Cora lay flat against the broad back of the giant white fox. Her fingers were buried deep in the thick, coarse fur around his neck, gripping tight as his massive muscles bunched and released beneath her.

The freezing wind screamed past her ears, but Dax's body radiated a blistering heat that formed a physical shield around her. The cold couldn't touch her. Her husband's body was her armor. This was his purpose.

She peeked out from the heavy fur coat, staring at the endless, blinding white of the wasteland.

In her mind, she commanded Kay Lake to pull up the data on the world's power structure.

Mutants absorb beast cores to level up, the system explained. Tiers 1 to 3 are the bottom feeders. Tiers 4 to 6 are elite warriors. Tier 7 and above are apex warlords. Females naturally ascend faster due to biological superiority in energy absorption. Males require female anchors to stabilize their advancement.

Cora swallowed hard. The beast she was riding was Tier-9. He was a walking weapon of mass destruction. And he belonged to her. The realization sent a thrill of absolute safety through her chest.

Suddenly, the white fox slammed on the brakes. His massive paws dug into the ice. His ears pinned back flat against his skull, and a low, vibrating snarl ripped from his throat. A threat to his female. He would annihilate it.

Cora followed his gaze. Thirty yards ahead, the snow exploded upward.

Thick, black vines, as wide as tree trunks, erupted from the frozen ground. They whipped through the air, covered in razor-sharp thorns.

Warning, the system blared. Tier-4 mutant flora detected. Strangler Vine. Highly aggressive.

The Strangler Vine sensed their body heat. It whipped forward like a nest of striking snakes, aiming straight for the fox and the woman on his back.

Cora gasped, her heart jumping into her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Dax's fur. Her husband would protect her. He had to.

Dax didn't even bother to dodge. A flash of pure, arrogant disdain crossed his ice-blue eyes. This pathetic plant dared to threaten his pregnant female?

He opened his massive jaws. A torrent of blinding, blue fire erupted from his throat. The flames hit the black vines like a physical wall.

BOOM.

The impact shook the ground. The moment the blue fire touched the vines, they incinerated. The air filled with the sickening stench of burning sap and ash.

The Tier-4 predator didn't even have time to scream. It was reduced to a pile of smoking black dust in less than two seconds.

Cora opened her eyes. She stared at the scorched, empty crater in the snow. Her jaw dropped. It was a total, effortless slaughter. Her male was a monster. Her monster.

The white fox turned his head slightly, catching her eye. He let out a soft huff, his tail flicking proudly, seeking his female's approval. Then he resumed his steady pace.

Cora couldn't help it. She patted his thick neck vigorously. "Dax, that was incredible! You are a worthy first husband. "

The tips of the fox's ears turned a distinct shade of pink. His female had praised him. His pace quickened, his paws barely leaving prints in the snow as he bounded forward. He would earn more of her praise.

Hours later, the snowstorm finally broke. On the horizon, a sprawling cluster of crude stone huts and heavy wooden palisades appeared.

Cora's chest tightened. She pointed a finger toward the walls. "Look! That's it. The Hickman Settlement!"

The fox slowed to a halt. His eyes darkened. He could smell the stench of hundreds of weak, pathetic males inside those walls. Males who might try to take his place. Males who might be the bastard who abandoned his female.

He shifted. The giant beast vanished, and Dax caught Cora in his arms before she could hit the ground. He set her on her feet, pulling the fur coat tight around her neck.

His face was a mask of lethal seriousness. "When we go in, you stay right beside me. Do not leave my sight. Any male who approaches without my permission dies. "

Cora looked at his tense jaw. She knew exactly what he was doing. He was preparing to go to war with her imaginary ex-boyfriend. She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

She nodded obediently and reached out, sliding her small hand into his massive, calloused palm. "Don't worry. I'm not scared with you here. You are my first husband. They will respect that. "

Dax's fingers clamped down on hers, locking their hands together. He pulled her flush against his side and marched toward the settlement gates. His female was entering her domain. He would be the sword at her side.

Two rabbit-mutant guards stood shivering by the heavy wooden doors. When they saw the towering, terrifying man approaching, they panicked and raised their bone-tipped spears.

Then, one of the guards locked eyes with Cora. His jaw dropped open. He rubbed his eyes frantically. "Cora?! You... you're not dead?!"

Cora lifted her chin. A sharp, confident smile crossed her face. She was a female returning to claim her place. "I'm not dead. And I brought a plus-one. My first husband. Open the gate."

The heavy wooden gates groaned as they were pulled open.

Cora kept her spine straight, her hand locked in Dax's, as they stepped into the Hickman Settlement.

The place was a miserable collection of low stone huts and patched animal-skin tents. The air smelled of wet dirt, bitter herbs, and desperation.

The rabbit-mutants working in the muddy streets stopped dead in their tracks. They stared at Cora as if she were a ghost. She was the weakest female in the settlement, a genetic failure who was supposed to be a frozen corpse by now. Yet here she walked, head high, with a Tier-9 male at her heel like a trained beast.

Then, their eyes shifted to the man beside her.

Dax's presence was suffocating. The apex predator pheromones rolling off his body made the weaker herbivores physically tremble. Mothers pulled their children into tents. Men backed away, lowering their eyes in submission. They recognized the hierarchy immediately. This male belonged to Cora. And he would kill anyone who forgot it.

Dax ignored them. His ice-blue eyes scanned the face of every adult male they passed, searching for the bastard who had broken Cora's heart. His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek. Where was the coward who had abandoned his female?

Cora felt the lethal tension radiating from his arm. She squeezed his fingers. "Relax. Take me to my father first. He must see that I am well. "

They navigated the winding dirt paths until they reached a slightly larger stone hut near the center of the settlement. Before Cora could knock, the wooden door flew open.

A middle-aged rabbit-mutant with graying hair and deep bags under his eyes stumbled out. It was Arthur Hickman.

Arthur saw Cora standing there, perfectly whole. Tears instantly spilled over his wrinkled cheeks. His body shook violently as he lunged forward. "Cora! My sweet girl! You're alive!"

Cora caught him as he threw his arms around her. The residual emotions of the original body surged in her chest, making her throat ache. She patted his shaking back. "I'm home, Dad."

Arthur pulled back, wiping his face. That was when he finally noticed the towering wall of muscle standing right behind his daughter.

The older man gasped and stumbled backward, instinctively shoving Cora behind his body. A father's instinct to protect his daughter from a dangerous male. He stared at Dax with wide, terrified eyes. "Who... who is this?"

Cora stepped out from behind her father. She gestured to Dax. "Dad, this is Dax William. My first husband. He saved me in the wasteland. We've signed a Beast Mark Contract."

Arthur's eyes bulged. He could feel the terrifying, crushing weight of the man's power. This was a monster that their entire settlement couldn't scratch. And his daughter had tamed him.

He stammered, his voice shaking. "A... a Beast Mark Contract? Are you sure? He's..."

Dax stepped forward. He bowed his head slightly, pulling his lethal aura back into his body. He showed respect to his female's father. This was the proper way. His voice was deep and respectful, but firm as iron. "Arthur. I am your daughter's first husband. I will protect her with my life. I will serve her until death. "

Arthur looked at the absolute conviction burning in Dax's eyes. He glanced at the faint blue fox-tail tattoo peeking out from Cora's collar. The terror in his chest slowly melted into overwhelming relief. His defective daughter had somehow claimed a Tier-9 male. It was a miracle.

He let out a long, shuddering breath and wiped his eyes again. "Good. Good. As long as you keep her safe, I can die in peace."

Arthur quickly ushered them into the cramped stone hut. A small fire crackled in the hearth. He rushed around, pouring hot water into clay cups, his hands still trembling with joy.

Suddenly, Arthur stopped. He walked over to his cot and pulled a battered wooden box from underneath it. It was wrapped in layers of dirty animal skin.

He walked back to the table and opened the box with shaking hands.

Inside lay a single, glowing green crystal. The energy pulsing from it was pure and vibrant.

Tier-3 Wood-element Beast Core detected, the system chimed. Contains massive life energy. Extremely high value. System Alert: Symbiote will now refine and convert its energy to match Host's unique 'Mental Resonance' frequency.

Arthur pushed the box across the table toward Dax. His voice was thick with emotion. "Dax. This is a Tier-3 core. I nearly died getting it when I was young. It's the most valuable thing our family owns."

Tears welled up in the old man's eyes. "I know Cora's genetics are defective. She... she will have a very hard time giving you children. Please, take this as her dowry. Just... don't discard her. She deserves a husband who will stay."

Cora stared at the glowing crystal. Her chest tightened painfully. Her father was giving away his life savings to buy her safety. To bribe a male into staying with his defective daughter.

Dax stared at the crystal. His brain processed Arthur's words, but filtered them through his own massive misunderstanding.

He thought Arthur was apologizing because Cora was already pregnant with another man's cubs. He thought the old man was offering him this treasure to compensate him for being the "replacement father." To bribe him into raising another male's children.

A sharp pain sliced through Dax's heart. He hated the bastard who did this to them even more. But looking at the broken old man and the brave female beside him, his chest swelled with fierce devotion. He did not need bribes. His female was enough.

Dax stood up abruptly. He pushed the wooden box back across the table. His voice was low, rough, and absolute.

"Keep it. I don't need compensation. Cora is priceless. I don't care about her past. I only want her future. I am her husband. That is all the reward I need."

Arthur stared at the wooden box Dax had pushed back. The sheer conviction in the younger man's voice hit him like a physical blow. Fresh tears tracked through the dirt on his cheeks. He nodded frantically, his heart overflowing with gratitude. His daughter had found a male who truly understood devotion.

But Arthur was stubborn. He picked up the box and shoved it directly into Cora's hands. His tone left no room for argument. "No matter what, you keep this. For emergencies. A female must always have resources of her own."

Cora felt the heavy, pulsing warmth of the crystal against her palms. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, slipping the box into her pocket.

Arthur wiped his face with his sleeve. His expression shifted to serious concern. "Even though you signed a private contract, you must go to the Tribal Healer for official registration and a physical checkup. Your status as a claimed female must be recorded. "

He looked at Cora, his eyes scanning her pale face. "Your body has always been fragile. You spent a night in the freezing wasteland. Dr. Dorathy Clarke needs to make sure you didn't suffer any hidden damage."

The word checkup made Cora's stomach drop. Her pulse spiked. If a healer examined her, the triplets would be exposed instantly. And her lie about the ex-boyfriend would unravel.

Dax, however, nodded in immediate agreement. His brow furrowed in deep concern. "Arthur is right. You suffered a massive 'trauma' before I found you. You need to be examined. Your health is my responsibility now. "

Cora looked at Dax's deadly serious face. He was talking about the emotional and physical trauma of being abandoned by her "ex." She wanted to scream.

She tried to backpedal. "Honestly, I feel great. We don't need to bother the healer-"

Dax cut her off. His large hand clamped around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. His voice was gentle but brokered no argument. "Be good. We aren't taking chances with your health. If she finds anything wrong, I will fix it. That is my duty as your husband."

Cora was half-carried out of the hut, Arthur watching them leave with a relieved smile. His daughter had a strong male to care for her. It was all a father could ask for.

As they walked down the muddy street toward the clinic, the whispers started again. Mutants pointed from the shadows.

Dax's sharp ears caught the venomous words.

"Look at that useless defect. Can't believe she survived..."

"Must have spread her legs for that brute. She thinks she can act like a proper female just because she caught one male... "

Dax stopped dead. His ice-blue eyes darkened to the color of a freezing ocean. A wave of pure, suffocating killing intent exploded from his body, sweeping down the street like a physical shockwave. They dared to insult his female. They would die.

The gossiping mutants choked. Their faces turned ash-white as the air was sucked from their lungs. They clamped their hands over their mouths, terrified they were about to be slaughtered.

Cora tugged hard on his sleeve. "Ignore them. They're just cowards hiding behind a fence. They are beneath us. "

Dax wrapped his hand around hers, his grip tight enough to bruise. His voice was a low, lethal rumble. "If anyone in this settlement disrespects you again, I will rip their tongues out of their skulls. You are a female. They will kneel or they will bleed."

They stopped in front of a large, sturdy wooden cabin draped in dried vines. The pungent, bitter smell of medicinal herbs wafted through the door.

Dax pushed the door open. Inside, the walls were lined with clay pots and hanging roots. An older, stern-faced female owl-mutant wearing a necklace of animal bones was grinding herbs in a stone bowl. This was Dr. Dorathy Clarke, the settlement healer.

Dr. Clarke looked up. The stone pestle slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the table. Her jaw unhinged. "Cora? By the gods, you're alive!"

The curtain to the back room was violently thrown aside. A bouncy female rabbit-mutant sprinted out. It was Niamh, Dr. Clarke's apprentice and Cora's childhood best friend.

Niamh let out an ear-piercing shriek and tackled Cora into a bone-crushing hug. "You stupid girl! I thought you were dead!"

Cora hugged her back, a genuine smile breaking through her panic.

Niamh pulled away and finally noticed the towering, terrifying man standing next to her friend. She squeaked and dove behind her mentor's back.

Dr. Clarke swallowed hard. She forced herself to step forward, her eyes darting nervously to Dax. "And... who is this?"

Cora kept it brief. "This is my first husband, Dax. My contracted partner. My dad sent us for a registration and a checkup."

Dr. Clarke instantly switched to her professional healer persona. She nodded and pointed to a wooden cot covered in a clean animal skin. "Lie down. I'll use my Wood magic to scan your vitals. We must ensure the female is healthy. "

Cora dragged her feet to the cot. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her brain spun wildly, trying to invent a lie to explain the impossible pregnancy.

Dax stood right beside the cot. He crossed his massive arms over his chest, glaring at Dr. Clarke like a guard dog ready to rip her throat out if she made a mistake. No one harmed his female. Not even a healer.

Sweating under the intense pressure, Dr. Clarke took a deep breath. She held her palm a few inches above Cora's stomach. She closed her eyes, and a soft, pulsing green light ignited from her skin.