Lethia’s entire body jolted like it had been struck the mont her eyes t Renar’s dark brown ones. She instinctively took a step back, but turning away would only make things more awkward.
She tried to move forward, but her legs felt stiff—she walked like a fucking robot. She was sure even Muffy moved better than her right now.
Across the corridor, Renar stood still, eyes fixed on her with a sharp, shadowed intensity that churned sothing deep in her gut.
Lethia dropped her gaze, unable to bear the way her heart hamred against her ribs under Renar’s pull.
She wondered why he just stood there, unmoving, as if waiting. What was she supposed to do? Greet him? Or just walk past him?
Her thoughts tangled into a ss, emotion clashing hard with reason, until, without thinking, she suddenly halted, turned, and pushed open a door on her right.
She stepped in and shut it quickly behind her, not even knowing what room it was. Her breath ca out in sharp pants.
A harsh chemical sting mixed with dry dust scraped through her nose, forcing her to glance around. It was an art studio, a room ant for painting.
Before she could even catch her breath properly, the click of a door handle snapped her head to the side. Renar entered from the other door.
Lethia’s eyes flicked in panic. Her body jerked like gravity had betrayed her balance.
Her blood pressure surged as Renar shut the door behind him.
For a mont, Lethia stood still, soaking in the weight of his longing gaze, the intensity of it slicing into her until all she could hear was the thunder of her own heartbeat.
Lethia’s grip tightened on her purse and the paper bag she held.
As Renar stepped closer, she instinctively backed away, her gaze dropping to the floor, unable to et his eyes; she didn’t even know why her feet moved on their own like that.
Her eyes locked onto his shoes, frozen in place.
Lethia bit her lower lip, hating herself for acting so unlike herself.
Then she saw Renar step forward again, and—
"Stop! Don’t co at !" she yelled.
Renar paused, only for a second, then moved forward again.
"I said stop!" Her voice trembled. Her legs refused to move back, completely frozen, yet her eyes stayed locked on his feet, watching as they kept approaching.
When Lethia’s eyes widened and finally lifted to et his gaze, everything happened in a flash.
One of Renar’s hands caught the back of her neck, gently pulling her in, while the other tilted her chin up until her lips could feel his warm breath.
The dull thud of her purse and the paper bag slipping from her hands echoed through the quiet studio.
"May I kiss you?" Renar’s gaze held her deeply.
It wasn’t a question seeking permission; it was a need for validation.
By the way her lips parted, gasping, Renar knew she would take his mouth willingly. But her flickering pupils betrayed her body in hesitation, restraint, like she might push him away.
"If you say yes, I might sanely lose my mind and drown in my own inferno. So... think wisely."
The heady scent of her honeyed pheromone wafted to his nose, sending a violent shiver straight down his spine.
He’d caught the scent of Lethia’s sweet scent the mont she walked into the hall, hand in hand with Zeran, smiling.
That smile, he’d believed it only existed when this stone-hearted woman was with him. And from that mont on, he was mad with irritation.
Jealousy stabbed through him, raw and brutal pain, and he was certain that was why Zeran had left her alone with her friends. Was it love? That gravitational pull she had on him, dragging him into her orbit like a black abyss.
He wanted to believe it was just because of his bond with Zeran. But the second his hand touched her warm skin, he didn’t want to let go.
Her body craved him. And his lust... it teetered on that thin, dangerous edge between desire and restraint. But what if he wanted more? What if once he gave in to that primal instinct, he wouldn’t be able to stop? What if he loved her?
The haunting image of his father, who was obsessed with his mother, experinting endlessly just to keep her alive, flickered in his mind. What if he beca just as monstrous? What if he ended up hurting her?
Lethia lowered her gaze and focused on his left chest, where a glowing white light shimred like a crystal orb. Her breath caught—was that... a fox bead?
She looked up again, and one hand gently reached for his cheek.
"Are you in pain?" Her voice was soft, laced with empathy.
"Yes."
His answer rang in her ears like agony.
The light of the fox bead pulsed brighter, though it seed only she could see it. Lethia was sure of it now. Renar was hurting, and it was because of the bead.
He couldn’t control himself...
And it was all because of her.
Her heart ached as she stared into his eyes. She was supposed to take responsibility for this, wasn’t she?
Lethia pressed her thighs together as Renar’s grip on her nape tightened, igniting a heat inside her that only grew sharper.
She hated her body for reacting like this—hated how it responded to every Tuffin man who got too close. Was it because Zeran still hadn’t satisfied her?
She tangled her fingers in Renar’s hair and placed a soft kiss at the corner of his lips.
"The last ti you said you wouldn’t hold back when you saw again. So why ask now? I think we could ease each other’s aches."
She did believe that it was what Renar needed, that she had to take responsibility. But just as she leaned in, lips nearly brushing his, Renar pulled away.
"What do you an? Has Zeran still not mated with you?"
Lethia wrapped her arms around his neck to close the distance and seal her lips on his, but Renar broke the embrace.
"So now you’re using as his substitute?" His voice rose sharply, and Lethia’s eyes widened at the sting in it.
"What’s your problem? Does it even matter? Didn’t you ask to kiss because you needed it too? I’ve tried my best to stay away from you, yet you still found . You need this, and so do I, so what’s your fucking problem, Renar?!"
"Then what’s your reason for avoiding ?"
Lethia gasped at his question.
"I don’t know! I feel... I feel like you suffocate ."
The words hit him like a sledgehamr to the chest. He hadn’t even confessed what he felt yet, and here she was, this woman who stirred his insides, telling him he suffocated her.
Renar chuckled, bitter and low. Love? No, a woman with a heart made of stone like hers wouldn’t feel that.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe this was nothing more than a physical craving where her pheromones were driving both of them mad.
That terrifying panic he felt about the fear that she might die, it must’ve been nothing but fleeting empathy.
Just an obsession to fix things. To prove he could do better than his father.
He stepped closer, eyes darkened, jaw tight with barely contained rage.
"So, what now? Are you wet already? Should I just shove myself into you, right here, right now? Tell , how do you want to fulfil that need?"
Plaaakk!
Lethia’s palm burned after landing hard across Renar’s cheek. She was breathing fast, chest rising in sharp rhythm. She hid her trembling fingers curled into fists at her sides.
She couldn’t even rember why she slapped him so reflexively. Was it the sting of his words? How could they strip her bare in sha like that? Hadn’t she already been shaless in front of Renar long ago?
But she only wanted to help him. She feared the bead would drag him into that unbearable pain again. Did he really have to speak to her like that, cold and cruel?
"You... how—"
She hadn’t even finished her sentence when the door slamd open, and Zeran barged in, his face twisted in discomfort.
Renar’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t even have to look to know who stood behind him. His smirk ca sharp, edged with pain.
"I think you should ask the right man, the one who doesn’t make you feel suffocated, to take care of that. Tell him to stop holding himself back with his bullshit excuses."
His words were like daggers, thrown deliberately to hurt. Then he turned and walked out through the door Zeran had opened, not sparing another glance.
Lethia’s legs gave out the mont Renar left, as if she was about to collapse, but just as her strength slipped away, Zeran caught her right on ti, keeping her body from hitting the cold floor.
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