Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Carrying Nyx back home, Zayne was still chewing over how to answer her question.

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As soon as they stepped inside, Zayne was caught off guard by the sight of Theon standing there by the door, looking like he was being punished for something. Zayne thought, ‘Why didn’t he be locked up by the officers?”

Zayne’s eyes narrowed, a sarcastic edge creeping into his voice as he looked at Nyx and said, “You’re looking for that lion? Well, you’ve got one right in front of you.”

Nyx’s first reaction was that Zayne sounded weird, like he was jealous. But then it hit her like a ton of bricks. In her head, she screamed. That out–of–control lion is Theon?!”

Her anger flared up faster than she could stop it. Without thinking, she grabbed the wolf’s car and asked, “So you two were lying to me about this whole thing?”

They’d told her Theon had a mission back at the base and wouldn’t be home.

Zayne’s wolf ears were sensitive, and he flinched hard at the unexpected yank, his body shuddering. “Sorry about that...”

Nyx didn’t even know why she’d done it, but seeing his reaction, she immediately let go, her face flushing as she stammered, “I–I don’t like being lied to.”

The wolf made a short, almost apologetic sound, as if to confirm he wouldn’t pull that stunt again.

Meanwhile, the sight of Nyx riding on the giant snow wolf stabbed at Theon’s nerves.

Usually, when a male went out of control, they got picked up and locked down by the Supervision Office. But Theon’s Loss of Control Index had dropped to 70, so they didn’t restrict his freedom but allowed him to go home.

He’d been panicked, worried about the possibility that during his lost control phase, he might have hurt Nyx or done something unspeakable. That thought had driven him to run all the way back here.

However, when he returned home, the house was empty, and he’d stood there waiting, completely frozen for hours. His mind had been too clouded with anxiety to think straight.

If only he’d checked his Intelligent Brain, he would’ve seen a trending video on StarNet showing Nyx soothing a rogue black mamba on the street and realized it was all a misunderstanding. He’d know he hadn’t done anything wrong to her.

But he hadn’t even glanced at his Intelligent Brain.

Finally, Theon stood there, his shoulders slumped, and asked in a tight and hoarse voice, “Can we... talk alone?”

Nyx was caught off guard by his attitude.

Ever since they had met, Theon had always struck her as the epitome of confidence and strength. She’d never seen him like this–defeated, vulnerable, almost like a different person.

Is he feeling guilty for lying to me? But that wasn’t exactly a huge deal, and I can understand it,‘ thought Nyx.

In her mind, the image of the lion had always been tied to Theor. Suddenly, she felt a surge of sympathy for him.

She nodded, agreeing to talk with him, but just as she was about to leave, the snow wolf tugged at her sleeve, pulling her attention back.

1/3 12:32 Sat, Feb 8 BGB.

Chapter 17 0X69%

Zayne’s wolf eyes were fixed on her, clearly not planning to let her go alone. He knew he couldn’t keep her all to himself, so he tried to snatch up whatever he could.

Picking up on the unspoken message, Nyx hesitated for a moment before opening her arms and pulling the big wolf into a hug.

If Zayne were in his human form, Nyx might’ve felt shy. But with his beast form, it was all too easy to hug him close.

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, Zayne melted into the embrace, his eyes closing in contentment to soak up her warmth. After a long moment, he finally loosened his grip and let her go.

Nyx and Theon made their way up to the top floor loft.

The loft had a window that faced a peach tree. Nyx opened it just a crack, and a soft breeze swirled in, sending a flurry of pink petals fluttering around her.

She quickly closed the window and plucked a few petals out of her hair, only to turn around and find that Theon was gone. In his place stood the familiar sight of a lion. It had a golden mane and amber eyes–it was the same clingy lion she knew. For a second, Nyx remembered all the carefree moments she’d shared with the lion–rolling around and playing together. Nyx was filled with warmth, and her lips twitched into a smile. Then it hit her that the lion was Theon.

The memories kept flashing through her mind–the images of her rolling around with him, touching him, kissing him... But now, all those scenes were replaced by Theon’s face. Nyx shuddered, her body stiffening with the weight of it.

This was definitely not something she should think about. The more she thought, the more she wanted to bury herself in the ground.

When she averted her gaze and started looking everywhere but at him, Theon’s heart sank.

He was now sure that he had done something to her, so she was avoiding him.

What had started as affection for him was probably already a thing of the past, maybe even gone so far down the drain. She probably couldn’t even bring herself to look at his beast form anymore.

The lion’s eyes dulled with regret as he shifted back into his human form.

The technology could change a person’s clothes in a flash, no longer forcing males to awkwardly get dressed after shifting forms.

It had been around for thousands of years. But to Nyx, who came from Earth, it was a whole new world. She gawked in surprise as Theon transformed into a handsome, well–dressed man in the blink of an eye.

But then, just as quickly, she saw something even more shocking–Theon kneeled on one leg in front of her.

He dropped to one knee in a smooth, deliberate motion, the sound of his knee hitting the floor with a sharp thud.

Nyx gasped, thinking he’d hurt himself somehow, and rushed to catch him.

Her hands gripped his muscular arms, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull him up.

She let go, stunned. Theon kept his posture and said in an apologized tone, “I’m sorry. Please.... punish me however you see fit.

12:32 Sat, Feb 8 GBB •

Chapter 17 He looked like he was willing to take whatever punishment she gave him with no complaints or fights.

Nyx stuttered, “N–No need to go that far!”

2ར. 69g It was just a little lie. The way Theon was speaking, though, made her feel like he had done something terrible and unforgivable.

“I forgive you,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

Theon looked up, wide–eyed, his brain trying to catch up with the fact that she actually forgave him so easily.

Her kindness hit him hard, but the guilt didn’t let up. His voice softened as he asked, “Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”

The medical pods could heal most injuries in an instant, but the pain was still real when it happened. Theon feared that whatever he’d done might’ve left a scar in Nyx’s heart.

“I’m good. You didn’t bite me,” Nyx said, her mind not quite on the same wavelength as his. She let out a chuckle and continued, “You were about to attack Zayne, but luckily, you couldn’t do it through the video.

“Even if you bit me, I wouldn’t blame you. You were out of your mind, and I know it wasn’t on purpose,” she added, reaching out to gently ruffle Theon’s hair. The feeling was oddly familiar like she was petting a lion.

Nyx couldn’t help but sigh, “This world is so good. It’s full of animals I like everywhere.

She had an endless amount of patience for animals. And because of that, she couldn’t help but feel a little more affectionate towards their human forms too.

Theon was deeply moved by her kindness, but his worry didn’t fade. “But... my beast form is so big, and rough, and... well, it’s a little different. Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?”

Nyx finally realized something was off. She thought Theon was just worried he had bitten or hit her, while Theon meant mating with her!

She stared at his flushed, handsome face. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. It took her a while to finally say, “Wait...”

Her face turned as red as a beet, and she was completely baffled. Why would you think... that I did that with you... and with your beast form?!”

She complained in her mind, ‘Come on! I’m not some kind of freak! I don’t have such special preferences!