My Beastly Fertility System Chapter 81: The Price of Power

This vast limestone cave was a paradise to the rogue beastfolk, a place of indulgence and pleasure. To the captured females, it was a living hell with no way out.

Claire hated her own helplessness. She couldn't even save herself, let alone anyone else. Without Zane and Rufus, she was nothing.

For the first time, she felt a desperate hunger for power.

"Pome, does the Pomella Fertility System have any rewards that can help a female level up?"

"Yes, Master. It does."

"Good."

She had to live. No matter what, she had to live.

While she was lost in thought, someone called her out.

"You. Come with me."

It was a crocodile beastfolk, the second-in-command of the rogue beastfolk.

Claire followed quietly.

He led her along a narrow path carved into the cave wall, winding upward. Claire pressed herself tightly against the rock, not daring to glance at the empty drop beside her. She had no idea where she was being taken.

By the time her legs were trembling, the crocodile beastfolk finally stopped.

"Boss, she's here."

"Okay."

From within the largest cave ahead came Jeffrey's deep, magnetic voice.

The crocodile beastfolk shoved Claire inside and left.

The cave was about ten feet high and just as wide at its broadest point. It stretched far into darkness, the end nowhere in sight.

Claire hesitated at the entrance.

"Are you coming in or not?"

Jeffrey's impatient voice carried a chill.

Claire had no choice but to move forward slowly, feeling her way in the dark.

Cold, uneven rock walls. Wet, slick stalagmites rising from the ground, water dripping steadily.

Then—what was that?

Smooth. Cold. Moving.

Claire jerked her hand back. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she finally saw it. It was Jeffrey's massive snake body.

"So? Female? You weren't afraid of me before. Now that you've seen what happens to the others, you finally understand fear?"

Inside the wide circular chamber, several torches flickered along the walls. In the dim light, Claire could see him clearly.

His enormous serpent body coiled layer upon layer, his head resting at the center. His green eyes glowed as they fixed on her.

Claire swallowed hard. This cobra was far larger than anything she had ever seen in a movie. The cave reeked of cold earth and something damp and reptilian, sending a chill down her spine.

"Female, take a good look. Compared to your two beast mates, am I not the superior choice? In looks, in strength, I surpass them completely."

His voice softened, coaxing. "Forget them. Bond with me. Become my queen."

Claire's lips twitched. Not wanting to provoke him, she lowered her head slightly.

"You said you already lost your first time. How would bonding even work now?"

A male beastfolk could only leave his mark during his first mating with a female. That was how bonding was formed. Females had no such restriction.

Jeffrey let out a satisfied laugh. "So you remembered everything I said. But those words were meant for Fiona. They weren't true."

"And what you're telling me now is true?"

"Of course. You're the most beautiful female I've ever seen."

He wasn't exaggerating. The rogue beastfolk had raided many clans, yet none of the females had ever appealed to him.

Claire imagined that cold, coiling body wrapping around her and felt her chest tighten.

"But I'm pregnant. I'm carrying younglings. I can't bond with you."

Jeffrey's head lowered toward her. His tail curled around her body, holding her in place. His forked tongue flicked out, brushing across her face.

"It doesn't matter. They're just unborn younglings. Tear them out, and you'll go into heat immediately. Then you can bond with me."

Claire had been struggling to hold back the creeping terror from his touch. The moment she heard that, something in her snapped. She bristled like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

She bit down on the snake's tongue. Her eyes burned as she stared straight into his slit pupils.

"You're asking to die!"

Jeffrey flew into a rage. With a sweep of his tail, he sent Claire crashing into the wall.

Pain exploded across her back. Claire forced down the metallic taste rising in her throat. Even her voice shifted, sharp and resolute.

"If you lay a hand on the babies inside me, I'll kill you even if it costs me my life. I may be just a female, but even a rabbit will bite when it's cornered. You're not getting a thing from me."

She couldn't let him even consider harming them.

Still, the beastfolk before her was cold-blooded, unpredictable.

Claire was gambling, betting he wouldn't give up his prized catch over a litter of younglings.

Jeffrey shifted into human form. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze turning darker.

"Female, you'll regret this. When the time comes, you'll kneel and beg me to bond with you."