He gently placed me down on a wooden log and sat beside me. I yawned softly, blinking my lashes... I suddenly felt sleepy. This world didn’t have day or night. It was constant midday. It was draining.

"So tell me about you, Ryker. I want to know every detail," I said, watching as he gently placed my head on his shoulder.

"You should sleep. There is always time later," he said softly, gently stroking my hair, and I smiled.

"Just a little," I insisted, and he inhaled sharply. "Well, beastmen all live in the wild. There, it was like luck to be taken in by a human female. I was just a child then..." he said, and I stared at his side profile and smiled gently.

"What happened?" I asked, and he turned to look at me.

"I had a master before you!" he suddenly said, and my eyes snapped open. "What?" I asked. Was this in the original storyline? Because I really couldn’t remember this ever being detailed in the novel.

"Where is she?" I pressed further and watched his brows furrow. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked, but he smiled and laughed it off. It was there for a subtle moment, and then it faded.

"I killed her," he said, and I went blank. It felt like cold water had been poured over me. I just stared, blinking in confusion.

"You... you..." I paused, unable to voice everything out, and he turned to stare at me. "Master, are you afraid of me now?" His voice sounded hurt and vulnerable, but his eyes showed pain. Instead, I held his cheeks.

"Ryker, why would I be afraid of you? It’s all in the past. No need to let it weigh on your mind," I said, assuring him with a smile, while his eyes fixed intensely on me.

"I really want to fuck you right now!" he suddenly blurted, and my cheeks reddened. What?! Weren’t we talking about sad memories? Why did this suddenly turn like this?

He chuckled and gently poked my nose. "I was joking. That wouldn’t happen here..." he said, and I froze. Why did I feel like he wasn’t done with that sentence? I wanted to ask, but then he moved closer and kissed my lips.

"I don’t want to hurt you, but I’m afraid I will," he whispered softly, and I pulled him into a hug.

"I trust you. You wouldn’t," I said. I really wanted to ask the details, but asking while he was this vulnerable felt wrong. I wanted him to say them on his own.

"I’m not a saint. When I said I did breed with other females before you, I was telling the truth," he said, probably avoiding the story of his first master’s death so I wouldn’t push it.

"Hmm, tell me about it," I asked, staring at him intently.

"Foxes are horny by nature..." he paused and stared back at me. "I wasn’t satisfied with just doing it once. Once we get back, let’s pick up from where we left off, and I’ll be sure to make it memorable." Hearing his words, my ears reddened. Why was he teasing me?

"You sounded cute though," he mumbled under his breath, smiling ear to ear. I couldn’t help but feel butterflies swirling in my belly.

He gently held a carving knife and began to carve the wooden log in his hands to a sharp point... why was he smiling so much? I couldn’t help but think as I tugged on the sleeve of my attire... but the wind blew, and I froze. It was suddenly so chilly... what was with this temperature change? I thought, hugging my arms around my body. I gritted my teeth, but then Ryker’s hands gently held mine.

"Are you cold?" he asked, and I nodded. He reached for his shirt buttons and began to unbutton it.

"Wait, don’t. It’s cold, you’ll catch a cold," I said, and he chuckled.

"Master, my cold resistance is much greater than yours. You are merely human," he said, and I sighed... true, I was cold, and even if I argued with him, he wouldn’t listen. He was stubborn.

The moment he slid his shirt off, I stared, almost drooling. He looked like a demigod. I couldn’t help but feel my heart pounding. I wanted to suck on his nipples, but I snapped back to reality the moment his eyes landed on me...

He stretched his hand toward me, and I gently took the shirt, but his thumb lingered on my fingers. He knew what he was doing. I slowly started to take off my attire until I was in my wet undergarment. Why was he still staring?

"Could you li-ke lo-ok away?" I asked shyly, and he raised a brow.

"I have seen every part of you. Don’t hide yourself from me," he said and gently walked toward me. He stood behind me... I stared at the floor, his presence towering over my timid body. God... he was really that much taller and bigger than me...

He gently lowered his head to my shoulder and placed a soft kiss on my cheek, then reached for the zipper and slowly slid it down.

His thumb brushed against my bare back, and the garment slipped to the ground. I quickly wrapped myself in his shirt, confused as I felt my body suddenly heat up.

"You are beautiful, in and out," he whispered in my ear, and I shivered.

He adjusted the shirt carefully on me, and I could only stare.

"He was so gentle... ahhh..." Stop, Rosette, this isn’t the time to think like this, I told myself. But who am I? I’m just a girl...

He turned me around, and I squirmed, my feet pressing together. He just stared down at me. His hands reached for my bare waist.

"Aa-h..." a moan escaped from my lips. His hands were so cold. I felt his large hands tighten gently on my waist, and I stared up at him... he smiled.

"Are you that sensitive?" he teased, and I looked away.

"Something crawled under my foot, that’s all," I said, and he chuckled.

"Okay," he said and gently retracted his hands. It felt empty and cold when he did, and he reached for the button. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Before I was contracted, I did sleep with lots of females. They either admired me or threw themselves at me, and I never stopped them. I was famous for that... until a female took me in and sealed the contract. Then I was only loyal to her... until the battle that happened... a lot of beast-men and their masters died in that battle..." he said, and his gaze flickered to me.

I felt my heart skip a beat, and he pulled the shirt closer. My body collided with his, and he smiled.

"You don’t get to leave us..." he paused and crouched closer to my face.

"The others might not tell you, but, we want you, every part and we need you... We all care about you... And when I said need, I don’t mean a greedy want... we yearn for your love and attention. So no matter what... you can never go back to how you were..." he paused.

"Never."