Trapped in the Beastworld Breeder System (BL)-Chapter 52: A love mark

"Well, Kenzie wanted to help ruin you," Areis said plainly. Lucien’s brows arched in surprise, his expression clearly signaling for him to continue.

And Areis continued, not bothering to stop this time. "When I was captured and you were sent away to be healed after the Tiger King injured you, your brother was the one who took me to his quarters rather than the king’s dungeon. He made sure to treat my injuries while I was there. After that was ongoing, he asked that I prove I wasn’t a tiger beast, and that was how he realized what I was."

He took a pause before continuing again, "From then on, he decided to use me to kill you. Apparently, he already knew that I was your mate, but he still made me believe that I was smart, that he didn’t know, and that he was simply asking me to help ruin you. Then he made me sign a contract. It involved disguising as a wolf beast and infiltrating your quarters, and... everything followed from there."

"So, you were compelled?" Lucien asked. It was the most important question he had been holding back since the beginning.

"Yes, I was," Areis answered without hesitation. "If not, why would I ever seek to harm you? He even asked me to kill you. That was why I resorted to killing myself because there was no other way out."

"You..." Lucien started, shock filling his eyes as he stared at Areis. Then, as far as he stared, his voice softened, though thick with emotion. "Please, don’t ever harm yourself for my sake again. Please."

"Ah..." Areis scratched the back of his head awkwardly, having no answer prepared for something like that.

Lucien’s mood suddenly turned grim, and Areis noticed the shift immediately. He frowned slightly and asked, "Are you okay?"

Without warning, Lucien moved closer. Areis watched as Lucien’s hands wrapped around his waist, pulling him firmly against his chest. One hand rose to his chin, lifting his face gently so their eyes met.

"Wait... does he want to kiss me?" Areis said out loud in utter confusion.

"Aren’t your thoughts a little too loud?" Lucien murmured.

Areis froze, then flushed deeply as realization struck. Embarrassment washed over him, and he tried to tuck his face into Lucien’s chest.

When the heat rushed to his cheeks, Lucien called softly, "Areis..."

His voice dropped lower, more serious. "Please tell me my brother didn’t sexually assault you. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if he did."

At that, Areis remembered the sex mark incident and blurted out hurriedly, "Oh... that... he gave me a sex mark, but he didn’t lie with me. I stopped him. I made him understand why it would be better not to rape me."

As he heard those words, a sigh of relief dropped from Lucien’s mouth and he said, "I’m so glad."

Areis smiled lightly, and Lucien continued, his gaze unwavering.

"Then, before I ruin him properly for you, I suppose I have to correct that sex mark he claimed to give you. No one except me is allowed to mark you."

His lips curved faintly. "Besides, I want to give you a love mark instead. May I?"

Areis was utterly overwhelmed by the sudden flood of emotions. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, so he simply nodded.

That nod opened the door to Lucien’s lips meeting his.

Lucien’s lips collided with Areis’s in a soft rush. His lower lip nipped gently at Areis’s upper one as one hand stayed firm at his waist. Slowly, Lucien lowered his mouth to Areis’s neck, lingering there, making Areis squirm as a sudden chill ran through his body.

Aries’ hands tugged lightly at his clothes as he body recognized the familiar scent and warmth. Hot breaths fanned over his neck, his legs drawing closer together as his heart fluttered wildly. What began as a soft lick turned into a gentle bite.

It was a tingling sensation, slight pain mixed with pleasure that pulsed through Areis before Lucien finally pulled away.

Lucien stayed close, watching Areis as he struggled to steady himself. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Areis opened his eyes slowly. His hand rose to his neck, fingers brushing over the newly formed mark. He smiled at Lucien, who returned the smile before taking Areis’s hand in his own.

Areis looked up at him with wide, puppy-like eyes, and Lucien asked softly, "How do you feel about this?"

"Rather than feeling dirty over what your brother did... I feel refreshed," Areis admitted with a sheepish smile. "And happy about your hickey."

Lucien chuckled softly and returned the smile.

Just then, Areis’s stomach growled loudly.

He laughed awkwardly and said, "Well... how many months, or maybe even years have I spent on this bed? And how did you manage to keep me clean all this time?"

"That’s because I cleaned you every single day," Lucien replied calmly. "And for the record, you’ve been unconscious for close to three months."

"Wow..." Areis muttered.

"Surprised?" Lucien asked lightly. "It’s a long time."

"No, no, no..." Areis said, shaking his head. "I just realized that you must’ve seen all of my nakedness—completely."

Lucien’s smile deepened. He moved closer, took Areis’s hands, and leaned toward his ear.

"Yes," he whispered, "I’ve seen you for almost a hundred days. Long enough to memorize every line, every shade, every strand of hair on your body."

Areis blushed fiercely, swallowing hard as heat spread across his face. He shook his head slightly, trying to dispel the chaotic thoughts forming in his mind.

Lucien spoke again, his tone gentler. "You must be hungry. You’ve only survived on tonics for a long while now. I’ll go fetch the physician to examine you properly, and then I’ll get you something to eat."

"Is that alright with you?" he asked.

Areis nodded.

Lucien rose from the bed, leaned down, pressed a soft kiss to Areis’s forehead, and then left the room.

Areis touched the spot where he’d been kissed, his lips curving into a shy smile as a faint blush returned to his cheeks.