For a long time, neither of them moved.  ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novelfire(.)net

Su Mu felt the heavy, comforting weight of Xu'er on her back.

Slowly, Xu'er shifted, pulling out of her and rolling to lie by her side.

She immediately gathered Su Mu into her arms, pulling her close so they were spooned together, Su Mu's back pressed against Xu'er's front.

Xu'er's arm was a heavy, secure weight over her waist, her hand resting possessively on Su Mu's hip.

She pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Su Mu's shoulder. "Did I tire you out for real this time?" she whispered, her voice laced with sleepy satisfaction.

Su Mu managed a faint, throaty sound of assent. "Completely," she breathed, the word barely a puff of air. "Drained."

Her body was aching in places she didn't know could ache. But it was a good ache. A deep, satisfying ache that spoke of being thoroughly, completely loved.

'I've never felt anything like this,' she thought as the first tendrils of sleep began to pull her under. 'My whole body is humming. This is what I am now. And I… I think I love it.'

"Sleep now, my beautiful wildcat," Xu Er murmured, her voice a soft caress in the dark. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

Su Mu didn't need to answer.

Tucked in Xu'er's arms, feeling the gentle rise and fall of Xu Er's breathing against her back, she surrendered to exhaustion.

For the first time since her world had been turned upside down, her mind was quiet, her heart was full, and she slept soundly, a woman loved and finally at peace in her own skin.

—

The first thing to pierce the fuzzy curtain of sleep wasn't a sound or a ray of light, but a dull, protesting ache.

It was a deep-seated soreness that lived in her hips and thighs, a muscular complaint that echoed from the base of her spine.

Su Mu groaned, shifting in the plush bed.

The movement alone sent a fresh wave of stiffness through her, a powerful, physical reminder of the night's wild activities.

Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the soft morning light filtering through a gap in the heavy curtains.

Beside her, Xu'er was still sound asleep, her face relaxed and peaceful, a stark contrast to the fierce, passionate woman who had dominated Su Mu's entire world just hours before.

One of Xu'er's arms was draped possessively over Su Mu's waist.

'She looks so innocent,' Su Mu thought, her mind still groggy. 'It's hard to believe she's the same person who… maybe it's her succubus blood that's making her act like… So ferce… last night'

A jumble of memories, vivid and hot, flooded her mind unbidden.

The sight of Xu'er beneath her, the shocking vulnerability and intense pleasure of being on her hands and knees.

Xu'er's husky whispers, her hands knowing exactly where to touch, the shattering, all-consuming climaxes that had ripped through her body again and again.

A hot flush crept up her neck as she remembered the sounds she had made, the pleas and moans that had been torn from her throat without her permission.

As the memories swirled, she noticed something else.

A distinct feeling of… normalcy.

The heightened sensitivity in her ears was gone.

The phantom weight and twitch of her tail were absent.

Hesitantly, she lifted a hand, her fingers trembling slightly, and brought it to the top of her head.

Where there had been pointed, furry feline ears, there was only her own soft hair and the familiar, rounded curve of a human ear.

While she slept, her body had reverted. The wildcat had retreated, leaving the woman behind.

The realization left her with a mixed feeling.

There was a sliver of relief, a return to the familiar.

But underneath it, there was a strange, hollow sense of loss.

She had enjoyed the heightened senses, the animal grace.

And the soreness in her muscles… it was a testament to a night of pleasure so intense it had rewritten all her previous definitions of the word.

She lay there, tangled in the crimson sheets and her own conflicting thoughts, staring at the ceiling.

'Did I really act like that?' she asked herself, a cringe of embarrassment tightening her stomach. 'Begging her… moaning her name… I completely lost it. I just gave in to everything.'

A ghost of her former self, the proud and confident Su Yang, stirred within her.

'Where was my pride? My man's pride? I let her completely dominate me. I was just… her plaything.' The thought was humiliating.

He had always been the one in control, the one to lead. Last night, he—she—had been nothing more than a vessel for pleasure, eagerly accepting everything Xu'er wanted to give.

But then, the other side of the memory surfaced, the undeniable truth of it.

'But fuck sake, it felt… incredible."

"Better than anything I've ever experienced. That feeling of being completely possessed, of being wanted so badly… it was intoxicating.' She recalled the raw power in Xu'er's eyes, the possessive grip of her hands, and her body gave a soft, involuntary shiver of remembered bliss.

'What is happening to me?' The confusion was a dizzying spiral.

'I enjoyed it. I enjoyed being dominated. A part of me didn't want it to ever stop. Am I losing myself completely? Is this what this female body does to my mind?'

She felt weak, pliant, and she hated it.

The feeling of being so thoroughly taken, while intensely pleasurable, now felt like a loss of self.

A surge of his—her—old stubborn pride rose up to fight back against the memory of her own surrender.

It was a fierce, defiant spark in the confusion.

'No. This can't be how it is from now on,' she resolved, her jaw tightening.

'I'm still Su Yang in here. I can't just be a toy for her, no matter how good it feels. This isn't a one-way street.'

A new, thrilling idea began to form, pushing aside the shame and confusion. An idea that was part defiance, part a new kind of arousal.

'Fuck it,' she thought, a grim determination solidifying in her mind.

'Next time, things will be different. Next time, I'll take the lead. I'll be the one in charge.'

'I'll show her how it's done. I'll be the one to make her lose control. We'll see how she likes being on the receiving end.'

The thought sent a jolt of energy through her, a sense of purpose that made her aches seem less important.

This wasn't over. The game had just changed.

Just then, Xu'er stirred beside her, mumbling softly in her sleep before her eyes slowly opened.

She blinked a few times, then a slow, languid smile spread across her face as she saw Su Mu was awake.

"Morning, my beautiful," she murmured, her voice thick and sleepy.

She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Su Mu's cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Morning," Su Mu replied, her voice a little rougher than she intended. She tried to keep her expression neutral, to hide the storm of thoughts raging inside her. "I slept okay. You?"

"Like a rock," Xu'er sighed contentedly, snuggling closer. "You wore me out completely. Are you sore?"

Her eyes glinted with playful mischief. "I might have been a little too rough with my new toy."

Su Mu bristled at the word 'toy'.

It hit a little too close to her own insecurities from moments before.

She shifted, gently disentangling herself from Xu'er's embrace as she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her muscles screamed in protest.

"I'm fine," she said, her tone a bit stiff. "I just need a shower."

She stood up, moving with a noticeable stiffness that made Xu'er chuckle softly.

"Alright, alright. I'll let you recover," Xu'er said, unaware of the true reason for Su Mu's new resolve.

Su Mu headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She leaned against the cool wood, taking a deep breath.

The face that looked back at her from the mirror was hers—the beautiful, feminine face that was still a source of constant surprise.

But today, the eyes held a new fire, a glint of challenge.

After a long, hot shower that helped to ease some of the soreness, she felt more like herself.

When she came out wrapped in a towel, Xu'er was already up and searching through the closet for something to wear.

"I picked out something for you," Xu'er said cheerfully, holding up a stylish but professional-looking blouse and skirt.

Su Mu just nodded, taking the clothes.

They got dressed in comfortable clothes. The easy intimacy of the day before had been replaced by a new, unspoken current.

For Xu'er, it was the quiet satisfaction of a night of passion. For Su Mu, it was the calm before a storm she planned to create herself.

Downstairs, they had a quick cup of coffee, the mundane morning routine a stark contrast to the wildness of the night.

"Ready to go, dear?" Xu'er asked, grabbing her purse.

"Yeah," Su Mu said, her voice even. "Let's go."

As they walked out the door and into the morning sun, heading for the store and the day ahead, everything on the surface seemed the same.

They seemed like two lovers starting their day.

But inside, Su Mu was no longer just a passenger on this wild ride. She had a new destination in mind, and she was determined to grab the wheel.