But Viktor slowly moved forward before she could finish, already wanting to stop her flutter and trap her against him. He would soon be inside her. After having already told her such a big secret, he wasn't letting her go ever.

He pulled her into a hug.

Kaida gasped as his arms wrapped around her, her own hands instinctively coming up between their chests, trying to create some kind of barrier.

Her palms pressed against his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, the steady thump of his heartbeat.

Viktor rested his face in the crook of her collarbone, his breath ghosting across her neck as he spoke.

"To be honest," he murmured, his voice muffled against her skin, "I don't know if I'll be able to pull myself through this life."

Kaida's breath hitched.

"But since the moment Helena, Mira, and this 'perverted bastard' you keep calling me found each other..." He paused, his arms tightening slightly around her. "There was a meaning to my life."

Imagining a life where politics, studying, adequate gaming, and living fully coexist without ever feeling what it means to let oneself loose, indulge in lust from time to time, and create a family that grounds their presence.

He would truly have lost his mind in this life, repeating the same thing over and over if not for two women giving him some rest.

'Sigh.' Viktor, hugging Kaida and tightening his grip possessively, realized that humans do not marry or have sex just to feel the pleasure of the moment, but rather it is the warmth of the skin and the emotions transmitted at that moment that make them feel safe, make them feel as though there is no stress, and eliminate the need to bear the burden alone.

While he was thinking, a perverted thought suddenly crossed his mind, making him realize how much burden he has in this life.

So to share that burden and unload his stress, he needed more of the pussies.

'I guess, I will marry more wives then... hahaha.'

His heart thumped more just from imagining the excitement.

thump thump

Kaida could feel his heartbeat against her palms. Could feel the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. Could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

"I know I might be emotionally manipulating you," Viktor continued, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Which, technically, I am doing. But it's more to soothe myself because..."

"Haa..." He exhaled slowly. "I don't know why, but I have to accept that you're the only one among the women I've met who has the maturity to hear me out."

Kaida's mind was completely overwhelmed.

Emotions crashed through her in waves—confusion, shock, anger, fear, and something else she couldn't identify.

His heartbeat thumped so fast that she could hear it. He overwhelmed all her senses one after another. After seeing his beastly side while ravaging a woman who was flirting, he then saved her life. He even went so far as to tell her a secret, which, even if a lie, meant too much and was not helping at all.

What was he doing? Wasn't this bastard supposed to pounce on her? To use her like he used Mira and Helena?

She wanted to protest. Wanted to push him away. Wanted to—

Viktor slowly pulled back, releasing her from the embrace.

Kaida watched, her red eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears she didn't understand, as he lifted the chain connecting them. The purple magical restraint glinted in the candlelight.

"After this night," Viktor said softly, his thumb running along the chain's surface, "this might break."

He looked up at her, his dark eyes meeting hers with an intensity that made her chest ache.

"And you'll naturally get your freedom." His lips curved into a sad smile. "And I promise... I'll even tell Mira not to pursue you."

Kaida wanted to protest. Wanted to say, 'Of course you would—you'd already get what you want, so why would you care?'

But she couldn't speak.

Because she knew they couldn't do anything else. The situation demanded this outcome.

But even more overwhelming was the fact that he'd told her. Told her these massive secrets that, if they got out, would get him killed or captured.

And he'd told HER.

Not Mira. Not Helena. Not anyone else.

Her.

Kaida watched, frozen, as Viktor moved closer. His hand came up, cupping her cheek gently. His thumb brushed across her forehead—the exact spot where his tail had struck her earlier, leaving that red mark.

And then he leaned in.

His lips pressed against her forehead in a soft, tender kiss that sent warmth flooding through her entire body. It wasn't sexual. Wasn't demanding.

It was... gentle.

Viktor pulled back slowly, his breath ghosting across her skin as he retreated. The candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows across his features as he whispered:

"Thank you for hearing me out... I feel less burdened now, my dear Kaida."

badump

Kaida's heart thundered in her chest. Her lips parted slightly, trembling as she tried to form words that wouldn't come.

And in that moment, sitting there in the warm glow of candlelight with the scent of sex and lavender hanging in the air, Kaida realized something terrifying:

She was in danger.

Not from his strength. Not from his cock. Not from any physical threat.

But from this—from the vulnerability he'd just shown her. From the trust he'd placed in her hands. From the gentle kiss still burning on her forehead.

And she had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

Viktor's dark eyes stayed locked on hers, waiting. The silence between them stretched like a taut wire, ready to snap.

Kaida's breath was shallow, her chest rising and falling too fast. Her hands were still pressed against his chest from when he'd hugged her, and she hadn't moved them. Couldn't move them.

Her mind was screaming at her to say something—anything—to break this suffocating tension.

But what came out wasn't what she expected.

"Can I..." Viktor's voice was softer now, almost hesitant. "Can I kiss your lips?"

Kaida trembled.

Her mouth parted slightly, a small gasp escaping as her eyes widened. She stared at him, her red eyes searching his face for any sign of that mocking smirk, that infuriating arrogance he always wore like armor.

But there was none of it.

Just... earnestness.

Her lips quivered as she tried to form words, but nothing came out except a shaky exhale. Her hands, still pressed against his chest, curled slightly, gripping the warmth of his skin.

She should say no.

She should push him away, tell him to go to hell, tell him she wasn't some weak woman who melted at soft words and gentle touches.

But instead, her voice came out in a whisper, cracked and raw.

"Just... do whatever you want."

Viktor blinked. Then he chuckled—low, quiet, almost relieved.

"Haa..." He exhaled slowly, his hands moving to her shoulders as he gently guided her backward.

Kaida let him.

She felt the mattress press against her back as he laid her down, her body sinking into the softness of the bed. The candlelight above flickered, casting his shadow over her as he hovered above, his weight supported by his hands on either side of her head.

He was completely naked. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin, could see the faint sheen of sweat still clinging to his chest and belly from earlier.

Her heart pounded so loud she was sure he could hear it.

'He's going to do it now,' she thought, her fingers curling into the sheets beneath her. 'He's going to rip my clothes off and—'

But Viktor didn't.

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