Arthur stared at the wooden box Dax had pushed back. The sheer conviction in the younger man's voice hit him like a physical blow. Fresh tears tracked through the dirt on his cheeks. He nodded frantically, his heart overflowing with gratitude. His daughter had found a male who truly understood devotion.
But Arthur was stubborn. He picked up the box and shoved it directly into Cora's hands. His tone left no room for argument. "No matter what, you keep this. For emergencies. A female must always have resources of her own."
Cora felt the heavy, pulsing warmth of the crystal against her palms. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, slipping the box into her pocket.
Arthur wiped his face with his sleeve. His expression shifted to serious concern. "Even though you signed a private contract, you must go to the Tribal Healer for official registration and a physical checkup. Your status as a claimed female must be recorded. "
He looked at Cora, his eyes scanning her pale face. "Your body has always been fragile. You spent a night in the freezing wasteland. Dr. Dorathy Clarke needs to make sure you didn't suffer any hidden damage."
The word checkup made Cora's stomach drop. Her pulse spiked. If a healer examined her, the triplets would be exposed instantly. And her lie about the ex-boyfriend would unravel.
Dax, however, nodded in immediate agreement. His brow furrowed in deep concern. "Arthur is right. You suffered a massive 'trauma' before I found you. You need to be examined. Your health is my responsibility now. "
Cora looked at Dax's deadly serious face. He was talking about the emotional and physical trauma of being abandoned by her "ex." She wanted to scream.
She tried to backpedal. "Honestly, I feel great. We don't need to bother the healer-"
Dax cut her off. His large hand clamped around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. His voice was gentle but brokered no argument. "Be good. We aren't taking chances with your health. If she finds anything wrong, I will fix it. That is my duty as your husband."
Cora was half-carried out of the hut, Arthur watching them leave with a relieved smile. His daughter had a strong male to care for her. It was all a father could ask for.
As they walked down the muddy street toward the clinic, the whispers started again. Mutants pointed from the shadows.
Dax's sharp ears caught the venomous words.
"Look at that useless defect. Can't believe she survived..."
"Must have spread her legs for that brute. She thinks she can act like a proper female just because she caught one male... "
Dax stopped dead. His ice-blue eyes darkened to the color of a freezing ocean. A wave of pure, suffocating killing intent exploded from his body, sweeping down the street like a physical shockwave. They dared to insult his female. They would die.
The gossiping mutants choked. Their faces turned ash-white as the air was sucked from their lungs. They clamped their hands over their mouths, terrified they were about to be slaughtered.
Cora tugged hard on his sleeve. "Ignore them. They're just cowards hiding behind a fence. They are beneath us. "
Dax wrapped his hand around hers, his grip tight enough to bruise. His voice was a low, lethal rumble. "If anyone in this settlement disrespects you again, I will rip their tongues out of their skulls. You are a female. They will kneel or they will bleed."
They stopped in front of a large, sturdy wooden cabin draped in dried vines. The pungent, bitter smell of medicinal herbs wafted through the door.
Dax pushed the door open. Inside, the walls were lined with clay pots and hanging roots. An older, stern-faced female owl-mutant wearing a necklace of animal bones was grinding herbs in a stone bowl. This was Dr. Dorathy Clarke, the settlement healer.
Dr. Clarke looked up. The stone pestle slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the table. Her jaw unhinged. "Cora? By the gods, you're alive!"
The curtain to the back room was violently thrown aside. A bouncy female rabbit-mutant sprinted out. It was Niamh, Dr. Clarke's apprentice and Cora's childhood best friend.
Niamh let out an ear-piercing shriek and tackled Cora into a bone-crushing hug. "You stupid girl! I thought you were dead!"
Cora hugged her back, a genuine smile breaking through her panic.
Niamh pulled away and finally noticed the towering, terrifying man standing next to her friend. She squeaked and dove behind her mentor's back.
Dr. Clarke swallowed hard. She forced herself to step forward, her eyes darting nervously to Dax. "And... who is this?"
Cora kept it brief. "This is my first husband, Dax. My contracted partner. My dad sent us for a registration and a checkup."
Dr. Clarke instantly switched to her professional healer persona. She nodded and pointed to a wooden cot covered in a clean animal skin. "Lie down. I'll use my Wood magic to scan your vitals. We must ensure the female is healthy. "
Cora dragged her feet to the cot. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her brain spun wildly, trying to invent a lie to explain the impossible pregnancy.
Dax stood right beside the cot. He crossed his massive arms over his chest, glaring at Dr. Clarke like a guard dog ready to rip her throat out if she made a mistake. No one harmed his female. Not even a healer.
Sweating under the intense pressure, Dr. Clarke took a deep breath. She held her palm a few inches above Cora's stomach. She closed her eyes, and a soft, pulsing green light ignited from her skin.
