Trapped in the Beastworld Breeder System (BL) Chapter 37: We have to sleep together

’I thought he was drunk!’

The thought rang loudly in Aries’ mind, sharp and panicked, as he felt life almost slipping out of his body. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, drowning out every other sound, while fear clawed its way up his spine.

Lucien’s voice sounded again, no longer hazy, no longer careless. It was clear, aware, and dangerously calm.

"What did you give ?" he demanded.

The question struck harder than the grip around Aries’ throat.

Aries knew, he knew, that if he attempted to answer, if he even tried to form a proper response, he would not survive long enough to finish the sentence. Lucien’s hand was locked tightly around his neck, fingers pressing into flesh with controlled force, cutting off his air. Breathing beca painfully difficult, his lungs burning as panic crept in.

His hands couldn’t pry Lucien’s fingers away. They were too strong.

Desperate, Aries shifted his focus, forcing his body to respond where his arms could not. He shoved both palms against Lucien’s chest, vision blurring at the edges as dark spots danced before his eyes. His legs lifted instinctively, strength fueled by sheer survival, and he drove a sharp kick into Lucien’s body.

The impact made Lucien stagger.

Their balance faltered, and Lucien nearly fell onto him, his weight pressing down. The only thing stopping their lips from crashing together was Aries’ trembling hand braced firmly against Lucien’s chest, holding him back by re inches.

They froze.

Their faces were painfully close now, eyes locked, breaths mingling. Lucien’s gaze dropped slowly, deliberately, tracing the line of Aries’ lips. He swallowed hard before lifting his eyes again, eting Aries’ stare.

Aries knew that look far too well.

And he wanted no part of it.

He had no interest in being kissed by a man who had just tried to choke the life out of him.

Realizing what Lucien was about to do next, Aries reacted without hesitation. He drew his knee up sharply and delivered a direct kick to Lucien’s groin.

A harsh grunt tore from Lucien’s lips.

Aries seized the opportunity imdiately, wriggling out from beneath him as Lucien buckled. He scrambled off the bed and stood up quickly, heart racing, chest heaving as he tried to steady his breath.

But he didn’t get far.

Before he could take even a single step, Lucien’s hand shot out and closed around his wrist, grip firm and unyielding. In an instant, Aries was pulled back, once again trapped in his grasp.

Lucien exhaled slowly, his breathing uneven now. "It seems I’ve been mistaken," he said, his voice lower, strained but controlled. "I apologize for that."

Aries’ chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to calm himself. "And what exactly," he asked, voice tight but steady, "have you been mistaken about?"

The truth weighed heavily on him.

He couldn’t run, not truly. As unreasonable and dangerous as Lucien was being, fleeing now would cancel the contract entirely. It would ruin the mission, erase everything he had endured so far, and force him to start the Beastworld all over again.

And right now, anything, and he wants it, was truly better than having to face the Tiger King again.

Lucien loosened his grip just slightly. "I thought you were working for my brother—Kenzie."

The effects of the wine were already fading from his face, the drunken haze lifting little by little. But whatever else had been slipped into his drink, whatever Lucien believed to be an aphrodisiac, was only just beginning to take hold. Heat simred beneath his composure, threatening to surface.

Still, he straightened, forcing himself into control.

At least for now, he needed to.

"And?" Aries said, his voice guarded, though his pulse had not slowed in the slightest.

"I seem to be mistaken, as that does not appear to be the case," Lucien replied.

"But..." he added, pausing deliberately.

Aries’ brows lifted in question.

"You surely aren’t here for a good reason," Lucien continued, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You know sothing. And the aphrodisiac..." his gaze flicked briefly over Aries’ body "—you also seem to be affected by it."

"What do you an?" Aries asked.

Lucien then did sothing that instantly made Aries regard him as the greatest pervert of all ti, and also made him wonder if the wine’s effects truly hadn’t worn off as much as Lucien had claid.

Lucien grabbed him.

The sudden hold made Aries’ knees buckle, and he dropped sharply toward the floor. Lucien’s hand remained firm, catching him before he could collapse completely, keeping him upright though his balance was completely gone.

The sensation of a hand on his most private part especially when that hand belonged to his supposed temporary mate sent a violent jolt through Aries’ body. Electricity raced through him, sharp and overwhelming. For a single, terrifying second, pleasure flared before disappearing just as quickly, leaving him shaken and breathless.

It made Aries realize sothing deeply unsettling.

He truly hadn’t lived at all.

If the re brush of Lucien’s grip could make him react so strongly and could make his body betray him so easily, then what would anything more do to him? And for the first ti since the night began, Aries found himself wanting sothing that had nothing to do with the contract or the mission.

"Yes," Lucien said quietly, watching him closely. "I knew it. You sohow managed to be exposed to it as well, or soone fed both of us intentionally. Which of it is the truth? Tell ."

Aries sighed as he heard his word.

"What lie can I tell?" Aries said aloud, forcing the words past his throat so Lucien could hear.

"Rather than give a lie," Lucien replied, "how about you tell the truth? It will help both of us."

At that mont, Lucien began to believe sothing. Sothing he hadn’t realized before. The figure before him, the voice, the pull he felt that went far beyond the influence of the aphrodisiac—it all felt disturbingly familiar.

Aries.

The thought ford unbidden.

All this while, they remained locked close together, their bodies pressed by circumstance and tension rather than choice. Aries had ti, just enough to think. And then, finally, he made his decision.

’Well, System,’ he thought calmly, ’the contract didn’t say he can’t guess my identity. I just need to make him say it himself, and that should be acceptable. Right?’

[Host, if I understand you correctly, you intend to bypass the contract rules. Yes, it can be done. How do you plan to do so?]

’Watch.’

Aries turned back to Lucien and said, "The mask I’m wearing contains hidden bindings. I can’t tell the truth with it on, so you might—"

He wasn’t given the chance to finish.

Lucien abruptly reached up and tore the mask from Aries’ face.

The mont his eyes landed on him, they widened. He looked Aries over...once, then twice, before his expression shifted completely.

"Aries," Lucien said slowly, almost disbelievingly. "Is that you?"

"Huh?" Aries feigned confusion perfectly.

"What do you an?" he asked.

Lucien continued to stare at him, confusion and relief mixing together in equal asure. At least he hadn’t been touching soone he wasn’t ant to, but a different guilt still lingered beneath the surface.

"I think I understand now," Lucien said at last. "If you can’t admit it’s you, then so be it. Anyway... what is this truth you wanted to tell ?"

He understood the situation well enough. If Aries was trapped under Kenzie’s authority, pressing him would only endanger him further. And if silence was what would keep his mate safe from his brother’s reach, Lucien was willing to keep it.

As Aries observed all of this, he knew without a doubt that his plan had worked.

Lucien knew his identity now, and he hadn’t been the one to utter the word.

Now, Aries could proceed with the next part.

"So," he said carefully, "the truth is that we have to sleep together. And by morning, everything will be fine."

Sleep together.

The words echoed in Lucien’s ears far more loudly than expected. He looked at Aries, really looked at him for a long mont. Aries t his gaze, steady and unreadable.

[Host, why do I feel like he’s not interpreting that literally?] the System chid.

"Huh?" Aries thought, confused.

His confusion ended instantly when Lucien suddenly pulled him forward.

Aries landed on Lucien’s lap, breath knocked from his lungs. His hands pressed instinctively against Lucien’s chest as Lucien’s eyes locked onto his. Their faces were dangerously close, breaths mingling.

Lucien lifted a hand and tilted Aries’ chin upward.

Aries’ lips parted before he could stop himself. "What are you trying to do?" he muttered.

"Sleep with you," Lucien replied simply. "What else?"

He didn’t wait.

Lucien closed the distance and captured Aries’ lips with his own.

Aries’ eyes widened in shock. His hands flew back to Lucien’s chest, but before he could push him away, Lucien caught his wrists, holding them firmly while his other hand cradled the back of Aries’ head, deepening the kiss.