Imara Diversifies The Beastmen World

Chapter Seventy Seven: She's Out Of Her Milieu III

According to the novel, Wilbard's mark should have been there, on her chest.

Confusion swirled in my mind as I tried to piece together their relationship. Had they not been mated as I had assumed?

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked her directly, "Is Wilbard's mark somewhere else on your body?"

Qean huffed in response, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. "He won't ever get to mate with me until he gets me what I want," she declared firmly.

Her words struck a chord in me. I was also a firm believer in males providing for females before intimacy. It was a principle that held true even back on Earth, in my view. However, in that situation, it appears a bit extreme But, I chose not to delve deeper into her personal stance.

Instead, I asked another question to understand their situation better. "How long have you been together?"

"About ten years now," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of weariness.

"Oh, okay," I said, my mind still trying to process this revelation. It was then that I remembered a specific incident from the novel.

The Ape King had been delivering food to Qean from Bai, and she had expressed similar sentiments to him. This detail had slipped my mind until now, and it added another layer of complexity to their relationship.

It wasn't until the Volcanic eruption and he was on the run to the Mermaid clan to deliver her did they mate which is a whole year from now.

The absence of the mate mark and Qean's revelation about her conditions for mating with Wilbard painted a different picture than I had initially imagined. It seemed their relationship was more intricate and less conventional than I had thought.

The duration of their relationship, a whole decade, with the level of intimacy she revealed, left me flabbergasted.

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Memi and the other girls, rolling in on a wagon that Memi had crafted. Their lively voices filled the air.

"Bestie!" Memi called out, her voice ringing with excitement.

"Big Booty, I missed you!" Katie's playful shout followed. Their affectionate greetings brought a wide smile to my face.

Qean, who had been sipping her water, nearly choked on it, her eyes widening. "Big Booty is right," she muttered, almost to herself, her gaze inadvertently fixed on my behind. It seemed like an involuntary reaction, one she hadn't intended to voice aloud.

I couldn't contain my excitement and ran towards my friends, leaping onto them in a joyous embrace, causing us all to tumble down.

"My ladies, oh my God, I missed you all!" I exclaimed, our laughter mingling in the air. The warmth of our reunion was so in tune, a testament to the bond we shared.

As we helped each other up, still chuckling, I introduced them to Qean, who watched us with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. It was a delightful collision of worlds – my old friends meeting the new life I had embraced.

Memi, as the Leopard Queen, shared a knowing nod with Qean, acknowledging each other with the mutual respect of two prominent figures.

The other girls introduced themselves, but Qean's response caught everyone off guard.

"You're quite the friendly type, it's odd," she remarked, her tone laced with a mix of curiosity and critique. "Why do you care about other people and their families so much? You should worry about your own."

Her words hung in the air, creating a tension. The girls shifted uncomfortably, unaccustomed to such directness.

Memi's irritation was instant and visible. Her protective instincts, particularly towards me and our friends, were always fierce.