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.

The soft green light of Dr. Clarke's Wood magic swirled over Cora's stomach.

Suddenly, the healer's face froze. The color drained completely from her cheeks.

Her eyes snapped open, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She stared at Cora's abdomen as if a monster was about to burst out of it. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped down her nose.

Dax saw the terror on the healer's face. His instincts flared. He lunged forward, grabbing Dr. Clarke by the collar of her tunic and lifting her off her feet. His voice was a terrifying, icy snarl. "What is it? Is she hurt?! Tell me now! "

Dr. Clarke gasped for air, her hands clawing at Dax's iron grip. "No! Not hurt! It's... it's life!"

Dax dropped her. Dr. Clarke collapsed against the wooden table, pointing a shaking finger at Cora's stomach. Her voice cracked hysterically. "She's pregnant! And... and there are three incredibly powerful life forces in there! Three cubs! "

Niamh slapped both hands over her mouth, a muffled scream escaping her lips. "Goddess! Cora, you're pregnant?!"

Dax already "knew" this. But hearing the official confirmation sent a fresh wave of agony through his chest. His female was carrying another male's cubs. And yet he would protect them as his own. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles popped. He glared at the floor, fighting the urge to destroy something.

Cora lay stiff on the cot. She covered her face with both hands, burning with humiliation. She screamed at the system in her head to make her disappear.

But Dr. Clarke wasn't done. "I need to check the father's energy signature through the Beast Mark to determine the cubs' growth rate," she stammered. She closed her eyes again, her hands trembling as she reached out to sense the energy pulsing from the faint blue fox-tail tattoo on Cora's collarbone.

A second later, she yanked her hands back as if she had plunged them into boiling water. The absolute, terrifying suppression of a Tier-9 apex predator violently lashed out from the mark, slamming into her senses. She stumbled backward, crashing into a shelf. Clay pots shattered on the floor, scattering dried herbs everywhere.

"Impossible... this is impossible!" Dr. Clarke muttered, her eyes wide with absolute despair and sheer terror as she looked up at Dax.

Dax grabbed the healer by the shoulders, shaking her violently. "What is wrong?! Tell me!"

Dr. Clarke looked up at Dax, her teeth chattering. "Your energy... the Beast Mark! You are a Tier-9 mutant! An apex warlord! And you have submitted to her as her first husband!" she gasped, the revelation shattering the fragile peace of the room. Her eyes darted back to Cora in horror, completely misunderstanding the situation as she sensed the resonance. "And the cubs... they are drawing on his Tier-9 anchor to survive! Their innate energy levels are terrifyingly high. They are high-tier mutants! They will kill a defective mother! "

The clinic fell into a dead, suffocating silence. Even Niamh stopped breathing.

In the wasteland, the laws of biology were absolute. A mother's energy had to match her cubs. If a low-tier female carried high-tier cubs, it was a death sentence. She was carrying three ticking time bombs.

Dr. Clarke turned to Cora. Her eyes were filled with pity and profound grief. "Cora... your genetic defect is too severe. Your body cannot provide the massive amount of energy they need to grow."

She swallowed hard. "In less than a month, those high-tier cubs will drain your life force completely. The energy backlash will cause you to... explode. You will die. Your first husband's power is too great for your body to support. "

Even though Cora knew the system would keep her alive, hearing the words explode and die sent a violent shiver down her spine. Her stomach cramped in fear.

Dax heard the death sentence.

His brain snapped.

A guttural, demonic roar ripped from his throat. His eyes flashed a blinding, glowing red. The sheer, unadulterated fury of a Tier-9 apex predator exploded from his body. His female was dying because of his power. His strength was killing her.

The wooden window shutters blew outward, shattering into splinters. The remaining clay pots exploded into dust. The crushing pressure forced Dr. Clarke and Niamh to their knees, pinning them to the floor as they gasped for air.

"I will not let her die!" Dax roared, his voice shaking the foundation of the cabin. "She is my female! My purpose! I will find a way!"

He spun around and dropped to his knees beside the cot. He dragged Cora into his chest, wrapping his massive arms around her. He held her so tight her ribs ached, burying his face in her neck. His massive body was trembling violently. He was terrified. He had finally found a female to serve, and he was going to lose her.

Cora gasped for breath against his chest. She lifted her hands and wrapped them around his broad back. "Dax, stop. Calm down. I'm not going to die. Trust me. Your female commands you to calm yourself. "

Dax took a ragged, shuddering breath. He forced the violent energy back into his core, his eyes still burning red as he glared down at Dr. Clarke. "How do we save her? Tell me the price. I will pay it. I will tear the world apart. "

Dr. Clarke wiped the sweat from her eyes, struggling to speak under the lingering pressure. "The only way... is to forcefully raise Cora's energy tier before the cubs form. She needs to reach at least Tier-2 to survive the drain. She must become strong enough to wield the power her husband has given her. "

She shook her head in despair. "But it's impossible. Her defect makes absorbing cores incredibly slow. We don't have the time-"

A flash of absolute, manic determination crossed Dax's face.

He reached into Cora's pocket and yanked out the wooden box Arthur had given them. He flipped the lid open. The Tier-3 Wood core pulsed with green light.

Dax grabbed the crystal in his fist. He looked down at Cora, his voice hard as steel. "Then we upgrade you right now. I will force it into your veins myself. You will not die. I refuse to lose my female."