My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 15: Beast God

Claire kept muttering to herself under her breath.

Beside her, Zane quietly held on to every word she said.

"Eat this! Careful, it's hot."

She slid most of the ribs onto a broad leaf in front of him, keeping only two for herself.

The ribs were thick and juicy, the flavor surprisingly close to the pork she remembered from her old world.

To Claire, it was just barely passable, but for Zane, this was the first time he'd ever tasted meat this tender; his mouth filled with rich, savory juices that completely blew his mind.

"This is amazing, Claire. How did you even know you could cook meat like this?"

He asked without thinking, but Claire still stiffened for a second before covering it with a joke.

"What if I told you the Beast God whispered the recipe to me?" she teased.

Zane lifted his head, studying her with those steady brown eyes, and answered without a hint of doubt.

"You're my mate. Of course, I'd believe you. The Beast God favors you because you're amazing."

In his eyes, she was kind and pure; even with hardship stacked against her, she almost never broke down, always forcing herself forward with stubborn optimism.

It was a shame life had never been gentle with her.

First, she lost her mother; then, her father died, and on top of that, her own clan kept pushing her around.

Only Zane truly understood how much she'd already suffered.

Before, he hadn't even dared dream of bonding with her; now that he had, he planned to spend the rest of his life standing between her and the world.

That night, Claire ended up drenched in sweat, and Zane carried her to a hidden bend in the river to wash up.

While she rinsed off, Claire was already planning ahead—she really needed to figure out a way to make a proper bathtub, or bathing was going to stay a huge hassle.

Her arms were so sore she could barely lift them; she just scrubbed herself down in a hurry and slipped into the fresh fur tunic Zane had brought.

"I traded beast meat for this with the others. It's brand new," Zane explained.

Claire nodded.

Her old fur tunic had turned grimy, and since she didn't have anything else to wear, she'd just been putting up with it.

The new one was soft and warm against her skin, and even if the style was boring, it felt a hundred times better.

"Thanks, Zane. Are you going to bathe, too? I can keep watch for you," she offered.

"No need. I'll take you back first and wash later," he said.

Claire was exhausted and half-asleep; the moment she curled up in Zane's solid, warm arms, she was out.

He carried her back to the cave with steady steps, careful not to jostle his little fox.

Zane laid her down on the pile of dried hay, pulled a fur over her, then turned and walked out of the cave—not toward the river, but straight toward the dense cluster of caves at the center of the cliff.

Moments later, he stood outside Mona's cave.

From inside came Mona's pained whining, laced with curses aimed at her beast mates.

"This is all your fault! You're useless—letting another female walk all over me! I don't care what you do; you'd better get my dignity back. That shameless Claire has to pay!"

"But she's still a female. Mona, Ms. Palmer said that if you change the bandages every day, it'll heal in a month."

"Idiots! Then, go after Claire's beast mate!"

She ranted on and on, venting her frustration at the two males like they were punching bags.

The two beast mates exchanged a look, instantly understanding each other's thoughts.

Zane was one of the strongest fighters in the fox clan; even together, they didn't stand a chance against him.

Last time, Fiona's five beast mates had ganged up on him, and even back then—when Zane was still Level 0—they hadn't managed to bring him down.

Now that he'd somehow advanced to Level 1, their odds had dropped to exactly zero.

Still, in front of their own female, they had to protect their pride.

"Don't worry, Mona. Give me a chance, and I'll teach Zane a lesson for you."

"That's more like it," she huffed.

Mona finally calmed down a little and, after a long round of coaxing, drifted off to sleep.

Her two mates stepped out one after the other—only to freeze when they spotted a tall, pale figure waiting outside.

Zane's eyes were icy; with a small jerk of his chin, he signaled for them to follow.

They didn't dare refuse.

...

The next morning, Claire woke from a deep sleep.

Zane was holding her close, and there were a few faint drops of clear liquid on his bare chest.

Claire wiped the corner of her mouth and immediately slapped a hand over it.

Mortifying.

She'd drooled in her sleep.

Before Zane could wake up, she hurried to rub his chest dry with her hand.

"Did last night still not wear you out?" Zane's voice came out low and rough.

He looked at her with amused eyes, clearly having caught her sneaky little movements.

"Enough, enough! It was already way too much," Claire blurted, cheeks flushing.

She jumped to her feet to cover her embarrassment.

The morning wind outside the cave hit her in a sharp gust, making her shiver from head to toe.

"So cold," she muttered.

She rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms.

Yesterday had been hot enough to make her sweat through her clothes, and today there was already a bite in the air. The weather in the Beast World made no sense.

"The cold season's almost here."

Zane stepped up and draped a thicker fur cloak over her shoulders.

Claire nodded.

"Then, we'd better hurry and stock up on food," she said.

Once the cold season hit, heavy snow would blanket everything, and every beastfolk in the clan would be trapped in their caves, surviving on whatever they'd managed to gather.