His voice sounded as smooth as ever.

But this time, she noticed the vulnerability hidden beneath it.

Mirabelle had already been asking herself that same question.

So her answer came without hesitation:

"No. If you hadn’t been there, those two males would’ve found me. And honestly... I don’t even want to imagine what might’ve happened then."

Lucien’s expression softened briefly.

"But you would’ve preferred it to be Silas," he said quietly. "Or Kaelith."

"It’s pointless to think about what-ifs."

She didn’t know why she was trying to comfort him.

Maybe because it genuinely felt like something existed between them now.

Still...

there was truth in his words.

She did feel guilty toward Silas.

Maybe even toward Kaelith.

Just earlier tonight she hadn’t known how to emotionally handle two males.

Now somehow there were suddenly three.

"Are you going to reject me?"

Lucien’s voice sounded strangely resolute now.

As though he had already prepared himself internally to be turned away.

Surprised, Mirabelle straightened slightly.

Once again, the openness of beast males caught her completely off guard.

She looked at him.

Really looked at him.

There were hardly words capable of properly describing Lucien’s kind of beauty.

Beneath the moonlight, he somehow appeared both soft and dangerous at once.

He reminded her vaguely of the fox spirits from Asian folklore — creatures who seduced humans effortlessly.

Except Lucien wasn’t some mystical female spirit.

He was very much a man.

And he was absolutely seducing her.

While she observed him, Lucien unconsciously straightened further, subtly emphasizing his best features beneath her attention.

"I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy what happened," Mirabelle admitted carefully. "But I think a partner has to be more than just a good lover. And I don’t know you well enough yet to decide something like that."

His fox ears lifted immediately, as though unwilling to miss a single word leaving her mouth.

Then his entire face lit up.

"So all I need is for you to get to know me better."

He grinned at her.

And just like that, his confidence returned completely.

Lucien was suddenly convinced it wouldn’t take very long at all to win her over.

Without warning, he pulled her into a tight embrace, completely abandoning the composed image of the elegant nobleman.

Mirabelle allowed it.

But after a moment, she gently pulled away again.

Her body reacted strangely to this male.

And tonight, she truly couldn’t handle much more of him.

Suddenly—

a fist collided directly with Lucien’s face.

The fox male was violently thrown sideways and away from Mirabelle.

He stumbled hard against the balcony railing, barely managing to catch himself before falling.

The punch had come so fast that the entire scene blurred before Mirabelle’s eyes.

Startled, she jumped backward instinctively.

Silas stood there.

Gray shadows curled around him, distorting his silhouette until even his predator eyes barely seemed visible beneath them.

His entire body was tense.

Shaking with rage.

Within two long strides, he reached Lucien again and grabbed the fox beast harshly by the lapel.

Now it became painfully obvious that Silas towered at least half a head taller than him.

He yanked Lucien forward so violently that the fox male was forced onto the tips of his toes from the momentum alone.

"Why do you smell like her?"

Silas’ voice sounded grave-deep.

Every tiny hair along Mirabelle’s body stood upright.

Panicked, she looked toward Kaelith, who had appeared behind Silas.

"Do something," she mouthed soundlessly.

But the hyena had absolutely no intention of interfering.

He looked just as furious as the panther did.

As far as Kaelith was concerned, Silas could absolutely beat Lucien unconscious for all he cared.

Despite the dangerous situation, a provoking smile slowly appeared across Lucien’s lips.

"What?" the fox male drawled smoothly. "Jealous?"

The shadows around Silas thickened.

"Careful, fox.

I’m running out of reasons not to kill you."

"And yet," Lucien replied smoothly, "she clearly hasn’t killed me for smelling like her. So I’d say she doesn’t seem particularly bothered by it."

Lucien’s eyes darted toward Mirabelle.

Silas’ gaze followed immediately.

"Lucien, stop provoking Silas." Mirabelle’s voice carried real irritation now.

If Kaelith wasn’t going to interfere, then apparently she would have to.

"Silas, let Lucien go. I can decide for myself who I do things with."

A frustrated expression crossed the panther’s face.

But he released the fox male anyway.

Lucien immediately stepped sideways behind Mirabelle and began dusting off his shoulders dramatically as though they had been contaminated.

Confused, Mirabelle turned toward him.

’Is he seriously hiding behind me?’

And indeed, the very next thing Lucien did was tilt his face toward her, revealing the bruise slowly darkening along his cheek.

"Look what he did," he complained pitifully. "He ruined my beautiful face. And we both know that’s your favorite thing about me."

Mirabelle snorted in amusement.

The behavior felt completely at odds with the arrogant image the fox male usually projected.

From Mirabelle’s inherited memories, she vaguely remembered that beast males often ran to their females after arguments between husbands to demand justice in their favor.

It was partly a way to acknowledge the female’s higher authority within the family.

And partly an attempt to gain sympathy and affection.

"We’re not mated," Mirabelle informed him dryly. "You’re a grown man. Lick your wounds alone."

Mirabelle refused to be manipulated.

Instead, she stepped toward Silas, whose expression now looked openly hurt.

"Why him?"

The panther lowered his head slightly until his messy dark hair fell into his face.

His ears flattened completely against his head.

"It was an accident..."

"Accident?" Lucien repeated in outrage.

"A complicated situation," Mirabelle corrected quickly. "I was stupid and accidentally drank an aphrodisiac and then..."

"I made sure she didn’t end up in the hands of random beasts," Lucien interrupted smugly.

"Do you seriously think your hands are any better?" Silas hissed, his fists clenching tightly again.

"And how exactly does someone accidentally drink an aphrodisiac inside your family’s castle?"

Immediately, Mirabelle flushed bright red again as memories of the orgy flashed through her mind.

She quickly grabbed Silas’ arms, where dark shadows still flickered restlessly across his skin, and stroked them up and down in an attempt to calm him.

Nearby, Kaelith stood silently.

His expression looked like someone had just informed him of a tragic death.

Now not only had the panther gotten ahead of him...

but apparently the fox had too.

Mirabelle nearly choked on the tension suffocating the air around them.

Trying to emotionally juggle these males without being unfair or accidentally hurting someone already felt impossible.

How was she supposed to survive this once she actually had multiple mates?

’I’m already failing miserably...’

"I have absolutely no patience for jealousy and wounded egos," she announced sharply.

"Figure your issues out between yourselves and don’t come near me again until you stop trying to tear each other apart.

I do not need mates who bring chaos into the family."

With that, she spun around, grabbed the utterly stunned hyena beast by the hand, and dragged him back toward the buffet.

Behind her, two completely dumbfounded beast males remained frozen in place.