Lin Yuan's hands trembled.
Green scales appeared along his neck, quivering faintly with the increasingly unstable pulse beneath his skin. He turned his face away, staring toward the outside of the cave—toward the frozen river, toward the raging snowstorm—as if there were still a fragment of sanity he could cling to out there.
He wanted to return to the water.
To submerge himself.
To cool the body that felt as though it were burning from within.
But his body did not move.
As if another instinct—wilder, more primal—had taken hold of him from the inside. And his own body had betrayed him.
Behind him, Xue Yunxue slowly woke. She sat up, the blanket slipping slightly, revealing her pale blue pajamas. The small rabbit tail at the back was clearly visible now, standing in sharp contrast to the tense, heated atmosphere within the cave.
Lin Yuan saw it.
And this time, he could not look away.
Unaware of the danger she carried, Xue Yunxue extended a piece of dried meat toward him.
"You must be hungry… eat this."
Her voice was soft.
Warm.
And for some reason… far too close.
Lin Yuan's fingers trembled as he accepted the food. That brief touch between them made his breath hitch. He stared at the object in his hand, then unconsciously his gaze lifted again—
toward Xue Yunxue.
To her pajamas.
To that rabbit tail.
Damn it.
He clenched his jaw tightly.
As a cold-blooded beast, he should not have been affected by things like this. He should have remained calm, logical, unshaken. Yet the girl before him—with her modest clothing, flushed face, and those small details that felt so strangely out of place—made everything feel… wrong.
And tempting.
He nearly slammed his head against the cave wall.
"This damned heat cycle…" he muttered under his breath.
"Yuan?" Xue Yunxue looked at him. "You look pale. Are you sick?"
Before he could avoid her—
Xue Yunxue had already moved closer.
Her warm hand touched his forehead.
In an instant—
Lin Yuan's body froze completely.
That sweet scent.
So close.
Too close.
It flooded into his breath, pressed against his chest, blurred his thoughts. His throat bobbed. His breathing grew heavier, unsteady.
He did not move.
He could not move.
Xue Yunxue noticed nothing.
"Your body feels a little hot…" she said softly, her brows knitting together. "It seems you really are sick."
She pulled back slightly.
And that small distance felt like losing something he should never have wanted.
"Yunxue…" Lin Yuan's voice came out low, hoarse, almost breaking. "Can you move a little farther away from me?"
Xue Yunxue paused.
"Why?"
Lin Yuan was on the verge of losing control.
That scent—soft, warm, with a faint sweetness—flowed through the narrow space like poison, slowly seeping into his veins. He knew exactly what that scent meant for his kind. He knew… and that was precisely why he could no longer think clearly.
Was this girl truly unaware?
Or simply too innocent to understand?
Lin Yuan's brow twitched.
In one swift motion, he grabbed Xue Yunxue's wrist and pressed her down onto the soft bedding. Her body sank slightly into the warm fabric, while Lin Yuan hovered above her—not fully pressing down, but close enough that the distance between them was nearly nonexistent.
His gaze was sharp.
Deep.
And for the first time—filled with something he could no longer hide.
"Are you foolish because of your cold…" his voice was low, nearly hoarse, "or do you truly not know what you're doing?"
His hand moved, slow but certain, lifting one of Xue Yunxue's legs in a motion far too intimate to ignore.
Xue Yunxue's face froze instantly.
Her heart began to pound faster.
She stared at Lin Yuan with wide eyes, completely unprepared for this. The man who had always kept his distance, who had always appeared cold and controlled… was now cornering her like this.
Close.
Too close.
"Yuan… what… are you thinking…" her voice faltered, her breathing uneven.
She could feel Lin Yuan's breath against her skin.
Warm.
Heavy.
Disturbing her thoughts.
"Your scent…" Lin Yuan murmured softly, his eyes trembling faintly, "is too intoxicating."
He lowered his head slightly, the distance between them now only inches.
"Who are you trying to tempt?" he continued, his voice deeper, darker. "I'm the only one here right now."
Xue Yunxue truly did not understand.
Scent?
She did not feel anything different about herself at all.
But before she could think further, Lin Yuan's fingers touched her chin—lifting it gently so their eyes met.
"Do you realize…" he whispered, his lips almost brushing hers, "you're making me lose control?"
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
There was no sound except their breaths colliding in the narrow space.
Cold outside the cave.
Warm between them.
That contrast made the atmosphere even more suffocating.
Xue Yunxue did not move.
Lin Yuan's gaze seemed to hold her in place—deep, cold, yet burning at the same time. For the first time, she truly saw his face without the layer of cold indifference and sharpness he always carried.
Lin Yuan… was handsome.
Exceptionally so.
But it was not just that.
His features were too refined to be called merely masculine—like a celestial youth untouched by the mortal world. Until now, Xue Yunxue had always overlooked it, blocked by his cold attitude and unfriendly words.
But now—
they were far too close to ignore it.
Lin Yuan also stared at her.
In that suffocating silence, he took in every detail of the girl beneath him. Xue Yunxue's clear black eyes reflected his figure perfectly. Her nose was slender. Her skin was soft and pale. And those lips—
red.
moist.
like ripe cherries, inviting.
This girl was truly beautiful, with rare and delicate features.
Lin Yuan's throat moved slowly.
But what rose within him was not only desire.
There was something else.
Strange.
Foreign.
And far more dangerous.
The longer he stared at her face, the stronger that incomprehensible feeling grew in his chest—a deep sense of longing, as though he had known this girl… long before this moment. Before everything.
Had he known her in a previous life?
That feeling pressed down on him.
Disturbing him. And making it even harder for him to pull away.
"Xue Yunxue…" his voice was barely audible.
Not a call.
More like a confirmation.
That she was real.
That this was not an illusion.
Xue Yunxue looked at him, her breath warm and unsteady. She did not answer.
But her eyes—
remained on him.
Did not turn away.
And that was enough.
Enough to make the final boundary crack.
A second later—Lin Yuan's lips touched Xue Yunxue's.
Cold.
Meeting warmth.
Light.
So very light.
Like a fragile thread that could snap at any moment.
There was no pressure.
No force.
Only a touch.
And precisely because of that—
her heart began to pound harder.
The air grew hotter.
And time…
seemed to stop.
Lin Yuan did not move at once.
He stayed there.
As if giving her one last chance.
As if still waiting—
whether the girl would pull away.
Or remain.
Their breaths collided.
Warm.
Unsteady.
And so close.
Xue Yunxue did not retreat.
But neither did she move forward.
She simply—
remained still.
And that was exactly what made everything far more dangerous.
Slowly…
very slowly…
Lin Yuan leaned in just a little closer.
Still not pressing.
Still not taking.
But enough to make the distance between them—
almost nonexistent.
His eyes were half-closed.
Yet still watching.
Still waiting.
Still… holding himself at the very edge.
"If you don't stop me now…" he whispered, his voice low and deep, "…I won't be able to stop."
There was no answer.
Only breath.
Only heartbeats.
Only a suffocating silence.
And a decision—
hanging between them.
Would she push him away?
But Xue Yunxue did not move.
Did not pull back.
And that… was enough.
The next second—Lin Yuan's cold lips touched Xue Yunxue's warm ones again.
Soft.
Almost imperceptible.
Yet enough to make her entire body tense.
Time seemed to freeze.
No movement.
No sound.
Only that thin contact—slowly, unconsciously, beginning to deepen into something more.
The air between them turned hot.
Tense.
Xue Yunxue realized.
The kiss—
felt cold and soft.
Too real.
Too intense to be dismissed as a dream.
Her breath caught instantly.
Lin Yuan… was kissing her.
Not a hesitant touch.
But a kiss that pressed deeper, filled with passion—as though everything he had held back until now had finally shattered without restraint.
Xue Yunxue's body stiffened.
Her hands lifted instinctively—she should have pushed him away—should have refused—
but…
she did not.
Instead, her fingers stopped against Lin Yuan's chest, feeling the merman's erratic heartbeat.
Her breath trembled.
Warm.
Chaotic.
And that only made everything more dangerous.
Lin Yuan realized that the girl was not rejecting him.
And that was enough to destroy the last of his restraint.
The hand that had been holding back now moved more firmly, cradling Xue Yunxue's face, deepening the kiss with a far more intense force.
Fierce.
Yet not rough.
As if he wanted to take—
but still held himself back from hurting her.
Their breaths collided.
Mixed.
Unsteady.
Xue Yunxue's heart pounded faster and faster, as though it might burst from her chest. Her thoughts blurred, yet her body grew more sensitive—every touch felt vivid, every second stretched long and heated.
Something was wrong.
She felt as though she could no longer control her own body.
As if her body wanted more—
and could not refuse.
Lin Yuan finally drew a breath between the kiss, yet did not truly pull away. His lips remained close, almost touching, his breath falling warm against her skin.
His blue eyes opened—
dark.
Shaken.
Filled with something he no longer hid.
"You… are truly too tempting…" he whispered hoarsely.
Xue Yunxue did not answer.
Her lips were still warm.
Her breathing still uneven.
Lin Yuan stared at her for several seconds.
As if searching for doubt in the eyes of the girl beneath him.
But when he found none—
he surrendered completely.
His hand tightened at the side of her face.
And this time—
he kissed her again.
Deeper.
Stronger.
More uncontrollable.
As though he had finally stopped fighting himself.
The campfire crackled loudly. Outside, the snowstorm raged without end.
The kiss did not stop.
Instead, it deepened.
More demanding.
As though Lin Yuan had truly let go of all the restraint he had struggled so hard to maintain.
Xue Yunxue ran out of breath.
Her body felt light, her thoughts hazy, leaving only the warmth spreading from her lips throughout her entire being. Her hands, once hesitant, now unconsciously gripped Lin Yuan's clothing more tightly—not to resist, but as if searching for something to hold onto.
"Yuan…" her voice broke, caught between uneven breaths.
But Lin Yuan did not stop.
He only pulled back briefly—just enough to let her breathe—before leaning in again, deeper, more certain, as though he had chosen to fully drown in it.
His hand moved, holding Xue Yunxue's body carefully yet firmly, keeping her beneath him without making her feel restrained. His movements were full of contradiction—strong yet controlled, wild yet still leaving space for safety.
The fire crackled.
Their shadows trembled along the cave walls.
Outside, the blizzard raged.
But inside—
there was only heat, rising higher and higher.
Xue Yunxue closed her eyes.
Her body responded before her thoughts could catch up. Every touch felt vivid, too vivid, making her breathing grow more unstable. She no longer knew what was right or wrong—she only knew one thing:
she did not want this to stop.
Lin Yuan felt it.
And that only pulled him deeper.
He paused for a moment, looking at Xue Yunxue's face from up close. Her cheeks were flushed, her breath trembling, her lips slightly parted—still carrying traces of a kiss not yet finished.
His blue eyes trembled.
Something had changed.
Not just desire.
But something deeper.
Quieter.
Far more dangerous.
"Xue Yunxue…" he whispered softly, as if confirming once more.
But the girl only looked at him with blurred eyes—without rejecting, without retreating.
And that was enough.
Lin Yuan lowered his head again.
This time slower.
Deeper.
Yet also… more aware.
As though, in the midst of that turmoil, he chose not only to follow instinct—but to protect something that had begun to grow between them, something more than mere impulse.
That night—
the boundary that had long existed between them finally collapsed.
Not with force.
Not with coercion.
But with a heat that slowly transformed into something deeper, closer, and far harder to let go.
Yun Wu returned.
His steps were light yet steady over the thickening snow. A large stag hung over his shoulder—the result of his hunt within the forest. His breathing was steady, his body warm from the hunt, and his thoughts were still focused on one thing—Xue Yunxue. He felt uneasy leaving her alone with Lin Yuan.
But before he reached the cave behind the waterfall—
he stopped.
His body stiffened. His nose lifted slightly, drawing in the air.
And then—
he smelled something.
Two scents.
Different.
Yet intertwined.
He recognized the first—it was Xue Yunxue's sweet fragrance.
The second—
he had smelled it before.
It belonged to the merman.
Pheromones.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
Yun Wu's brows furrowed deeply.
His chest tightened.
For a moment, his mind went blank—
then one possibility surfaced.
Could it be… the two of them…
His throat bobbed.
He had forgotten that the merman had recently suffered a severe heat cycle. And Xue Yunxue's intoxicating scent had undoubtedly awakened that desire.
His gaze darkened.
He took a step closer—and this time, his sharp ears caught something he could not ignore.
A sound.
Faint.
Suppressed.
But clear enough.
Soft breaths.
Uneven.
And that sweet scent—
growing thicker.
More intoxicating.
Burning into his chest.
Yun Wu froze.
His instincts screamed.
A raw, violent urge pushed him forward—telling him to break in, to stop whatever was happening inside.
But—
he did not move.
His fingers tightened against the stag on his shoulder.
His rational mind still remained.
Barely.
But enough to restrain him.
Slowly, he lowered the prey onto the snow.
Then—with a deep breath—
his body transformed.
Thick black fur covered him, muscles expanding, and in an instant he became a massive black wolf.
His eyes gleamed.
Cold.
Wild.
And filled with something he could no longer control.
Without looking back at the cave—
he turned.
And ran.
Fast.
Faster than the winter wind.
He tore through the forest like a shadow that had lost control. Snow scattered beneath his paws, branches snapped as he passed, and a dense killing aura began to spread from his body.
He needed to vent something.
Something suffocating his chest.
That night, he slaughtered nearly every wild creature in the area.
That night, the forest fell silent.
Too silent.
Because every living being foolish enough to cross his path—
had been mercilessly torn apart.
The white snow beneath his feet slowly changed color.
Red.
Thick.
Flowing like an open wound across the earth.
Yun Wu's killing aura spread across the entire region.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Forcing other beasts to tremble and flee without daring to come close. Even the usually feral mutant creatures chose to hide, their instincts screaming that a far more dangerous predator was raging through the night.
If the pursuers had been there—
they would have become the outlet for Yun Wu's uncontrollable fury.