Ouyang shook her head slightly. Winter’s worries could wait until winter.
Right now, she had to escape the immediate crisis. Pressed against her back by the Bloodkin Prince, Ouyang shouted nervously,
"Weren’t you supposed to teach me to hunt? Why are you hunting me instead? Let me go, you liar!"
"A liar? How can you learn to hunt without paying tuition?"
His perfectly reasonable excuse filled Ouyang with deep regret, as if she’d boarded a pirate ship with no escape.
Some lingering substance in her body resonated with the Bloodkin Prince. Even a single word from him made her skin hypersensitive where it touched his, as if her body craved to obey his every demand.
This feeling was worse than being controlled. A simple touch from him brought her pure joy.
Ouyang felt genuine fear. Her physical needs were syncing with her mind, threatening to strip away her last shred of reason and turn her into his possession.
"You started this morning. Now that I’m bigger, you’re scared? Did you really think you could bully me like a little animal?"
"I didn’t! I wouldn’t dare! How could I bully the noble Bloodkin Prince? You’ve been bullying me all along!"
Ouyang wanted only to expel this strange sensation. The Bloodkin Prince noticed her thoughts, feigning concern with a worried expression:
"Don’t you like this feeling?"
"Of course not! Who likes being held by a man—" Ouyang said with disgust.
"Still thinking of yourself as a boy?"
A casual touch drew soft, delicate moans from her, sweeter and more vulnerable than ever.
"Is that the voice of a boy?"
The Bloodkin Prince teased her like a demon, pushing her step by step toward an abyss with no return.
"To expel it, you must let me in."
His whisper in her ear was a demon’s murmur, offering salvation.
"It won’t hurt at all. Close your eyes. Imagine a carousel, rising and falling, swaying back and forth…"
His gentle voice reminded Ouyang of childhood times when she refused medicine and her family coaxed her with candy.
Trusting him, Ouyang suddenly felt a surge from behind that nearly split her apart.
A carousel? She was going numb all over.
"I’m not learning anymore! I never want to drink blood again!"
"I want off the carousel! I’m not playing—it’s not fun at all…"
"I won’t pay tuition… *sob sob sob*…"
"If you’re truly a boy, you should endure this pain."
Hearing his teasing words, he smiled as he forced her to speak.
"What boy cries like this?"
His icy hands gently wiped her tears. Ouyang’s defenses crumbled. Unable to reject him, she shook her head sadly.
"I… I’m not a boy, not—"
"Then who is this person in my arms?"
"I am—"
The substance in her body resonated with him. The bat mark on Ouyang’s right shoulder flared, eager to consume what came next.
"Your first time is mine."
Hearing his proud words, Ouyang felt him feeding her from within. Her mind went blank; she didn’t know this feeling.
The discomfort vanished. Ouyang’s eyes widened slightly. She stood frozen, trembling. Fear and excitement filled her heart—she felt no pain at all.
"Your body and expression are honest. If only your words matched, I wouldn’t treat you like this."
"Remember this…"
Ouyang clenched her fists. Her body felt shattered, then swiftly healed by the Bloodkin’s power.
Exhausted, she didn’t want to leave bed. She’d lost all interest in the cold Wolfkin form.
"Mm." The Bloodkin Prince chuckled beside her. "I’ll remember this day forever."
…
"I wish time could stop here. After this, we won’t meet again soon."
"I don’t want to see you… Never again. Not for my whole life."
Not wanting to ask or know more, Ouyang muttered sadly from under the quilt, quietly sobbing.
Every meeting brought no normal talk—only his hands on her. She was tired of this.
"Hahaha…"
She heard his bitter laugh. "Then… as you wish. I’ll disappear from your sight."
For the first time, his sorrowful tone struck her. As his words faded, his presence vanished—he was truly gone.
Unrequited love deepens the other’s pain. Ouyang’s feelings for him were indescribably complex.
The quilt still held their scents. The scene replayed in her mind; her skin smelled of him.
Hearing no movement, Ouyang clutched the quilt, screaming silently inside.
A painful night. An exciting night.
Such a wild, unforgettable night. Remembering its taste, Ouyang’s face flushed—a hint of anticipation flickered.
She dared not reveal that terrifying thought that had flashed through her mind…
The castle stood empty. Even the Anderson brothers’ bodies had been taken by the Blood Clan.
No trace of Xiao Meiqiu or Bolis. Then, clear footsteps echoed from the pine forest.
Ouyang stood by a corridor window, gazing down. Claudia led over ten men in suits. Servants No. 1 and No. 3 must have reached the Northern District safely, delivering the wine.
Back in her reassuring male clothes, Ouyang joined Claudia. Each man carried a square wooden crate—all the wine from the cellar was gone.
"What’s wrong?"
Ignoring Claudia’s question, Ouyang stared at the castle, thick with tangled memories, and whispered:
"Before I leave, one last thing remains."
She poured gasoline from the storeroom over every corner. Calmly, Ouyang walked to the main gate and tossed a lit lighter onto the oil-soaked floor.
Coldly watching the flames devour everything, she thought silently:
"Let the fire consume these memories. Bury them here forever."
