Su Qinglan finally stirred in her sleep, but she immediately felt like she was trapped in a furnace.

The embrace around her was so intensely hot that she felt like she was actually scorching. Suffocating under the heavy weight, she tried to poke her head out from the blanket just to catch a breath of cool air.

Before she could wiggle free, the grip around her waist suddenly tightened. She stiffened, but as she inhaled, she was immediately bathed in a deeply familiar scent.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking against the darkness.

The room was incredibly dim; it seemed the night had already arrived. Feeling the oppressive heat, she reached down and tried to pry the heavy arm away from her waist.

The moment her fingers touched his skin, the arm instantly went rigid. With a sudden, powerful tug, she was pulled backward, crashing straight into a solid, warm chest.

As her bare back rubbed directly against his front, a jolt of awareness snapped through her.

She turned her head around and found a pair of cool, deep blue eyes staring intently into her very soul.

Han Jue’s face was noticeably flushed, his breathing slightly heavy.

Su Qinglan blinked, her voice thick with sleep. "Han Jue..." She reached up, her small hand gently touching his warm cheek.

Han Jue nodded slightly, letting out a soft murmur in response. He reached up, took her hand from his cheek, and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft, lingering kiss right against her knuckles.

"You’re awake," he said softly, his voice deep and raspy.

Su Qinglan mumbled sleepily, "Is it already morning? Did I sleep for that long?"

But as the fog of sleep completely cleared, her memories from earlier in the day came rushing back in a violent wave.

Her face immediately flushed a brilliant crimson as she remembered exactly what she had done with An Mo in the neighboring house.

Panicking slightly, she darted her eyes around the dim room, but she couldn’t find a single trace of him.

Only she and Han Jue were inside the heavy blankets. As she tried to shift away, her body stiffened completely. She finally realized their current state...

Han Jue noticed the sudden stiffness in her posture. He leaned forward, burying his face directly into the crook of her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"So... you remember everything now?" he murmured, his tone a mix of jealousy and deep affection.

Su Qinglan immediately tried to feign ignorance. Her eyes drifted everywhere across the dark ceiling, deliberately avoiding his intense gaze.

"What? Remember what?" she stammered, her heart racing.

Han Jue let out a low growl at her denial.

"Still not admitting it?"

Before she could protest, he trailed a line of burning, wet kisses right across her bare shoulder. The sudden sensation made her shudder from head to toe.

With a swift movement, Han Jue wrapped his arms securely around her, pulling her entire body completely flush against his hard frame.

Han Jue hugged her softly, leaning in to press a gentle kiss against her chin.

"My silly, adorable female," he murmured, his voice laced with deep affection.

"Do you have any idea just how many bad people there are out there in the world?"

Su Qinglan blinked, completely stunned. She looked up at him with a dazed expression. Where was this suddenly coming from? What kind of bad people was he talking about all of a sudden?

Before she could ask, Han Jue gently shifted her body under the heavy blanket, forcing her to face him fully.

He pulled her flush against his chest and said seriously, "Do you think everyone is kind like the people in our household? Not everyone is like us, Lan Lan. There are some very bad wolves in this world."

Hearing this, Su Qinglan couldn’t help but chuckle softly to herself.

If they were talking about wolves, wasn’t the man lying right next to her the actual wolf here?

As if reading her mind, Han Jue immediately corrected her, a pout almost forming on his lips. "Not me. I am a very good wolf."

Then, he made his voice sound incredibly strict and continued, "There are so many men outside who are constantly coveting your beauty, your brains, and everything you have. You cannot just fall for the charms of any random beastman who smiles at you. Do you understand?"

He reached out and playfully tapped her nose to emphasize his point.

Su Qinglan nodded obediently, though she was secretly trying to hold back a burst of giggles.

Looking at his overly strict, protective face, she finally understood exactly where this conversation was heading.

Was he not directly targeting An Mo?

"Mm," she hummed, playing along.

Han Jue nodded in satisfaction and continued his lesson.

"There are so many bad males who just want to take advantage of a sweet female. If a beastman is truly serious and wants to commit to a beautiful, proper relationship, he has to prove himself first. He can’t just skip steps!"

Su Qinglan kept nodding.

Han Jue felt a sudden surge of pride, feeling like a protective beast husband lecturing his adorable mate about the dangers of the outside world, making sure she wouldn’t be fooled by any smooth-talking outsiders.

"Second," Han Jue counted, warming up to his lecture, "he must absolutely ask permission from your parents. And third...the most important rule of all...he has to first prove his worth and strength to your existing beast husbands! Only after we give the green light is he allowed to even appear in front of you."

He spoke with such a forceful, authoritative tone that Su Qinglan’s body went a little stiff.

She suddenly found herself unable to meet his deep blue eyes. She could already guess what his very next words were going to be.

Sure enough, Han Jue pulled her even closer, his eyes narrowing.

"Now, look at what that man did today. See?"

Su Qinglan swallowed nervously. "What... what did he do?"

The mere reminder made Han Jue’s temper flare up again. He angrily pulled her upper body closer to his chest.

Because of the sudden movement, Su Qinglan’s incredibly sore breasts rubbed directly against his hard torso.

"Hiss!" she gasped, wincing from the sudden flash of pain.

Han Jue froze instantly, his anger turning into pure worry.

"See! Look at what he did to you!" he growled, his heart aching for her.

"My beautiful, delicate female... how dare he treat you so roughly? I swear I will peel the skin right off his body!"

Su Qinglan almost choked on her own breath. She quickly reached up, patting his heavily muscular arm to soothe him.

"Calm down, Han Jue! It’s nothing like that, really. There’s no need to peel anyone’s skin. Didn’t I... didn’t I give him permission myself?"

Hearing this, Han Jue looked like he was about to explode from frustration.

"No! This is exactly where you are wrong, Lan Lan! You can’t just give him permission like that. A proper male has to wait for at least a month...no, a whole year! He has to pursue you properly for a year before you can even think about letting him touch you."

"See, this is the problem with these wild beast men. They are always just in heat!" he grumbled gruffly.