Chapter 76: Hyena.exe Has Stopped Working
Then Mirabelle finally reached her destination:
Kaelith’s room.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Immediately, the familiar scent of warm stone and sunlight wrapped around her.
Beneath it lingered faint notes of smoke and a subtle spicy undertone.
The room reflected Kaelith far more than any portrait ever could.
Warm earth tones dominated the space.
Dark wood beams crossed the ceiling, while furniture carved from light-brown timber filled the room. None of it matched perfectly.
Every piece looked sturdy, practical, and well-used rather than elegant.
Large woven rugs covered parts of the floor. Their geometric patterns reminded Mirabelle of the endless grasslands of the Steppe Territory. Deep reds, ochres, burnt oranges, and sandy golds brought warmth into the chamber.
Several trophies from hunts hung on the walls. Not arranged with the careful precision of a noble collector, but scattered almost casually.
A massive pair of horns rested above the fireplace. Strange feathers were tucked between books on shelves. One corner contained what looked suspiciously like a pile of weapons Kaelith had simply abandoned there one day and never bothered to organize afterward.
A wide balcony opened toward the evening sky.
Unlike the balconies in the rest of the castle, this one had been modified.
A massive flat stone sat in the center, large enough for a Beastman in his animal form to comfortably lie upon. The rock still held the warmth of the day’s sunlight.
Around it grew hardy Steppe grasses and small flowering plants that had somehow survived being transplanted from Kaelith’s homeland.
The entire arrangement looked less like part of a castle and more like someone had stolen a piece of the Steppe and forced it onto a balcony.
Near the stone stood several sun-bleached branches arranged in a crude structure. At first glance it appeared decorative. Then Mirabelle realized it functioned as a scratching post for a hyena large enough to knock over furniture.
For one moment Mirabelle felt a little calmer.
Then she remembered why they were here.
Immediately, the feeling stopped.
Kaelith hadn’t paid attention to where they were going. Which was highly unusual for him.
He had simply been too focused on the female in front of him.
That was why he was genuinely surprised when they suddenly found themselves standing inside his room.
His gaze swept across the space as though he were seeing it for the first time.
As though he were seeing it through Mirabelle’s eyes.
The clothes he had simply dropped beside the bed. The weapons he had dumped in a corner without ever bothering to find them a proper place.
His collection of colorful feathers, which had somehow continued growing over the years and could now be found scattered throughout the room.
Through the bond, he felt Mirabelle’s amusement.
Then relaxation.
Then, suddenly, agitation once more.
He was just about to pull her into his arms and calm her down when she turned toward him.
She looked up through long dark lashes, her eyes slightly wide.
There was a faint sheen of moisture in them.
Beneath the golden tone of her skin lingered a rosy flush. And her breathing was coming far too fast.
The tension inside Mirabelle had simply become too much.
So she spun around to face him.
The hyena Beastman towered over her.
More than a head taller, forcing her to tilt her chin upward.
Kaelith, suddenly overwhelmed by the need to reassure her, started talking.
"Mirabelle, it’s okay. Really. I understand your decision.
It’s completely fine if you choose one of the others as First Mate. I honestly get it. You don’t need to feel bad ..."
Mirabelle cut him off by grabbing him by the collar and yanking him down toward her.
"Shut up, you idiot."
Then she pressed her lips against his.
Inside the hyena’s head, the correct connections finally snapped together.
Only to immediately short-circuit all over again.
The normally intelligent hyena Beastman had taken an embarrassingly long time to figure out what Mirabelle wanted from him.
And now that it finally clicked, he couldn’t quite believe it.
Her lips were as soft as he remembered.
But this time there was an intensity behind the kiss that hadn’t existed before.
Mirabelle’s fingers slid up the back of his neck and intertwined behind it, holding him in place as though she feared he might somehow disappear.
For several long seconds, Kaelith simply stood there.
Completely stunned.
Then a sound suspiciously close to a purr tried to escape him.
Mirabelle’s lips curled against his.
The kiss was sweet. Warm. And slowly set him on fire from the inside out.
His hands rose to rest on her shoulders.
He wanted nothing more than to pull her against his chest.
But something had awakened within him.
His old enemy.
The inferiority complex that had followed him since childhood, whispering that he wasn’t enough.
It spoke in the voices of his brothers.
His sisters.
His father.
His mother.
It was the part of himself he tried to hide behind his aloof, mocking, rebellious nature.
And so, instead of pulling the lynx female closer, he pushed her away.
Their lips separated.
Mirabelle looked up at him, confusion written across her face.
For a brief moment, her heart felt rejected.
Then she saw the pain in his eyes.
Tiny cracks ran through the beautiful red irises.
"Are you sure?"
There was so much fear hidden inside that question. The large, playful Beastman suddenly looked vulnerable.
Uncertain.
Yet somehow that did not make him less desirable in Mirabelle’s eyes.
It was exactly why she had chosen him.
Because he was capable of controlling his feelings.
Because he could voice his fears.
Because he wanted to make sure she was truly doing what she wanted.
What was right for her. Not for him.
Mirabelle loosened her fingers from behind his neck and placed both palms against his cheeks.
"Kaelith."
Her voice softened.
"Just this once..."
She took a slow breath.
"Do exactly what you want."
Kaelith stared at her.
His hands on her shoulders began to tremble. The cracks in his eyes brightened one by one, like magma breaking through stone.
Inside his head, the voices screamed.
But he could no longer hear them.
Mirabelle’s voice was louder.
Clearer.
More important.
With a sudden burst of movement, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and lifted her.
Mirabelle’s senses failed to keep up with what was happening.
One moment she was standing.
The next, the hyena had picked her up and thrown her onto the bed.
The instant her back touched the mattress, Kaelith’s scent surrounded her.
But this wasn’t merely stone and sunlight.
This was male.
Raw.
Intoxicating.
Oud.
Musk.
The scent flowed through her body, igniting countless tiny sparks.
Warmth gathered low in her stomach before slowly sinking deeper.
With wide eyes, she looked up at him.
The hyena Beastman stood beside the bed, staring down at her.
His gaze traveled over her body. Almost devouring her.
Like he wanted to burn the sight of her into his memory forever.
His eyes practically glowed now.
As though a fire had been lit behind them, illuminating his gaze from within.
Around him, dust particles once again danced through the air.
Darkening.
Turning the color of blood.
Then the hyena appeared.
Mirabelle’s gaze drifted toward it automatically.
This time it stood behind Kaelith. Its neck fur raised. Its ears alert. Its tail twitching excitedly.
As though it wanted to devour her.
"Look at me."
Kaelith’s husky voice pulled her attention back to him.
His gaze seemed to command hers.
Slowly — far too slowly — he reached for the hem of his shirt.
Then pulled it over his head.
The movement tightened the muscles of his abdomen and shoulders, the muscles in his arms flexing as he lifted the fabric away.
This man was far more muscular than was healthy for Mirabelle’s sanity.
Holy—
His honey-brown skin stretched over hard muscle.
Suddenly, Mirabelle felt an overwhelming urge to bite him.
Horrified, her hands flew to her mouth.
Her fangs had pushed themselves another fraction farther from her gums.
Kaelith flashed her his best hyena grin.
At the same moment, the spectral hyena behind him bared its teeth as well.
The shirt fell carelessly to the floor.
Then the hyena male leaned forward. His hands landed on the bed beside her feet.
She felt the mattress shift beneath his weight.
His hair slipped over one shoulder, forming a curtain that partially concealed his face.
Like a predator approaching prey it already knew could no longer escape, he climbed onto the bed toward her.
All the while, his gaze held hers captive.
Mirabelle had to use every ounce of willpower not to obey the instinct urging her to retreat.
To slide backward.
To draw her legs up protectively.
As though reading her thoughts, Kaelith caught her ankle and pulled her closer.
A small yelp escaped her.
And from him came a deep, thoroughly pleased chuckle.
"I’ve spent three days convincing myself this wasn’t going to happen."
His gaze dragged slowly over her before returning to her eyes.
The sound that escaped him was somewhere between a laugh and a groan.
"Turns out I should have spent them preparing."
