"Wh–what just happened?" Renar asked, reaching for Lethia's hand to stand up.
"Don't you rember? You were hugging —no, squeezing like I was so kind of sli just monts ago?"
Renar's last mory was of him pulling Lethia close, her body like a magnet, and after that, he found himself slumped on the floor.
"That's what I should be asking you. What are you? Why does your scent keep lingering in my mind, pulling towards you? Are you a witch?"
Once Renar was on his feet, Lethia released his hand. But as the fox's power had faded, her legs started to wobble, weakness setting in.
Renar quickly caught her arm. He helped her walk to a bench under the canopy near the greenhouse. Lethia noticed the sun beginning to set, and with it, she no longer worried about the high UV radiation.
Lethia had already suspected that Renar had been under the fox's hypnotic influence, but she didn't expect it to cause mory loss. 'What should I say?'
"Will you believe if I told you I got possessed by a fox spirit that can control my body however it wants and asked to seduce you because you swallowed its bead?" Lethia asked, sitting on a long tal bench.
"Are you crazy?" Renar scoffed, chuckling in disbelief as he sat beside her, keeping a distance.
He could still sll the intoxicating scent of Lethia, still shocked by the loss of control he'd felt. But the effect had faded now, no longer making him feel like so delirious fool. He had to stay alert.
"Right? I wish I was just crazy," Lethia said bitterly, then continued, "And how would you explain the haunting scent you're talking about?"
"Of course, it's because of the fated mate scent."
Lethia almost forgot that werewolves had that freedom-stealing, doom-laden fated mate scent, especially since she couldn't find her own. Then her gaze snapped.
"Aren't Lycans from Ashenhold the ones who don't believe in fated mates? You even invented so weird dicine to resist the bond."
Renar furrowed his brow, not expecting the wolfless female in front of him to call his family's scientific discovery a "weird dicine."
"Doesn't anyone around you ever tell you to be careful with your mouth?"
Lethia chuckled. "I hear that often. But how am I supposed to protect myself in this dreadful world if I don't say what's on my mind?"
"Maybe if you could hold yourself back a bit, your life wouldn't have turned so—" Renar stopped himself, realizing his words could hurt her.
"Miserable?" Lethia smiled bitterly, her gaze shifting to the darkening orange sky. She sighed before continuing, "About that scent... Do you like my scent that much?"
Renar flinched, taken aback by her question. "It's not that I like it. I just... got pulled by it, and—"
"Got hypnotized by it?" Lethia interrupted. "Does that an I'm your fated mate, then?"
To be honest, the words "fated mate" made Lethia feel nauseous, reminding her of the ti Varrel had convinced her that they were fated mates.
For the first ti, she felt lucky to be wolfless and unable to find her own fated mate.
"That's... sothing I need to figure out. But are you really not possessing so kind of power that could bewitch and seduce soone? Were you perhaps planning to seduce back at the charging station?"
"Don't you know ? I'm sure you've learned my background by now."
"Well, who knows, maybe you wanted to trap so rich people here to get revenge on your husband," Renar rolled his eyes, as if realizing his mistake. "I an, your ex-husband."
Lethia looked at Renar, his face serious as he thought. She couldn't help but admire how smart this man was, with his analysis and—his trolling.
Convincing the people of Ashenhold, who didn't believe in superstition, that she had been possessed by a spirit felt pointless.
However, making a mutual symbiotic agreent with them was exactly the kind of thing Ashenhold's people liked.
Lethia shifted closer to Renar, causing him to instinctively move away from her.
"What if I am? Will you gladly be trapped by ?"
Renar looked at her, disbelief crossing his features as his gaze swept from her head to her feet. He was sowhat annoyed, but also amused by how shaless she was.
"Be careful of what you say. I'd believe it more if you said you were from here rather than the countryside." Renar teased, pulling out his phone and typing sothing.
Taking advantage of Renar's montary distraction, Lethia suddenly placed her palm against his left chest, making Renar flinch and stare at her in shock.
"What are you—"
He wanted to pull away imdiately, but the pressure of her hand gave off a warm sensation, making him curious about what she was doing.
"See, your heartbeat is racing uncontrollably, getting faster the mont I touch you. You... you'll need ." Lethia said confidently.
Renar found himself just inches away from the woman, her face lit up with a glimr in her eyes and a faint smile that made his heart beat even faster.
His gaze swept from her eyes, to her nose, and finally landed on her lips, softening his look.
He wondered about the sweetness of those lips when they t the tip of his tongue, how they would intoxicate him.
"What do you an?" he asked.
"Let's make a deal. Protect , and I'll make sure your needs are t."
Lethia smiled sweetly, yet slyly. The fox wasn't in her mind right now. But Lethia would do things her way and complete her mission by her own free will.
And seeing how Renar had brought her to Terenian and the VIP ward she was in, she had a gut feeling that Renar could be useful in her pursuit of revenge against Varrel and Lana. More than that, she needed protection for her child until it was born.
A low hum echoed, snapping Renar out of his disbelief as he processed what the bold woman in front of him had said.
The drone delivered a basket the size of a shoebox and stopped in front of him, causing Renar to imdiately grab it.
Then, suddenly he knelt down in front of Lethia and opened the box, revealing socks and hospital latex slippers.
Without a word, Renar took Lethia's foot and removed her socks. His hand gently brushed over her foot, cleaning it before putting on the new socks, making Lethia's pulse race with an unexpected rush of emotion.
She didn't even notice the tear in her socks, how dirty they had already beco. So when did he notice and arrange for the drone to bring new socks and slippers?
After finishing with the slippers, Renar looked up at her with a serious, intense gaze, as if holding back an emotional surge.
He chuckled, "Do you even know what my needs are? What if I want you to be my fated mate?"
Lethia stared into his eyes, her gaze deep, as if trying to speak directly to his soul.
"As long as you protect until I tell you to stop, forget the fated mate. I'll even beco your fucked-mate."
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