Chapter 135: Something Never Heard Before
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: Something Never Heard Before
Beastkin are a type of demi-human.
They come in a vast array of varieties. There are those born with the traits of mammalian beasts, of course, but also those with features of reptiles or amphibians. Some even possess characteristics of ancient animals that can no longer be found in the world.
The most obvious physical differences from humans are, naturally, the ears and tails, but the distinctions are far more than just skin-deep.
“Uh... Theodora?”
“What is it?”
Theodora, who had tightly linked her arm with Yoo Eon’s, took a bold step forward. Their destination was, by all appearances, the motel up ahead. It wasn't some seedy place in a back alley with a flickering, broken sign.
However, Theodora was the youngest daughter of a prestigious noble family. Unlike the common explorers scattered throughout the city, she was born into a house with a deep history. She was fundamentally different from the type of people who lived their lives on a whim.
Despite that, she was dragging Yoo Eon into a motel room without any preamble or formal steps, simply because it was night and they were alone.
“Theodora. Wait a second.”
“Why do you keep stopping?”
“This is so sudden... I mean, is this really okay...?”
To Yoo Eon, who possessed the sensibilities of an ordinary human, Theodora’s current behavior was bound to seem strange. She had been perfectly fine until now, so why the sudden change?
Of course, he had a vague understanding that she had feelings for him. He had spent a significant amount of time with her—not incredibly long, but not short either—and they had built a bond.
Theodora was a woman of immense charm. There was a slight species difference between a human and a beastkin, but in a world where quarter-elves and rabbit beastkin married and had children, that wasn't really something to worry about.
“Sudden, huh? Hmm.”
This was clearly a first for Theodora as well. If so, things should have been more romantic. They should have made full preparations, built up the mood over a nice dinner, and slowly opened their hearts to one another. Or at the very least...
“At least... you know. Sigh, this is really hard to put into words.”
He felt there should have been at least some mental preparation for sex. As he thought this, Theodora, who had stepped ahead, crossed her arms and stared at him with a cynical expression.
“Aven, that thing from the Direwolf. Can you use it right now?”
“That thing?”
“The muscles, the heart... you have a lot of them, don't you?”
“I do, but why?”
Yoo Eon didn't quite understand what she wanted, but he followed her request anyway. Since he had felt his original body’s strength increasing lately, he hadn't really been using the Direwolf’s muscles.
As he circulated the Direwolf’s organs through his system and moved his body to adjust to the muscle mass...
“Come here.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Theodora opened her arms and beckoned him closer. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he figured she had something in mind.
Grab!
“Do—Dora?”
Theodora suddenly wrapped her arms around the back of Yoo Eon’s neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. Because of their height difference, Yoo Eon ended up in an awkward, hunched-over position, but since she had initiated the hug, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
“Breathe.”
“Now’s a bit...”
“Hurry.”
Because she was hugging him so tightly, Yoo Eon’s nose was pressed right against the crook of her neck. Noticing that he wasn't breathing, Theodora commanded him to take a breath.
“Wait, Dora, you...”
“Do you get it now?”
As the ratio of Direwolf traits within his body increased, Yoo Eon’s physiology naturally began to resemble that of a beastkin. Taking a deep breath with his nose buried in her neck, even Yoo Eon—who wasn't a natural-born beastkin—could tell immediately.
“Are you perhaps in your fertile period—”
“I’m in heat.”
“...Is it okay to use a word like that?”
“What does it matter? That’s how beastkin talk to each other.”
A fox beastkin’s heat cycle comes about twice a year. Human females, who undergo ovulation and menstruation every month to prepare for pregnancy, don't have a specific "heat" and show no major outward changes. Naturally, human males don't have the ability to tell when a female is fertile just by looking.
Humans possess the efficient tool of verbal communication, which allowed them to effectively discard the inefficient biological "luring" functions of the body.
But Theodora was a beastkin who still retained the traits of a beast.
“Aven, I’m being very euphemistic right now.”
“Uh, yeah...?”
Unlike the monthly fertile period of a human female, a beastkin female’s cycle comes once every six months.
To put it another way, it was like six months' worth of hormones concentrated into a single period. Naturally, a beastkin female’s hormones are incredibly unstable during this time, and much like human females, they become far more aggressive than usual. Six times more so, in fact.
She had spent years training to control and hide her emotions as a noblewoman, and since her partner was a human male who might not understand a beastkin’s heat, Theodora was trying desperately to suppress it.
‘Let’s mate.’
But Theodora, who had been hiding it well until now, began to send out a thick, sticky, and primal sexual appeal through her pheromones the moment she entered heat.
‘W-what is this...?’
This was the first time Yoo Eon had ever smelled pheromones intended for communication. He had emitted pheromones himself before, but he had no memory of ever being on the receiving end. He scratched his cheek, looking flustered.
Among canine or feline creatures that live in packs, there is always an alpha. Even those alpha creatures can't say a word to a female in heat; if she isn't satisfied, she might bite their scrotum off, leaving them whimpering at her feet.
“You’re coming, right?”
“I... I suppose I have to...”
Beastkin certainly possess the traits of beasts, but they are higher life forms. Simply being a good hunter or having a large build isn't enough to prove one's worth as a male. Gradually, the law of the wild—that the "Alpha" produces the most offspring—had begun to fade.
The "Alpha Gene," the expressed gene of a pack leader, had almost vanished among modern beastkin. Yet here was Yoo Eon, a half-beastkin individual in whom the Alpha Gene had manifested once again, leaping over centuries of natural selection.
It was only natural for a beastkin female in heat to feel extreme arousal and a desperate, immediate urge to mate.
During the day, Theodora had used suppressants to keep her hormones in check. But now that there was no one else around, she was making a fervent appeal to produce an heir without worrying about anyone else's gaze.
Six months of concentrated natural instinct, combined with a male specimen expressing the nearly extinct, superior Alpha Gene.
Releasing the instincts she had suppressed with medication, Theodora cast aside her pride as a noblewoman and moved busily toward the goal of mating, heedless of anything else.
“Do—Dora.”
“What?”
“I’m just asking, just in case.”
Even as they spoke, Theodora didn't stop her long, purposeful strides toward the motel. Though he was flustered, Yoo Eon decided to play along for now, given the special circumstances of her being in heat.
“Are you... in a position where it’s okay to get pregnant right now?”
“...What do you mean by that?”
If the question was whether she wanted to or if it was possible, the answer was a resounding yes. How could a female in heat feel otherwise? However, even if she had the traits of a beast, she was still Theodora, a woman with a social standing.
There were many things to consider before having a child. First and foremost, the fact that they weren't married would cause significant problems. It wouldn't stop at people whispering that she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock because she couldn't control her heat; it could also deal a massive blow to the Lymain family’s image.
Above all, while Theodora herself hated being used that way, the fact that the beautiful youngest daughter of the Lymain family was "unmarried" carried many advantages.
“...It’s too much work to think about.”
She didn't care about any of that. Theodora just wanted to mate with this ultimate male and get pregnant as soon as possible. As her grip on Yoo Eon’s wrist tightened, he realized the gravity of the situation and steeled his resolve to follow her lead.
After all, this was six months of concentrated feminine hysteria. Yoo Eon focused his mind and began to mobilize every action possible to satisfy her.
“Whoa?!”
“Fine, let’s go.”
Yoo Eon took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around Theodora’s waist. Then, he swept her up into a bridal carry and maintained a brisk pace toward the motel. The dynamic shifted from Theodora dragging Yoo Eon by the wrist to Yoo Eon carrying her in his arms.
‘I like this. I love him. I’m happy. This is so good.’
Yoo Eon’s handsome face was now much closer. His thick forearms supported her back and thighs with a sense of stability. Even the scent of his sweat, which had broken out in his flustered state, reached her nose.
With her lower abdomen throbbing and her heart pounding, Theodora reached out and tapped Yoo Eon’s broad chest, trying to calm the frantic ringing in her head.
‘I love him. I’m happy. I want to mate!’
Of course, it didn't work as well as she hoped.
* * *
At the counter, Theodora stood far away from Yoo Eon as he checked in, her head bowed low. It seemed she had regained some of her senses and calmed down slightly, as her face was now bright red from remembering how she had acted just moments ago.
‘I’m crazy...! What on earth was I doing...!!’
Inside the quiet motel room, which contained nothing but a single double bed, the only sound was the gentle patter of water from the shower.
Theodora buried her face in the cool blankets to soothe the heat in her cheeks. As she lay prone on the bed with her legs tucked in, her tail thrashed against the duvet entirely of its own accord.
She thought about saying something to Yoo Eon in the shower, but she lost her focus just looking at his silhouette through the translucent glass.
‘H-his clothes.’
She snatched up Yoo Eon’s white dress shirt, which he had carelessly discarded, and looked it over. Clutching her trophy, she crawled back onto the bed and buried her nose in the collar.
“Sniff...”
It was a shameful thing to do, but right now, Theodora was nothing more than a beast in heat.
After rolling around on the wide bed, she made up her mind and slid her arms into the sleeves. She wrapped herself in the shirt, which was heavily permeated with Yoo Eon’s scent.
Not long after, Yoo Eon finished his shower and stepped out. Theodora, who had been having a silent fit of screaming into her pillow, bolted upright.
“A-are you done?!”
“Oh, you haven't taken your clothes off yet?”
“Wh-what?! Th-this is...!”
Yoo Eon dried his hair with a towel and looked at her for a moment before noticing something strange.
“Wait, isn't that my shirt?”
“W-well...”
Yoo Eon, having roughly dried himself, approached Theodora as she sat in the middle of the bed.
“Take it off. You’re going to be sweating soon.”
A command.
It was something she had never heard from anyone in her entire life.
It was the command of an "Alpha," triggering an instinctive urge to obey.
“Ye-hes...”