Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

The open space outside the cave was already crowded. Zayne pushed through the crowd to find Nyx

squatting in the middle, holding Lila and Gina apart with each hand. The two fluffballs had stopped fighting but were still arguing.

"She hit me first." Gina pointed an accusing paw at the tabby cat.

“I hit you because you were bullying Nyx,” Lila retorted.

She had come to see Nyx and immediately saw Gina in beast form, chasing Nyx and biting her hand.

Gina was furious. "When did I bully Nyx? This is slander."

Nyx was also confused. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly understood and couldn't help but laugh, vouching for Gina. “She wasn't bullying me. She was just eating the roasted sweet potato from my hand.”

"Roasted sweet potato?" Lila's anger subsided, and she blinked curiously.

But Gina was still upset, snorting coldly, "Nyx was feeding me. What's it to you? You're just jealous of me." These words immediately set Lila off again. “Jealous of you?” she growled, sharpening her claws. "What do you have that I could possibly be jealous of?”

"Nyx has already fed me and held me. She even invited me to come play with her whenever I wanted. She likes me the most." When it came to arguing, Lila was clearly the stronger contender. Her rapid-fire sentences left Gina speechless.

Unable to speak her mind, she bared her teeth in a fierce snarl and almost struck out, but Nyx, quick as lightning, pinched her mouth shut. "No fighting."

After scolding her, Nyx hurriedly shoved half a roasted sweet potato into Gina's mouth, using both kindness and authority. The little wolf, with its long fur, was successfully coaxed by the half-sweet potato.

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"Do you want some?" Nyx sighed in relief, then evenly distributed the remaining half of the roasted sweet potato, offering it to Lila.

Although it had cooled down a bit, its sweet, fragrant aroma still captivated the senses. Lila twitched its nose, forgetting about the argument, and wrapped its front paws around Nyx's wrist. It stood up on its hind legs, eagerly devouring the sweet

treat.

Nyx looked at the chubby tabby cat and couldn't help but smile, patting her head. "So you're Lila."

Recalling many details from before, Nyx suddenly understood. No wonder Lila had sent her a thank-you gift even though she hadn't seen her learning how to weave baskets.

The tabby cat froze, and the sweet potato in her mouth fell to the ground with a thud. In her excitement, her identity had been exposed.

She peeked at Nyx's expression and saw that Nyx's eyes were filled with laughter, seemingly not disliking her. Her tense mood gradually relaxed, and she mustered the courage to rub her face against Nyx's palm.

Before she could rub a few times, Gina also approached, aggressively trying to push Lila aside.

Before the conflict could escalate, Nyx quickly held them both in place, skillfully petting them until they purred contentedly.

Seeing this scene of Nyx holding both cats, the onlookers fell silent, glancing at Zayne with mixed expressions. They had thought the two females were competing for the shaman, but it turned out they were competing for Nyx.

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Zayne, however, remained calm. The little rabbit had a charm that made everyone love her, so it was natural for anyone to like her. As long as she wasn't hurt, he was fine.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, took the bamboo basket off his back, and walked toward Nyx.

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“Zayne.” Nyx looked up and saw him, releasing the two fluffy creatures and calling out to him with sparkling eyes. “Come eat some roasted sweet potatoes."

They had made several trips early in the morning, bringing back a large pile of sweet potatoes, and Zayne hadn't had any yet. Out of selfishness, she rummaged through the pile and picked out the best-roasted one for him.

"You eat first,” Zayne took it, peeled it, and fed it to her.noveldrama

Everyone's attention was drawn to them. Seeing their intimate atmosphere, they first felt a pang of envy, then their eyes inevitably fell on the sweet potato in Zayne's hand.

Before peeling, it looked unremarkable, but after removing the dull skin, the soft, golden interior was revealed, glistening as if it could drip with honey.

The sweet aroma filled the air, and soon, the sound of growling stomachs echoed around.

This was the fruit Nyx had just given them. Someone with sharp eyes recognized it.

“Where did you find this fruit?” they cautiously asked. “Can you tell us?” They were just testing the waters, not expecting much.

Nyx generously held up the sweet potato vine for everyone to see. "It grows underground, and the leaves look like this. There are many around the tribe. Dig them up, and store them deep in the cave. They'll last a long time. Or slice and dry them for even longer storage.”

Not only did she share sweet potatoes with the tribe, but she also planned to share the pottery-making method. However, Zayne stopped her.

The big trading fair wouldn't happen until the next hot season, so there was still time to prepare. Right now, gathering food was more important.

The hot season was nearing its end, and once the cold season arrived, the tribe would be covered in ice and snow. They had to stock up during this time and not waste energy on other things.

As the tribe's shaman, Zayne was provided for by the tribe and didn't need to store food himself.

But this year was different-he had a mate. For Nyx, he planned to hunt and gather to stockpile food for her.

For several days, Zayne brought back fresh prey, and the tribe members kept sending sweet potatoes as thank-you gifts, piling them up into a small mountain.

Nyx had no choice but to stay home, preserving the meat with salt and smoking it into simple cured meat, while also storing the sweet potatoes.

She even fenced off an area outside the cave with branches and planted some sweet potatoes. After finishing these tasks, she didn't rest but joined Zayne to explore outside the tribe.

Although they didn't find any more grain crops, she surprisingly found wild garlic, ginger, and a few spices.

"I'll cook today." The little rabbit sniffed the wild onions she had just found and looked at the fresh prey Zayne had caught, feeling excited. She was a bit tired of sweet potatoes and wanted to change the menu.

"What do you want to eat?" Zayne rubbed her head. "Teach me, and I'll cook."

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As they spoke, the sky suddenly turned gloomy. Nyx looked up at the thick, endless clouds.

"Is it going to rain heavily?" She urged, “Quick, let's go home.”

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She had just sun-dried a batch of sweet potato slices yesterday and needed to collect them before the rain, or they would have to be thrown away.

Zayne's expression turned serious. He shielded the little rabbit in his arms and hurried home.

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Despite their haste, the rain started before they reached home. Large raindrops pelted the ground, even mixed with hail, causing sharp pain when they hit. Shouts of surprise came from all directions as people who had planned to work in the rain abandoned their tasks and ran home.

Nyx didn't have time to worry about the sweet potatoes. As soon as she returned to the cave, she turned into her human form, grabbed a clay pot, scooped water, and cut ginger. "Dry yourself first. I'll make some warm

soup for you."

She had been thoroughly protected and wasn't wet at all, but Zayne was soaked.

Even though he was physically strong, Nyx didn't want to take any risks. She made him drink a large bowl of soup before feeling slightly relieved.

The rain hadn't stopped. Looking at the messy sweet potato field outside, Nyx sighed. Not only were yesterday's sweet potato slices wasted, but this batch of sweet potatoes she had planted was also ruined.

"It's okay. After the rain stops, I'll plant another batch for you." Zayne hugged her and comforted her gently. “Are you cold?” He wrapped Nyx in clothes and used animal hides to cover the cave entrance, blocking the howling wind and slanting rain. The cave became much darker.

Nyx nestled in her mate's arms, still feeling restless. She reached out to touch his face, his Adam's apple. “Don't touch.” Zayne held back for a while but finally couldn't resist grabbing her hand, his voice hoarse.