep it clean. I can buy any tapestry and clothes you want. You deserve the most beautiful home and clothes, like the ones from the Great Wall City. Luckily, I''m rich like them."


    "Why will you buy me all that? And you went to Great Wall City?" She asks.


    "I would give you anything you want. And yes, I already went to Great Wall City." He speaks.


    "Oh.. Is your tribe near Great Wall City?"


    "No, but flying is faster to get there. Why? " He asks.


    "Just curious. Thank you for the tapestry idea. I''ll be going back now." She says and starts walking back to where Dieg is.


    Lee got confused. Was he ignored? Impossible. He follows her.


    "Are you an eagle too? I can smell bird on you." He asks.


    "Yeah. Everyone says that. This feather from your earring is yours? It''s beautiful." She noticed he likes attention and he''s proud of himself, so talking about him would make him stop asking things about her life.


    "I know. Do you want it?" He asks with a proud smile.


    "My favorite color is red. I won''t lie. But I think it would look more beautiful on you." She tells.


    "I think it would look perfect on your hair. With gems too."


    "Gems?"


    "Like this." He shows her a red crystal that is hanging with the feather.


    "Oh, how pretty. It looks expensive."


    "Poor thing.. Have you never seen money in your life? This single gem can buy 10 of that cabin or more."


    She gets shocked.


    "Why do you walk around with something so expensive on you like that? Someone might rob you!" She says in shock.


    "I don''t fear thieves. Thieves don''t have eight marks like me." He answers, very proud of himself.


    "Oh.. I understand. Either way. You should be careful. What if it falls?"


    "I have a lot more gems."


    "I see. Good for you." She says.


    His chin falls down. He feels she''s ignoring him, no female ever failed to gawk at him and ask him to be their mate. Astri just talks politely, like talking to a child who wants attention.


    "Don''t you want a rich mate?" He asks.


    "Money is important, but I don''t mind if my mate is rich and powerful or not." She answers.


    "And what do you look for in a male?"


    "We need to like being together. He just needs to like being with me, have a nice time together. Have fun. Showing we care about each other." She says.


    "That''s easy. I can do that."


    They meet with Dieg midway. He was worried since Astri was taking a long time to come back. Now he knows the reason when saw Lee with her.


    Dieg can''t be rude to Lee, but he doesn''t like to know that Lee is courting Astri. Astri holds Dieg''s hand and that calmed Dieg, making him smile warmly at her. Lee noticed their smile and he got envious.


    "You have the most beautiful female in this continent and you let her alone?" Lee speaks.


    "Astri doesn''t like anyone seeing her peeing. And the cabin is being guarded." Dieg answers.


    "By low-level males."


    "They''re the best we have here. I trust them." Dieg affirms. Lee sneers.


    "Now forward she will have one of mine guarding her." Lee states.


    Astri was ignoring them, thinking about what to do with the cabin to make it warmer.


    "Astri?" Dieg calls her.


    "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something." She says.


    "Do you think you need a feather guard?" Dieg asks her.


    "No. I don''t think so. But about that I always let you and Wayde decide for you to feel at ease. As long as they don''t stop me from doing what I want." She says.


    "They''re stronger, but.." Dieg softly says.


    "Then it''s decided." Lee nods satisfied.


    When Lee noticed Astri and Dieg walking to sit far from him, Lee held Astri''s hand and then told the other feather beastmen to step away. When the feather beastmen saw that their leader was opening space for a female they were shocked. They never saw their leader courting a female.


    Ana was fuming when she saw Lee making Astri sit next to him and offering her the best meat. Soon Astri felt Ana''s fierce gaze and rolled her eyes.


    "I didn''t see you eating anything all night. Do you want another kind of meat?" Lee asks Astri.


    "No. I''m fine. Not hungry." She answers.


    She''s getting hungry, but she doesn''t want to say that the only way for her to eat raw meat is by cutting and seasoning the meat like a carpaccio.


    "Astri has a different taste for food, leader Lee. I wouldn''t waste my time with her if I were you." Ana speaks.


    "Luckily you''re not me." Lee says coldly and then turns his attention to Astri again.


    Ana trembles in anger. First Astri got Wayde and now Lee. Ana believes Astri will take all the males Ana desires.


    Astri held in the laughter. She must admit that she liked to see Lee dealing with the rude queen.


    "What do you like to eat?" Lee asks Astri.


    "She likes to cook the food." Dieg answers.


    "Cook?"


    "I tasted it. It''s indeed delicious. Thank you for sending me that pasta and meatballs thing you sent me, Astri." Dieg''s mom says with a smile.


    "The roasted meat is my favorite." Dieg speaks.


    "Roast meat? How can I do that?" Lee asks.


    Dieg prepares the fire in the middle of their circle and then puts the meats on sticks like Astri taught him. Then he pulls the salt pouch he carries for Astri and sparkles the salt on it.


    "This is roasting meat. Astri learned from a doctor from a city that when we do that the meat gets more delicious and also kills any disease the meat might be carrying." Dieg took the front to answer everything and call attention to where he wants, but Lee is smart and notices by Astri''s look that she knows more. But Lee doesn''t pry on that. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As time passes the meat is spreading a delicious smell and everyone is drooling. Including Ana.


    "What city did you meet this doctor, Astri?" Lee asks her, while she was drinking water.


    "I don''t know the name. I didn''t ask, actually." She answers.


    Lee was right, apparently his beautiful female hides something. He visited most of the cities of that continent and he never saw anyone eating like this. If she''s hiding, it''s because that knowledge is hers and she''s doing the right thing.


    "I see. There are many and it''s easy to mistake a city for a tribe village too." He smiles, then changes the subject.


    Astri always feels thankful when Shung calls Lee to talk. She feels that Lee is measuring all of her answers.


    When the meat is ready everyone tries and then their faces shine like the meaning of the world has changed. They loved the meat that most of them got entirely focused on eating.


    Lee liked the roasted meat a lot too, he looks at Astri, and she''s eating quite happily too. So she was hungry, she just didn''t want to call attention.


    After a few more time Astri could finally go home. Dieg takes her home relieved that Astri will be away from Lee.


    "That red bird was making me go mad. He would always be around you." Dieg says, annoyed. He sighs. "But I must admit that having him as a mate would be good for you and for everyone here."


    "What do you mean?" Astri asks.


    "You would be the reason he would stay. If he builds his tribe near ours, our tribe would be much safer because he has stronger beastmen. You need protection more than any other female and having him would assure you of that." Dieg explains.


    "You know I don''t choose anyone to be my mate just for being convenient. Even more for the convenience of others." She speaks.


    "I know, but.. I think you should this time."


    "Are you selling me to him?"


    "What?! No!"


    "Because it sounds like that. That you''re telling me to accept him just to make the tribe stronger."


    "And safer.."


    Astri takes a deep breath, holding her anger. Females choose mates for convenience and don''t think about anything else at first, but Astri doesn''t like to be treated like that.


    Astri steps inside the cabin and then pushes Dieg to stay outside. He looks at her confused and then she closes the door on his face. His female is angry at him.

 Chapter 19: Marking Territory

    Chapter 19: Marking Territory"Astri, what did I do? Let me in." Dieg speaks, almost whining like a hurt dog.


    "I won''t explain again. Go sleep somewhere else."


    "Don''t be angry. I need to stay to protect you."


    "GO AWAY!"


    "Please, Astri.. You don''t have to accept Lee if you don''t want to. I was just saying it would be better if you did."


    "If you keep talking I''ll leave this tribe forever. And alone!" She says louder. Dieg shuts his mouth and whines.


    He shifts to his wolf form and lays down in front of the door.


    "Astri is a female that chooses males by heart. I shouldn''t have told her to accept Lee... And I sounded like I was not capable of protecting her too. Why would she trust someone who wants to rely on stronger males? I''m an idiot!!" Dieg speaks in his mind, hating himself. He whines. "I don''t want to lose her. I''m already in love with her and wouldn''t handle being without her anymore." He whines.


    Astri hears his whines, she sighs rolling her eyes. She imagines his puppy eyes and her heart aches. She''s angry but she knows that there''s a cultural difference between her and everyone else there. But she has her principles and she needs to make it clear to him and Wayde what those principles are.


    ¡ª--


    Next morning, she wakes up wanting to go to pee. She opens the door and she sees the big black and brown wolf sleeping at the front. He stayed there all night and it was a cold night. She decides to jump the window to not wake him up, then she goes to the sandbox.


    He wakes up and sees that the door is open but doesn''t see her inside. The first thing he thought was that she left the village. He stands up and runs to the back of the cabin following her scent, but then he sees her leaving the toilet. He runs to her and whines rubbing his face on her.


    ''I thought you left me. I''m sorry, Astri. I won''t meddle on who you need to choose as your mate. Just let me still be your mate. I promise I''ll protect you with my life and I''ll get stronger and be more reliable.'' He cries in his wolf form. She didn''t understand what he was saying but she could feel he was apologizing.


    She smiles and hugs his fluffy neck.


    "We''re OK." She says, rubbing his face and neck.


    He wags his tail happily and licks her face. She giggles cleaning her face, he shifts to human form and hugs her close.


    "I will never again meddle about who you should choose as your mates. Just let me be with you."


    "Thank you. Now put on some clothes." She says, looking away and moving her body away from his thing.


    She stays inside the cabin planning what to do with the cabin, and when Claud appears he gives her more ideas and how to do it.


    While she is talking to Claud in her mind and working on her plantation, Lee arrives flying and she looks at his large red wings closing and then hiding in his body.


    "Did you like what you saw? "Lee asks, with a proud smile.


    "Good morning to you too." She says, going back to work.


    "Who is this?" Claud asks.


    "An eagle beastman. Lee Braze. Leader of the Red Eagle Tribe. The tribe Shung is trying to build a partnership." Astri answers in her mind.


    "I know him. I never saw him, but I heard of him. He has a powerful tribe. Shung is audacious in trying to have his partnership, but Stone Moon Tribe has a good strategic location."


    "Good morning. What are you doing?" Lee asks her.


    "Growing herbs for winter." She answers.


    "You know how to create fire and roast meat. Know medicine and farming. You have unique abilities for a female." Lee speaks.


    "He''s smart like you." Claud says.


    "Well, you''re not entirely wrong." Astri answers, smiling.


    "Where are you from? You might want to trick me, but I visited many places and I know what abilities they have. So I know that no doctor taught you about roasting meat." Lee speaks.


    Astri chuckles.


    "Smart. But I don''t know the answer to your question. I''m just a weird female without memories of where she''s from." She answers.


    Lee could sense she was telling the truth.


    "Really, don''t try to understand me. Even I don''t." She affirms.


    Lee hated to hear that because he felt sadness in her voice. Who wouldn''t be sad not knowing anything about their past?


    "I can try to help you find out where you come from." Lee softly says.


    "Is he courting you?" Claud asks, curious.


    "I think so."


    "Don''t have to. It''s useless worrying about that now." Astri answers.


    "Why?" Lee asks.


    She sighs and cleans her hands.


    "There''s a say. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today is a gift, that''s why it''s called present." She says, and smiles to Lee. Her smile made his heart jump. "I''ll just enjoy every day and the answers will come when it''s time."


    Claud smiles. Even if she gets sad talking about her, she prefers not to focus on that and just wait. She''s mature, but she was also someone who couldn''t actually enjoy life, so she decided that now was a good time for that.


    ''I understand." Lee is more attracted to that beautiful female, who also has an energy that feels more powerful than she looks like. "I decided to move my tribe to that forest." Lee says, pointing to the forest behind her cabin. "I''ll go tomorrow to tell my tribe about this decision."


    "Good. Hope you will be happy with your decision." She says and goes back to work.


    "I will." He answers, very sure of that. "Why don''t you ask someone else to do this? You''re hurting your beautiful hands."


    "I like doing this. It''s a great way to pass the time."


    "That wolf let you by yourself again. You can spend your time with me. "Lee says.


    "He went hunting. And he knows I like to be by myself in the morning. This is a meditation for me." She says. Actually, it''s her time to talk to Claud. For some reason, it becomes a routine to talk to him every morning.


    "All right. I won''t disturb you. I''ll wait then." Lee says walking to the cabin and then sitting near the door.


    She rolls her eyes and keeps working.


    "Good luck with him. He has the character of not accepting a "no" as an answer." Claud mocks her.


    "Shut up. As long as he doesn''t force me. He will leave tomorrow too and will probably be back after winter." She says in her mind.


    "Maybe." Claud giggles.


    Lee spent the whole day there, ate the food she cooked, and smelled her freshly clean after she bathed. He could imagine him doing that every day of his life.


    Next day morning, Astri was eating fruit during breakfast.


    "Dieg?"


    "Yes?"


    "Different beasts shift in different ways? Like, is it the same process?" She asks.


    "Yes. Wolves learn to shift by sensing their parents or older companions doing it. Birds learn by flying on their parent''s backs. Tigers are similar to wolves. We actually shift two times, we''re born in beast forms and when we''re around 4 years old we shift naturally to human form. Females shift earlier, to be easier to protect. Then we learn shifting back to beast form as we grow." He explains.


    "Interesting. So, if I''m a bird, maybe I need help from a feather beastman."


    "It would help, but it''s not necessary. Shifting is instinctive, or else orphans would never be capable of shifting. You didn''t shift because you didn''t have to somehow, so that''s why you don''t have the instinct active inside of you. But you can learn with time. I said I could help you with that." Dieg says.


    "Thank you. But if I had help from a feather beastmen we would have an idea of where to go. I could ask Lee, but the guy is smart and will use it to bargain me."


    "It''s true. And a female is not an option too. They will want to kill you for not having a competition to have Lee."


    "Even mated ones?"


    "Not sure.. Maybe."


    "Well, let''s see in the future when they arrive here."


    When Dieg opens the door to bring the dishes outside to wash, Lee lands in front of the cabin with another beastmen with brown hair and blue eyes.


    He has tanned skin like Lee but doesn''t dress as fancy as Lee. Lee walks past Dieg, and enters the cabin, he looks around and gets curious about the closets and table, but he hates that the place is so cheap for his female.


    "I''ll be leaving now. I came here to show two things." He tells her.


    He gives her his hand to help her stand up and then brings her outside. He points to the other beastman.


    "That is Fletcher. He has five marks and will be guarding you while I''m out. He will also lead the beastmen that will be building our homes. Ask him if you need anything." Lee tells her.


    "All right." She softly says.


    "Is he mated?" Dieg asks.


    "Yes. Of course." Lee answers, like Dieg asked the most obvious question.


    "Can I ask him to teach me something?" Astri asks, having an idea. A mated male wouldn''t be a danger for her. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Teach what?" Lee asks.


    "Doesn''t matter. I''m just asking."


    "Depends. He can''t touch you, unless it''s for protection."


    "Why not?"


    "Because I''ll kill him if he does."


    "Me too." Dieg says.


    Astri rolls her eyes.


    "What do you want him to teach you?" Lee asks, actually jealous.


    She sighs without patience already. She pushes Lee and Dieg inside and closes the door and windows.


    "Why didn''t you help me? It was my chance! He was a mated male! "Astri says in a low voice to Dieg.


    "But Astri, I can''t let you ride on him. Would be a disrespect towards his mate. Females only ride on their mates, unless the female is sick or wounded." Dieg says.


    "Oh..." Astri realized what was happening.


    "Why do you want to ride him? Do you think he''s better than me?" Lee asks, still jealous.


    "No! It''s not that. I just wanted help with something and I thought it wouldn''t be a problem, but in the end, it would be." She answers.


    Lee takes a more relaxed breath, letting the jealousy fade.


    "What did you want him to teach you?"


    "Can I trust that you will never tell anyone? If you do, I will curse you forever!" She says.


    "I''m your male. Of course, you can trust me." Lee answers.


    "You''re not my male."


    "Yet. Believe me. I will be. Now tell me what is bothering you."


    She sighs again. Men there are hard to deal with, they''re more thick-headed than human men.


    She explains about not knowing her beast form and that she never shifted, that she wears winter clothes to hide that her beast mark is still concealed.


    Since everyone always thinks she''s a bird, she wants help from a feather beastmen to show her how to shift. People can''t know that she''s not capable of shifting.


    Lee didn''t imagine that her past would be so complicated. Where she was being kept for never shifting and never needing to shift? And why was she being kept away from people? She has knowledge but she doesn''t know the common culture of living between beastmen. He has a lot more to know about his female.


    "I will help you when I''m back. But under some conditions." Lee says.


    "What?" She crosses her arms.


    "You will never ride on another feather beastmen or unmated male. Unless it''s a dangerous situation."


    "Right."


    "And you will use this." He says, showing her his earring feather.


    "Will be too long on me."


    He braids it on her hair and smiles proudly.


    "Beautiful. Then it''s done. I''ll be back in 20 days. Wait for me." He says proudly.


    He walks outside not giving her time to answer anything and then he flies away quickly.


    "Do you know what that feather means?" Dieg asks Astri.


    "No. What does it mean?"


    "Feather beastmen give their feathers to their females. It means you accepted him as his mate."


    "WHAT? That bastard. He knew I didn''t know about that."


    "Well, we males do what we can to mark our territory." Dieg giggles.


    "He braided this too tightly!" She mumbles trying to remove his feather from her hair.


    "Let it be. It looks beautiful on you. And it doesn''t mean that you will be his mate. Will be only official if you actually mate with him."


    It''s true, and that calmed her a bit.

 Chapter 20: Insecurities

    Chapter 20: InsecuritiesFifteen days passed by quickly. Dieg was cutting firewood to keep it stocked for the winter, it''s getting colder and colder and Astri feels that winter will be harder.


    A feather beastman arrived bringing Astri more winter clothes, bed sheets and tapestry. The clothes are very good and expensive looking, but if it was sent by Lee then this was something expected.


    At night, Astri noticed that Dieg''s energy was down as he was eating.


    "Are you all right, Dieg?" She asks.


    "Yes. I''m fine." He answers, with a little smile.


    Noticing he was lying, she sits closer to him and holds his hands to make him look at her.


    "You can''t lie to me. Tell me."


    "It''s nothing. Nothing you should bother."


    "If it''s about you, I will always worry, Dieg."


    He smiles, feeling warm inside. He holds her face, feeling her smooth skin.


    "Wayde and Lee are strong. Lee is strong and rich, he can provide you anything. I''m weak. I''m afraid that you don''t want me anymore." Dieg says.


    "You''re unique in your own way, Dieg. You might not have as many marks as them, but for me, you have qualities that no one else has." She says.


    "The only thing you see me doing is being unsure of myself."


    "That''s not true. No one is so sure of themselves. I''m not sure of who I am, but I''m happy because I have you here with me."


    His smile gets bigger, making her smile too.


    "You make me smile all the time. You''re kind and playful. You help me with finding a way to shift. You always rub my head until I sleep. Everything you do makes me happy. You''re not weak, Dieg. You''re strong because you make me feel great. Don''t worry about marks, you will have many one day. You can''t wait until you have them before you decide to be happy too." She says, holding his face.


    He brings her face closer, feeling blessed to have her as a mate.


    "You''re perfect.. I''m the happiest just because I have you too."


    They kiss tenderly, and before they notice their kiss is deeper and more passionate.


    Dieg roams his hands around her body slowly, like asking for permission on each step. But when he saw her naked under him was almost wrecking all his self control.


    He promised he would be gentle and he will do everything to keep that promised, even if watching her face in pleasure makes him go to the skies.


    He never tasted something so delicious, never felt happier and complete. Astri feels that their connection was deeper and there was no reason to delay what both wanted.


    ¡ª-


    "Good morning, my treasure." Dieg softly says to her, who was laid on the bed in between the bedsheets.


    She opens her eyes slowly and sees breakfast ready for both of them on the bed. She smiles and moves her tired body to sit down.


    He didn''t hurt her, he just has a stamina that made him taste her every way he could. But like Wayde, he was kind to clean her after they finished.


    "Good morning, darling." She says, still tired.


    "I thought of letting you sleep more, but it was getting late and we didn''t eat all dinner yesterday."


    "It''s all right."


    She looks at his wolf mark on his right thigh, now it has wings around him. Like embracing the wolf with huge wings.


    "I love it. And my mark on you reacts the way you said. Appears only when I touch." He says.


    His spousal mark is on her left shoulder. Wayde''s mark was on her right shoulder.


    "Your beast mark must be wide. We''re on every shoulder. Normally the marks stay in the shoulder and go to the middle of the back. Or your beast form has big wings." Dieg says with his mouth full.


    "Pity it doesn''t appear yet. It would help to know what I am."


    "You will soon know. I''m sure."


    He kisses her head.


    "Wayde must be on his way back. I wish there was a way to know if he''s fine." She says, everyday she worries about Wayde.


    "If you still have his spousal mark, it''s because he''s alive. If his life was in danger you would also feel on his mark. He''s fine. I just wish he gets stuck somewhere so I can spend more days with you."


    She giggles, punching his arm lightly.


    "Don''t say that! What if it were you in his place? Being away for so long."


    "Yeah. I wouldn''t sleep or rest until I was back. I''m sure he''s overworking the other beastmen with him just so he can arrive sooner."


    Astri misses Wayde a lot. She was worried that her feelings for him would cold down, but it actually grew bigger.


    The feeling of having a mate is very different from having a simple boyfriend. She never had sex before Wayde, but she had human boyfriends, and she never felt the same.


    During the morning, and Astri''s usual time with Claud, Dieg goes to check things with his father.


    Everyday Shung would smell Astri''s scent on Dieg, but now it was stronger and when Shung checked Dieg''s mark he saw wings on his wolf pattern.


    "Look who woke up differently today! Congratulations, son! That''s why you came later." Shung speaks, happily. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You lucky bastard! You''re the spouse of the most beautiful female of our tribe." Another male says.


    You''re brave too. Wayde is her mate, leader Lee is her future mate too. Her mates are powerful. I have only two marks, I don''t have a chance." The first beastman who talked to Astri in the tribe, Dean, speaks.


    "Astri doesn''t care about marks or even looks." Dieg says proudly.


    "Can I pursue her then?"


    "Of course not. Stay away." Dieg growls.


    Shung laughs.


    "Astri is a good female indeed. She''s different. She''s very kind and polite to everyone. Your mother likes her too, especially when she sends good food." Shung speaks.


    "Astri says that she believes she needs to show how thankful she is for my parents having me and raising me. Or else she would never have met me." Dieg says, in love.


    "LUCKY BASTARD! She loves you." The other two males are envious.


    "And I love her. Don''t come near her if you don''t think you can defeat me."


    Dieg is in the clouds all morning. While he was walking and patrolling the village, he saw the feather beastman who guards Astri landing in front of him.


    "Go guard lady Astri. I need to go check the tree houses'' construction." Fletcher speaks.


    Dieg nods and Fletcher flies away again.


    Dieg shifts and runs happily to Astri. She was washing her clothes and putting them out to dry.


    He shifts again and runs to her, he hugs her from behind removing her from the ground and twirling her.


    "Ah!! Dieg, you will make me dizzy!" She laughs.


    "I know, but I can''t hold up! I love you too much!"


    "Silly wolf. Ah!! Stoop!" She keeps laughing.


    He finally stops and then helps her with the clothes.


    "Let me help you. We can smell that the rainy season before the snowing season is coming. So it will be good for you to have your clothes clean and dry as soon as possible." Dieg says taking the bucket with wet clothes.


    After they finished, Dieg asks a guard to take the clothes inside the cabin in case it starts raining.


    Dieg calls Astri to bring her somewhere she will like.


    She rides his wolf and he runs inside the forest, after several minutes of running and turning on trees, they arrive at a beautiful clearing full of colorful flowers.


    "Oh my... This is so beautiful." Astri looks around. Dieg shifts to his human form and dress.


    "Do you like it?" He asks.


    "I love it! I want to bring some of these flowers to our home."


    "I promised myself I would bring my mate here when I had one."


    Dieg is such a kid about many things, but he knows how to be romantic without even realizing it.


    "What a lucky girl! I wonder who this lucky girl is?" She looks like really wondering. He giggles and hugs her from behind.


    "I''m the lucky one!" He says, then bites her shoulder.


    "Ow! Ow! Crazy wolf! Help!"


    He laughs hugging her. Wind from nowhere hits them, then Dieg smells others nearby.


    He senses danger and Astri notices his change of energy.


    "What is it, Dieg?" Astri asks.


    He looks around, then two black snakes, two dark grey wolves and a black leopard appears surrounding them. All of them were showing their teeth and they had red eyes.


    "When so many Monsters arrived here?" Dieg asks himself.