The bark bit into her palms. Rough. Splintering. Real.

Bella gasped, her chest heaving as she clutched the tree like it was the only thing keeping her from collapsing into the mud. Her legs burned. Her lungs screamed. Silver hair clung to her sweaty face in dirty, matted strands that had lost all their shine.

'Run. Keep running. Don't stop—'

But her body wouldn't obey anymore.

Her knees buckled. She slid down the tree trunk, the rough bark scraping against her back through the thin, tattered rags she wore. The same rags she'd arrived in. The same filthy, torn cloth that marked her as nothing. As no one.

She hit the wet forest floor hard. Her ass sank into cold mud mixed with rotting leaves. The dampness seeped through immediately, soaking into her skin.

Bella didn't care.

Her cat tail—usually expressive, usually proud—lay limp in the mud beside her. Only the tip moved weakly, the small cloth still tied around it. The cloth he'd let her keep. The only thing she'd kept when she returned everything else.

'Why did I even take it?'

Her ears flattened against her skull. Her whole body shook—not from cold, but from something much worse.

'What's wrong with me?'

Her breath came out in broken gasps. Her throat burned. Her yellow eyes stared blankly at the dark forest ahead, seeing nothing.

Hours ago. Just a few hours ago, she'd gone to his room. To tell him something. To ask him something. She didn't even remember what anymore.

And then she'd seen them.

Viktor. Lying peacefully on the bed. Kaida curled against him, her red hair spilling across his chest. Both of them naked. Both of them tangled together like they belonged there.

Bella's fingers dug into the mud.

'He looked so... peaceful.'

That was what broke her.

Not anger. Not jealousy—she had no right to that. But something else. Something that twisted in her gut and made her realize the truth she'd been avoiding.

'I don't have a place here.'

Helena. Mira. Kaida. They all had roles. They all had... him. They belonged.

And her?

'I'm just a burden.'

She'd run. Grabbed nothing but the rags on her back and the cloth on her tail, and she'd run. Through the manor. Through the garden. Into the forest. Her bare feet bleeding. Her breath ragged.

'It's better this way.'

A low growl rumbled through the trees.

Bella's ears twitched. Her yellow eyes lifted slowly, focusing on the shadows ahead.

Wolves.

Three of them. No, four. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, reflecting what little moonlight filtered through the canopy. Their teeth bared. Saliva dripping.

Hungry.

Bella exhaled. A long, shaky breath that carried all her exhaustion. All her defeat.

Her hand moved to her hip—instinct searching for a weapon that wasn't there. No sword. No dagger. Nothing.

Just her.

The wolves crept closer. Low growls vibrating in their throats.

'Fight. I should fight.'

But she didn't move.

Her ears drooped further. Her tail didn't even twitch.

'What's the point?'

The lead wolf lunged.

Bella closed her eyes. Her arms wrapped around her knees, burying her face against them.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her voice cracked. Broken. "It seems I won't even be able to see you again... my little sister."

The wolf's hot breath hit her face—

'ROOOOAAAAARRRR!!!'

The sound 'exploded' through the sky. Not a roar. A declaration. A command that shook the very air and made Bella's entire body seize up like she'd been struck by lightning.

Her eyes flew open. Wide. Trembling.

'No. No, that's—'

The wolves 'yelped'. High-pitched. Terrified. They scrambled backward, claws tearing at the mud. Tails tucked. Bodies low. One of them actually 'pissed itself' before they all bolted—scattering into the forest like prey fleeing a predator they had no hope of surviving.

Bella couldn't move.

Her body was 'frozen'. Every muscle locked. Her breath caught in her throat.

'That sound. That roar.'

She knew it.

Her gaze—trembling, disbelieving—lifted slowly.

And there, above her, was a 'shadow'.

Massive. Looming. The silhouette of wings spread wide against the moonlight. A dragon's shadow cast across the forest floor, engulfing her completely.

But it wasn't the shadow that made her heart stop.

It was him.

Standing there. Just a few feet away. A white towel barely clinging to his waist before it slipped and 'fluttered' to the ground.

Naked.

Viktor stood there completely bare. His body had changed—more defined now, lean muscle flowing along his frame in soft streams. His dark eyes stared down at her. Cold. Unreadable.

And his voice—low, sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade—

"Did you know the reason you're here is because I 'wanted' you? So how dare you run away from me?"

Bella's mind went 'blank'.

'He—he's here. How—when—'

Panic seized her. Her body trembled violently. Tears welled up in her yellow eyes, spilling over and running down her dirty cheeks.

Her cat ears plastered flat against her head. Her tail curled tight against her thigh.

'No. No, I can't—I have to—'

She tried to move. Tried to scoot backward. To run again. Anywhere but here.

But her body wouldn't obey.

Her legs were jelly. Her hands slipped in the mud.

And then—

His hand.

Warm. Heavy. It rested on top of her head.

Bella 'flinched' so hard she nearly bit her tongue. A broken whimper escaped her throat.

His thumb brushed against one of her ears. Gentle. Almost tender.

The touch sent a 'shiver' racing down her spine. Her whole body trembled harder.

'Why—why does it feel—'

"Suck. It. Now."

The command was cold. Absolute.

Bella's gaze dropped—instinct, terror, confusion—and locked onto what was directly in front of her face.

His cock.

Thick. Heavy. Already half-hard and growing as it hung just inches from her lips.

Her breath hitched. Her mind screamed at her to move, to resist, to do 'something'—

But all she could do was tremble.

And cry.

And slowly—so slowly—her lips parted.

Viktor eyes narrowed.

From this angle—standing naked above her while she sat trembling in the mud—he could see everything.

Her face. Those teary yellow eyes that wouldn't stop leaking, pupils dilated with fear and something else. Something that made his cock twitch harder. Her silver hair was a fucking mess—matted with dirt, leaves stuck in the strands, plastered to her wet cheeks. And those cat ears. They were flat against her skull, twitching under the gentle pressure of his thumb.

'I will not let you leave me... Bella.'

Bella's hands moved. Slow. Shaking.

Her right hand lifted first, fingers trembling as they reached toward his cock. She hesitated—pulled back—then tried again. This time her fingertips made contact.

Viktor felt the touch. Feather-light. Uncertain. Like she'd never held one before.

'I shouldn't have waited until Kaida... It should have been you.'

Her fingers wrapped around his shaft. Barely. Her hand was too small to fully encircle him, and she held him like he might break. Or like she might.

Her left hand joined. Both palms pressed against his length, one above the other, and she just... held him. Staring. Her yellow eyes fixed on the thick cock between her hands like she was trying to figure out a puzzle.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Viktor didn't reply.

"Hic... sob..." Her tongue darted out. Pink. Small.

"Mhm..." She licked her lips nervously, then leaned forward.

The first lick was experimental. Just the tip of her tongue against the underside of his cock, near the base. She pulled back immediately, eyes widening like she'd been shocked.

"I'm sorry," she said again. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I—I didn't mean to—mmhhnn..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.