Mei Lin marched through the mud with the focus of a woman on a mission, her heels—now hopelessly stained—sinking into the soft earth with every step. Behind her, Kael trailed like a confused, golden-eyed shadow. The rest of the Broken-Horn tribe watched from a safe distance, their whispers rippling through the air like dry leaves.
"Divine One," Kael rumbled, his voice vibrating with a hint of warning. "The river is outside our territory. It is not safe for someone as... small as you."
Mei Lin didn't stop until they reached a secluded bend in the river, where the water pooled in a clear, deep turquoise basin. She turned around, crossing her arms over her chest, and fixed the Alpha with a look that would have withered a seasoned CEO.
"Safety is a relative term, Kael. Right now, the greatest threat to my survival is the sheer amount of bacteria clinging to your pectorals," she said.
[Ding! System Reward: Basic Hygiene Kit (Rose & Cedarwood Edition) is ready for deployment. Would Host like to summon?]
Yes, obviously, Mei Lin thought.
With a soft shimmer of blue light that made Kael recoil and snarl, a sleek, white lacquered box appeared on a flat stone by the water's edge. It looked entirely alien in this primitive world, glowing with a soft, modern luminescence.
"What sorcery is this?" Kael demanded, his tufted tail lashing behind him, whipping the tall grass. He stepped in front of her, his massive body shielding her from the harmless box, his claws extending from his knuckles—thick, black, and lethal.
"It's not sorcery, it's hygiene," Mei Lin sighed, pushing past his arm. She felt the heat radiating off his bicep; it was like brushing against a sun-warmed boulder. "Now, get in the water. And take those furs off. They're beyond saving."
Kael froze. His rounded lion ears flicked back against his jet-black hair. "You... you wish to see me without my furs?"
Mei Lin rolled her eyes, though her heart gave a traitorous little skip at the thought. "Don't be modest. I've seen enough fitness magazines to know what's under there. I'm an interior designer, Kael. I deal with foundations. Yours happen to be covered in half an inch of river silt."
Kael grumbled something guttural—likely a lion-beastman curse—but he didn't refuse. There was something in the way she commanded him, a total lack of fear that both irritated and intoxicated him. He reached for the crude leather cord at his waist. With one swift tug, the heavy furs dropped to the mud.
Mei Lin's breath hitched. She had seen the "Seductiveness 92" rating, but the reality was... a lot.
Without the furs, Kael was a masterpiece of biological engineering. His shoulders were impossibly wide, tapering down to a narrow waist and hips that promised incredible power. His thighs were thick with corded muscle, and his skin—a flawless, deep bronze—was mapped with a few silver battle scars that only added to his rugged appeal. Even the way he stood, slightly hunched like a predator ready to pounce, sent a thrill of raw, primal heat straight to her core.
System, remind me again why I'm complaining?
[Reminder: Host is 'Allergic to Ugly.' Host's standards are the catalyst for Tribe Evolution.]
"Right," she whispered, shaking herself out of her daze. "Into the water. Now."
Kael waded into the river, the cool water swirling around his waist. He looked back at her, his amber eyes hooded. "Satisfied, Divine One?"
"Not even close," Mei Lin replied. She picked up the white box and a plush, oversized towel. She kicked off her ruined shoes and waded in after him. The water was cold, but the heat coming off Kael made the air around him feel like a sauna.
When she reached him, she opened the kit. She took out a bottle of foaming wash—Rose and Cedarwood. The scent was divine, immediately cutting through the heavy musk of the beast world.
"Turn around," she commanded.
Kael obeyed, his back a vast expanse of shifting muscle. Mei Lin poured a generous amount of the gel onto a sponge and reached out. The moment her hand touched the small of his back, Kael let out a sound that was half-hiss, half-groan. His entire body jerked, his muscles snapping taut under her palms.
"You are... very warm," she murmured, her voice losing its sharp edge.
"I am a lion," he growled, though it sounded more like a vibration than a threat. "Our blood burns hot."
Mei Lin began to scrub. She worked the lather over the broad planes of his back, her fingers tracing the deep groove of his spine. She could feel the raw power humming beneath his skin, the way his muscles rippled and twitched under her touch. She moved to his shoulders, kneading the tension out of the thick traps.
Kael's head fell forward, a low, rumbling purr starting deep in his chest—a sound so deep it made the water around them vibrate.
"Does the Alpha like being groomed?" she teased, leaning in closer. Her chest brushed against his back, her soft curves meeting his unyielding hardness.
Kael spun around so fast the water splashed up between them. He grabbed her wrists, his grip firm but not painful. His eyes were no longer just suspicious; they were dark with a sudden, localized storm of desire. The scent of the rose-soap mixed with his natural musk, creating an aphrodisiac that made Mei Lin's head spin.
"No female has ever touched me like this," he whispered, his face inches from hers. "They tremble. They offer themselves for the sake of the tribe. But you... you look at me like I am something you own."
Mei Lin smiled, her thumb brushing against the pulse point in his wrist. "Maybe I do, Kael. The System says I'm here to save you. And I take my projects very seriously."
She reached up, her wet fingers sliding into his hair, slicking the black manes back from his forehead. She carefully moved to his ears, rubbing the soft fur at the base. Kael's eyes fluttered shut, a ragged breath escaping his lips. He leaned into her hand, his tail breaching the surface of the water to curl around her calf, pulling her an inch closer.
"You are a dangerous female," he rasped.
[Ding! Kael's Interest Level: 60%. Tension Level: High.][System Note: Host is advised to maintain focus. The 'Grand Stone Manor' requires a completed bond. Physical intimacy is a 500% multiplier for Point Acquisition.]
Mei Lin felt a throb of heat between her thighs. She could feel the hardness of him through the water, a heavy, insistent weight pressing against her hip. The urge to reach down, to find out if the Alpha's "S-Rank" potential translated to everything, was nearly overwhelming.
But she remembered the rules. She had to build the kingdom first. She had to make him earn it.
"I'm just getting started," Mei Lin whispered, her lips ghosting over the shell of his ear. She felt him shiver, a violent tremor that went from his head to his toes.
She pulled back, splashing a handful of water over his sudsy chest, watching the bubbles slide down over his abs and disappear into the darker water below.
"Clean," she pronounced, her voice slightly breathless. "You're lucky you're handsome, Kael. Because if you weren't, I'd have left you in the mud."
Kael watched her as she waded back to the shore, his eyes fixed on the way her wet jumpsuit clung to her rear. He had never felt a hunger like this—not for meat, not for territory. He wanted to hunt her. He wanted to pin her to the soft grass and find out if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
As Mei Lin reached the bank, she looked back over her shoulder, a playful, wicked glint in her eyes.
"Don't just stand there, Alpha. We have a tribe to rebuild. And I believe the System just notified me that your scouts found something... or someone... interesting in the north woods."
[System Notification: New Target Detected. Species: Silver Wolf. Seductiveness Rating: 88. Position: 200 meters and approaching fast.]
Mei Lin grinned. A lion and a wolf? This kingdom is going to be spectacular.