015 Can I hold you while we sleep?

The kiss came suddenly and fiercely, carrying a burning intensity, almost uncontrollable, with a faint herbal scent lingering between lips and teeth.

Li Yue had been sleeping soundly, but was abruptly awakened by a suffocating unfamiliar sensation. Her nostrils filled with an alien scent. She snapped her eyes open and collided with a pair of dark red eyes.

Those eyes were cold and eerie, yet the usual icy sharpness was gone. Instead, they swirled with madness, as if about to devour her whole.

Her mind went blank. The next moment, a wave of embarrassment and anger surged up. She raised her hand with all her strength and slapped You Lie hard across the face.

A crisp "smack" echoed through the cave. You Lie’s head jerked sharply to the side, a clear red handprint blossoming on his cheek. The force behind his lips immediately slackened.

Seizing the chance, Li Yue stepped back, her chest heaving violently. Just as she was about to scold him, You Lie slowly turned his head back. The wild frenzy in his dark red eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by a sheepish clarity.

He panted heavily, cold sweat beading at his temple, his voice trembling: “S-sorry… I think… I’m in heat. I need the comfort of a female…”

Only then did Li Yue notice that You Lie’s cheeks were unnaturally flushed, his breathing rapid as if he had just run several miles. His gaze was scattered, and even his fingers trembled slightly.

It seemed he truly was overwhelmed by heat and not intentionally being inappropriate.

In this beast world, females were esteemed not only for their rarity and fertility but also for their ability to soothe males. This soothing power manifested as a beast ring worn on the female’s wrist.

Unlike males’, female beast rings bore no level or color distinctions, only a black ring line whose width indicated the strength of soothing ability.

The beast ring on her wrist was as fine as a thread used for sewing, almost invisible, with an insignificant soothing power.

Females primarily relied on physical contact with males for comfort—the closer the contact, the stronger the calming effect.

With her current beast ring, to soothe You Lie properly, she probably would have to mate with him.

But she was on the verge of severing their bond; there was no way she would yield to him just to calm him down.

“You…” Li Yue stepped back again, her back pressing against the cold rock wall, anxiety and fear knotting inside her.

If she let him lose control, the wild factor surging within him might trigger. To soothe him, close contact was necessary, which meant intimacy she found unbearable.

You Lie seemed to sense her resistance and took half a step back, trying to keep distance. Yet his body swayed uncontrollably, his eyes glazing over again, voice laced with pleading.

“I-I’ll try to hold it… but I’m afraid… I won’t last. Can you let me hold you for a while?”

Watching the cold sweat trickle down his temple, Li Yue’s inner turmoil twisted tighter than a rope.

—

Don’t males usually go into heat only during the rainy season?

It wasn’t even the rainy season yet. What was wrong with You Lie?

She had only been thinking of quickly finding Father and severing their bond. She had never expected to encounter a beast male in heat along the way.

Thus, although she had noticed the original owner’s weak soothing ability, she hadn’t taken it seriously.

You Lie was a later antagonist in the story—ruthless and powerful. Surely, he wouldn’t die from a single heat episode.

But if she didn’t soothe him, You Lie would blame her entirely for the suffering caused by his heat.

At least until she found Father, she couldn’t be too harsh. The journey was fraught with danger, and she still needed protection from these beast males.

Moreover, if their relationship turned sour, even after finding Father, they might seek revenge. After all, they had endured too much suffering before she arrived.

With this in mind, she looked up at You Lie with a solemn expression.

He was now wearing a dark brown beast skin skirt around his waist. Above it, his lean, sculpted abs were defined and taut, every muscle firm and well shaped without excess fat.

His shoulder-length silver-gray hair clung damply to his carved, deep-set features from sweat. Beneath his high nose bridge, his thin lips were tinged faintly pink from the heat.

Most captivating were those dark red eyes, now free of their previous wild frenzy, replaced by a restrained smoldering heat like glowing embers. Though intimidating, they carried an inexplicable allure that quickened her heartbeat.

Li Yue’s pulse skipped a beat, and she hurriedly suppressed the strange flutter in her chest.

Setting aside his villainous nature and the earlier offense, just judging by his physique and appearance, she wasn’t exactly at a loss.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her tone calm: “If… you only hold me while we sleep tonight, without doing anything else, would that be enough to soothe you?”

You Lie had expected no such mercy, bracing for punches or kicks.

Hearing her words, his eyes suddenly brightened. He nodded vigorously, his voice trembling with relief: “Yes! As long as I can be near you, nothing else is needed to stabilize the wildness inside me!”

Li Yue still felt uneasy. Physical contact in human form made her uncomfortable. What if he lost control again?

After thinking it over, she added: “Then… shift into your beast form. Hold me while you sleep in that form.”

She wasn’t afraid of snakes; before coming here, she had even kept a small snake as a pet.

—

You Lie was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded: “Alright.”

Being near a female soothed him, regardless of his form.

Then, his bones crackled softly as his tall human frame stretched out and gradually transformed into a giant silver-white serpent.

The snake’s body was as thick as an adult man’s waist. Its scales shimmered with a cold luster in the fire’s dying embers. The dark red vertical pupils lost the complexity of his human gaze, replaced by a gentle, watchful calm. Even his tongue flicked more delicately, careful not to startle her.

Li Yue had seen You Lie’s beast form during the day. It was beautiful, and the snake’s cool skin was perfect for dispelling the night’s stifling heat.

She watched the silver serpent cautiously coil itself into a circle beside her, leaving a soft space in the center. Then she slowly lay down, pressing her body against the cool, smooth scales.

Just as she had hoped, the chill of the snake’s body wrapped around her, dispelling the summer night’s sultriness. The comfort made her sigh involuntarily.

Already exhausted and still nervous from the earlier shock, leaning against this cool, soft “snake pillow” soon lulled her heavy eyelids down. Her breathing slowed and deepened, and she fell soundly asleep.

You Lie felt the warmth of her soft body in his embrace. The wild turmoil inside him immediately calmed, like a flame doused with warm water, leaving only a faint heat.

Yet the heat of the mating season hadn’t fully dissipated. The tip of his nose caught the faint scent of Li Yue. His snake tail brushed gently against her arm, and upon touching her delicate skin, he tightened slightly, wrapping her more securely.

He hadn’t expected Li Yue would actually let him hold her while sleeping, nor that she seemed unafraid of his beast form.

In his experience, females always detested snake beastmen. Because of this, snake beastmen were natural wanderers without a tribe, forced to seize females to find mates.

He never imagined that one day he would be the one seized—taken to be a mate for a female.

Lowering his gaze to the sleeping young female, even he didn’t notice how his eyes had softened somewhat…

The campfire slowly burned down, leaving only the steady breathing of the two within the cave.

The silver-white giant serpent guarded the female in the center, his dark red vertical pupils quietly resting on her peaceful face. Even his tongue flicked at a slower pace, careful not to disturb her sweet dreams.