Chapter 2 Arrival in the Beast World

The warning siren blared through the isolation zone just as two guards finished their shift change.

[Warning! Warning! General Ares Hayes has broken containment!]

[Isolation Sector lockdown imminent! All personnel below S-Rank evacuate immediately! S-Rank males prepare for combat!]

The guards' faces went pale. They tried to flee, but a massive black wolf appeared before them.

In a flash, their transport was struck by lightning emanating from the beast's body. Both guards were killed instantly, their bodies burned to ash.

But the girl in the back seat? Not a scratch. She tumbled from the wreckage, rolling over twice across the ground before her hazel eyes snapped open.

"...Ouch."

Elena groaned, her forehead wrinkling as pain coursed through her body.

A robotic voice spoke in her head.

[Host successfully transported to Beast World.

Current Identity: Female Leopard-Cat Tribe, 18 years old.

Physical Constitution: F-Rank.

Mental Power: F-Rank (adjusted to Unlimited).]

[Main Mission initiated: Claim the Wolf General-Successfully soothe and mark Ares Hayes. Mission completion will unlock 10% system progress.]

Where am I?

The system's transmission quickly answered her question.

She had been reborn into the interstellar Beast World, as a young adult female of the Leopard-Cat Tribe. She had no reproductive ability, and her mental power was the lowest rank.

Her original self had volunteered for a dangerous job helping the mentally unstable Imperial General. Her grandmother's illness had left her desperate for funds. She had been promised ten million star coins, but the work was deadly.

Ares Hayes, known as the Empire's War God, was the designated next Marshal. His mental power ranked at the highest 4S level, and the stronger a beastman's mental power, the more destructive they became when unstable.

The original Elena had died immediately upon entering the isolation zone, unable to survive the General's psychic assault.

Now, the reborn Elena had to face him.

"System, what benefits come with reaching 100% progress?" Elena inquired.

[Each time you successfully bond with a System-designated male, progress will unlock. When you successfully help resolve the Beast World's reproduction and stability crisis and reach 100%, you will receive the Key of Space-Time, granting you one opportunity to return to a critical point in your original world and change your fate.]

Elena's heart raced. "You mean I can go back to before I was killed?"

[Yes, Host.]

Thoughts of her parents, the child who would never be born, and the faces of Marcus and Victoria filled her with rage. Elena clenched her fists. She would survive, complete her mission, and return for vengeance.

[Current progress: 0%. Good luck, Host.]

Elena rose, and a massive black wolf descended from above, the impact shaking the ground beneath her.

At roughly ten feet tall, with powerful limbs and golden, feral eyes, the wolf dwarfed her.

It unleashed a thick bolt of purple lightning. The energy gouged a four-meter-deep crater in the earth, yet it dissipated harmlessly across Elena, thanks to the System shielding her.

Seeing the wolf preparing to attack again, Elena set aside fear. Following the original Elena's memories and the system's guidance, she rushed to its side and placed her hands against its soft fur, releasing her mental power outward.

Enhanced by the System, her power surged into Ares like a tidal wave. Gradually, the golden feral light in his eyes softened. His massive form shrank into a half-human, half-wolf state.

Elena looked up at the towering figure before her, heart skipping a beat.

In his semi-beast state, Ares stood nearly seven feet tall, naked, with jet-black hair and piercing green eyes. His angular features were sharply sculpted, perfect in every line.

Elena forgot how to breathe. She tried to look away but found her gaze traveling downward instead. Bronze-toned skin covered broad shoulders marked with scars, a firm chest and chiseled abs. His long, powerful legs supported his frame, and between them...

Elena quickly looked away, shocked.

It was frankly not a size any human man should ever possess.

She forced her attention back to pacifying him, though the twitching black wolf ears atop his head and the fuzzy tail swaying gently behind him kept drawing her eyes.

The changing eye color indicated that Ares was stabilizing. Just as Elena anticipated his full recovery, she found herself suddenly swept up in powerful arms and cradled against his chest.

Elena pressed her hands against his broad chest, nervously calling out, "General Ares.?"

So close, she caught the minty scent of him. Strangely comforting.

Ares blinked at her voice, briefly lucid, but confusion returned. He didn't remember what "Ares" or "General" meant.

All he knew was that the female in his arms was beautiful. She had striking gray-brown eyes, a delicate nose, and tempting lips.

Most of all, she smelled like peaches, awakening his most primal desires.

Ares lowered his head, nuzzling her cheek, his hand stroking her back.

Elena hadn't expected this intimate gesture. As a Leopard-Cat, her back was sensitive; the touch sent electricity shooting through her body.

Impulses surged, and she leaned instinctively against his broad chest.

Reason told her to resist, but her body craved contact.

"What's happening..." Elena moaned softly.

Her soft voice sounded irresistible to Ares. His golden beast eyes flickered with desire. Her scent, her voice, her warmth-all triggered something possessive deep inside him.

Confusion clouded his mind. He didn't know what these feelings meant.

Just as Ares leaned in to kiss Elena, he smelled other male beastmen approaching. His pupils turned to slits.

Male beastmen. Many of them. They would steal my female! Protect her!

Instinct overwhelmed Ares. He held Elena tight and dashed toward the dense forest.

Even 4S-level males couldn't match his speed. The group sent to sedate him only caught a glimpse of his departing shadow.

"The General has regained his semi-human form? Has he regained reason? Report to Her Majesty immediately!"

"There's a female scent. did he take the girl?"

"No way! Did the General take her for mating? But General Ares has always believed in fated mates and never touches other females."

"I heard he relies on suppressants during his heat cycles. His mental breakdown happened because he's been suppressing his needs too long."

Once male beastmen started talking, the conversation inevitably turned sexual, especially when discussing someone of high rank and authority.

Ares had long been a celebrity in the Empire, constantly avoiding female attention by claiming to be waiting for his fated mate.

Meanwhile, Elena had been taken to a secluded cave.

The moment they landed, Ares pressed close. His breathing quickened, body temperature rising. Fingers traced her lips, and he kissed her demandingly, hungrily claiming her mouth.

Every touch sent electric shocks through both their bodies. Ares craved more contact, and Elena felt the same pull.

In his eagerness, Ares's fangs accidentally cut Elena's lip.

Trapped under his weight, Elena tasted blood on her tongue.

Pain mingled with the system warnings blaring in her mind.

[Warning! Target is unexpectedly entering heat cycle. Host must complete marking, or the target faces total mental collapse and death.]

[Mission failure will result in Host termination-death. Act now!]