"Since you're already here."
Alessio's lips curved slightly.
Suddenly, Alessio quickly reached out his right hand, grabbed Fannie's arm, and pulled hard. Off guard, Fannie lost her balance, her body lurched forward, and she fell straight into the icy cold river.
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere, and Fannie was soaked through.
She shivered, feeling the chill attack her from all sides, and muttered, "The water is so cold."
Hearing this, Alessio frowned slightly and asked with concern, "Cold?"
Fannie's lips trembled as she answered, "Cold."
Alessio gently stroked Fannie's wet shoulder, his icy blue eyes showing a trace of pity.
Looking at her thin body, his handsome brows furrowed together. He spoke softly, "Your body is too weak. From now on, you must train more. Once you get stronger, this river water won't feel so cold."
His hand slowly moved to her waist, feeling how slender she was.
He sighed quietly, his eyes full of pity. "You're so weak, you must have suffered a lot before. Don't worry, from now on I'll make sure you eat meat every day. I'll raise you until you're healthy and well-fed."
Fannie was 1.68 meters tall and weighed 105 pounds.
With clothes on she looked slim, without clothes her figure was full in the right places.
On Blue Star, this was a perfectly healthy figure, not too fat, not too thin. But in the beast world, she looked fragile and weak, the kind most likely to be abandoned by family and tribe.
Even though Fannie was human, she understood the jungle rule of survival: the strong survive, the weak are eliminated.
Alessio, as the leader of the tribe, choosing her as his mate without knowing her situation—wasn't that too risky?
Didn't he worry that the two of them might not have children?
Or that she might be a spy sent from another tribe?
"Why did you choose me as your mate?"
Her bright eyes shone with curiosity.
Looking at the handsome Alessio, she blinked and asked the question in her heart: "I can tell the female leopard beastmen in the tribe all like you. They're much stronger than me. Why didn't you choose one of them as your mate?"
Alessio didn't answer directly.
Instead, he buried his face deep into the soft curve of her neck and slowly closed his eyes.
He carefully inhaled her unique scent and spoke gently but firmly, "Your scent makes me fascinated. I love this smell. Choosing you as my mate, I don't regret it."
His warm breath landed on the sensitive skin of her neck, sending a soft current through her whole body, making her shiver with an indescribable tingling.
Fannie couldn't help shrinking her neck slightly, but her curiosity was too strong. She asked again, "What kind of scent?"
Alessio's lips lifted slightly in a barely noticeable mischievous smile.
Then he suddenly opened his mouth and gently bit her small, delicate earlobe, whispering in her ear, "Very sweet, very tempting to a beast… it makes me want to mate with you."
Alessio's deep, husky voice, almost like a spell, sounded in her ear.
Fannie's cheeks turned bright red instantly, burning hot like a ripe apple.
That tingling feeling spread like an electric current from his lips and teeth, flowing across her skin. Wherever it passed, ripples rose, like fireworks blooming inside her body.
The strange and intense sensation made Fannie let out a faint moan before she realized it.
But at that moment, she suddenly noticed a large hand sneaking under her skirt.
Her mind snapped back instantly. She quickly pressed her legs together, trapping that unruly hand, and pleaded in a low voice, "Don't… don't do it in the water, please…"
By now, Alessio was already overwhelmed by desire.
The wild force raging inside him was about to burst, needing an outlet.
The female in his arms, with her intoxicating scent, was the perfect vessel.
He couldn't wait to return to the cave.
Alessio carried Fannie onto the shore and immediately launched a fierce attack on her.
Fannie's human body could not compare to the strength of a beastman. She couldn't endure such long, intense movement, and in the end, just as a deep growl sounded, her vision went black and she fainted.
This time, Fannie slept unusually deep, as if sinking into endless dreams.
When she slowly woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
She opened her eyes and first saw the soft animal skin beneath her, as gentle as clouds.
Another soft layer of fur covered her body, wrapping her tightly.
She was lying completely naked between the two layers of fur, her skin pressed against them, giving her an odd sense of comfort.
Fannie moved slightly, trying to sit up, but her movement pulled at the fur, making her blush in embarrassment. She quickly wrapped it tighter around herself and carefully looked around.
The whole cave was very quiet, but Alessio was nowhere to be seen.
On the stone table, there was fresh raw meat and some colorful, mouthwatering fruits.
Yesterday, she had only eaten a few fruits to fill her stomach. After being exhausted twice by Alessio, she was now starving.
She was just about to wrap the fur tighter and get out of bed to grab some fruit when a figure suddenly entered through the cave entrance.
Yesterday, when she and Alessio returned to the tribe, Fannie clearly noticed the unfriendly looks from the female leopard beastmen.
So when a female leopard beastman, with a tail and two ears still visible but a body about her size, suddenly appeared, Fannie instinctively thought she had come to cause trouble. Without hesitation, she scolded, "This is the leader's cave, who allowed you to come in!"
The female leopard beastman stopped slowly and stood quietly at the entrance. She explained softly, "My name is Sang Ning. I came to take care of the leader's mate."
Fannie froze. She wasn't here to cause trouble?
Sang Ning was different from the other female leopard beastmen in the tribe.
She was a stray beast abandoned by another tribe. Alessio had found her half-dead and brought her back. Usually, she did small tasks in the tribe.
When she learned Alessio had brought back a female from outside and made her his mate, Sang Ning offered to take care of Fannie's daily needs to repay Alessio for saving her life and giving her shelter.
Fannie asked curiously, "Alessio sent you here?"
Sang Ning's voice was clear and sincere. "The leader saved my life. To repay him, I am willing to serve his mate for the rest of my life."
It's good that she did not come to cause trouble.
Fannie looked closely at the female leopard beastman named Saning.
Saning had a pretty face, fine features, and fair skin like a pure lily.
Her body was slim. Compared with the other female leopard beastmen in the tribe who were strong and muscular, she was very different.
By modern standards, if ten is perfect, Fannie would give Saning an eight.
Saning stood quietly, a little nervous and hopeful. She asked softly, "Leader's mate, may I come in?"
Fannie tightened the fur around her and let her in.
"You must be hungry."
Saning carried the raw meat from the table to Fannie with a friendly smile. "This is venison the leader caught this morning. It is very fresh and tasty. Please eat some."
Fannie gasped and refused with a wave of her hand. She forced a smile and said, "I want something light today."
Saning looked troubled holding the fresh meat. She looked up at Fannie and said, "The leader said you are too thin. Your skin wounds cannot heal by themselves. He personally hunted a deer early this morning to help you recover."
"This part of the meat is the most tender. Please eat a little."
From Saning's words, Fannie understood something.
She looked at the scratches on her arm. She got them yesterday when she ran from those rats and the leaves cut her. They were not deep but they would not heal in one night. That is common sense.
Unless a beastman has a special body that heals fast.
"I am different from you. My body is special. My wounds cannot heal in one night."
"So you must eat well to recover."
Saning put the venison in front of Fannie and smiled. "The leader told me to watch you eat this meat. He said from now on you will have fresh food every day. He will fatten you up."
Fannie looked at the bloody raw meat and felt sick. Her stomach turned.
She knew Alessio meant well, but she could not eat this. She forced a smile. "I have no appetite these days. I only want something light. Please bring me the fruits on the table."
Saning frowned and said softly, "But—"
Fannie's face changed in a second. "If you do not do as I ask, then leave."
Saning hurried to explain, "No no. I will get the fruit right away."
Fannie ate the unknown fruit. It was fragrant, sweet, and juicy. It was much better than raw meat.
She did not eat the meat, so she offered it to Saning.
Saning smiled and refused. "This meat was prepared by the leader just for you. I cannot eat it."
Fannie did not insist. She handed Saning a fruit. Saning shook her head and smiled. "These fruits were picked by the leader for you. I cannot take them either. Keep them and eat slowly."
Fannie looked at Saning's thin body and said, "You are thin too. You should eat more."
Saning was moved by that small kindness. But she knew her place. She knew what she should and should not do and what she should and should not eat. She explained, "I have been weak. I cannot eat much, so I am not as tall and strong as the other females."
After a pause, Saning added, "I may be slow, but I can do other things. I will take good care of you."
Fannie said quietly, "I cannot hunt either."
Saning did not mock her. She smiled and said, "You are the leader's mate. You do not need to hunt. The leader will bring food to you."
Fannie liked Saning. She promised seriously, "If you listen to me, whenever I get food you will get food too. You will never go hungry."
Saning was very touched and said sincerely, "You are truly a good beast."
Fannie smiled. "You are also a good beast."
Fannie could not just stay wrapped in fur on the bed. She wondered if Alessio had brought her clothes back last night. She asked Saning, "Did you see my clothes? A beige silk dress."
Saning said, "I already washed your clothes. They are drying outside. Do you want to get up now?"
Fannie answered softly, "Mm."
Saning went out and brought in the dried clothes and shoes. Except for the torn stockings, the rest could still be worn.
The cave entrance had no door.
Afraid strangers might come in, Fannie told Saning to wait outside while she changed. When she was dressed, she called her back in.
While changing, Fannie remembered Alessio mentioning "Brother Miliano" and grew curious. She asked Saning, "I heard Alessio say he has an older brother named Miliano. Why haven't I seen him?"
Alessio said the three of them would live together, but she had not seen Miliano yesterday.
"Master Miliano is not in the tribe."
"Where did he go?"
"Master Miliano often leaves the tribe. Sometimes he returns after ten days or half a month, sometimes after several months. As for what he does outside, I don't know."
Saning shook her head.
Miliano was not in the tribe.
For Fannie, this was good news.
At least before Miliano came back, she did not have to live with two leopards in one cave.
After thinking a bit, Fannie asked again, "What is Miliano's personality like?"
Saning answered honestly, "Master Miliano is a little cold. He doesn't like noise. I have never seen him smile at anyone."
Fannie felt worried.
A big leopard who doesn't even smile would not be easy to get along with!
"What about Alessio?"
"The leader is very kind. He is a good beastman…"
"I didn't ask about his personality. I asked where he went?"
"Oh… the leader went to patrol the territory."
"Does he patrol every day?"
"Yes."
Saning nodded.
With nothing to do, Fannie asked Saning to take her outside to look around and get familiar with the tribe.
But as soon as they reached the cave entrance, she suddenly bumped straight into Alessio.
Fannie rubbed her sore nose and looked at Alessio with eyes full of blame and grievance. She complained in a slightly playful tone, "Walk slower, you hurt me."
But the man standing in front of her only looked at her coldly with no expression, like she was a stranger he had never met.
Fannie instantly felt upset.
So what if he had straightened his curly hair, covered his left eye with an eyepatch, and changed into another style of animal skin clothes?
Yesterday he was hugging and kissing her, lifting her high in the air. But after just one night, he acted like he didn't even know her. Truly a heartless, unfaithful big leopard with no conscience!