Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 75: Better than being naked

What Nix had done went far beyond humiliating Kather alone—it was an offense to every female with even a shred of decency. No female, anywhere, wanted to be forced to look at a therian parading around in nothing but his bare skin day after day. It didn’t matter how striking or noble that therian might be. There were boundaries, and this crossed all of them.

Kather had always been known for his remarkable self-control. Calm, dignified, unshakable—that was the reputation he’d carried his entire life. But this time, the last of his restraint finally snapped.

He slipped free of Rory’s arms and stalked straight toward Nix, every step radiating fury. Slowly, deliberately, he lifted his one remaining wing—the tips of its feathers ragged and uneven—then swung it forward with all the force he could muster.

Smack.

The sound echoed sharply.

Luck, for once, favored Kather. Nix was still tightly bound and completely unable to dodge. Still, humiliation burned hot, and Nix immediately began to whine pitifully, twisting his head toward Rory and widening his eyes into an exaggerated display of misery. He was clearly trying to play the victim.

Rory wasn’t fooled for a second.

"You deserved that," she said coolly. "Look at what you did to Burnt Dumpling. You’re lucky he only hit you twice."

Her expression held no sympathy at all. Nix’s pitiful noises bounced right off her. And even though Kather had already struck back, his anger was far from spent.

He continued glaring at Nix with a fierce, unwavering stare. Once, in his prime, that commanding presence alone had been enough to make even Paros hesitate. Now... now it was a shadow of what it used to be.

Still, some instincts never faded.

Kather raised a claw and gave Nix’s whiskers a sharp, punishing yank.

"Chirp!"

Try that again, his glare promised, and I’ll tear you apart—even if Rory tries to stop me.

He’d tolerated countless slights for Rory’s sake, swallowed pride after pride without complaint. But this? This crossed a line that could not be ignored.

Once the threat was delivered, he didn’t dare look back at Rory. Instead, he dove beneath the nearest blanket, burrowing deep as if trying to disappear entirely.

He would rather suffocate than walk around exposed in front of her.

Nix whimpered, his torn whiskers throbbing, sounding genuinely on the verge of tears.

Rory didn’t untie him until she was absolutely certain Kather had finished venting his rage. The instant the ropes loosened, Nix launched himself straight into her arms, whining loudly and shamelessly.

Rory sighed, rubbing her temples as a familiar headache began to form.

At moments like this, she couldn’t help but think she hadn’t found herself a partner at all—she’d adopted a troublesome child instead. Still, she lifted a hand and patted his head, though the motion lacked much enthusiasm.

"There, there. You’re fine," she said. "Just stop picking on the burnt dumpling, alright? Be good."

She suspected Matt Slade had fled so quickly earlier because he wanted no part in babysitting Nix in his cub form. Anyone who’d dealt with Nix after his abilities were drained knew just how much trouble he was.

"Awooo!"

Nix barked happily, rubbing against her chest like an overgrown infant.

The moment Jasper saw that, his expression darkened.

Cub or not, that was still far too close for comfort.

Without hesitation, Jasper grabbed Nix by the scruff and hauled him away from Rory’s embrace.

"Rory," he said evenly, "you should check on Burnt dumpling. He looks like he is about two seconds away from throwing himself off a cliff after what Nix did."

If anyone was getting comfort, Jasper would much rather it be that pitiful bird than this overly clingy mutt.

"Arf!" Nix barked in protest.

One sharp glance from Jasper shut him up instantly.

"Keep it up," Jasper added coldly, "and I’ll put you back in the cage."

The word cage cut straight through Nix’s muddled cub brain. His muzzle snapped shut at once.

Only then did Jasper turn his attention back to Rory. She had already taken his advice, crouching beside the bed and gently coaxing the burnt dumpling out from under the blanket. The poor bird was curled tightly, refusing to emerge from his newest hiding place.

"It’s okay," Rory murmured softly. "They’ll grow back."

After a moment, she added thoughtfully, "If you don’t want to wait, interstellar hospitals offer feather implant services. We could stop by and have you fixed up properly."

Jasper, who had been preoccupied with figuring out whether Rory’s sense of smell was compromised, suddenly had an idea. His gaze settled on the miserable burnt dumpling.

"Those services are only for therians," he said. "They don’t treat birds like him. But don’t worry—I’ve got a solution."

"You do?"

Both Rory and Burnt dumpling looked at him in surprise. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Jasper smiled with quiet confidence and pulled several brightly colored feathers from his storage band, along with a pair of wing molds. Rory couldn’t tell what material they were made of, but they fit the burnt dumpling perfectly and felt almost weightless.

Jasper strapped the molds on and began sticking feathers on without a second thought to color coordination.

The result was... disastrous.

By the time he finished, the burnt dumpling looked even worse than before.

If he hadn’t been traumatized earlier, he certainly was now.

Rory pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to laugh. I really shouldn’t trust a man’s sense of aesthetics, she thought.

Quickly, she stepped in, selecting a matching set of black feathers and carefully attaching them one by one. The result wasn’t perfect, but at least the burnt dumpling was no longer exposed.

The bird, for his part, had fully resigned himself to his fate.

Anything was better than being naked.

Just as he was beginning to calm down, Jasper spoke again.

"Rory," he said casually, "Burnt Dumpling isn’t getting any younger. Don’t you think it is time we found him a mate?"

Kather felt his blood pressure spike all over again.