Maxver settled into the passenger seat of Autumn's flying car and let out a long breath as the vehicle lifted off the Purification Center's rooftop pad. The image of Wyatt Jansen being carried through the lobby like a man returning from war was still fresh in his mind."System, I want to say something I don't say often."[The system is listening.]"Thank you. For showing me the difference between what I have and what Jansen goes through. I didn't realize how easy I have it until I watched that man get hauled out on someone's back after twelve hours of work for ten percent. I'm lucky."[The system appreciates host's gratitude. The system also advises host not to take this good fortune for granted. Many men in this world would trade everything they own for the advantages host currently enjoys and dismisses on a daily basis.]Maxver opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again."And just like that I want to take the thank you back."[The system has nothing further to add at this time.]M

Maxver looked at the twenty cores glowing inside their velvet boxes, beast cores on the left and insect cores on the right, and felt his resolve bending like a branch in a windstorm. His mouth was saying no but his brain was doing math, and the math was winning.[The system provides a helpful summary. These cores can directly upgrade host's Wood Element ability by multiple tiers. The woman who brought them is tall, striking, comes from extreme wealth, and hunted every single one of these personally, which means she is also powerful enough to kill creatures that most soldiers run from. Additionally, once host formally bonds with her as a Beast Wife, her assets legally transfer to his name under federal matching law.]"You really don't want me to say no, do you?"[The system merely presents facts. Decisions belong to the host. But the system would like to note that refusing a gift of this magnitude from a woman who clearly wants to be accepted is not nobility. It is stupidity wearing a

Sienna climbed the stairs with purpose and turned right toward the bedroom closest to Maxver's master suite. Her spatial storage was already open, clothes folded and ready to be arranged. If she was going to compete for position in this household, proximity was the first advantage she intended to secure.She pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was empty, clean, and available. She set her bag on the bed and turned to look across the hallway.The door on the left side of Maxver's room was already closed. Through the crack at the bottom, warm light spilled out. A faint scent of jasmine drifted from underneath, and a pair of elegant shoes sat neatly beside the doorframe.Autumn had already taken the other room. The closer one. The one that shared a wall with Maxver's bedroom.Sienna stood very still for three seconds. Then she walked to the window and looked down at the garden path below. In the fading evening light, she watched Autumn step out through the front door with Ma

"Master Cole." Autumn's voice was strained in a way he had never heard before. "The tail is the most sensitive part of a fox's body.""Is that a problem?""It is not a complaint." Her eyes were half closed. "It is a warning that I may not be able to maintain my composure if you continue at this intensity."He continued at exactly that intensity. For a long, very happy stretch of time, he pinched, stroked, squeezed, and petted every inch of fur she had. Autumn endured it with the quiet suffering of a woman who was being touched in all the right places by a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing to her.[The system suggests host ask Autumn to shift into full beast form. A nine tailed fox in beast form is approximately the size of a large house cat and possesses fur density three times higher than partial form.]Maxver's eyes went wide. "Autumn, can you shift into your full beast form?""Right now?""Right now."She stepped back, closed her eyes, and transformed. Her body shran

Autumn held his gaze for exactly two seconds, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth, before she shifted.Her body shrank and reshaped, silver fur erupting across her frame, and within moments a small fluffy nine tailed fox sat in his lap, looking up at him with those same golden eyes that now seemed thoroughly amused behind tiny spectacle shaped markings in the fur around her face.Maxver exhaled with relief and placed both hands on her small furry body. Much safer. Much less complicated.He released his Mental Power again. Soft green light spread over the little fox like scattered stars, sinking into her silver fur and dissolving the remaining contamination threads one by one.The light played across her nine tails and made them glow faintly, each one shimmering like moonlight on water.[Purification complete. Mental Power consumed: 15%. Autumn Reyes contamination reduced from 88% to 30%. The system notes that purifying five star beastkin requires significantly more energ