Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 34: Episode : Conception Failed.

You’ve got to be kidding me...

Roxy widened her eyes as she remembered something from biology class, and forgot that she wasn’t fucking a literal human being. This was a wolf; of course, they would be stuck until they had released a lot of semen in their female.

Roxy groaned in exasperation, but froze when she felt hot tears drip on her neck, and she frowned.

Was he crying?

The Wolf King, who had watched his pack wither and die for a decade, was finally connected to life. He was overwhelmed by her warmth, by her scent, by the fact that she hadn’t pushed him away.

He had never felt his makeup for a decade, and now that she was under him, he couldn’t afford to let her slip away from his arms.

He declared in his mind. Whatever happens, I won’t let her leave.

"Do not leave," he whimpered, sounding nothing like an Alpha and everything like a lonely, starving boy. "Please. Do not go."

Roxy’s heart softened. Her curses died in her throat.

She reached up, threading her fingers through his damp, silver hair. She pulled his heavy head down until it rested on her chest.

"I’m not going anywhere, Kaelen," she whispered, rubbing his back. "Mainly because you’ve literally pinned us to the ground, but also... I’m here. You aren’t alone anymore."

Kaelen let out a shuddering sigh, his tension melting away. He nuzzled into her warmth, surrendering to the bond, admiring the mark he placed on her shoulders. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

They lay there on the grassy bank, the stream rushing by. Roxy closed her eyes, exhausted but strangely satisfied. She waited for the system to tell her she had done it.

[Ding!]

Finally.

[Task Update: Secure the Wolf Bloodline.]

[Mating Status: Successful.]

Roxy smirked. Easy money.

[Conception Status: FAILED.]

Roxy’s eyes snapped open.

[Analysis: Host Stress Levels acceptable. Wolf King Sperm Count: CRITICAL LOW.]

[Reason: Chronic Malnutrition. Target lacks the biological resources to produce viable seed.]

"You..." Roxy stared up at the canopy of trees, her jaw dropping. "How does that have to do with me?"

She looked down at Kaelen. He was practically purring against her chest, drooling slightly, completely convinced he had just secured the future of his pack.

"Hey," Roxy poked his shoulder. "Hey! Wake up, Casanova!"

Kaelen grumbled, tightening his hold on her, refusing to pull away. "Mine..."

"Yeah, yours is shooting blanks, buddy!" Roxy hissed, slapping his arm. "You’re too skinny! We have to do this again!"

[TheSassyGoddess cackles. Performance anxiety is real when you haven’t eaten a carb in ten years.]

[TheMotheroftheWorld suggests a strict diet of steak and potatoes before Round 2.]

Roxy groaned, letting her head thud back against the grass.

"I hate this system," she whispered. "I really, really hate this system."

This was not what we agreed on. I meet a beast, we mate, I conceive, I give birth until my task is over, and then return to earth.

Easy peasy! Why do I have to fix his meal issues?

[TheMotheroftheWorld claims that it’s a good enough reason to win his heart.]

[Task Update: Raise the Alpha’s Affection to 80%]

Great! You just had to jinx it!

After some time, Kaelen finally slid out of her, and he slid to her side, lying on the grass.

Roxy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, slumping back against the damp grass. Her body felt heavy, stretched, and thoroughly used.

She was utterly spent.

This was not how I was meant to live my life.

"Finally," she groaned, staring up at the dark canopy of the Iron-Wood trees. "I thought I was going to die."

Kaelen was in a trance state, his eyes blown wide, his chest heaving as the aftershocks of the mating bond rippled through him.

He had a mate now, that was the only thing that echoed in his head.

Suddenly, he shot up.

Before Roxy could even sit up and reach for her robe, Kaelen scooped her up, placing her on his thigh, and then began to clean her.

With his tongue.

Grosssss!!!!!!

Red signals blared in Roxy’s head, a total turn-off.

"Whoa! Hey!" Roxy yelped, trying to scoot backward on the grass. "Kaelen! Personal space! We are done! There is no fucking need for this!"

Kaelen didn’t budge.

"You are covered in my scent," Kaelen growled, grabbing her ankle to pull her back. "And fluids. It will attract the bears. I must clean you thoroughly."

With a tongue you hadn’t washed for decades?!!

Bloody hell, I think I am going to have a skin disease.

"I have wipes!" Roxy shouted, reaching for her bag. "I have self-cleaning wipes! Use those!"

Kaelen ignored her. He was deep in his Alpha brain. He licked a stripe up her calf with a tongue that felt like 80-grit sandpaper.

"Ow! Exfoliation is one thing, but you’re taking off layers of dermis!" Roxy complained, trying to kick him away. But the Wolf King was relentless. He cleaned her thoroughly, methodically, growling low in his throat whenever she squirmed too much.

It was intimate. It was primal. And it was, frankly, incredibly cringe.

Roxy’s face burned with both desire and embarrassment.

[TheSassyGoddess is hiding her face behind a fan, saying that the secondhand embarrassment is lethal.]

[TheMotheroftheWorld coos, saying that he was taking care of the mother of the tribe! It is in his nature!]

But I am a fucking human!

Roxy finally gave up and lay there like a starfish while a grown man licked her clean. When he neared her face, she growled in a low voice. "If you try to lick my face, I’m biting your nose off."

He decided to go down on her, licking in between her legs, nearing the spot that would literally drive her crazy.

She held her breath in expectation, but...

Kaelen paused at her knee, looking up at her with those icy blue eyes now melted into puddles of devotion. "You are clean. You are safe."

She sighed in relief, patting her stuffed chest.

Fucking hell, I thought he was going to pleasure me with his tongue.

"I’m traumatized," Roxy corrected, sitting up and snatching her robe. She wrapped it tight around herself, shivering as the cool forest air hit her damp skin. "Now, can we go back to the pack?"

Kaelen crouched down.

"Come up," he stated.

"I have legs," Roxy argued.

"You are my Luna," Kaelen countered, scooping her up before she could protest. "And the ground is muddy."

He carried her back through the forest, his stride long and smooth. Roxy rested her head against his bare back. He knew he had failed to impregnate her. The System knew it. And Roxy knew they would have to do this again.

But first, Roxy thought, narrowing her eyes as the twisted spires of the Wolf park came into view, we needed to fix this dump.

****

The courtyard of the park was buzzing with activity when they returned.

Unlike the Dragon Clan, where the males lounged around polishing their scales while the females hid, the Wolf Pack was a hive of movement.

Kaelen set Roxy down on a relatively dry patch of stone. Immediately, three wolves approached.

"My King," the first one barked, bowing low. It was Vorn, the Beta with the scarred eye and the grumpy demeanor. He looked at Roxy with suspicion, sniffing the air. "She is our Luna?"

He asked, a bit surprised that his King had mated with her immediately after she arrived.

"She is the Pack Mother," Kaelen announced, his voice booming with Alpha authority. He placed a possessive hand on Roxy’s shoulder. "Show respect."

Vorn bowed his head to Roxy. "Luna."

Next to Vorn stood a leaner, a younger male with russet-colored fur patches on his human skin. "I am Rax," he said, his voice lighter. "Gamma of the Moon Pack. We thank you for the food."

He looked at Roxy’s bag with hungry eyes.

"And you’ll get more later," Roxy promised. "But first, who are they?"

She pointed to a group of wolves returning from the gate. They were dragging the carcass of a massive, tusked deer. They were covered in mud, blood, and grime. Their hair was matted, their faces gaunt.

And they were all women.

"The Hunters," Kaelen said with pride. "The females of the Wolf Pack are fierce. They run with the males. They kill with the males."

Roxy watched them. And was intrigued, no matter how gaunt and exhausted they looked, she could still feel the masculine energy seeping out of them.

One female, the one leading the group, dropped the deer’s leg and leaned against a root-wall, coughing violently. She was thin, her skin pale and greyish. She wiped mud from her face, smearing blood across her cheek.

"They hunt?" Roxy asked, frowning. "So... they exercise and also get to eat meat?"

"Yes," Vorn grunted. "The females eat what they kill. We do not starve them as the lizards do."

Roxy folded her arms. So, it’s not food.

The Dragon females were infertile because they were malnourished. But these women were eating protein. They were active. So why was the Wolf Pack dying out?

Roxy walked over to the female hunter. The wolf stiffened, her eyes widening as the strange female approached. This was the first time she had seen such a beautiful female in their dying pack.

"Hi," Roxy said softly. "I’m Roxy. What’s your name?"

"Sera," the wolf rasped.

Roxy looked at her closely. Up close, the problem was obvious.

Sera’s skin was cracked and dry. Her fingernails were black with dirt. Her clothes, furs that looked like they hadn’t been washed in a year, were damp and smelled of mold.

Roxy touched Sera’s arm. The skin was cold and clammy.

System. Scan her reproductive health.

[Scanning Target: Sera (Wolf Beta Female)]

[Diagnosis: Chronic Bacterial Infection. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.]

[Cause: Prolonged exposure to damp environments. Poor hygiene. Mold spores in living quarters.]