CHAPTER 163: THE HEAT RETURN

Zeran stepped closer to the sofa, watching as Lethia gave him a flat, forced smile, like seeing him was a chore. She didn’t even really look at him. Just a glance.

She was dressed properly and not in the same clothes she wore the last time he saw her.

"What happened here?" he asked, eyes flicking between Callista and Lethia.

"I... will leave you both here. Lykon Haven is a mess right now. I have to clean it up and check on Caelum at the hospital."

Callista suddenly stood, giving a rushed excuse before jogging to the door. From her awkward expression, it was clear to Zeran she was trying to escape the tension.

The eerie calm from the woman sitting before him made Zeran decide to take a seat across from her. And the moment he dropped onto the sofa, it hit him.

Her pheromones.

It confused him earlier. If she’d been here for a while, why hadn’t he picked up her scent before?

The scent of his baby.

But now... now it crashed into him—hard.

That thick, heady scent he had not smelled before.

Sweet honey and earthy warmth. It overwhelmed his senses, made Zeran flinch slightly, and almost dizzy.

But the sharp, anxious stare from Lethia told him that she must’ve been holding back her heat.

"How’d you get here? My betas couldn’t find you in Varrel’s hotel."

"I got help. And I wasn’t there."

"From who?"

"The woman in the video. How was it? Did you enjoy the show?"

"Quite expected from you. Are you okay?"

"Well, I’ve got skills. I enjoyed your show too."

"Are you okay?"

"So, what’s next? Going with the fake marriage? Should I—"

"Lethia!" Zeran snapped. "Are you... okay?"

Lethia flinched slightly at Zeran’s question. Her arms folded tightly across her chest. Ever since she felt the onset of heat triggered by Zeran’s presence, she’d been pinching her arm repeatedly to keep herself from losing control.

But with that stare that bewitched her, that low, firm voice, that masculine woody scent... she could feel her inner demon whimper.

"The pup is fine. You don’t need to worry," she answered, turning her face away.

"Are you not hurt at all?"

Lethia clicked her tongue. "I said the pup is fine. Why do you keep asking—"

"I’m asking about you. I know the pup is fine. Its whimpering was too strong the moment it sensed me, of course it’s fine. But it won’t be if the mother is not. So I’m asking you."

Zeran stood from his seat and walked closer to her. Lethia pinched her arm again—harder this time—trying not to lose her grip under the magnetic pull of Zeran’s presence.

Back when she arrived at Lykon Haven, Whisney, who had been suppressing the heat stirred up by the pup since yesterday, warned her that the suppressant might break the moment she faced Zeran.

And judging by the way she couldn’t sense Whisney’s presence at all now... it was clear. The cunning fox had already lost. She couldn’t fight Zeran’s energy.

Whisney must’ve slipped back into the void again. She seemed too drained since the night they trapped Varrel.

And yet—

The father of her pup crouched before her, placing the back of his hand gently against her forehead.

Then he moved to her neck. The touch sent a jolt through her entire body.

And finally... his hand rested on the soft swell of her belly.

Lethia let out a relieved sigh the moment Zeran’s hand touched her belly. It was like it shot through her tension and made her relax, even just a little. The tightness in her shoulders loosened, and her body slackened with ease.

However, that was the problem.

The comfort from Zeran’s warm energy made her crave more. Her gaze fell on his tense face, furrowed with focus as he stared at her belly. Her eyes drifted down, landing on his thin lips, yet somehow, they looked sinfully tempting.

The pup could steal all of Zeran’s attention...

But could Lethia have his lips, just for now?

She shook her head quickly. Her thoughts were spiraling.

How the hell could she be hypnotized by Zeran’s lips at a time like this?

At first, she was overjoyed when the oracle rescued her from the place Varrel had hidden her, and they arrived safely at Lykon Haven.

She’d been excited to meet Zeran again.

But right before they parted ways, the oracle suddenly started rambling about how lucky Lethia was, that the man she was about to marry was willing to die for her.

She clenched her jaw at the memory of that brief, strange conversation.

"What do you mean by that?" Lethia had asked.

"The pup’s father," the oracle replied. "He’s willing to bleed for you. He’s bound to a woman... a very powerful woman. He would sacrifice himself for the one who tied his heart. You’re lucky for that."

Lethia’s giddy smile had vanished in an instant when she heard that.

Because obviously, that woman... wasn’t her.

Their relationship was fake.

She was not powerful.

And Zeran would never bled for her.

Let alone having his heart bound to hers, he kept her locked away, only because he worried about the pup.

Lethia was sure.

The woman the oracle meant... was the one in the photo Varrel showed her.

"Are you done looking at my face? I’m worried you might burn a hole with that stare," Zeran teased.

Their eyes locked.

"Does it always come this easy to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Pretending. Performing under the public eye. I had to retake my speech video over and over again, even when there was no audience watching. But you... you make it look effortless."

Zeran brushed his fingers through Lethia’s hair.

"I don’t know either. Why it could feel that easy? Maybe... maybe it wasn’t all acting. Could be, part of it was real."

Lethia let out a dry chuckle. "Which part? The fake love? Do you even know what love is?"

Her hand gently caressed Zeran’s cheek.

"Do you?" he threw the question back.

"Love..." Lethia shook her head slowly, her smile bittersweet. "No... I don’t know."

Zeran tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered, softly trailing over her cheek and chin, back and forth.

"Isn’t... staring at each other this close, one of the forms of love?" Zeran asked, their faces getting even closer.

"But love doesn’t lie," Lethia snorted. "And we’re hiding things from each other."

Zeran’s expression stiffened. And that alone confirmed everything Lethia had feared. Whatever this was between them... it would never be more than just being the parents of their pup.

"I’m..." Zeran hesitated, his hand falling away from her face.

"Do you even really want this pup, Zeran?"

His brows furrowed. "What—"

"Why are you protecting the woman who tried to kill it? The woman who stabbed me?"