Volume 3
The moment I saw the smile on his pale face, I felt my reason slipping away.
‘They say the eyes of the black panther clan are as beautiful as rubies. But why are predators beautiful? The moment you’re captivated by those enchanting eyes, they’ll sink their sharp fangs into your neck…!’
The horror story the maid told me when I was young had become a reality. Staring into his murky eyes, I felt like I might offer my neck to Ahin in the blink of an eye.
I quickly covered Ahin’s half-open eyes with my palm. He didn’t resist, seemingly comforted by the cool touch of my hand.
His fluttering eyelashes brushed against my palm repeatedly, tickling me softly.
‘Does he mean he won’t abandon me, or that he can’t?’
In the delicate silence that followed, I suddenly sensed a faint pheromone from Ahin.
After Ahin learned how sensitive I was to pheromones, he always made sure to keep his own in check, so this was unusual.
Perhaps the pain had caused him to slip up a little. As I speculated, following the flow of my thoughts, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
‘No way.’
This situation might be related to the time Ahin transformed into a black panther before.
If his reason for reverting to his true form was to make it easier to control his pheromones, then…
As far as I knew, there was only one situation where someone of Ahin’s level would struggle to control their pheromones.
A pheromone seizure.
Having experienced that excruciating pain myself, I brushed aside the hand that had been covering Ahin’s eyes. His eyes remained closed as he endured, breathing irregularly.
“…is it a pheromone seizure?”
“…….”
“Change back to your true form, like last time. It’ll hurt less that way.”
Unlike me, Ahin could switch between his true form and human form freely.
Without a word of response, Ahin turned his back to me and lay down diagonally, blatantly ignoring me.
Why was he acting like this? I glared at his broad, stubborn back, then grabbed his shoulder firmly.
Surprisingly, Ahin obediently turned back to face me. But his crimson eyes were filled with defiance as if they refused to submit.
‘My grandson will likely need you at every moment.’
Had Grandfather’s cryptic words been referring to a pheromone seizure?
I couldn’t fully understand it, but I was certain now that Ahin desperately needed healing pheromones. There was no need to worry about any side effects anymore.
As I subtly released my pheromones, Ahin suddenly yanked my arm. I stumbled, bracing myself on his shoulder as I lost my balance at the edge of the sofa.
Now face to face with Ahin at such a close distance, I blinked in confusion.
“What are you—”
“Don’t use it.”
“Why? My pheromones might help suppress the seizure.”
“If you use pheromones, you’ll turn back into a rabbit.”
The words I had been about to spit out froze on my lips.
Of course. Ahin, always quick to catch on, must have figured that out from the one time he had seen me revert to my true form.
‘I think I prefer you as a human.’
He once said he liked me better as a rabbit, and now he said he liked me better as a human. The shift in his preferences frustrated me, but at the same time, it made my heart race—an entirely contradictory feeling.
“Ahin, is this really the time to be picky?”
“It is.”
“…….”
“Glaring won’t change anything.”
Flushed with heat, he was acting like a stubborn child.
“For heaven’s sake… Ahin!”
As I grumbled, I felt Ahin’s body twitch beneath my hands. He swallowed a breath, and a low groan escaped his lips.
It was obvious from the outside that he wasn’t well, but I couldn’t even imagine how twisted he must feel inside.
Despite all this, Ahin still held my wrist firmly, as if he could somehow read my thoughts.
‘He’s trying to stop me from using my pheromones the moment I try.’
What kind of bullheadedness is this? Searching for a compromise, I suddenly recalled the time I faced off against the guards in the garden.
“Ahin, listen to me.”
The method I had thought of back then didn’t seem so bad now, so I tried to persuade Ahin.
“When I use pheromones and turn into a rabbit, I think it’s some sort of defense mechanism. It’s because I haven’t fully mastered controlling them yet.”
Sweat beaded on his temples as his head slumped forward.
“So, if you control my pheromones using your dominant pheromone, maybe I won’t revert to a rabbit.”
“…….”
“There’s pherenium, but wouldn’t it be more accurate if you controlled it directly? Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Ahin, half-fainting, was in no condition to respond. Yet, despite his state, he still stubbornly held onto my wrist, a persistence I couldn’t help but respect.
“Ahin?”
I lightly tapped his cheek, but there was no response. A chill ran down my spine as I hurriedly knelt on the floor.
Pressing my ear to his chest, I could barely make out the faint thudding of his heartbeat against my cheek.
‘You scared me….’
I rubbed my face with my hands and examined Ahin’s still figure.
‘Please.’
I had already started using my healing pheromones, but there was no sign of improvement. Although I had learned how to emit them, I didn’t know how to let them flow steadily and effectively.
‘If I help, the pain would lessen. If I hesitate, he might die.’
Still kneeling on the floor, I looked down at Ahin. My gaze wandered to his smooth neck.
‘Of course, it’s safer to release the pheromones directly into the body rather than externally….’
I didn’t have many options left.
‘It might work.’
Having made my decision, I leaned down and bit into the area where his neck met his shoulder.
As I bit down, I suddenly realized a crucial detail—I lacked the fangs needed to pierce through his skin.
“What are you doing?”
Ahin’s voice, still shaky, interrupted from above. I quickly lifted myself away, startled.
‘I can’t make a hole in his neck….’
With a frustrated expression, I conveyed my helplessness, and for a brief moment, Ahin’s eyes darkened like those of a wild beast, filled with suppressed greed. He pulled on the wrist he still held, as if longing for something.
“Ah!”
In the blink of an eye, his pale face was inches from mine. Our breaths mingled, our gazes locked.
‘His lips….’
I really didn’t want to, but memories of Endelus made my toes curl reflexively.
As I steadied myself against Ahin’s body, I could feel his pheromones, disturbingly scattered. Recognizing his state, I hesitated only for a moment before I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.
Through our connected lips, I sensed the familiar feeling of Ahin’s pheromones seeping into me. Letting the sensation spread through my body, I pushed out more of my healing pheromones.
It wasn’t a passionate kiss; it was a measured, controlled connection—purely for the sake of exchanging pheromones.
“…Hah.”
He released a heavy breath as I pulled away slightly. But then, like a man still parched, Ahin gripped the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair.
The quiet room made the sound of our mingling breaths seem louder, sharpening my senses. While Ahin’s breathing gradually found a regular rhythm, I exhaled short, shallow breaths between my lips.
So much time had passed that my knees, pressed against the floor, began to go numb.
Unable to hold on any longer, I slowly raised my head. As I pulled away, a soft sound came from our parting lips.
His red eyes, now drowsy and relaxed, came into view. It seemed that pushing in such a large amount of healing pheromones had caused a side effect similar to anesthesia or sedation.
Unable to gauge my own expression, I pressed the back of my hand to my cheek. Expecting it to be warm and flushed, I hesitated before speaking.
“…Are you feeling a little better?”
Ahin responded with a defenseless smile, moving the hand that had been pressing against the back of my head to my cheek. His thumb lightly grazed my lower lip, still damp.
Eventually, his arm fell limply onto the sofa, and his eyelids slowly closed.
For the first time, Ahin succumbed to sleep, his usual composure completely undone. Yet even in sleep, he hadn’t let go of my wrist.
* * *
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