My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 140: A Promise and a Warning

"Claire, you're my mate. I'm your beast mate. Of course, I go wherever you go. Did you think I wouldn't want to come?"

"Of course not!" Claire said quickly. "I was just worried you couldn't leave your home. You've lived here your whole life."

Marcus shrugged it off with a sunny grin, his eyes full of hope.

"Then, let's spend the next decades together. Wherever you go. Through everything."

Goosebumps rippled across Claire's skin. Not the cheesy kind. The deeply moved kind.

A mate she'd bonded with by accident, and he felt this strongly.

Claire wiped a smear of grease from the corner of his mouth.

"Deal. From now on, I'm your eyes. We don't leave each other's side."

...

Days passed. Winter's fury intensified. Claire was experiencing Beast World's brutal cold for the first time.

No wonder beastfolk lived short lives. Weather like this could kill in droves.

But Claire was comfortable. She was burrowed in bed, swaddled in layers of fur, cheeks pink from the warmth.

Marcus had sealed every crack in the stone walls with mud.

A fire pit crackled in the center of the room, surrounded by a makeshift stone hearth that doubled as a sweet potato and potato roaster. The smell of roasting tubers mingled with the sound of wind howling outside.

It was ridiculously cozy.

With the due date approaching, Marcus was practically glued to her. Every minute, every second.

He even followed her to the bathroom.

Claire teased him.

"This nervous? Afraid I'll run away?"

Marcus shook his head. His eyes were rimmed with red, his face soft with worry.

"Claire, you don't have to give me any more beastlings after this. Just this once, okay?"

Claire's heart clenched. But she wasn't worried about the birth.

The due date was close, and all she felt was the anticipation of being done—and the excitement about the system rewards.

Her first litter had been fathered by the Level 2 Zane when she was Level 0. The second, by the Level 2 Rufus when she was still Level 0. Both had shown clear improvement in quality and quantity.

This time, she was Level 2, and Marcus was Level 3. The offspring should be the best yet.

Better beastlings meant better rewards. If she got weapons, ammunition, or something to replenish her firepower—that would be ideal.

But what she wanted most was a cure for Marcus's eyes.

She'd thought hard about it. Elodie—the rabbit clan's healer who'd died protecting her—had taught her about a plant called evening primrose, drawn on the fur scroll she'd left behind. It was the most well-known herb for treating blindness.

She'd scoured every stall in Grimstone. No one sold evening primrose. No one had even heard of it.

Elodie had been more knowledgeable than any healer in Grimstone. Her background must have been extraordinary.

Evening primrose was out of reach for now. Her only hope was the system rewards.

With that thought, anticipation swelled.

She was still daydreaming when a voice called from outside the courtyard.

"Is this the young lord's residence? I have urgent news."

Marcus was nestled beside Claire, his head tucked against her neck, his eyes closed.

Claire patted his cheek.

"Someone's at the door. Aren't you going to check?"

"Nah. I don't handle business, and I haven't caused any trouble lately. Nothing is more important than you, Claire."

Marcus pouted like a child, arms tightening around her.

But the visitor was persistent, raising his voice.

"Mr. Holland! It's about Bertie! It's urgent! If you don't come now, Bertie is in danger!"

Marcus's eyes snapped open. He stayed put, but his ears went vertical, tracking every sound outside—like a guard dog on high alert.

Claire urged him.

"Go! What if Bertie really is in trouble?"

Marcus hadn't stopped searching for Bertie these past weeks, but the man had vanished without a trace.

Bertie was family to him. Hearing his name now, Marcus's heart was pounding.

But he was still hesitating.

"Claire, will you be okay alone? You're more important than anyone."

"I'm not made of glass. Go."

Claire reassured him. When he still wavered, she leaned close and whispered in his ear.