Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

Chapter 431 Chapter 431

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"Lancet?" The call connected. Lancet's panicked face flashed across the screen, then the view spun like the phone got tossed in a dryer, flipping who-knows-how- many times.

Nyx called out, confused. "Lancet? Lancet? What's going on?"

The date vibe got wrecked. Kai stood up, slinking behind Nyx like a leopard on the hunt, silent as anything. His broad shoulders loomed. He braced his arms on the table, boxing Nyx in completely, and peered at her phone.

The video finally steadied. A striking male face replaced Lancet's on the screen. It was Seafarion.

Hearing Nyx's voice, he snatched Lancet's phone without a word, looked at the screen, and locked eyes with a pair of green irises. Both guys went dead quiet.

Seeing Seafarion safe and sound on the video, Nyx let out a long breath. Once she relaxed, her brain kicked back into gear, and she realized what she'd done. 'Uh-oh!' she thought.

Smelling a crash coming, Nyx's hair stood on end. Behind her, a hard chest pressed against her back, no gaps, sticking tight. Nerves sharpened every sense.

Through thin fabric, Nyx felt scorching heat and the rumble of speech. A shiver shot through her like a jolt. She heard Kai growl low in her ear, "Aren't you on a date with me, Nyx? Why are you looking at another guy?"

"Because, uh, I thought he had an emergency," Nyx said, shrinking down, guilty as charged. She felt like her house was on fire.

Back in the Beastmen Empire, the guys naturally rolled with sharing life.

was a straight-up player.

But in a monogamy-only worldview, she

Heavenly Law threw this test at her probably 'cause this kind of world was the norm across the three thousand realms.

Thinking of being soul-bound to her partners, then juggling nine lovers in a world like this next life, Nyx nearly passed out. She could barely handle two guys in a showdown.

"Were you worried about me, Nyx?" Seafarion lowered his eyes, hiding his feelings, then smoothed his tone into something gentle.

Off to the side, Lancet's jaw nearly hit the floor. He didn't care his phone was hijacked-he was too deep in this blockbuster gossip.

'Holy crap! Nyx is out dating another guy, and Seafarion still won't quit? He's in deep! No wonder he's been down lately. I'd be depressed too,' he thought.

"Yeah, worried about you." Nyx swallowed hard, nodding softly. She knew she was in Kai's clutches right now, but that's why she had to keep things even-coax Seafarion a little over the screen.

Seafarion perked up, pleased. But the breathing behind Nyx got heavier, dripping with irritation.

Kai's lips pressed into a cold, hard line. He didn't take it out on Nyx, though-all his anger surged at his rival. "If you've got nothing important to say, don't interrupt my date with Nyx."

As he spoke, he tightened his hold on the soft little chick in his arms, flexing his sugar daddy rights on purpose. "Kiss me."

Nyx was speechless. She regretted teasing Kai on their last date. If she hadn't messed around and asked if he wanted a kiss, he probably wouldn't have pulled this now.

Too late-the stubborn leopard had his face angled, waiting. If she didn't kiss him, he wouldn't let go. She leaned in quick and pecked him. Veins popped on Seafarion's arm like they'd burst.

"Ah!" Lancet yelped. "My phone!" He swore he heard a crack-screen or case, he couldn't tell.

Seafarion took a deep breath, forcing his voice steady. "You don't have to listen to him, Nyx. That contract's unethical. You don't need to follow it."

Your foreign rules don't fly here, Kai," he said, staring him down coldly. "Whether you tricked or forced Nyx into signing that disgusting thing, you'd better stop now. Don't try breaking the law."

Kai frowned, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. The tension was thick enough to cut. Nyx felt like an ant on a hot pan, soothing one, then the other.

"I'm just having dinner with him, nothing else," she reassured Seafarion, then vouched for Kai. "The contract's not what you think. He didn't trick or force me- just a little misunderstanding."

Truth was, she thought her goofy partner was kinda fun, so she played along with his roleplay game. After spilling it all, she tapped the call off, slumped back into her partner's arms exhausted, resting on his chest and letting out a long sigh.

Kai wanted to grill Nyx, but that move pinned him in place, frozen. After standing still as her pillow for a bit, his head cleared, and he sorted it out.

The sugar baby contract was unethical, not local custom, and even went against basic decency. Realizing that, his trust in Sunflower Parrot shattered instantly.

Kai's face darkened to pitch black. No wonder he'd waited out his mating season, saw Nyx again, and still felt the same-still that intense, no let-up. The intel guy was a bust. His problem hadn't been fixed at all.

Since the contract was shady and illegal, Kai felt like a deflated balloon. He lost any ground to demand Nyx explain herself or ban her from other guys.

He didn't even dare order her to eat like last time. He cut a piece of steak, set it on her plate gently, and snuck a peek at her reaction.

Demons had beast instincts-cherishing food was carved into their bones. Liking someone meant wanting to feed them. But that didn't work in human society. Lots of humans found it annoying.

Nyx ate the steak and flashed Kai a smile. The on-edge Kai lit up, totally satisfied. Ignoring the hiccup, Kai still counted this date a win. At least Nyx didn't hate him. She ate what he gave her and even fed him some back.

Courting was never smooth sailing. Guys always had to scrap a bit to win a girl's heart.

The first-time-courting leopard bounced back quick, savoring the memory of Nyx's kiss on his cheek. Back home, he bolted to the woods again to burn off the extra hype.

A sunflower parrot flapped over from afar, landed on a branch, and chirped, "My lord, you called for me?"

The leopard acted like he didn't hear, no response, just kept stalking forward with wild, graceful steps.

"My lord? My lord!" The parrot squawked twice, ready to hop down and find him. Wings barely spread, his vision blurred-a whoosh of wind hit, and the leopard pounced onto the branch.

"Ahhhhhh-!" The parrot screeched like it was dying. A loud thud-he got smacked off the branch to the ground. If he weren't a tough demon, a normal parrot would've been toast.

The leopard landed light as a feather, pinned his tail with a paw, and glared down with icy green eyes. "Why'd you screw me over?" He'd trusted these little demons so much.

"How could I screw you over?" The parrot wailed, claiming innocence. He was loyal to the core.noveldrama

"I wanted to date Nyx, and you tricked me into insulting her with an illegal contract. That's not screwing me over the leopard's stare turned deadly.

He didn't ease up his paw-in fact, he pressed harder, making the parrot shriek and flail.

Jato

"Waaahhh! Don't kill me! My lord! Don't kill me!" Tears soaked his feathers. He shivered, pleading, “Sure, yeah, it's legs, but it works! Upper-class humans do this all the time every country's got it. You've seen it plenty, right? Often, both sides agreed to the terms. It didn't matter if it was legal or not. Kai frowned, thinking it over, 'Have I seen it often?'

Unless it messed with shared spousal assets, he never paid attention to human hookups. But knowing how low humans... especially the guys-could sink, taking shady stuff for granted wasn't a shock.

He lifted his paw, letting the parrot off for now, and warned coldly, "I don't like it." That contract made him love face with his rival and tanked his image with Nyx.

Barely surviving, the parrot shook off the dirt and shuffled away. Still scared, he mustered the guts to speak, "Bot, but, if you want to date her, a deal's the easiest way. You're not going to actually fall for her, right?

"Demons and humans together? You'll die fast-no happy ending," he sobbed, tears gushing. "The old demons all say so. I'm just looking out for you!"

A king this strong and kind was a once-in-a-millennium find. Countless little demons owed him their lives-they couldn't handle him dying.

"Total nonsense," the leopard snapped, flicking his tail in annoyance.

He'd lived in human society for years-fought wars, played politics. If he weren't sick of the hassle, he could've run a human

country.

Ruthless enemies couldn't take him down. Nyx was a delicate little thing he barely dared touch-she couldn't kill him. He was a born great demon. With Nyx, he felt stronger than ever, never weak.

"Demons and humans don't mix, my lord." The parrot pressed, tears nearly dry. "She'll age day by day, and you'll stay young forever. For demons, a century was a blink. For humans, it was a lifetime."

The leopard went rigid. He stayed quiet a long time. Just as the parrot thought he'd won him over, he growled low, "I can stay with her for her whole life."

He didn't need more-just to be by Nyx's side as long as she lived. "What?" The parrot nearly turned into a screaming chicken, freaking out. “Her whole life? You going to hide your demon side from her forever?" Beast form was their natural state-human form felt like a straitjacket. That's why demons liked the wild, where they could let loose anytime. Living with a human, stuck in human skin forever, was pure torture.

"And telling her what you are? That's even worse!" said the parrot. Weak little demons who slipped up in front of humans often ended up dead. Kai

had fixed identity slip-ups for tons of little demons over the years, seeing firsthand how greedy humans could be.

The parrot flapped around the woods in a panic. "No one knows better than you how rotten humans are!"

'What kind of spell had that human chick Nyx cast on Lord Kai?' he wondered.

The leopard clawed the ground, itching to swat the noisy bird down. Nyx wasn't rotten. Nyx was cute. He'd stay human-

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shaped for Nyx forever if he had to.

But what if I slip up?' Kai didn't dare picture it. He'd handled plenty of demon

exposure cases-seen humans demand hush money or lose their minds from

fear.

Everyone's breaking point was different. Something beyond comprehension-even

a harmless kitten or pup-could freak people out.

And he wasn't a kitten or pup. He was a giant leopard that scared everyone. Nyx

would definitely be terrified of him.

津

After the date, Nyx fired off messages to Lancet to get the scoop.

Nyx: [How's Seafarion holding up?]

Nyx: [Is he crying?]

Nyx: [Comfort him for me first, keep him steady-I'm on my way!]

Teasing was fine, but not too far. Today's mess went beyond her control, and she

worried Seafarion might hide away crying. She'd just pried his shell open-couldn't let him clam up again.

Lancet: [No need to come to the office. He's already home waiting for you.]

Lancet: [He's not crying or mad at you. Don't worry.]

Lancet: [You're seriously impressive. I'm in awe.]

Lancet had to hand it to her. With that innocent, pure face, somehow she was

juggling two bigshots at once. The already at each other's throats, and she still hadn't failed.

guys were

If it were him, finding out the girl he was chasing was dating someone else, he'd bail on the spot. But Seafarion wouldn't let go-seemed like it fired him up more. Even his gloom had lifted a chunk.

'Really not crying?' Nyx thought. She wasn't totally convinced. She rushed home,

out of breath from the elevator, and saw Seafarion waiting by her door.