Mei Lin's first conscious thought was that she was currently lying in something that smelled suspiciously like wet dog and fermented compost.
Her second thought was that her high-end, silk-blend jumpsuit—a vintage piece she'd spent three months' salary on—was definitely ruined.
She cracked one eye open, expecting to see the sterile white ceiling of the hospital or perhaps the wreckage of the interior design studio she'd been working in before the chandelier fell. Instead, she saw a sky so blue it looked filtered, and a canopy of trees that were far too large to be in downtown Shanghai.
"Ugh," she groaned, her voice raspy. "Tell me I'm at a very expensive, very rustic retreat. Tell me there's a spa within walking distance."
[Ding! Initialization Complete!]
A semi-transparent blue screen flickered into existence right in front of her nose. Mei Lin flinched, sitting up abruptly.
"What the—?"
[Welcome, Host Mei Lin, to the Beast World! You have been selected by the 'Tribe Restoration System' as the Divine Mother of the Broken-Horn Tribe.]
Mei Lin blinked. "The what? Broken-Horn? That sounds like a failed indie band. And what is a 'Divine Mother'?"
[Mission Status: Critical. The Broken-Horn Tribe is facing total extinction. Female births have reached 0% over the last decade. Male morale is at an all-time low. Infrastructure is non-existent.]
[Primary Objective: Repopulate and Rebuild. Every high-quality heir born will grant 'Tribe Vitality Points' used to purchase System Blueprints (Homes, Heating, Comforts).]
Mei Lin looked around. To her left was a hut that looked like it had been constructed by a particularly depressed beaver. To her right was a pile of literal bones. In front of her stood a group of men—if you could call them that. They were tall, excessively broad-shouldered, and mostly naked, save for some strategically placed furs that did very little to hide the fact that they were built like Greek gods who had been through a car wash.
But they were covered in mud. And soot. And their hair was a matted mess of tangles.
Mei Lin felt a familiar itch behind her eyes. As a woman who had spent her career obsessed with aesthetics, symmetry, and luxury, this was a nightmare.
"I'm in a slum," she whispered, horrified. "A prehistoric, multi-species slum."
"The Divine One has spoken!" a voice boomed.
The crowd of beastmen parted, and Mei Lin's breath caught in her throat.
A man walked toward her. He stood at least six-foot-five, with skin the color of toasted caramel and a mane of jet-black hair that reached his shoulder blades. Despite the dirt streaked across his chest, the muscles beneath were terrifyingly well-defined—thick pectoral muscles, a serrated eight-pack, and thighs that looked like they could crush boulders. He had a pair of rounded black ears poking through his hair and a thick, tufted tail that flicked with agitation behind him.
[Target Identified: Kael (Black Lion Alpha).][Seductiveness Rating: 92/100 (Exceptional).][Potential for High-Quality Offspring: S-Rank.]
Mei Lin stared. Her "allergic to ugly" sensors, which had been screaming at the state of the huts, suddenly went silent. This man was a 92? Even through the grime, his bone structure was flawless—a jawline sharp enough to cut glass and amber eyes that burned with a mixture of suspicion and raw, animalistic hunger.
"Are you the one the Great Spirit promised?" Kael asked. His voice was a deep, guttural rumble that Mei Lin felt more in her toes than her ears. It was the kind of voice that belonged in a bedroom, not standing in a puddle of mud.
Mei Lin stood up, dusting off her ruined jumpsuit with as much dignity as she could muster. She was a head shorter than him, but she tilted her chin up, meeting his smoldering gaze.
"I don't know about any spirits," Mei Lin said, her voice regaining its usual confident clip. "But I am the one who is going to fix this... whatever this is." She waved a hand vaguely at the twig-huts.
Kael stepped closer, his scent hitting her like a freight train—musk, cedarwood, and rain. He leaned down, his nose inches from her neck, and took a deep, audible sniff. The heat radiating off his body was intense, like standing next to a furnace.
"You smell like flowers," he growled, his golden eyes narrowing. "And something strange. You are small. Weak. How can you save us?"
Mei Lin didn't flinch. Instead, she reached out and poked a finger right in the center of his rock-hard chest. "First of all, I'm not weak, I'm 'petite.' Second of all, you have a Seductiveness Rating of 92, which is the only reason I'm not demanding a refund from the System right now."
Kael paused, his tail lashing. "Seductive... what?"
[System Notification: Host must secure a bond with an S-Rank male within 48 hours to unlock the 'Grand Stone Manor' blueprint. Current living conditions are unsuitable for a Divine Mother.]
Mei Lin looked at the "Grand Stone Manor" icon. It looked like a luxury villa from the Italian countryside, complete with a fireplace and silk-draped beds. Then she looked at the mud-caked lion in front of her.
A slow, predatory smirk spread across her face.
"Listen, Kael, was it?" she said, her eyes tracing the line of his throat down to those incredible abs. "Your tribe is a disaster. Your houses are tinderboxes, and your hair is a crime against humanity. But you? You have potential."
Kael's ears twitched. He wasn't used to being spoken to this way. Usually, he was the one commanding, the one who decided who lived or died. But this woman—this small, strange-smelling female—looked at him not with fear, but with a terrifyingly clinical sort of lust.
"I am the Alpha," Kael growled, stepping into her personal space until she was forced to lean back slightly. "I do not have 'potential.' I have strength. I have the power to protect you."
"Good," Mei Lin whispered, her voice dropping an octave as she felt the first real spark of tension sizzle between them. She reached up, her fingers brushing against the fur of his ears. They were soft—softer than she expected. Kael let out a low, involuntary purr that vibrated through his entire chest.
"Because we have a lot of work to do," she continued, her eyes locked on his. "And if you want me to save this tribe, you're going to have to start by showing me exactly how much 'strength' you have. But first..."
She looked him up and down, her "Picky System" practically vibrating.
"We are getting you a bath. I don't mate with anyone who smells like a wet rug, Alpha or not."
Kael froze, his eyes widening. The surrounding beastmen gasped. No one spoke to the Alpha like that. No one told him he smelled.
But as Mei Lin turned her back on him to inspect her "System Map," Kael found himself staring at the sway of her hips. He'd never seen a female like her—so bold, so demanding, and so incredibly intoxicating.
His tail flicked again. This time, it wasn't agitation. It was anticipation.
[Ding! Connection Established! Kael's Interest Level: 45%. System Reward Unlocked: 'Basic Hygiene Kit'.]
Mei Lin smiled to herself. This might actually be fun.