Chapter 228: Life-Ruining Blank Checks

Ren rolled her eyes. She didn’t think it was a big deal. It was basic bartering.

“Favors. Right,” Ren sighed, waving her free hand dismissively. “What do you want? You want me to wash your loincloths? Cook you a private meal? Make it quick, Vex, I literally have a fifty-gallon stew to cook.”

[System: Host, I highly advise you to sit down. You are about to have a panic attack.]

Ren frowned. ’What? Why?’

[System: In the Beast World, declaring a “Favor from a friend to a friend” is not a casual social contract like lending someone ten bucks. It is a Rite in itself. It is a binding blood oath, similar to the Rite of the Severed Fang in its absolute gravity.]

Ren froze. The blood began to drain from her face.

[System: The penalty for refusing or failing to return a Friend’s Favor is worse than dying in battle. It is a curse. Refusal causes the slow, agonizing rotting of the heart until death. To the beasts, a betrayal of friends is the ultimate sin. It is entirely unforgivable.]

Ren’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She stared in absolute, unadulterated horror at the smirking Fox in front of her.

“It is Beast Law, Little Rose,” Vex explained, his orange eyes glittering with smug satisfaction. “One cannot simply refuse a favor between friends. The pact is sealed.”

Ren’s face paled instantly, turning the exact shade of bleached flour.

’Why didn’t you tell me about this before?!’

Ren mentally screamed at the System at the top of her lungs.

[System: You didn’t ask. I am a System, not a legal advisor. You really should read the Terms and Conditions before agreeing to verbal contracts with manipulative shamans.]

’How was I supposed to know to ask?!’ Ren argued frantically, her heart hammering against her ribs. ’To me, a favor is picking someone up from the airport or helping them move a couch! It’s something you can say yes or no to! It is not a life-or-death blood pact!’

Ren began spiraling. Fast.

Vex could tell her to do anything, and she would have to do it! She realized with sickening clarity that he could ask her to leave Syris, Kael, and Altair. He could force her to become his servant. He could tell her to mate with him! She was essentially his puppet on a string. Anything he asked, she could not say no to without her heart rotting out of her chest.

And she owed him two of these life-ruining blank checks?!

Seeing her wide, terrified eyes, her trembling lip, and her rapidly paling face, Vex finally broke. He threw his head back and laughed, releasing her wrist.

“Do not worry, Little Rose,” Vex chuckled, wiping a stray tear of mirth from his eye. “Whatever horrific scenarios you are concocting in that pretty head of yours, ease your mind. I am not that cruel.”

Ren narrowed her green eyes at him, pure, unfiltered hatred bubbling in her chest. She really hated this fox. He absolutely must have known she had no idea what she was doing when she casually agreed to owe him favors. He had deliberately, masterfully taken advantage of her ignorance!

Ren wanted to scream and beat him senseless with her frying pan.

“What… favor do you want me to do?” Ren asked through gritted teeth, silently praying to any deity listening that his request wouldn’t be anything weird, wild, or unspeakably gross.

Vex’s playful demeanor vanished. His face grew completely serious—a very rare and unsettling look for the usually mischievous shaman.

“A friend of mine is pregnant,” Vex stated simply. “But it is not a normal pregnancy. The cub is developing far too rapidly, and it is eating her alive from the inside out.”

Ren furrowed her brows, the anger momentarily replaced by confusion. ’Eating her alive?’

“The cub has gone feral while still in the womb,” Vex continued, his orange eyes darkening with a heavy shadow. “It might already be a shadow beast. I am not entirely sure yet.”

Ren stood silently, wondering why on earth he was dumping this horrific medical anomaly on her, but she didn’t interrupt him.

Vex held up his hand. He was still holding the empty green leaf that had contained her spicy Island Jerk Elk Bites.

“This female ate the food you prepared,” Vex said, tapping the leaf with his long finger. “And the cub… it calmed down. The leaf she brought to me had this exact same scent. She ate those elk bites, too.”

Ren blinked. Then, it clicked.

She remembered leaving the neat package of elk bites out on the flat stone at the base of the tree last night, desperately hoping to lure Altair down. With all that followed, she had completely forgotten about the food.

“What do you want me to do?” Ren asked cautiously.

“Your food,” Vex said, looking at her with an intensity that made her shiver, “has the power to cure Feral Madness.”

Ren stared at him.

“For now, it has only been used to calm feral beasts and soothe the symptoms,” Vex explained, stepping closer. “But if we work together, we can figure out a cure once and for all. Using your cooking.”

Ren paused, genuinely considering it. She had no problem helping others—in fact, she would love to develop a proper cure for Feral Madness. It would save countless lives and stop the endless suffering in the Beast World. Plus, ironically, this was the exact “Moon Goddess Mission” Kael thought she was on anyway.

She might as well lean into that story. Her massive lie to Kael would become a half-lie, which was significantly better for her conscience.

The only problem? She had to work with this sneaky, conniving Fox.

Ren’s thoughts drifted back to the “friend” he had mentioned. She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

“This friend you mentioned,” Ren asked, her tone deadpan. “Did you get her pregnant?”

Vex smirked, his playful demeanor instantly returning as he tilted his head. “Why? Are you jealous, Little Rose?”

Ren rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw her own brain. “I just want to know your ulterior motive. You are definitely not the type of guy to be curing Feral Madness out of the goodness of your heart for world peace. You’re hiding something.”

Vex chuckled, clearly delighted by her sharp intuition. He didn’t confirm or deny her accusation.

“So,” Vex purred, holding his hand out to her like a businessman closing a deal. “Will you grant me the favor of being my partner in curing Feral Madness?”

Ren looked at his hand, then at the massive cauldron waiting by the fire. She let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Fine,” Ren accepted, giving his hand a firm, reluctant shake. It wasn’t like she had a choice without her heart rotting out of her chest anyway.

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