Felicity's Beast World Apocalypse

Then, from his pocket, he produced a small tube of high-end mint toothpaste he’d scavenged. He squeezed a bit onto a clean finger and offered it to her, his dark, slit-pupiled eyes locked onto hers. "Cleanse the taste, my heart," he hissed softly, a sound of pure, unhinged devotion. "It’s okay, we will take care of you and the kits, nothing, not even your own body, will hurt you while we breathe."

The non-mated men of Snow and Leaf team were officially stun-locked.

But hearing her say it openly, hearing Exile mention the kits out loud hit them like a physical shockwave. Tommy, still dripping from his water bucket incident, looked like his soul had actually left his body. Marx dropped his meat bun.

Before the awkwardness could settle, the twelve men who had broken off earlier to scavenge came charging back up the trail, looking like they had just raided a luxury department store in the middle of the apocalypse.

"We found them!" Shadow rumbled as he skidded to a halt and dropped a heavy tactical bag that clinked with treasures.

"Dried mangoes!" Ash announced, pulling out three sealed, premium-grade bags. "The chewy ones you like, Felicity, not the gross crunchy ones!"

"annnnd the chocolate-covered nuts!" Kai added, piling snacks into her arms until she could barely see over the top of them. "And look, we found a cache of cashmere sweaters and silk leggings in a boutique ruins down the road, they’re clean, and they’re soft."

Felicity’s eyes went wide, her "bleh" mood vanishing instantly as she hugged the pile of snacks to her chest. "Mangoes! Oh, you guys are the best! I take it back, everything is great again!"

She looked at the huddle of stunned men, then back at her husbands, and let out a cheeky, triumphant giggle. "Hear that, kits? You’re getting mangoes now, stop making me vomit!"

The husbands laughed, a deep, possessive sound that echoed through the valley.

Victor stepped forward, his red eyes sweeping over the "stunned" teams with a look that said Yeah, you heard right

"You heard the lady," Victor commanded, his voice booming. "She’s got her snacks, she’s got her silks now move! We have a kingdom to build, and those babies aren’t going to be born in a cave!"

The mountain air was still crisp as the descent began, but for Felicity, the world was a fragile, spinning place. Every step Victor or Voss took was too heavy, too jarring for her current state.

"Bumpy," she whimpered, clutching her bag of dried mangoes like a lifeline. "Everything is too bumpy, my stomach is all bleh, and I want off the ride."

Exile’s eyes lit up with a dark, triumphant glint. Before Damien could even reach for her, the massive snake beastman had already slithered forward, his powerful, serpentine lower half providing a stability no legs could match. He scooped her up, his torso steady while his long tail rippled over the uneven rocks with fluid, liquid grace.

"I have you, my heart," Exile hissed, his chest vibrating with a purr of pure, smug satisfaction.

Damien glided alongside, his hand resting on her ankle to steady her, his expression equally smug as they bypassed the jarring footfalls of the "mammals."

For a snake-beastman, there was no greater honour than being the one to provide the "smooth ride" for the pack’s treasure.

Up front, Victor led the way, his golden wings half furled, his eyes scanning the horizon for Bowral. Behind him, Marx, Legend, and Dawn were walking in a tight cluster, their voices low as they discussed the loose ends of Kangaroo Valley.

Legend muttered, "Where the hell did that street cat go? And those teens? One minute they’re trailing us like lost puppies, the next they’re gone."

"They probably realised that being around us is a one-way ticket to a heart attack," Marx replied, glancing back at the terrifyingly obsessed husbands. "I wouldn’t stay if I didn’t have to."

Ivan chimed in from a few paces back, his voice a deep, resonant rumble. "The teens are likely still in the town, scavaging the remains of the Convoy’s loot. They’ll follow the trail of scorched earth we left soon enough. As for the cat..." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "She’s a stray, and Felicity hasn’t even noticed she’s gone; she’s a bit preoccupied with not dying of nausea."

While the scouts talked shop, Lucan was radiating enough jealousy to set the nearby brush on fire. He watched the way Exile’s tail undulated, carrying Felicity with sickeningly perfect smoothness. The Black Panther’s tail lashed irritably. He was fast, he was lethal, but he wasn’t a living shock absorber.

Voss leaned in toward Victor, his voice low enough that Felicity wouldn’t hear over the rustle of her mango bag. "Now that there are six of us... What’s the rotation, Victor? It was simpler with four."

Victor didn’t even look back, his jaw set firm. "Keep it as is. We cycle through as we always have. But god help us if we go over seven, if we add another beast husband to this circle, we’re going to need a spreadsheet and a bigger bed, that’s the limit, no more."

"Good luck with that," Voss muttered, his gaze sweeping over the stronger members of both teams.

An hour later, the jagged cliffs gave way to a vast, emerald green plateau. The flat land stretched out toward the distant silhouette of the Southern Highlands.

"Stop!" Dimitri’s voice rang out, clear and commanding as he called to the teams.

The teams halted instantly. Dimitri turned to the assembled men, his white fur standing out against the green grass. "Fan out! We aren’t reaching Bowral until every man in this unit is Level 95 or higher. The City of Light is coming, and I will not have ’weak links’ in her kingdom."

Felicity bounced up by the sound of that, "oooohh my kingdom huh i like the sound of it, god i hope it has baby gates."

Lucan and Ivan immediately went to work for their queen.

They didn’t just find a spot; they created one. Lucan used his shadow-magic to weave a thick, light-blocking canopy between two ancient gum trees, while Ivan dragged over several plush, silk-covered cushions he’d snagged from the loot bags.

They set up a perfect "watching station" on a small rise, giving Felicity a front row seat to the chaos of the training below while keeping her tucked away in the shade.

"Sit, little bunny," Lucan murmured, finally getting to hold her hand as he helped her onto the cushions "Watch them sweat, it’ll make the mangoes taste better."

Felicity flopped onto the cushions with a sigh of relief, leaning her head back against Ivan’s sturdy leg as he stood guard over her. She popped a piece of dried mango into her mouth, her tail wagging slowly.

"Much better," she chirped, looking down at the field where Tommy was currently trying (and failing) to duel a stone-faced Sarge "Go on then! Level up! I want a kingdom with really, really strong guards!"

Damien noticed her watching, and a slow, mischievous smile spread across his face as he slipped away from the group. His long, flexible tail snaked around silently with deliberate precision, and he flicked the very tip against the thin fabric between her thighs.

The sensation sent an electric jolt through Felicity’s body. A startled, breathy moan escaped her lips before she could stop it, her hands immediately flying to cover her mouth, eyes wide with shock.