"Madam, can I ask you a favor?"
"Go ahead."
"Can we not let the lord know about today's matter?"
"Why?"
"Lord Ochi was right. I'm just a stray beast. The lord gave me a place to stay. I don't want my problem to cause him any trouble."
Besides not wanting to trouble Alessio, Saning also worried that if this matter got out of hand, it would be impossible to fix. "Elder Otto has a lot of influence in the tribe and is very vengeful. If the lord really punishes Lord Ochi, he won't spare me."
She was just an unimportant stray beast.
Offending Elder Otto would be like digging her own grave.
She could swallow any injustice quietly.
No matter what, she didn't want to become a homeless stray again.
Fannie, also a "stray beast" brought back to the tribe by Alessio, could fully understand Saning.
The beast world was unpredictable and dangerous.
She couldn't fight it, and she couldn't run from it.
Even if she escaped by luck, without enough food to restore her energy, she would starve sooner or later.
Saning was worried about offending Elder Otto and being kicked out of the tribe.
How could she not also worry that one day Alessio might like another female and drive her out too?
In the end, she and Saning were the same.
The difference was that Saning was a third-rank beast. Life on the run was tough, but there was still hope.
If Fannie was kicked out of the tribe, she would probably have no way to survive.
So she had to hold tightly to Alessio and never lose his favor until she was strong enough to protect herself, even if she had to flatter him.
Fannie also didn't dare offend Elder Otto, so she had to help Saning in other ways.
She had thought about it. Even if Ochi didn't cut Saning's food in the future, he still wouldn't give her the best things.
She could at least share half of her own food with Saning. As long as she stayed in the tribe, Saning wouldn't have to eat dry jerky again.
Alessio didn't return until around noon.
Fannie immediately offered him fresh spring water in a bamboo cup.
Alessio took the cup with one hand and held Fannie in his arms with the other, smiling affectionately. "Did you miss me?"
Fannie blushed and nodded shyly. "Yes."
"I missed you too."
Alessio leaned down and kissed her deeply.
Seeing her face turn red all the way to her ears, he laughed. "Fannie, you're still so shy."
Fannie couldn't explain it.
She didn't know why she always blushed when Alessio kissed her.
With her ex, they only held hands and walked around. They never hugged, let alone kissed.
So she wasn't sure if she naturally blushed at kisses or only with Alessio.
"Don't you like it?"
"I like it."
Alessio couldn't help but peck her lips again, his icy-blue eyes full of endless fondness. "I love it the most!"
Fannie handed him the bamboo cup. "Drink quickly."
Alessio drank the spring water in one gulp, set the cup on the table, then picked up Fannie and walked toward the stone bed.
Seeing the desire in his eyes, Fannie realized immediately what he wanted.
It was broad daylight, and the cave entrance had no door. If anyone came in, she would be completely embarrassed.
"Alessio."
Fannie struggled shyly in Alessio's arms, frowning. "It's not dark yet."
Alessio was like a naughty child, wanting whatever he wanted immediately, not caring if it was day or night.
He placed the little female on the stone bed, kissed her lips, his desire growing stronger. "It's the same."
"It's not the same."
Fannie quickly covered his kissing as it moved lower, grabbing Alessio's restless hand, speaking with a small grievance. "There's no door at the entrance. What if another beast sees us?"
"I am the lord. No beast would dare intrude into my cave."
"Miliano will come in."
"Your brother is not here."
"What if he's not here now but comes back later?"
"I'll be quick."
"You're lying."
Fannie pouted. "Every time it takes a long time."
Alessio laughed. "Isn't a little longer better?"
Fannie said with grievance, "I'm pregnant. If it takes so long, I can't take it. The baby inside won't either."
Alessio was both amused and exasperated. He sighed. "If you don't give it to me, I'll be the one who can't take it."
Fannie could clearly feel that the hard part pressed tightly against her. It seemed he really couldn't wait any longer.
She could refuse Alessio once or twice.
But she couldn't refuse every time.
If she couldn't meet Alessio's needs, he would surely be disappointed. Over time, he might lose interest in her, and then her situation would become very awkward.
So, she could not refuse.
Unless Alessio himself lost interest.
Unfortunately, there were no pills in the system store to make him lose desire.
Fannie completely gave up resisting, letting the gentle kisses roam over her body. It was both pleasure and torment.
Outside the cave.
A tall figure reached the cave entrance and seemed to sense something, suddenly stopping.
Miliano's sense of smell was so sharp.
With just a light sniff, he knew exactly what was happening inside the cave at that moment.
Miliano didn't know why, but even during mating season before, he had never felt such a strong desire for any female.
Now, outside of mating season, he was having thoughts about his brother's partner. He felt like he was going crazy!
Miliano shook his head violently and ran toward the cold spring.
In the past, during mating season, Miliano could control the power inside him with self-discipline. Now, he could only rely on the cold spring to suppress his uncontrollable desire, until the sun set.
Before it got dark, Miliano went back once and only saw Alessio.
He greeted Alessio, then found another place to stay. Being far from Fannie, his heart felt much calmer.
After Miliano moved out, Fannie also felt much lighter.
She no longer had to be careful all the time, no longer had to worry about making noise at night and disturbing Miliano. The heavy weight pressing on her chest was finally gone.
But why did Miliano move out after just spending one night with them?
Was it because having someone new around made him uncomfortable?
Or, did he not actually sleep at all last night, watching everything Fannie and Alessio did, and moved out because he felt embarrassed?
After Miliano moved out, Alessio completely let go of all restraint and gave in to his desires.
Whenever they were together intimately, Fannie would get physical satisfaction, but afterward, she worried that Alessio's uncontrolled indulgence might harm the baby in her belly.
The child in her womb was not just a baby, but also her hope of returning to Blue Star.
She had to protect the child and ensure it came into the world safely, without any harm.
Taking advantage of Alessio being out inspecting the territory, Fannie sent Saning away and went alone to see Elder Bagu.
The system store didn't have what she needed, but Elder Bagu, the tribe's shaman and healer, surely had a way to either shorten Alessio's mating urges or calm him down.
When Fannie met Elder Bagu, she didn't state her request directly.
If she asked him for medicine outright, he would suspect her motives.
To avoid suspicion, she politely explained her concern: she was worried both about the baby being harmed and about Alessio overexerting himself.
She asked Elder Bagu to either advise Alessio or, if inconvenient, to provide some calming medicine.
Elder Bagu seemed to have expected Alessio's lack of control. He looked at Fannie meaningfully and said slowly, "The problem is not with the lord."
Fannie looked confused.
Only she and Alessio lived in the cave, and every time he initiated it. If Elder Bagu said the problem wasn't Alessio's, could it be her fault?
But what Elder Bagu said next shocked Fannie.
"Forgive my bluntness, madam, but you have a unique scent. It is this scent that makes the lord desire you without restraint. The problem is not with the lord, but with you!"
"With me?"
Fannie was even more confused.
She neither wore perfume nor ointments. Any smell would only be sweat from the heat. Nothing else.
"Elder Bagu, you must be mistaken. I don't have any scent!"
"You do!"
Elder Bagu was certain.
In all his years, he had never encountered anything like this.
Even his old body would feel some effect when near the lord's wife, but he only had respect, no ill thoughts.
He tested multiple times to find the reason.
Finally, he found the answer.
"Judging by your surprised expression, it seems you are unaware that you naturally carry an aroma that attracts males."
"Not only that."
"The higher the rank of the beastman, the stronger their reaction to your scent."
"The lord, being a seventh-rank beastman, isn't unable to control himself. It is your unique scent constantly drawing him that has caused the current situation."
Elder Bagu's words made Fannie fall into deep thought.
If it was true and she really emitted a natural 'attract-beast' scent, then Alessio wasn't truly at fault—the problem was really with her.
Thinking this, Fannie began to feel uneasy.
She finally understood why, when they first met, Alessio had forced her to submit under the guise of repayment. All of it stemmed from the 'attract-beast' factor she naturally carried.
She didn't know where this "attract-beast" factor came from.
But there was one thing she was almost certain about.
If she didn't have this factor, her cries for help wouldn't have drawn Alessio over. When she was attacked by a group of giant rats, the ending would have been completely different.
"Forgive my bluntness, but there is only one way to change this situation!"
"What way?"
"As long as the unique scent on you disappears, the lord's heart will naturally calm, and your worries will be solved!"
Elder Bagu proposed a solution.
After learning the truth, Fannie gradually realized that Alessio didn't truly love her as a person—he was misled by the "attract-beast" factor she carried.
Alessio thought he loved her, but in reality, he was only interested in her body.
If one day the "attract-beast" factor on her disappeared, Alessio would naturally lose interest in her. That was why she had to give birth to the child in her belly!
This child was not only her hope of returning to Blue Star, but also her guarantee of survival in the beast world.
Even if Alessio no longer liked her one day, for the child's sake, he wouldn't treat her too cruelly.
Fannie wanted the "attract-beast" factor on her to weaken, but not disappear completely—at least until her child was safely born. She asked tentatively, "Elder Bagu, do you have a way to make the scent on me disappear?"
Elder Bagu handed her a small woven herbal sachet and said, "Wear this. Its fragrance can suppress the scent on your body."
Fannie took it and smelled it. It was indeed quite fragrant.
With this sachet, she could control the "attract-beast" factor—deciding when it appeared. She just didn't know if it would really work.
Fannie looked up at Elder Bagu. "Will this really work?"
Elder Bagu was a fourth-rank beastman.
The sachet worked well for him. He was no longer affected by outside factors, but he couldn't guarantee it would have the same effect on a seventh-rank beastman.
"Take it and try. If it doesn't work, I'll think of another way."
"All right!"
Fannie placed high hopes on the sachet.
Whether it was the sachet or coincidence, when Alessio returned from inspecting the territory, he only hugged and kissed her. He didn't proceed further.
This made Fannie believe that the sachet was indeed covering the "attract-beast" factor on her.
But at night.
When it was quiet and she had just closed her eyes, the next moment she was pulled into someone's arms…
Fannie wanted to cry but had no tears.
The herbal sachet from Elder Bagu didn't work!
The next day, Fannie went to Elder Bagu again.
She told him the sachet didn't affect Alessio. Elder Bagu couldn't think of a solution immediately but still advised her to wear the sachet.
It might not work on a seventh-rank beastman, but it was still effective on beastmen of fifth-rank or lower.
"Rushing won't solve the problem. I'll think of another method."
"I actually have a method."
"Please, madam, tell me."