Chapter 9
The man gazed down at the woman wheezing faintly with each breath for a long while, then cracked his neck as though weary.
“How carefree.”
For the man, it was beyond mockery — it was genuinely astounding. Here she was, so fast asleep beside a creature that could tear her apart at any moment.
Of course, considering that he himself had been led here to this estate by that very woman’s hand, he wasn’t exactly in a position to laugh.
If pressed to justify his own predicament, he had two reasons.
First, his injuries at the time had been severe enough that he couldn’t properly assess the situation. Second, even amid the chaos, he had judged it wiser to hide among humans and mask his scent to evade his pursuers.
“Right. Only until I’ve fully recovered.”
The man glanced out the open window, let out a sigh, and ran a hand through his hair.
“……”
In the silence that followed, his gaze drifted lazily around the room. Snow was accumulating outside the window. A fireplace with no flame. Dried-out candle stubs. A woman with pale skin bathed in moonlight.
The man’s brow furrowed in irritation.
And in the next moment, he closed the distance to the sleeping woman without a shred of hesitation. Her slender neck was caught in one of his hands, and razor-sharp nails rose to her pulse point as though ready to sever her breath at any second.
“That doesn’t mean I need to lie here pressed against a human.”
The man muttered, his face devoid of expression. To him, the presence of a human woman had absolutely nothing to do with recovering his strength in this place.
“Mmnh.”
As he tightened his grip, a pained whimper escaped the woman’s lips, the foreign pressure on her throat clearly uncomfortable. His nails digging into the nape of her neck were steadily disrupting her breathing.
The man knew humans well. This human woman would stop breathing with ease if he simply kept applying pressure.
That was what humans were. Weaker than a newborn cubs. After all, hadn’t his own mother been stupid enough to stray from the pack and get herself killed?
“Tch.”
An unpleasant image surfacing without warning, the man clicked his tongue.
‘Just like that woman, this human woman too…’
While unbidden images drifted through the man’s mind, Tina’s breath was being choked off, little by little.
A solitary room in the annex, without so much as a hearth fire. Two silhouettes illuminated by moonlight drew close without a gap between them, and beneath, Tina’s breath wavered on the edge.
“Ngh…”
* * *
The next morning, Tina woke to the sharp heat of sunlight falling across her face. She was certain she had drawn the curtains before bed, but whether she’d been mistaken or not, they were now pulled open.
Her throat stung like she’d swallowed ash. The cold air creeping in through the gap in the curtains overnight must have irritated it.
“Huh?”
Tina, who had been rubbing her sore throat, let out a sharp cry. The warmth that should have been in her arms was completely gone.
Her breathing quickened as she threw back the covers, searching everywhere. But no matter where she looked, the small creature she had held in her arms last night was nowhere to be found.
Fortunately, her panic didn’t last long. Just as she was scrambling to get off the bed, a tiny whine came from the far edge of the mattress.
She hurried to lift the pillow near the sound, and there, perched at the very end of the bed, squirming, was the little creature.
“…There you are.”
Tina let out a sigh of relief, barely managing to calm her racing heart.
“Were you cold last night? Did I wake you?”
Tina perched on the edge of the bed and stroked the creature’s soft fur. The cozy sensation of short fur brushing between her fingers gradually settled her nerves.
At her touch, the creature’s bright yellow eyes slowly met hers. A warm, gentle gaze that made all the morning’s little commotion melt away.
They gazed at each other in the quiet for a long time, until Tina began to think the creature’s eyes were trying to tell her something.
“Are you awake, my lady?”
Without warning, a commotion erupted outside and the door swung open. Several maids poured in through the wide-open doorway, and all Tina could do was stuff the small creature beneath the covers.
“We’ll help you get ready. Today, you’ll be dining with the family at the main house.”
“All of a sudden? Why?”
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.