Lin's expression flickered, suspicion warring with loyalty. "And what if you're wrong? What if what we smelled wasn't the curse but something they've been hiding?"
"Then we'll find out in time," Jian said softly, "But you know Lian. He's reckless, not cruel. Whatever lies between them, he's protecting her, not using her. And I am certain their relationship is pure, if not, we could have already known."
Lin didn't respond right away. His wolf bristled under his skin, its instinct growling at the thought of deception within their pack; their adoptive parents would definitely be disappointed if it turned out to be so. "He's hiding something, Ge," he murmured finally. " And if Father senses that heat, if anyone else does...."
Jian's gaze hardened imperceptibly, "Then we keep the scent from spreading out. Order the guards to keep this corridor sealed. No one enters until the storm passes. Make sure everything they see or hear is only for their eyes and ears."
Lin's brows furrowed, his instincts screaming warning, but he nodded. "Understood."
They walked on, the soft echo of boots fading down the hall. Behind them, thunder cracked again, a distant, ominous growl that mirrored the tension crawling between them.
And far behind the closed doors of Lian's chamber, the scent of intertwined wolves still lingered, faint, forbidden, impossible to fully erase.
— — — — — —
Inside the Chamber – Moments Later
The storm had softened to a whisper. Only the faint patter of rain filled the silence.
Yuwen Lian sat at the edge of the bed, his breathing still uneven, knuckles white against the sheets. His wolf had long retreated, but its hunger still pulsed faintly under his skin. He could still feel her, her warmth, her scent, her heartbeat pressed once against his chest before the haze had broken.
Yueshuang stirred beside him, lashes fluttering, skin pale as moonlight. Her breathing hitched, and he leaned closer instinctively.
"Shuang'er," he murmured, voice roughened, " Can you hear me?"
Her eyes opened slowly, confusion clouded them at first, then a flicker of fear, of something deeper she couldn't name.
"Why…" Her voice cracked helplessly, "Why does my body feel like it's burning?"
He swallowed hard, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. "It's passing. You were reacting to… something unstable in your scent. Maybe the remnants of that poison."
But she saw the tension in his shoulders, the way he couldn't quite meet her eyes. What was he hiding? Why could she be this weak and submissive to him?
She caught his wrist before he could pull back, "Lian… what just happened?"
He froze in his actions looking at her worriedly.
There were no words that could explain the way her pheromones had surged out of the norm, and how his wolf had nearly lost control, how hers had responded in kind and submission.
He opened his mouth to say something, to at least find a reason for all this, but before he could speak, she gasped.
A rush of images crashed through her mind, flashes of another night, her body heavy with exhaustion, her fingers tangled with his, the faint cry of a newborn echoing somewhere close.
Her pulse hammered as the fragmented visions tore through her mind, images sharp and disjointed, but too vivid to deny.
Flames.... Blood and the sound of her own cry.
A hand, his, gripping hers as the world blurred red.
Yueshuang's breath hitched; her pupils dilated, and she clutched at the sheets tightly her knuckles turning white, "Lian…"
His name broke from her lips like a plea, and his heart twisted painfully. He reached for her, but before he could steady her, her mind dragged her back into the memory, the night everything had changed.
[Flashback – That Forbidden Night]
The air had been thick with smoke and magic.
Yueshuang lay half-conscious on the temple floor, her skin pale, blood seeping from a wound across her shoulder, the poison meant for him now running through her veins.
"Stay with me!" Lian's voice cracked, his wolf clawing at the edges of control, "Don't you dare leave me, Shuang'er!"
She had smiled faintly, her eyes glassy, "You shouldn't have come back for me… I can find my way out..."
He tore through the bindings around her wrists, gathering her trembling body against his chest, "You think I'd let you die for me?!"
Her fingers brushed his cheek weakly, her voice fading, "If you touch me now, the curse will take you too… I don't want you to suffer at all..."
" I don't care." His words were a growl, trembling with fear and defiance, "If dying with you is the price, then I'll pay it."
He bit into his wrist, hard, blood spilling freely. Then he pressed it against her lips, "Drink it."
"Lian...."
"Drink!"
The moment her lips touched his blood, the ancient magic stirred, wild and furious. The old sigils carved into the temple floor flared to life in a red light.