The air inside the Divine Nest was still thick with the scent of crushed roses and the heavy, electric musk of an Alpha on the verge of claiming his mate. Mei Lin's skin felt two sizes too small for her body, every nerve ending vibrating from the ghost of Kael's touch.
Then, another howl ripped through the night—long, melodic, and ending with a cheeky, yapping finish that sounded far too much like a laugh.
Kael let out a sound that wasn't human or beast, but something primally lethal. He surged off the bed, his shadow stretching long and monstrous across the stone walls as he reached for the heavy wooden door.
"Kael, stop!" Mei Lin scrambled up, catching him by the arm. His bicep felt like a thick branch of iron, pulsating with the need to hunt. "If you go out there now, you'll kill him. And I am not losing a high-tier laborer because you can't control your temper."
Kael looked down at her, his eyes glowing like twin hearth-fires in the dim light. "He mocks us, Mei Lin. He mocks me. A rogue does not howl in the heart of another's territory unless he is challenging the Alpha's right to his female."
Mei Lin stepped in front of him, placing both hands on his broad, heaving chest. "He's a nuisance, not a challenger. Stay here. Cool down. If I'm going to be the 'Divine Mother' of this tribe, I need to be the one to handle the noise complaints. Besides..." She reached up, trailing a finger over his bottom lip, which was still swollen from their kiss. "I haven't forgotten where we left off. But I can't concentrate with that mutt yapping."
Kael's tail gave one violent lash against the stone floor, but he slowly let out a jagged breath. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers, his scent wrapping around her like a heavy velvet cloak. "Do not let him touch you. If I smell his silver fur on your skin, I will not be able to stop myself."
"I can handle a wolf, Kael," she whispered, though the heat in his gaze made her knees feel dangerously weak.
She turned and slipped out of the hut, the cool night air hitting her flushed skin like a bucket of ice water. The village was dark, the other beastmen huddled in their drafty hovels, likely terrified by the Alpha's rage. Mei Lin followed the sound of the intermittent, playful howling toward the "secure" hut near the edge of the clearing.
It wasn't much of a jail. It was a circular pit dug into the earth with a thatched roof held up by four shaky poles. Fenris was sitting on the edge of the dirt floor, his silver hair shimmering like moonlight against the dark soil. His bandages were slightly frayed, and he was currently leaning back on his elbows, looking up at the stars.
"You have a lovely voice, Fenris," Mei Lin said, her voice cutting through the quiet. "Truly. It's a shame I'm going to have to pull your tongue out if you don't shut up."
Fenris didn't startle. He slowly turned his head, his crystalline blue eyes bright with a wicked, knowing light. He looked her up and down, taking in her disheveled hair and the slight flush still blooming on her collarbone.
"Ah, the Goddess returns," Fenris purred, his voice like velvet dragged over gravel. "I thought for sure the big cat would have tucked you away under his heavy paws by now. You look... frustrated, sweetness."
Mei Lin marched up to the edge of the pit, looking down at him. "I am busy rebuilding a kingdom. You are currently an injured guest who is one yelp away from becoming a rug. Why are you making so much noise?"
Fenris shifted, a small wince crossing his face as his side pulled, but his smirk didn't waver. "The moon is high, and the air is lonely. A wolf likes to be heard. Especially when he knows there's such a beautiful audience nearby." He reached up, tucking a strand of silver hair behind a pointed ear. "Besides, I figured the Alpha needed a reminder that he isn't the only predator in the woods. He's a bit... stifling, isn't he? All growls and no games."
"He's protective," Mei Lin snapped, though she felt the persistent thrum of the System in the back of her mind.
[System Note: Tension detected. Fenris's Seductiveness Rating is exerting a passive 'Charm' aura. Host is advised to remain professional... or not. Triple points are still on the table.]
"Come closer, Goddess," Fenris whispered, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial tone. He held out a hand, his long, elegant fingers gesturing toward the bandages. "My side is burning. Perhaps your 'divine touch' is the only thing that can soothe a rogue's fever."
Mei Lin knew he was baiting her. She knew he was a 70% interest-level rogue who lived for the thrill of the chase. But as an interior designer, she was also a perfectionist, and the sight of those messy, blood-stained bandages was an affront to her order.
She hopped down into the shallow pit, the scent of pine and wild earth rising to meet her.
"If you're lying just to get me close, Fenris, I'll use the next bandage to gag you," she threatened, though she was already reaching into her pocket for a fresh antiseptic wipe.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he lied, his eyes fixed on her mouth.
Mei Lin knelt between his outstretched legs, the proximity immediately turning the air thick. While Kael was a mountain of solid, unyielding heat, Fenris was like a live wire—lean, vibrating with a nervous, playful energy. As she began to unwrap the gauze, his hand came up, not to grab her, but to gently brush the tips of his fingers against the zipper of her jumpsuit.
"This is a strange skin you wear," he murmured, his blue eyes searching hers. "So smooth. So tight. Does it keep the heat in, or is it just to drive us mad?"
"It's fashion, Fenris. Not that you'd know anything about that in your leather loincloth," she muttered, though her hands trembled slightly as she cleaned the wound.
Fenris hissed as the antiseptic hit his skin, but instead of pulling away, he leaned into her. He caught her hand, his fingers sliding between hers, and before she could protest, he brought her index finger to his lips. He didn't bite; he simply swirled his tongue around the tip, his eyes locked onto hers with a devastating, focused intensity.
The sensation sent a jolt of pure electricity straight to Mei Lin's core. It wasn't the dominant claim of Kael; it was a clever, teasing seduction that promised a very different kind of pleasure.
"You taste of the big cat," Fenris whispered against her skin, his breath hot and smelling of mint. "But beneath that... there's a wildness. A hunger that a lion can't satisfy. Lions want to rule, sweetness. Wolves? We just want to play."
He let her finger go, but his hand slid up her arm, his thumb tracing the sensitive skin of her inner elbow. Mei Lin felt her breath hitch. She was a modern woman, a picky woman, but she was currently sandwiched between two of the most beautiful creatures she'd ever seen, and her body was screaming for a resolution the System was more than happy to facilitate.
[Ding! Connection with Fenris Strengthening. Interest Level: 75%.][Reward Unlocked: 'Privacy Ward' (Soundproofing) Blueprint. Would Host like to install?]
Yes, Mei Lin thought, her head spinning. Install it everywhere.
She pulled back, her heart racing as she finished the bandage with a sharp tug. "You're fine, Fenris. Now, go to sleep. If I hear one more howl out of you, I'm letting Kael have his way with your throat."
Fenris laughed, a soft, musical sound that echoed in the small pit. He leaned back, his silver tail curling contentedly around his ankles. "Oh, I think I've said enough for one night. I've planted the seed, haven't I? You'll be thinking of the wolf while the lion is roaring in your ear."
Mei Lin didn't answer. She climbed out of the pit, her skin tingling where he had touched her. She looked back one last time, seeing him watching her with that crystalline, blue-eyed hunger.
As she walked back toward the stone hut, a shimmering golden light swept over the village. The 'Privacy Ward' was settling in, a silent, invisible dome that would ensure that whatever happened behind closed doors stayed there.
She reached Kael's door and paused. Her body was a battlefield of competing desires—the stoic, powerful Alpha waiting inside, and the silver-tongued rogue she'd just left behind.
Mei Lin smiled, a slow, dangerous expression. Rebuilding this tribe was going to be the most exhausting, raunchy, and satisfying project of her life.
She pushed open the door. Kael was standing exactly where she had left him, his muscles coiled like a spring.
"Is the wolf silent?" he growled.
"He is," Mei Lin said, closing the door.