Sinek choked up, unable to speak, and held Zoey tightly.
For hundreds of years on this beast continent, no beast had ever treated him this well—not even his deceased family.
Zoey had never seen this emotional side of Sinek. Being held by him, she felt a sense of relief and joy as if something lost had been found.
After a moment, Zoey gently patted Sinek. He still had injuries that needed dressing.
"All right, let's go back first. Later, we'll call the healer to treat your wounds."
Sinek obediently nodded and carried Zoey forward.
"Sinek, put me down!"
"You're hurt. You don't need to carry me. I can walk myself."
Sinek smiled and looked down at Zoey in his arms.
"Your injuries aren't serious. I'm strong right now, so just let me carry you."
Hearing a hint of playfulness in his voice, Zoey stared at the male holding her.
This tone almost made her think of the sentimental Fykes.
"All right, let's hurry back. Remember to call the healer to treat your wounds."
Zoey stopped resisting and nestled in his arms. Sinek enjoyed it, his green eyes shining brighter.
On the way there, Zoey hadn't seen the snake tribe males, but on the way back, many were waiting.
They all stared at their chief with happy expressions as he emerged from the forest holding a female in white.
Though her face wasn't visible, her figure showed she was a high-level, beautiful female.
"You're busy!"
"This fire is done well!"
"That stone bowl looks good!"
For the first time, Sinek smiled while greeting several high-level beasts along the way.
The high-level males were stunned. They had never seen him greet them with a smile.
As males, they froze and forgot to respond.
By the time they reacted, Sinek had carried the female far ahead.
Together, they extinguished the newly lit fire and followed Sinek to his cave.
Some high-level beasts noticed Sinek was injured and quickly called all the healers to his cave.
Several high-level males stayed near the cave, staring blankly as their chief set down Zoey.
Even the arriving healers were shocked. They hadn't expected this foreign female to be so beautiful.
No test was needed to know she was a high-level female, possibly with hidden skills like their chief.
Feeling all the male attention, Zoey felt uneasy and glanced at Sinek for help.
Sinek noticed and turned his head, his green phoenix-like eyes flashing fiercely.
"What are you all standing there for?"
"Oh, chief! We're here to heal your wounds!"
"Yes, yes! Chief, we're here to dress your injuries."
"Didn't I say? My female is from another continent. She's different from any female in our tribe."
Sinek explained one more key point to them, showing that he had exclusive rights.
A bold male from the clan stepped forward and said loudly,
"Chief, female members are always rare in our beast continent, and females in each clan are even harder to find.
Our clan hasn't had a female for a long time. With so many males here, Chief, you shouldn't keep her all to yourself."
After that, a few more brave males spoke up,
"Yes, we worked hard to become high-level beasts so we could have a female partner!"
"Right, we also want to have a batch of eggs and raise young. Chief, you should give her to us after she gives birth."
…
Zoey heard this high-level male speak and was shocked. Her eyes widened as she looked at Sinek with a mix of worry and pleading.
Even though she was less afraid of Sinek, that didn't mean she wasn't scared of all the other male snakes.
Hearing the male say she should be given away after giving birth really shocked Zoey.
It wasn't that she wasn't afraid. After all, Sinek is the chief of this snake clan. If all the males protested together, the consequences would be terrifying…
Sinek sensed Zoey's fear and worry but didn't answer the males immediately.
"Zoey, go inside and rest. I'll come to you soon. Don't go out even if you hear noise outside."
Zoey looked at Sinek with concern. She knew he was powerful and nothing would happen, but she still warned him,
"You're still injured…"
"Mm," Sinek replied softly and watched her enter the cave.
Then he turned to the high-level males who had protested. The gentle look in his eyes was gone.
Sinek forced his patience and spoke coldly,
"If you want eggs and young, I will arrange for you to mate with our clan's females. Don't worry, all high-level males will get a chance. Just wait patiently."
Hearing this, the males understood that Sinek would never share this female from another land.
Many stopped arguing, since they had seen the chief's power.
After a short silence, the high-level male who had first asked to share Zoey spoke again, boldly,
"Female snakes take so long to give birth. There are still many males in our clan waiting. How long do we have to wait? There's a new female, why won't you share her, Chief? You are the leader of our clan, how can you…?"
Sinek had clearly lost his patience. Green light flashed in his eyes, and the air around him grew cold.
Before the male could finish speaking, Sinek instantly transformed into his beast form and, in a flash, bit the male's neck off.
"If you don't want to wait, then you don't need to wait at all!"
Sinek proudly lifted his head, curled his tail around the high-level male's body, and threw him away.
Where it landed, he didn't see, but probably on the other side of the mountain…
Then, looking down at the much smaller male snakes, he stretched his neck toward them.
"Anyone else who doesn't want to wait, stand up, and I'll send you to the other side of the mountain too, so you won't be in my way."
After that, no male dared to speak. All bowed their heads quietly.
Which one didn't see that Sinek was covered in wounds? Many of them were very serious.
Even in this state, he could kill a high-level snake beast in one move. Their clan leader's power was terrifyingly strong. Who would dare oppose him?
Even if someone wanted to lay eggs, they would have to wait in line for the clan's female to give birth. Waiting is better than risking death.
Sinek saw that no male dared to challenge anything about Zoey, so he turned back into his beast form and walked into his den.
A few healers realized what was happening and quickly followed him inside, ready to treat his wounds.
Zoey had returned to the den as well, but she could hear everything outside clearly, especially the scene where Sinek killed that male. The noise made her peek outside.
Although the opposing male was dead and the others didn't argue for now, Zoey felt uneasy. She worried about Sinek and their future offspring.
For now, no one dared to oppose Sinek because of his power. But what if higher-level males eventually became as strong as him?
If they all rebelled together, Sinek and the babies would become targets. He would be in danger, and the offspring might suffer too.
Zoey became more anxious but knew she couldn't just wait. She had to find a way to protect Sinek and their future babies.
[System Reminder: Host, work hard to downgrade, and you can get what you want.]
When the system suddenly alerted her, Zoey asked repeatedly but got no response.
This system was arrogant. It gave reminders when it was happy but ignored her otherwise.
Still, she realized that downgrading might make her stronger. That way, she could protect her babies and her beast husbands.
Zoey felt more confident. She looked at the male healers who were treating Fykes's wounds.
They kept their eyes on their work, not sneaking glances at her like before. She knew Sinek's power had shocked them.
Zoey walked over to Sinek and looked at him with concern. After bandaging, only his head would be unhurt.
Sinek, eyes closed, sensed her presence. He slowly opened them, showing a gentle look.
"Don't worry about these wounds. They aren't a big deal. Even without bandages, they'll heal soon."
Zoey nodded, knowing these were only surface injuries. The "Assist Vital Pill" had already restored his energy.
Sinek tenderly reached out, pulling Zoey to sit beside him, ignoring whether it would bother the healers.
She glanced at the healers. They kept their heads down, focused on their work. She leaned against Sinek.
He spoke slowly, giving instructions, "In about ten days, my female will give birth. I will stay in the den to incubate the eggs. I leave the clan's matters to you."
"Yes, Clan Leader. Don't worry. We will follow the clan rules and manage the tribe."
A lead healer responded quickly. The clan had always relied on them to handle matters.
Sinek nodded, his face full of authority, and spoke firmly, "Handle clan matters yourselves. If you can't, then come to me. But one rule must continue without fail."
In our tribe, we need to keep promoting the use of stone tools for eating and teach the skills of making fire. It's best if all the higher and middle-level males can use these skills accurately and safely.
"Yes, Chief! We have noted it!"
Sinek nodded again and added, "Make sure to assign people to guard strictly. Don't let anything get lost. We must make our snake tribe the strongest beast tribe on this continent!"
Hearing this, the others quickly stopped, stood seriously, and raised their hands, shouting:
"Long live the Chief! Strong Chief!"
"Long live the Snake Tribe! The strongest Snake Tribe!"
Zoey… couldn't help but think it was funny that the snake tribe even had their own slogans.
Lowering her head, she thought this was a good chance to explain something. Not only could she clear up the misunderstanding about Sinek, but she could also make sure he and their baby were safe.
After everyone finished showing their determination, Zoey looked at Sinek and asked, "I have a few words I want to say. Can I?"
Sinek turned to look at his female, his eyes curious. Without hesitation, he nodded at Zoey.
"I want to explain something to you. After you're done here, you can also tell all the males in the snake tribe simply."
Hearing this, Sinek became interested. Like the other males, he listened carefully.
"I also heard about what happened outside. I want to explain a few things. Actually, Sinek is not what you think. He doesn't refuse to share me…"
Before she could finish, Sinek interrupted, "Zoey, I just…" He wanted to say he didn't want to share. Besides, he was fully capable of protecting Zoey from all the other males.
But before he could say it, Zoey covered his mouth.
Feeling the warmth of her hand, Sinek's eyes brightened. His body felt a little hot. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
Zoey didn't notice Sinek's reaction. She thought, anyway, all the healers were looking down carefully and hadn't seen their interaction.
She gave Sinek a meaningful look to stay quiet and just listen.
"I know you don't want to speak, so I will."
"I must explain this!"
Sinek became even more interested. He smiled quietly, not knowing what Zoey would say, but nodded to show he would stay silent and patiently listen.
"Sinek already told you, I'm not from this continent. I only came here because of an accident. I cannot be like the females in your tribe, having many babies with many males. I'm from the outside continent, and we have our own rules and fate.
If I did that, unexpected accidents could happen, and I might even lose my life. So Sinek is protecting me.
Even though I can't have babies with your males, I can teach skills and tools that you don't have and share them here.
I believe every male here, like Sinek, wants to help and strengthen the snake tribe. What happened before was because of me, and I apologize for it."