The heavy wooden gates groaned as they were pulled open.
Cora kept her spine straight, her hand locked in Dax's, as they stepped into the Hickman Settlement.
The place was a miserable collection of low stone huts and patched animal-skin tents. The air smelled of wet dirt, bitter herbs, and desperation.
The rabbit-mutants working in the muddy streets stopped dead in their tracks. They stared at Cora as if she were a ghost. She was the weakest female in the settlement, a genetic failure who was supposed to be a frozen corpse by now. Yet here she walked, head high, with a Tier-9 male at her heel like a trained beast.
Then, their eyes shifted to the man beside her.
Dax's presence was suffocating. The apex predator pheromones rolling off his body made the weaker herbivores physically tremble. Mothers pulled their children into tents. Men backed away, lowering their eyes in submission. They recognized the hierarchy immediately. This male belonged to Cora. And he would kill anyone who forgot it.
Dax ignored them. His ice-blue eyes scanned the face of every adult male they passed, searching for the bastard who had broken Cora's heart. His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek. Where was the coward who had abandoned his female?
Cora felt the lethal tension radiating from his arm. She squeezed his fingers. "Relax. Take me to my father first. He must see that I am well. "
They navigated the winding dirt paths until they reached a slightly larger stone hut near the center of the settlement. Before Cora could knock, the wooden door flew open.
A middle-aged rabbit-mutant with graying hair and deep bags under his eyes stumbled out. It was Arthur Hickman.
Arthur saw Cora standing there, perfectly whole. Tears instantly spilled over his wrinkled cheeks. His body shook violently as he lunged forward. "Cora! My sweet girl! You're alive!"
Cora caught him as he threw his arms around her. The residual emotions of the original body surged in her chest, making her throat ache. She patted his shaking back. "I'm home, Dad."
Arthur pulled back, wiping his face. That was when he finally noticed the towering wall of muscle standing right behind his daughter.
The older man gasped and stumbled backward, instinctively shoving Cora behind his body. A father's instinct to protect his daughter from a dangerous male. He stared at Dax with wide, terrified eyes. "Who... who is this?"
Cora stepped out from behind her father. She gestured to Dax. "Dad, this is Dax William. My first husband. He saved me in the wasteland. We've signed a Beast Mark Contract."
Arthur's eyes bulged. He could feel the terrifying, crushing weight of the man's power. This was a monster that their entire settlement couldn't scratch. And his daughter had tamed him.
He stammered, his voice shaking. "A... a Beast Mark Contract? Are you sure? He's..."
Dax stepped forward. He bowed his head slightly, pulling his lethal aura back into his body. He showed respect to his female's father. This was the proper way. His voice was deep and respectful, but firm as iron. "Arthur. I am your daughter's first husband. I will protect her with my life. I will serve her until death. "
Arthur looked at the absolute conviction burning in Dax's eyes. He glanced at the faint blue fox-tail tattoo peeking out from Cora's collar. The terror in his chest slowly melted into overwhelming relief. His defective daughter had somehow claimed a Tier-9 male. It was a miracle.
He let out a long, shuddering breath and wiped his eyes again. "Good. Good. As long as you keep her safe, I can die in peace."
Arthur quickly ushered them into the cramped stone hut. A small fire crackled in the hearth. He rushed around, pouring hot water into clay cups, his hands still trembling with joy.
Suddenly, Arthur stopped. He walked over to his cot and pulled a battered wooden box from underneath it. It was wrapped in layers of dirty animal skin.
He walked back to the table and opened the box with shaking hands.
Inside lay a single, glowing green crystal. The energy pulsing from it was pure and vibrant.
Tier-3 Wood-element Beast Core detected, the system chimed. Contains massive life energy. Extremely high value. System Alert: Symbiote will now refine and convert its energy to match Host's unique 'Mental Resonance' frequency.
Arthur pushed the box across the table toward Dax. His voice was thick with emotion. "Dax. This is a Tier-3 core. I nearly died getting it when I was young. It's the most valuable thing our family owns."
Tears welled up in the old man's eyes. "I know Cora's genetics are defective. She... she will have a very hard time giving you children. Please, take this as her dowry. Just... don't discard her. She deserves a husband who will stay."
Cora stared at the glowing crystal. Her chest tightened painfully. Her father was giving away his life savings to buy her safety. To bribe a male into staying with his defective daughter.
Dax stared at the crystal. His brain processed Arthur's words, but filtered them through his own massive misunderstanding.
He thought Arthur was apologizing because Cora was already pregnant with another man's cubs. He thought the old man was offering him this treasure to compensate him for being the "replacement father." To bribe him into raising another male's children.
A sharp pain sliced through Dax's heart. He hated the bastard who did this to them even more. But looking at the broken old man and the brave female beside him, his chest swelled with fierce devotion. He did not need bribes. His female was enough.
Dax stood up abruptly. He pushed the wooden box back across the table. His voice was low, rough, and absolute.
"Keep it. I don't need compensation. Cora is priceless. I don't care about her past. I only want her future. I am her husband. That is all the reward I need."
