Kaira's eyes snapped open the moment her consciousness slammed back into her body. There was no gentle transition, no convenient buffering time - just BAM, reality in the form of an enraged, gorgeous beastman five inches from her face.
And he was already mid-lunge.
"Oh, COME ON!" she squeaked, scrambling backward like an overturned turtle.
The black-haired, golden-eyed, gorgeous and equally furious beastman grabbed the ground where her neck had been a second earlier. His claws carved deep grooves into the stone floor as if it were soft tofu.
Kaira stared.
He stared.
She gulped.
He growled.
"YOU-" His voice was gravel dipped in murder. "You dared drug me-"
"That wasn't me!" Kaira shrieked, raising both hands as she shuffled backward on her butt. "I mean, it was this body, but not me me, you know-?!"
His answer was a roar that echoed through the cave.
The next moment, she felt more than saw him pounce. A blur of muscle and rage leapt toward her. She tried to dodge. She really did. But this body was heavy... too heavy... and the most she managed was a tragic waddle to the left.
"You have got to be kidding-" she wheezed.
Her foot slipped on something slimy on the floor, she really didn't want to know what it was, and she ended up rolling sideways like a boulder.
The beastman crashed where she had been, sending dust flying again. Fury radiated off him in waves.
He pushed himself back up, his muscles flexing, jaw clenched tight.
"You will die," he growled.
"Let's... let's not be hasty!" she yelped, stumbling to her feet, the cave quaking under her weight.
Ding!
The system's bubbly voice echoed in her mind.
[Friendly System Reminder!]
[The incredibly handsome wolf man trying to shred you is an Alpha-rank beast - second only to Beast Kings!]
[Good luck, Host!]
"Good luck?! That's all you have?!" Kaira shouted in her head while dodging the Alpha's next swipe.
[Would you like a tutorial on dying?]
"NO!"
The beastman lunged again, and she shrieked as she barely evaded by accidentally tripping and rolling like a barrel.
He was unbelievably fast even while injured. The memories told her beastmen were strong, but this? This was ridiculous!
"I did NOT drug you!" she yelled while running. Or… waddling. More like waddling rapidly.
Her thigh fat slapped against each other like clapping thunder.
The Alpha beastman didn't care.
"You fed me three doses of Blood-Moon Vine," he snarled, sprinting after her, "and you touched me-"
"Hey, that wasn't me! Well, technically it was this body, but the soul inside-look, it's complicated!"
She tried to run faster.
The cave trembled.
The man bared his claws. "I will rip-"
"STOP!" she screamed, dodging behind a stalagmite that was far too tiny to hide her huge body. "Look, buddy-sir-Master Alpha-I don't want to die!"
He pounced again.
Kaira panicked.
Her training told her to strike.
Her body told her she was going to collapse.
Yet somehow... somehow... she managed to reach out and catch his wrist mid-attack.
His eyes widened... then narrowed murderously.
He pulled his arm to free himself.
But she held on.
Barely.
Mostly by accident because her fingers were too chubby to unclench fast enough.
"Let go-!" he snarled.
"Wait, WAIT! I know you are poisoned!"
He froze.
Exactly one hair away from slicing her throat.
His golden eyes narrowed to slits.
Kaira swallowed her soul. She continued, voice cracking, "You-you can't shift into your beast form right now, right?"
Silence.
He didn't move.
He didn't breathe.
Danger simmered in the air like crackling lightning.
His claws hovered merely an inch from her throat… but did not touch.
"How," he said slowly, "do you know that?"
"I-I can see it," she lied shamelessly. "Your blood flow is sluggish. Your meridians are blocked. Your energy is unstable. And your wolf form is sealed because the toxins are binding to your core."
He stared.
She prayed he had no way of fact-checking her on the spot.
Finally, the man stepped back half an inch.
Not mercy.
Not trust.
Just… hesitation.
It was the only opening she had.
"I can heal you," she blurted. "I'm a… doctor. A healer. A genius."
[HOST, THAT IS FALSE. YOU ARE A SCIENTIST.]
"Not now!" She mentally hissed.
The Alpha's gaze sharpened. "You. Heal me."
"Yes." She nodded desperately. "But only-ONLY-if you promise not to kill me."
His expression turned murderous again.
"I promise nothing."
"A temporary promise?" she bargained.
"Absolutely not."
"A short promise?"
"No."
"A tiny promise?"
His vein popped.
"I SHOULD KILL YOU."
She squeaked. "NOT BEFORE I SAVE YOU!"
They stared at each other.
One chubby, panicking, ex-scientist assassin trapped in a fat caveman body.
One injured Alpha wolf with murder on his agenda.
Finally, he spoke.
"How long?"
"For what?" she blinked.
"To remove the poison. How long?"
Oh. Right.
She straightened, confidence rising.
"A month."
"Three days," he countered instantly.
Kaira nearly choked. "THREE DAYS?! Do you want to die?!"
His eyes bored into her. "A week."
"A month," she insisted. "Your core is practically tangled in poison, and you have been suppressing the toxins for too long, and you already have injuries, and-"
"Five days."
"Four weeks."
He growled.
She growled back.
He froze, shocked.
She cleared her throat. "Sorry. Instinct."
He leaned closer, his eyes looking like molten gold. "Ten days."
"Twenty-eight."
"Eleven."
"Twenty-seven."
"Twelve."
"Two weeks," she snapped.
He went silent.
Finally…
"…fine."
She sagged in relief.
He immediately added, "But if you fail, I will break your neck."
Her smile twitched. "Great. Fantastic. Very motivational."
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST! YOU HAVE ACQUIRED A TEMPORARY LIFE EXTENSION!]
Kaira mentally flicked the system.
The Alpha stepped back... but only barely... with the aura of a man restraining every instinct to gut her.
"Start," he ordered.
She stared at him. "Start what?"
He growled. "Healing me."
She growled back at him again. "You just made me run all over the place. Give me a break! I'll start healing you tomorrow."
She expected him to protest... or charge at her... instead, he just gave her one last glare and then walked out of the cave.
"I'll be back in the morning."
And then he was gone.
She gulped.
Two weeks.
To detox an Alpha wolf who could kill her with one flick of his claws.
In a primitive world.
With zero equipment.
While trapped in a fat, untrained body.
No pressure.
Absolutely no pressure at all.