Chapter 7 No Touching

Carcel’s Point of View

“My name is Carcel,” I answered, addressing the brown-skinned woman with curly white hair that resembled wool. The sheep-like ears protruding from her head made it obvious that she was a sheep shifter.

“I’m Baashea, your wife’s best friend,” she smiled back sweetly at me, and I nodded without offering another word.

This feels pointless.

Deep in my bones, I could sense there were a thousand other things I should be doing instead of wasting my time here.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a choice. I couldn't remember anything about myself, no matter how hard I tried.

The fox was my only chance.

“What brings you here?” Baashea asked with a small smile, directing her attention towards the fox.

“I came to buy some clothes for my husband-to-be,” she explained, slowly loosening her fingers from around my arm.

My gaze dropped to the spot where she'd been holding me, and I felt the warmth of her body gradually fade as she pulled away.

For some inexplicable reason, I found myself more irritated by her letting go than I had been when she'd first wrapped her arms around me.

“But the thing is, I'm a little short on money. Would it be possible for me to pay later?”

“What?” Baashea stared at her in confusion.

Yana's head snapped to the side, and a flush of embarrassment crept across her cheeks.

“Um... I was robbed.”

At that, Baashea's gaze shifted towards me, probably blaming me for not defending her.

“He's a huge man.” She grabbed a measuring tape and approached me. “What kind of shifter are you?”

Yana had warned me to keep my identity a secret, but she hadn't told me what I was supposed to pretend to be.

Unsure of how to respond, I said nothing.

“He's from the black panther clan,” Yana answered quickly, as fast as lightening.

I merely shrugged, I didn’t care what she told them, as long as I’m able to leave here.

I was uncomfortable.

“And instead of measuring him, we'd prefer something ready-made that fits his size,” she added quickly.

“I don't think I have anything that would fit him,” Baashea complained, looking me over. “Even if I find something close enough, it'll be uncomfortable and won't last. He's a big man, but just give me a few hours, and I'll whip something up for him.”

I watched the two women argue in front of me as though I weren't even there.

Neither seemed particularly concerned about my opinion, and I had no intention of interrupting them.

So, I stood there in silence and let Baashea take my measurements.

“Good morning, Baashea!” A masculine voice sounded from behind me, prompting me to turn slightly. A tall, muscular man had just walked in.

Judging by his build and appearance, I suspected he was a horse shifter.

“Oh, Yana is here too.”

He stepped farther into the shop, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on me.

“Mr. Harold!” Baashea exclaimed, practically lunging at him as she grabbed his hands. “Yana brought her fiancé!”

“Fiancé?” Mr. Harold repeated, looking bewildered. His eyes shifted towards me, and he pointed in my direction. “Him?”

Baashea nodded enthusiastically.

“He looks like a predator.”

My irritation grew by the second. I didn't appreciate the way these people kept talking about me like I’m a monster.

What do they mean by predator?

Unfortunately, Yana had instructed me to let her do all the talking, so I kept my mouth shut, even though I was itching to say something.

“He is, but they're in love, and they'll be getting married soon,” Baashea explained cheerfully.

“Oh, no!” Yana shook her head and hurried towards me, looking as though she wanted to stop the conversation before it went any further.

“Yana, you're getting married?” Mr. Harold's eyebrows shot up. “You haven't sent out any invitations. Or are you planning to get married without inviting us townsfolk?”

It seemed the fox's plan had backfired spectacularly.

“I-I...” Yana stammered, clearly struggling to come up with an excuse.

“Well, if you're getting married, then that's wonderful news!” Mr. Harold chuckled, seemingly oblivious to her distress. “As long as you're happy, we have no reason to complain about your choice of husband. Predator or not, we're all one under the reign of the Moon Goddess.”

He stepped towards me and grabbed my arms, giving them a friendly pat as though we'd known each other for years.

“And he's quite the eye candy, too!” He laughed, glancing between Yana and me. “I can certainly see why you're in such a hurry to marry him.”

His gaze eventually returned to me.

“What's your name, young man?”

“My name is Carcel,” I answered.

“Mr. Harold—” Yana reached towards him, desperate to interrupt, but Baashea caught her and gently pulled her back.

I frowned inwardly. What exactly was she so worried about?

“What clan are you from?” Mr. Harold asked.

“The black panther clan,” I replied after a brief pause. “That's what I am.”

The man went still for a moment.

Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.

“That’s not so bad.”

Their reaction made me wonder whether there was something wrong with forming relationships with shifters from different species.

They seemed far too concerned about my being a predator, which suggested that interspecies relationships might not be as common or as acceptable as I'd assumed.

“Don't worry about the invitations, Yana,” Harold assured her. “I'll personally invite all the townsfolk myself.”

He then threw his head back and let out a hearty belly laugh.

---

“This cannot work. It just won't!” Yana complained as she paced back and forth.

She had dragged me out of the shop, leading me to one of the quietest, most deserted areas in town, where she could apparently vent without an audience.

“Everything is going wrong, and at this point, we might have no choice but to get married for real.”

“Isn't that what you proposed in the first place?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “You could have simply asked for my help.”

She snickered.

“And how exactly would you help me? You don't even remember anything about yourself.”

She stopped pacing and moved closer, studying my face.

“Do you actually want to marry me?”

“Don't you?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Because, judging by this arrangement, I'm not even sure you genuinely want to help me. You could use me to get whatever you want and then abandon me when I'm no longer useful. I need some sort of security.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Do you honestly think I'd lie to you?”

As much as I wanted to trust her, I was the vulnerable one in this arrangement.

I couldn't afford to let someone lead me around blindly, taking advantage of my helplessness until I was no longer of any use to them.

Besides, my core had been damaged, and my dragon's hearthstone was broken. It would take a considerable amount of time for both to heal.

In fact, there was a chance I wouldn't recover my memories until my hearthstone had completely healed.

I couldn't afford to be careless, not when I was in such a precarious position.

“Yes,” I answered bluntly, and she blinked at me.

“At least, once we're married, we'll be legally bound to each other. And the marriage won't be dissolved until we've both received what was promised.”

“You're actually willing to go that far?” she asked.

“Yes.”

For all I knew, she could be after my hearthstone.

I wasn't going to give her that opportunity.

“Let's get married,” I declared. “That way, we can maintain this lie more convincingly.”

Yana pointed a finger at me, her expression turning stern.

“Before you get carried away, there's something you need to understand.” She said pointedly. “I’m not like other women, even though we are married, our relationship will be strictly platonic.”

My eyes narrowed in confusion, as I wasn’t sure what the hell, she was talking about.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I will not mate with you.”