Chapter 164
A faint, sweet scent brushed past Erik–but it didn’t stop. It faded as she walked away.
It took Erik a while to snap back to reality, only to realize that Nyx was actually headed for Jorge, having just passed by him.
He stared blankly at that fading figure, feeling a sense of emptiness.
A subtle feeling of loss lingered in his heart until lunchtime, when everyone was cating sandwiches together. Nyx slid a few braised pork buns his way.
“You like this flavor, right? Eat up.” Nyx tilted her head at him. “Your taste hasn’t changed, has it?”
Erik’s handsome face turned bright red. “N–no, it hasn’t.”
The moment he bit into the steaming hot sandwich, his mood instantly lifted.
Braised pork sandwiches were definitely Erik’s favorite. He even ate more properly than usual, not wanting to finish the sandwich Nyx had given him too quickly.
But when he looked up, he saw Aurelius and Nyx leaning close together, sharing a meal like they were in their own little world.
Suddenly, the sandwich in his hand didn’t taste as good anymore.
Throughout the entire meal, Erik’s emotions were all over the place–a mix of highs and lows.
He forced himself to stop focusing on Nyx and picked up some documents, planning to bury himself in work. But then he suddenly heard Aurelius‘ voice. “Take a nap, Nyx.”
Erik immediately looked over and saw Aurelius shift into his beast form.
The massive White Tiger shamelessly sprawled in Nyx’s arms, acting all clingy by inviting her to nap with him.
Erik’s grip on the documents slipped, and they smacked onto the table with a loud sound.
Nyx looked up at the noise.
Their eyes met, and Erik quickly turned away, pretending to pick up the papers. He made a show of reorganizing them for a bit before sneaking another glance at Nyx who was still holding Aurelius.
Not just holding–Nyx had even pulled out a small brush and was gently brushing the White Tiger’s fur.
These past days, Aurelius had been swamped dealing with the illegal labs and Edmund, completely exhausted.
Even today, which was supposed to be his day off, he’d brought work along just to spend time with Nyx, barely getting a break.
Feeling bad for Aurelius, Nyx carefully brushed his fur, massaging his head with the comb.
The metal bristles scratched against his fur just right, sending a tingling sensation through him. The big White Tiger closed his eyes in satisfaction, purring lazily.
Erik stared at the scene, unable to look away.
Sensing the increasingly heated gaze, the White Tiger cracked open an eye and glanced at him mockingly, as if saying, ‘Jealous?‘
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22 Feb
Chapter 164
(+23)
Erik clenched his teeth, fully understanding what that look meant. He couldn’t stand Aurelius‘ little act of playing weak just to get attention from Nyx.
He thought, ‘It’s just brushing fur. What’s there to be jealous about?”
Erik tried his best to act like he didn’t care and turned away.
But even if he wasn’t looking, he could still hear everything. And the more he listened, the more he couldn’t stop imagining what it felt like to have her brush his fur.
He thought, ‘Nyx’s arms must be warm and soft.
Every move she made was so gentle, and she was even coaxing the big White Tiger in a soft voice. “Go to sleep. I’ll hold you.”
The more Erik listened, the more frustrated he felt. His eyes burned with jealousy.
That intense emotion finally made his slow brain catch up. He thought, ‘What does my feelings for Nyx have to do with Aurelius?’
Even if Erik had forgotten his time with Nyx, his feelings hadn’t faded. All it took was a little spark, and his heart would start burning for her all over again.
It finally hit Erik how stupid he had been. If only he hadn’t been so stubborn when Nyx held him that day, maybe right now, he’d be the one in her arms, getting his fur brushed.
Because of that ridiculous hesitation, he had wasted so much time, so many chances. He didn’t even know if he still had the right to be close to her again.
As Nyx focused on massaging the White Tiger’s head, she suddenly felt something soft press against her arm, making her jump.
“Pale Wolf?” She still wasn’t used to calling him Erik. “Pale Wolf” just came more naturally.
Just as she was about to correct herself, the large gray wolf let out a soft whimper and wagged his tail in response.
For a moment, Nyx felt like she was back in those days in the underground lab.
Back then, she was restless and had nothing to distract herself with. The only thing keeping her sane was Pale Wolf, who patiently comforted her again and again.
He wasn’t the best at it, a little clumsy even, but his eyes were always on her–just like they were now.
The fur pressed against her skin was as warm as ever, filling her with a deep sense of security.
That familiar feeling washed over her, and Nyx couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.
After a moment, she snapped out of it. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the documents? Can it wait until Aurelius wakes up?”
“N–No, it’s not that. I–I’m not looking for him.” Erik shook his head.
He was nervous. His words were stumbling more than they ever had on Desolate Planet. “I—I like you.”
“Huh?” Nyx’s eyes widened in shock.
Thanks to Jorge’s reminder, she already knew that Pale Wolf’s feelings for her hadn’t changed. He just seemed awkward because he’d lost that part of his memory and wasn’t as familiar with her yet.
She had planned to take things slow, to gradually get closer to him. But she never expected him to suddenly confess like this
07:00 Sat, 22 Feb S T.
Chapter 164
-so out of the blue! And on top of that, he was stuttering again…
Nyx started to panic a little. She cupped Pale Wolf’s face. “Are you okay? Does your head hurt? Are you feeling dizzy?”
She thought. Did he lose his memories again?
Nestled in Nyx’s arms, White Tiger groggily woke up. He shot Pale Wolf an unfriendly glare and, while Nyx wasn’t looking, bared his teeth at him.
That was usually a challenge to a fight.
Pale Wolf’s instincts kicked in, and he bared his teeth right back. Nyx had no idea what to do. She turned to Jorge for help, hoping he could defuse the situation.
She thought. Please tell me this Pale Wolf isn’t acting weird because his head injury hasn’t healed yet!‘
“No! 1-1 haven’t lost my memories! My head injury is completely healed!” Pale Wolf quickly defended himself, too distracted to keep arguing with Aurelius.
“Then why are you talking like that again?” Nyx blinked, testing him. “What’s your name?”
“Erik Pale Wolf shook his head in embarrassment and answered correctly, proving that he hadn’t lost his memory. He had no idea why he was stuttering again. At first, it was just nerves. But now, he couldn’t seem to stop.
The moment he had mustered up the courage to get closer to Nyx and press against her, a hazy memory had started surfacing in his mind, like fog slowly lifting. His thoughts were a mess.
And when Nyx cupped his face, the memories loosened even more.
He suddenly remembered that crude little bed in the basement. Nyx had sat on it once, holding his face and giving him Mental Soothing.
“I like you,” Erik murmured again.
The memory was clear now. He had already confessed to Nyx–on the very day they met. Not only that, he had even tried to steal a kiss from her.
A normally well–behaved male like Erik had never imagined that he’d actually done something so bold. His face turned bright red, and he was too mortified to speak.
But his longing for Nyx overpowered everything else. He swallowed his shame, looked up at her, and asked, “Can I be your
mate?
Nearby, Jorge covered his face, unable to watch anymore. He thought, “This clueless kid… How could he just blurt it out like that? When it comes to females, you have to go all out to impress them just to get a tiny chance.
Pale Wolf has been such a mess lately, and yet, he dares to propose without any preparation?‘
AD
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