My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 150: A Place to Belong

Fortunately, he had swapped the poison beforehand. But even he hadn't anticipated just how potent that particular concoction would prove to be. Claire had been utterly ferocious.

He licked his lips at the memory, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Zane watched him savoring the recollection, and a sharp wave of jealousy cut through his chest. His voice turned brittle with cold when he spoke.

"Have you considered how Claire will react when she finds out the truth? What she'll do to you? Whether she'll break the bond between you?"

Marcus shook his head violently.

"No. She wouldn't. She won't do that."

But even as he said it, fear stirred somewhere deep in his gut.

What if she did find out?

No.

She couldn’t. She mustn’t.

He had already lost everything. His family was gone. Even Bertie Turner had vanished without a trace. He couldn’t lose her too. Even if it meant keeping her close by force and trapping her within his reach, he would not let her go.

He turned toward Zane, his voice softening.

"Please don't tell her."

His plea came out nearly tearful, his face drawn and miserable, his sightless eyes glistening. One word of refusal from Zane, and those tears would fall.

If you didn't want to face the consequences, Zane thought distantly, you should have thought twice before acting.

"I won’t go out of my way to expose you, but I won’t lie for you either. Whatever happens to you now is out of my hands."

Zane had been watching him for some time now.

For all his schemes and quiet manipulations, Marcus’s care for Claire had never seemed false. Whatever else he was, his feelings were real.

He had only made the mistake of not being honest from the beginning. And now, that shadow lingered.

Still, he wasn’t malicious. If he had been, he wouldn’t be standing here like this, unguarded and asking for silence instead of trying to eliminate the only witness.

And while Zane had reached Level 3 and wasn't afraid of a fight, he had no taste for unnecessary violence.

Especially not against one of Claire's other mates. A fight between them would put Claire in an impossible position, caught in the middle.

Zane always tried to see things from Claire's perspective. Everything he did, he did for her sake. As for himself... well, enduring a small injustice now and then was hardly a burden.

Hearing Zane's assurance, Marcus brightened immediately.

"Thank you. I knew being the first mate meant something. Just... Rufus. Could you put in a good word with him for me? If he refuses to accept me as part of the family, that would be... unfortunate."

Zane let out a faint scoff. "His approval isn’t what matters. If Claire accepts you, that’s enough. Besides, you already have children together. There’s not much he can do about it now."

For now, Zane found himself leaning toward acceptance.

Marcus might be blind, but his strength spoke for itself. A Level 3 fighter, his other senses more than compensated for what he lacked.

In daily life, he was no weaker than anyone else. If anything, his abilities placed him near the top even in a place like Grimstone, where strength was everything.

With him at Claire's side, her safety would improve greatly.

And besides, Claire seemed especially fond of his beast form.

Zane had lost count of how many times he'd seen her bury her face in Marcus's fur, inhaling deeply, her whole face glowing with happiness and something close to obsession.

"I have a suggestion," Zane said after a moment. "Take it or leave it."

Marcus asked what it was. Now that everything was out in the open, there was no point in pretending anymore. At least not with Zane.

No matter how well Marcus acted, Zane was too perceptive to be fooled.

Honesty, it turned out, came with its own kind of relief.

"Stay in your beast form more often when you're with Claire," Zane said. "She likes it."

A grin spread across Marcus's face. "I already knew that."

He lifted his chin proudly, squaring his shoulders.

He had been nervous about whether Claire's other two mates would accept him. But now the first mate had spoken, and the weight in his chest finally lifted.

For the first time, Marcus felt like he truly belonged somewhere.

He had a real home now.

"I should go. Claire just gave birth. She'll probably wake up soon. I need to get back to her."

Marcus said, scratching the back of his neck.

Not that the distance mattered. With his keen hearing, the slightest sound from Claire or the cubs would reach him in an instant. He could be at her side before she finished drawing breath.

But he couldn’t bring himself to stay away.

And besides, he missed her already.

Even a moment apart felt too long. The thought of her surfaced unbidden, filling his mind so completely that it almost ached. Whether she was awake or asleep didn’t matter. Being near her was enough.

Zane reached out and pressed a capped container into Marcus's hand.

"Give this to Claire for me. Take care of her. She just gave birth, so keep her in bed, keep her out of drafts and stop her from overexerting herself."