Ten minutes later, my attention was completely fixed on the giant ‘gift’ wrapped in a dark red velvet ribbon in front of me.

The auction house staff knew exactly what they were doing. They had changed Lucian into a new outfit.

An unbuttoned black silk shirt hung from his broad shoulders, exposing his abs. His hands were bound behind his back with soft leather cuffs as he knelt on the carpet, looking up at me.

His face was too perfect.

Sharp cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a nose like it had been carved from stone. His most striking feature was those eyes. Those dark gold pupils hid a wild side as they watched me quietly in this moment.

This man was checking off every single one of my aesthetic preferences.

I walked closer, and the scent of cold cedar instantly enveloped me.

"What body wash do you use?" I leaned close to his neck and took a deep breath. "Tell me the brand. I'll buy out the production line."

Lucian's throat bobbed. "It's my natural scent."

"Natural?" I raised an eyebrow, lifting his chin with my fingertip. "What's your full name?"

"Lucian Frost."

"Lucian Frost..." I savored the name and laughed softly. "Remember this. My name is Vivian Sterling."

"Vivian." He repeated it.

"What, you won't call me master?" I teased, sliding my fingertip from his chin to his throat and pressing lightly. "Didn't the auction house teach you the rules?"

Lucian narrowed his eyes. I was making him, an Alpha King who ruled tens of thousands of wolves, call a human woman ‘master’?

In the past, I would already be dead. However, now…

"Master..."

He said it earnestly, the final syllable rising with a husky rasp.

It did not sound like submission. It sounded like pillow talk.

My ears tingled, and half my body went weak. This wolf was too skilled.

I avoided his burning gaze and removed the bite-prevention muzzle from his neck.

There was a click, and the black leather mask fell to the floor, revealing his sharp jawline and pale lips.

With my movements, his silk shirt slipped halfway down.

My gaze froze.

His perfect muscles were covered in countless scars. Some had healed, while some were still bleeding.

I remembered the shock batons at the auction house. It had to have been those animals. They had beaten him nearly to death trying to break him.

"They beat you?" I touched his bleeding wounds with distress, my fingers trembling.

Lucian froze. Those were superficial injuries he had deliberately inflicted when pretending to be captured. The wounds would have healed already if she had asked any later.

However, seeing the obvious distress and misunderstanding in her eyes, his mind turned.

"Mm... It hurts a lot..." He frowned slightly, his dark gold eyes misting over like a wronged puppy’s. "It'll only get better if you blow on it, Master."

Dear god. A cold, fierce wolf acting cute was absolutely lethal.

"Okay, okay... I'll blow on it for you." I clutched my racing heart and clumsily grabbed the first aid kit, kneeling in front of him.

"Don't move. It might hurt a bit."

I dipped a cotton swab in antiseptic and carefully cleaned his wounds. After each application, I lowered my head and blew gently.

Warm breath brushed across his skin, raising waves of shivers.

I focused on treating the wounds, completely oblivious to how the gaze above my head was growing hotter.

Lucian felt no pain at all. He only felt tingling currents rushing through his entire body wherever I touched it. He stared at me greedily.

He stared at my trembling lashes as I applied the medicine, at my red lips pouting in concentration, and at my pale neck left completely unguarded.

That look showcased his desire to devour me whole.

"Lift your arm," I commanded, completely unaware of the danger.

Lucian obediently lifted his arm. To reach his back, I had to lean forward until I was practically pressed against his chest.

"Don't move, the gauze is tangled," I muttered, trying impatiently to untangle it.

At that moment, Lucian's knee shifted ‘accidentally’. I lost my balance and fell forward.

"Mmph!"

I crashed headfirst into his hard, burning-hot chest. The next second, my waist tightened.

The world spun.

The man who was supposedly 'pinned down’ by me gripped my waist with one hand and flipped us over smoothly, pressing me firmly into the soft carpet.

Lucian had broken free from the handcuffs at some point, or perhaps those things had always been useless on him.

He braced himself above me, his dark gold eyes so deep they were like whirlpools ready to suck my soul in.

"You're quite bold, Vivian." He suddenly spoke, his voice low and husky.

That large hand that had just been bound was now shamelessly gripping my waist, his calloused fingertips rubbing lightly through the fabric.

This reversal left me dazed. My heart was racing wildly, but I refused to back down. I forced myself to stay calm. "Know your place, Lucian. I'm the one who paid for you... Mmph!"

"Is that so?" He chuckled softly, his knee forcefully pushing between my legs. His scorching body heat seared through the thin fabric of my clothes, making me shiver.

"Weren't you the one who threw yourself into my arms just now, Master? But..." His tone shifted as his gaze swept lazily over my hands pinned beneath his weight before settling on my lips.

"Since you're so enthusiastic, I should be on top to serve my master properly."

The air heated up. We were less than two inches apart, our breaths tangling together.

His gaze slid slowly from my eyes down to my lips, then to my neck and collarbones.

That look was too hot. It made my entire body go weak.

My mind started racing. What did he want to do? Kiss me? Maybe he wanted to...

I should have pushed him away. Even if I bought him for $600 million, he was still a dangerous male stranger. However…

The scent of cold cedar was too intoxicating, like a powerful hallucinogen. It made me completely unwilling to refuse.

In fact, my body was secretly anticipating him getting closer.

Lucian slowly lowered his head. I instinctively closed my eyes, my lashes trembling lightly, but the expected kiss never landed on my lips.

He simply buried his head in the crook of my neck and took a greedy breath. His burning exhale sprayed across my skin, triggering waves of shivers.

"Vivian..." He murmured in a low voice, filled with grievance and long-suppressed desire.

"You smell so good..."

The domineering yet gentle scent of cold cedar filled my mind. I had been completely caught up in the moment, but suddenly, my eyelids grew too heavy to lift.

Years of family power struggles and high-pressure work had given me severe insomnia. It had been so long since I could feel drowsy without sleeping pills.

However, in the arms of this dangerous werewolf I had just met, I felt an unprecedented sense of security. I felt like a ship that had drifted for ages, finally returning to harbor.

"You can only... Hold me for a bit..." I pushed at him groggily, my voice growing softer. "If you dare try anything... I'll turn you into a stew..."

The next second, I was completely knocked out. Lucian maintained his position with his head buried in my neck, his entire body frozen.

He listened to the steady breathing by his ear, completely dumbfounded.

She… fell asleep? At a time like this? In the arms of a hot-blooded, ready-to-go adult male like him?

She actually used him as a body pillow and fell asleep?

"Ha!" He laughed helplessly as he looked at the woman sleeping so defenselessly beneath him.

"You really don't see me as a wolf at all."

He resignedly propped himself up to go take a cold shower in the bathroom, but the moment he moved, the woman who had been dead asleep suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Don't go..." Like a cat guarding its food, she pressed her entire body against him. She nuzzled her face against his burning chest, found a more comfortable position, and continued sleeping.

Lucian froze in place. How the hell was he supposed to leave now?

As he looked at the defenseless sleeping face in his arms, the possessiveness and adoration in his eyes finally transformed into a reverent kiss on her forehead.

"You were the one who provoked me first, Vivian. Now that I've caught you, don't expect me to let go for the rest of this lifetime."

He stretched out his long arms and tightly wrapped her in the blanket with him, leaving no gap whatsoever.

At that moment, Lucas, who had been preparing to climb through the window to rescue his Alpha King, slipped and crashed into the bushes below with a thud.

It was over.

The Alpha King, who could kill without batting an eye, had sold himself off so cheaply to a human who used him as a sleep-aiding body pillow!

This was the deepest sleep I had gotten in years.

No headaches, only the scent of cold cedar lingering at the tip of my nose, wrapping around me protectively.

That was until a wet ticklish sensation on my neck woke me. I opened my eyes to find Lucian clinging to me like a giant accessory, arms and legs wrapped around me.

His leg was domineeringly pushed between my legs, his knee unconsciously pressing against my inner thigh.

His head was buried in the crook of my neck, warm lips and tongue trailing up along my collarbone before stopping at the most vulnerable soft flesh of my nape, grinding gently.

It did not hurt, but it was itchy. What was more maddening was that something hard and hot was pressing unabashedly against the small of my back.

As an adult woman, I obviously knew what that was.

"Lucian, stop messing around." I pushed at him stiffly.

He lifted his head, something dark and restrained flickering in his eyes. Quickly, he concealed the danger and replaced it with an innocent, confused expression. "Good morning, Master."

He obediently nuzzled against my palm, making a low rumbling sound. My heart softened.

Last night we had simply slept like this. Apart from the cuddling and his… physiological reaction, he had not done anything.

It seemed that this wolf worth $600 million, though fierce-looking, was still a gentleman wolf who deeply respected boundaries. However, I soon discovered this wolf seemed to have a ‘problem’.

From the time we got up to the time we ate breakfast, Lucian stuck to me constantly. Wherever I went, he went, and whenever I was not paying attention, he would lean over, persistently trying to bite the back of my neck.

That feeling was like...

Was he teething?

I remembered the puppy I used to have. During its teething phase, it would bite everything in sight too.

"Mark." I snapped my fingers at the butler. "Go buy the highest quality chew stick you can find. Make it M9 grade wagyu beef flavor."

Ten minutes later, Lucian looked at the custom chew stick I had shoved into his hands. His face instantly darkened.

"Vivian, what is this supposed to mean?"

"It’s for you to chew on, obviously." I patted his head matter-of-factly. "Be good. Chew this instead of constantly biting my neck. My flesh doesn't taste as good as this does."

Lucian stared at me with an indescribable expression, like he was looking at a heartless lover. However, in the end, he bore the humiliation and picked up the chew stick.

Crack! He bit it in half. Seeing his resigned appearance made me feel much better.

However, this still did not fully answer my question. While Lucian was changing clothes, I pulled out my phone and posted online.

[Help: Newly-bought wolf pet, very obedient and well-behaved, but always likes to bite the back of my neck. What's going on?]

Within a minute of posting, my phone started vibrating like crazy.

[OP, run! He's courting you!]

[Biting the nape is a precursor to the highest level of permanent werewolf marking! It means he's identified you as his sole mate and wants to bind himself to you for life.]

[Werewolf marking happens only once in a lifetime. It's equivalent to humans getting married and legally registered, but there's no divorce! If you don't accept, you must keep your distance!]

[He isn't a pet. He wants to be your husband!]

…

My hand shook, and I nearly dropped my phone on my face.

Courting? Marriage? No divorce?

Sure, he was incredibly handsome and had a perfect body, but we had only known each other for less than twenty-four hours!

No way! I needed to stay calm. I absolutely could not let him ‘mark’ me right now.

Decision made, I sent a message to Mark.

"For tonight's charity gala, I'm not bringing Lucian. Watch him, and don't let him leave."

I took refuge at the gala all day.

The smell of perfume, smoke, and alcohol from the high society present made my head ache. I could not help but miss the scent of cold cedar on Lucian.

"The dog at home smells better." I sighed, not realizing that I had picked up a mess of mixed scents on myself from staying here too long.

At midnight, I returned to the estate. The villa was completely dark.

"Lucian?" I called out tentatively.

No response.

I fumbled my way upstairs in the dark, only to discover in horror that the heavy, solid wood bedroom door lock had been completely warped, as if some beast had forcibly torn it open!

An overwhelmingly suffocating scent of cold cedar mixed with violent aggression poured out from inside.

My heart skipped a beat. Instinct told me to retreat.

"Where did you go?" A low, husky voice suddenly came from the darkness.

A tall figure emerged from the shadows. Several buttons on Lucian's shirt had popped open, and his chest was heaving violently.

I could see his flushed face in the moonlight.

"Lucian?" I jumped in alarm. The fear I should have felt in the face of danger was instantly replaced by worry.

I rushed over and raised my hand to touch his forehead.

"Oh my God, you're burning up! Do you have a fever? Did your wounds get infected?"

I panicked, completely unaware of what this kind of intense heat meant. I simply thought he was sick.

"Quick, I'll take you to the hospital!" I reached out to pull him, trying to lead him outside.

"I'm not going to the hospital." Lucian grabbed my wrist instead, his voice husky. "I'm not seeing a doctor."

"Stop being stubborn! This fever will fry your brain!" I was frantic, completely oblivious to how his gaze had changed when he looked at me. "Listen to me. You have to come with me!"

"You've got it wrong, Vivian." He suddenly chuckled and yanked hard.

Bang!

I was thrown against the door. Lucian closed in, his scorching body like a wall, completely caging me in his shadow.

"What I need isn't a doctor." He lowered his head, his nose roughly sniffing along the side of my neck.

However, all he smelled was the cologne of unfamiliar males. The last thread of rationality in his eyes snapped completely.

"Perfect..." He laughed lowly, his hands gripping my waist and pinning me firmly against his burning body.

"I endured the pain of my heat waiting for you to come home, and this is how you repay me? Coming back reeking of other men?"

Fear and some hidden excitement intertwined in my body. My legs went a little weak.

"H-heat? What's that? Isn't it a fever..."

"Even now you still think I'm sick?" Lucian's sharp canines pressed against the pulsing soft flesh at the back of my neck, his tone carrying a chilling madness.

"Since you like picking up other scents, I'll just have to cover them completely."