BEASTLY ALLURE

●Hopeless love.

We walked to the river, Winston carrying the dead animals and a bag, while I walked carefully behind him, jumping from side to side to avoid stepping on his wagging tail.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Winston sat down at the edge, skillfully peeling the rabbit and deer skins.

I plonked myself down beside him, folding my legs up to my chest, and pretended to be deep in thought while actually just fiddling with the grass.

My gaze shifted to my torn shoes.

I needed to fashion some kind of sandals from materials around here.

But my  pondering was interrupted by the sight of two mischievous wolf cubs frolicking nearby. And a leopard couple was having a romantic picnic, with the female sitting elegantly on a wolf, and the male offering her meat.

That leopard, with his striking blue eyes, brought a small smile to my lips. He reminded me of Harvey,  I wonder what he was doing now.

I'm not upset with him anymore; in fact, I wish him a happy life filled with all the love he deserves.

The plot changed, and  I hope that the female he desires will choose him.

It looks  like I've managed to change the story line and snatch one of its key characters, Winston. Either way, I'm not as upset with the plot anymore.

I turned to Winston with a big smile as my head rested on my knees, feeling content.

I don't know how he did it. His fate is already written, and how did he manage to be with me other than Bai?

I know I'm insecure, but I can't erase this little trace of fear that's still lingering in the back of my mind.

What if he sees Bai, and my little bubble of happiness will pop up?

Perhaps mating with him and having his mark on my body will bind him to me completely, but I don't want that.

I want to mate with him after he fully accepts me, even after knowing my origins, what I am in this world, and even after knowing that being with me might be a mistake according to the world's plot.

I'll tell him everything, and if he accepts me then, I'll become his. Mating here is a significant step, and I won't do it by deceiving him with lies.

I liked this man just by hearing his thoughts when I'm reading the novel, and I like him more now by seeing him in real life.

Not because he is handsome in my eyes or he is the main character, but the sense of protectiveness he is making me feel right now without doing anything, just by staying by my side.

I wanted him to like me too, to see me as someone worth fighting for against his own fate.

All I needed was a clear signal from him, a sign that he was completely into me. That would give me the strength to break free from all this plot nonsense.

I don't even care if this hurts Bai's survival. I am selfish when it comes to my life or the lives of the people I love.

"You're staring for so long, Lia," Winston's voice reached my ears as he glanced between the meat he was roasting and me.

"I was admiring you," the words left my mouth instantly as I crawled closer to sit next to him.

His gaze snapped to me and stayed on my face for so long as if he couldn't believe what he heard, and his blush deepened with every passing moment.

Then, as if remembering something, he turned to me and gently placed the bag he had been carrying earlier on my lap.

Confused, I opened the bag slowly, and a gasp escaped my lips. Inside were a variety of colourful flowers, all with sweet scents.
Most notably, there were a bunch of rosemary plants.