Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin-Chapter 12: Starwood Shade and Offer

Lirit

Earlier in the day, shortly after Lirit flew away from Perla and Elara.

Lirit soared through the sky, heading towards her family’s orchard where Terrell was busy overseeing the harvest of the dazzling Starberry fruit. These little gems were a vibrant yellow, twinkling like stars, and grew in clusters on silver-leaved trees, reminiscent of grapes.

Her father’s heart swelled with pride as he spotted his stunning daughter gliding in. He may not have been the alpha male, but he was the only one among Vera’s partners blessed with a daughter. At that moment, he was in his Shoebill form, a sight to behold.

Beastkin had their quirks; a bird could have any kind of bird beastkin, while a tiger might have a variety of feline beastkin. So, when a female had several mates of the same species, the mystery of the cub’s true father remained until the awakening ceremony, where their aura would reveal hints of both parents until they fully matured.

They were aware that Lirit’s father was Bill, but the mystery of what kind of bird beastkin she would become would only be revealed at her awakening ceremony. Bill, in his beast form, perched atop a starberry tree, and waved excitedly at her. He was busy picking fruit clumps and tossing them into a basket below, but he paused for a moment, filled with joy at the sight of his beloved daughter.

Sadly for Bill, he wasn’t the lead male of the pack. While he was kind-hearted and genuine, and his love story with Vera was one for the ages, he lacked the physical prowess that others might have. Vera had fallen for him in her youth, long before she understood the importance of strength in a mate. He may have been the weakest of her mates, but he held the title of her greatest love.

Lirit, however, was cut from a different cloth. Instead of soaring over to greet Bill with the same enthusiasm, she zipped past him without a second glance, landing gracefully next to Terrell, her mother’s lead mate.

"Daddy, I’m having a horrible day!"

"Is something bothering you, Princess?" He glanced at the crowd, all eyes on him, and emitted a deep, menacing growl. Terrell, the most formidable of Vera’s males, was a lion shifter radiating a green aura, capable of summoning fire at will.

He saw Bill dawdling, getting ready to swoop down from the tree, and his annoyance flared as he pointed at him. "Get your act together! Those things won’t pick themselves, and let’s be real, no one’s here to chat with you!"

"If something is wrong with my daughter..." fгeewebnovёl.com

"Our daughter is going to be perfectly fine, and I, as the one in charge, have everything under control. This is your opportunity to contribute something meaningful to our family, so stop wasting time and get back to work."

Bill opened his mouth to speak.

Lirit pursed her lips while looking at Bill and then grabbed and tugged on Terrell’s shirt sleeve. "Daddy, let’s get out of here. There are too many other people around and I want to talk with you about something important."

"Alright, I could use a break from being in the heat anyway. How about we go in and I’ll have Frank bring us something to drink and roast some meat for us and bring it to the side gazebo. We can talk there."

"I could bring it to you," said Bill.

"You all better keep your heads down and get back to work! Those starberry fruits are not going to wait around for you to dawdle. If they sit in the sun too long, they’ll turn into mush, and the ones you pick will just shrivel up. I expect to see those trees significantly picked when I return!"

"Frank, head over and whip up some snacks and drinks for us. Bring them to the side gazebo when you’re done."

"Of course, Leader! Frank, sporting an eye-catching orange aura and a knack for water mana, hurriedly exited the field. Chosen by Vera’s parents as her first male during the awakening ceremony, this bunny beastkin was also the son of her father’s closest friend. Yet, Vera had already fallen for Bill and longed for him to be her first."

"Alright Sweetie, let’s head over to the gazebo, do you want to fly ahead?"

"That’s alright, I want to walk with you. We haven’t been able to get a lot of time together because everything’s too busy with the harvest and my awakening ceremony is coming up."

They sat down under the gazebo just as Frank came back with the roasted fish cut into squares and chilled starberry juice, which tasted a lot like pear, white grape, and a hint of lemon.

They started eating in silence and Terrell guzzled down his juice.

"I know you’ve been exploring different choices for my first mate, but honestly, I refuse to end up like mom with some male I didn’t even want! I know it’s all about tradition and females aren’t supposed to have a say, but there’s only one guy I want right now, and trust me, I will do whatever it takes to make him mine, no matter what!"

Terrell swallowed the food in his mouth.

"If you don’t help me snag him, I’ll just have to come up with my own plan, and trust me, you and mom won’t be thrilled with what I come up with."

"There’s no need to be so desperate, I know where your heart lies and I’d be happy to get him for you, It’s just that he has no interest in having a mate at the moment. Perhaps he can be your mate later on, after the awakening ceremony. I don’t want you to go to the awakening ceremony without a chosen mate."

"Seriously, I refuse to let anyone else take my place! Just so you know, he’s not against having a mate at all. But you’ve been so clueless all day, it’s like you’re living under a rock! There’s a female out there claiming she’s marked him, and I absolutely won’t tolerate it! The only one who’s meant to be with General Kai is me, and I’m going to make sure everyone knows it!"

"That is strange, could she just be a hopeful female who doesn’t know any better about General Kai’s strict nature. He has been very particular about choosing a mate ever since things ended with Calypso."

"Ugh, can you even? Don’t even say the name Calypso around me. Elara was hanging out with a village guard, and they both insisted that the new female is General Kai’s mate. I mean, when did that even happen?"

"If he already has chosen a mate, is there a reason to talk about it more? Wouldn’t it be best for you to forget about him sooner rather than later?"

"Seriously, that’s not even a consideration! I’ve told you time and time again that I won’t give up. He’s going to be mine, no matter what it takes. If I have to enlist some thugs to snatch him, tie him up, and force him to munch on dingola flowers, then so be it!"

"So what do you want me to do then, if he’s already mated there isn’t much I can do."

"I mean, there’s got to be something you can do, don’t you think? What are you going to do about it?"

"There are a number of things but they won’t necessarily end well for you. However, I suppose you could do the most straightforward thing first and offer to buy him from her. If we give her enough coins she’s sure to sell him to us and cancel her mate mark off of him."

"She’s well aware of his charm, but like, what would it take to actually make her give in?"

"I don’t know but I’ll send over some people to follow them around and figure out what would tempt her."

"Alright, I’ll hear you out for the moment, but if we don’t achieve something spectacular, I’ll have no choice but to take a more drastic approach."

"Good little cub, don’t worry about it, I’m going to take care of everything for you. While we’re on the subject though, do you love him?"

"Love? Oh, it’s definitely not that mundane! He’s always in my thoughts, and I just have to claim him—like, immediately! He’s meant for me, and I won’t let anyone else have him!"

"Yes, yes of course."

Perla

We traveled in the carriage for what felt like an eternity, the jarring bumps of the road making me feel both awkward and confined. What was I even doing here? What had my life become? I was venturing into the wilderness with four strangers and a woman sporting animal ears—my only female companion, though we were worlds apart in age. According to this bizarre realm, I was already sixty-eight! And here I was, heading out to swim, hoping my scales would flourish. Scales and health seemed like a cruel joke in my case, but who am I to question my own reality?

I feigned sleep, desperate to avoid conversation or even looking around. I just needed a moment to gather my thoughts. This was overwhelming, and I could feel the sting of tears threatening to spill over. This couldn’t be my fate. Sure, my life was a mess, but that didn’t mean it had to stay that way. I had dreams—graduation, college, joining volleyball, track, maybe even the swim team. I envisioned parties and friendships, a vibrant life far removed from the stifling grip of my parents. I craved it fiercely and had yearned for it for years.

My eyes burned, tears spilling over as a deep ache settled in. A warm, unsettling sensation crept between my thighs, pulling me from my thoughts. Panic surged as I opened my eyes wide, dread washing over me. Glancing down, I was met with the shocking sight of my inner legs soaked in crimson.

Coming Next Time: Clear Gems