Nina braced her hands against Idir’s chest, trying to push him away, but his arms only tightened around her as his kisses grew fiercer, more insistent.

After a long while, his cool, thin lips finally left hers, trailing elsewhere, giving her a chance to gasp for air.

"Idir... you can’t." Nina pressed lightly against his chest, trying to steady him. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He caught her hand, his expression tinged with grievance. "Why not again?"

"Because we’re not mates," Nina said, forcing calm into her voice. "So we can’t."

A flicker of confusion crossed his face. "Aren’t I your male?"

Though his memories were gone—everything except Nina—his instincts told him they shared the closest bond possible. How could he not be hers?

"No," Nina said gently. "We’re just friends."

"No, we’re not," Idir insisted, irritation rising.

How could she say he wasn’t her male?

Nina sighed, a little helpless. "We really aren’t like that."

What on earth had happened to him? How had he gone from distant and reserved to this—so certain she belonged to him?

If something really happened between them now, the one who would regret it later would be him.

Idir suddenly lifted his head and kissed her once. "Now we are."

Even if they hadn’t been before, they would be now.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, brushing soft kisses along her skin. "Nina... let’s mate."

His voice was low, filled with a deep, unrestrained longing.

Nina felt a headache coming on. How was she supposed to reason with someone who had lost his sanity?

She pressed a hand against his head, stopping him. "I said no. That means no."

Forget explaining—there was no explaining this.

Idir lifted his eyes to hers. "Why won’t you mate with me? Is there something about me you don’t like?"

He glanced down at himself. "My body’s good. If you don’t believe me, look."

And before she could react, he started to undress.

"Hey—stop!" Nina hurriedly grabbed his clothes, pulling them back into place. "I’m not rejecting you."

He took her hand and guided it along his abdomen, lower, his tone earnest. "I’m strong here too. Stronger than other males."

Nina yanked her hand back, flustered. "Okay, okay—I get it."

Idir pressed her back slightly, looking at her expectantly. "Then is it okay now?"

She let out a long breath. "No. Let go of me—we’re leaving first."

He frowned, clearly dissatisfied. Why was it still not okay? Why didn’t she want him?

Instead of letting go, he pulled her into a tight embrace, his voice muffled and sullen. "I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here with you."

Here was perfect—just the two of them.

For some reason, he felt that if they left, there would be many unpleasant things waiting outside... and that Nina might be taken away from him.

He nuzzled against her, almost pleading. "Nina, let’s just stay here, alright?"

Nina blinked, exasperated. "What’s so good about this place? It’s dark, empty—and what are we supposed to do when we get hungry?"

She couldn’t help but think how much she missed the calm, composed Idir from before.

The male glanced around, frowning.

Darkness wasn’t a problem—he could make fire. But females were fragile; they needed to eat every day. Unlike him, they couldn’t go days without food.

Reluctant as he was, he couldn’t let Nina starve.

At last, he took her hand. "Alright. We’ll go out. I’ll hunt for you."

Nina let out a quiet breath of relief. At least he was still willing to listen—somewhat.

Still... it felt like he’d forgotten everything. So how did he still remember her?

No matter. Getting out came first.

Taking out the blue crystal, Nina led Idir out of the sealed space.

Outside, Odian, Sal, and Finch had been waiting anxiously.

"Why isn’t Nina out yet? Is that red-eyed monster really that hard to deal with?" Finch asked, worry clear in her voice.

"Nina has the power of the Star Source, and the divine artifact from the Beast God. She should be fine," Odian said.

Though he spoke with confidence, concern lingered in his eyes. The fact that they were all unharmed meant Nina was likely safe—for now.

"We have to trust her," Sal added quietly.

They all stared toward the sealed space, unable to hide their unease.

At last, a faint glow flickered.

Nina stepped out with Idir beside her.

The three men’s eyes lit up instantly.

She was finally back.

They all rushed toward Nina at once.

"Nina!"

Idir’s gaze sharpened instantly. Where had all these males come from? And why were they calling her name?

Odian reached her first, arms lifting as if to pull her into an embrace—but before he could, Idir yanked Nina behind him, stepping forward with killing intent.

Nina reacted just in time, grabbing his arm. "Don’t attack."

At her command,Idir’s clenched fist tightened, then slowly relaxed. The energy around him dissipated—but his eyes remained cold as he stared Odian down.

Odian frowned, sensing the hostility. "Idir, what are you doing?"

Idir’s voice was icy. "I should be asking you that. Who gave you permission to come near Nina?"

He swept a frigid glance over all of them, positioning himself protectively in front of her.

Finch’s brows knit together. "Idir, what do you mean? We’re Nina’s mates—why wouldn’t we be allowed near her?"

This damned snake—why did he look like a jealous husband? What had happened down there?

Idir’s expression darkened instantly.

Mates?

These males... were Nina’s mates?

His jaw tightened, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "I don’t care who you are. Take one more step toward her, and I’ll kill you."

Nina was his. No one else was allowed near her.

Anger flared in Finch’s eyes, and he stepped forward—but Sal caught him, holding him back.

Sal studied Idir carefully. Something was off about him.

He shot Odian a meaningful look.

Odian turned his attention back to Idir—and when his gaze landed on the dark markings at the corner of Idir’s eyes, his expression changed abruptly.

A curse.

"Nina—stay away from him!" Odian said urgently.

The curse had erupted. In this state, Idir was extremely dangerous. She couldn’t keep him close.

The moment Idir heard that, the violent aura around him surged. "You’re asking to die."

This male dared to tell Nina to leave him?

He would kill him.

Sensing the spike of killing intent, Nina immediately pressed a hand against Idir, stopping him. "They’re my mates. You’re not allowed to hurt them."

Right now, Idir was terrifyingly strong. Odian and the others weren’t his match—she herself couldn’t overpower him.

She couldn’t let them clash.

A crease formed between her brows. Not only had Idir lost control—he had also begun treating her as his mate, his possessiveness overwhelming. This was going to be difficult.

"But he wants you to leave me. I don’t like him," Idir said angrily.

So this was what awaited outside—things he despised.

Nina felt another headache coming on. "He misunderstood you. He’s just worried about me. Don’t be angry."

Then she turned to Odian. "Odian, Idir won’t hurt me. Don’t worry."

"But—"

Odian still looked uneasy. A Teng snake with an awakened curse was no small matter.

"It’s fine. Let’s head back first," Nina said.

She took Idir’s hand and led him away.

The others followed closely behind.

"What’s wrong with him?" Finch asked in a low voice.

"We’ll talk when we get back."

Odian kept his eyes locked on Idir the entire way, wary of any sudden move.

Before long, they arrived outside the City Lord’s residence. Kith and the others had just finished rescuing the beastmen from the dungeon.

At the entrance, Aviel and Mino stood side by side, unmoving—like statues waiting for their beloved.

The rest of the males were gathered outside as well. It had been Nina’s instruction: once they rescued the captives, they were to wait there.

Kith stepped forward. "Where’s Nina?"

"She went to deal with that red-eyed creature," Aviel replied. "She told us to take care of the cubs."

"Then keep watching the cubs. I’m going in to find her."

As Kith moved to head back inside, Setan and Yanai followed—but before they could take more than a few steps, Nina appeared.

"Nina!"

Relief and joy lit up their faces as they hurried toward her.

Idir’s gaze swept over the crowd—so many males—and the hostility in him surged even higher.

"Nina... are all of them your males?"

Why were there so many of these irritating creatures?