MTL - Druid’s Marvel Travels - Chapter 239 means of coercion

Perla had always felt a longing for adventure, stifled by the rules of her strict upbringing and surrounded by her older brothers free to do as they wanted. She longed to carve her own path, to seek out excitement and perhaps even a little romance along the way. One day, while escaping yet another tedious piano class, she stumbled into the hollow of a massive tree. At its base, a mesmerizing green light beckoned her, and before she knew it, she was transported to a bizarre forest teeming with colossal, long-extinct creatures and menacing carnivorous plants.This was the realm of Beastkin, where men could transform into mighty beasts. Here, the constant threat of war had led to a peculiar imbalance, with most females giving birth to male Beastkin, resulting in a dire shortage of women. The land was a battleground, filled with mercenaries and adventurers seeking glory. While the males formed companies to embark on quests, their females stayed behind, living a life of comfort. But not Perla—she was determined to break free from the mold, to grow stronger, and to join her new love interests on exhilarating escapades.

What life is left for a warrior when there is no more enemy to fight?

…He knelt before her in the posture of a soldier giving honor to their Queen. And she didn’t even know it.

“Harth,” he rasped, “I come empty-handed. I bring no weapon. Because I swear to you, I will never choose to harm you. Never draw your blood—in anger, or in fear. I bring no shield. Because I vow I will never defend myself from your eyes, your hands, your mind. I am yours.”

*****

After a year of peace in Anima, Tarkyn finds himself… lonely. As the Captain of the Queen’s Guard and a lion-shifter, he has met every female in the tribes, but never found his mate. Certain he must have overlooked someone, Tarkyn undertakes a grueling ritual, pleading with the Creator to reveal her. But the ritual presses him to the end of even his formidable strength.

Yet, the Creator heard his cry…

Discovered on the brink of death by his mate, Harth, and nursed back to health, Tarkyn now faces the most difficult battle of his life. Because Harth isn’t just a stranger to the Anima, she is a weapon of the humans who tried to destroy them.

Can the love of a warrior and his enemy bring peace to Anima? Or will they be torn apart forever by war between their peoples?

*****

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STANDALONE STORY: While Tarkyn’s story is a part of the Anima world and fans will be reunited with some of their favorites as side-characters, Tarkyn and Harth are new POV characters and their story is a new plot arc, so their story can be enjoyed without reading the previous books! But please add Falling in Love with the King of Beasts, and Taming the Queen of Beasts to your library to enjoy later!

Thirty years old—that was the age people often referred to as the time to stand tall and firm.At this age, some were splendid and dazzling, intoxicated in a world of wealth, while others were desolate and dim, confined to rope beds and clay stoves.Lin Mo belonged to the latter. At thirty, he was still a porter, toiling away to earn a living.His daughter was bullied by a male classmate at school—simply because his family was well-off, the school chose to turn a blind eye. His wife, already pregnant, was secretly working at a supermarket to supplement the household income without his knowledge.As he lay awake looking at his wife by his side and his daughter sleeping soundly in the little bed, Lin Mo felt so aggrieved he shed tears. Despite working hard every day until his back could no longer straighten, he still couldn't change the dire state of their lives.However, it was at this time that the Daily Intelligence System suddenly awoke.[Daily Intelligence has been updated][1. Neighbor Wang Youcai secretly used his retirement funds to tip 10,000 yuan to a beauty in a live stream under the nickname Black Chicken.][2. The police will perform a surprise inspection at the Red Romance Foot Bath at 12 o'clock tonight.][3. Victory Bird will launch a ground assault against Hass in three days.][4. The pet dog from 1402, Unit 1, Building 5 of Earth Garden Community is missing, and its owner Li Xiaoru is offering a 10,000 yuan reward for its return.][5. The pet dog belonging to Li Xiaoru that went missing is trapped in a sewage drain on Development Road.][6…]Initially, Lin Mo just wanted to use this system to make a bit of extra cash to alleviate his stifling life.

[COMPLETE] Can a royal Romeo and Juliet find their happy ending?

Ayleth, Princess of Zenithra, is secretly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and collects swear words she doesn't know how to use. During the Festival of Peace, in which every royal son on the continent will be at the castle for a month, she is instructed by her parents to find a husband. Yet, Ayleth has never even been kissed—until the very first ball, when she meets the man in the Lion mask.

Etan is a seasoned warrior, and the Prince of Summitras. He attends the Festival hoping to find a powerful wife who will help him conquer the dark sorcery of their bloodsworn enemies, the Kingdom of Zenithra. But at the very first ball, he discovers the masked woman who captures his heart is the Heir to the evil empire.

Ayleth and Etan face an impossible battle. Will their love survive? Or will their parents' dark dealings keep them apart forever?

[Mature content. No sexual violence.]

******

“You…” She stepped back. Then back again, her mouth dropped open. “You… You cannot be…”

“I am,” Etan said, and his hair raked back as he pushed his mask off his handsome face. So handsome her heart raced.

His hair was ebony black, his skin a warm brown that threatened to fade in in the winter months. He stared at her with glittering green eyes, over high cheekbones and a noble nose, his jaw tight and shadowed this late in the day. His chin was high over the pillar of his neck that she’d just touched with its hard lines and steel strength, so different to her own. And his chest... She gasped and covered her eyes. She’d humiliated herself revealing her stupid, childish curiosity.

“No, Ayleth. This changes nothing.”

“How can you say that? It changes everything!” She was horrified to realize she was crying.

“Ayleth, please.” His voice cracked on the plea and she stared at him, shoving her mask up and off, despite how it would pull her hair out of the beautiful twist the maid had managed for her.

His eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

She had met her One. And he was the son of her bloodsworn enemy.

She stared at him as he stepped forward again, offering both hands, palm up. “Touch me,” he whispered. “Hold my hands. This is real, Ayleth. I don’t know how it happened, but this is real. Please don’t deny it.”

She couldn’t resist. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, letting her palm catch on the scruff of his jaw. He blew out a breath and put his hand over hers, and that jolt that happened whenever they touched shivered through her again.

“Please, Ayleth.”

“I cannot deny it,” she whispered.