Chosen Mate Of The Beastmen Empire

Kai's muscles tensed up. Her warm breath tickled his neck, sending shivers through him. Hesitantly, he raised a hand to her shoulder. "Nyx. Nyx?"

He shook her gently, but she only mumbled nonsense, brows furrowed, showing no sign of waking. After a standoff, Kai had no choice but to carefully scoop hernoveldrama

up.

'Should I take her home?' Kai thought and frowned.

That place was a gift from Seafarion-he even lived next door. Handing his precious little female back to another guy's nest was something he could never do.

Nyx felt herself being lifted into a car, cushioned by soft pillows on the back seat. Kai stayed close, watching her intently

When they reached their stop, she nestled in his arms, head on his shoulder, and peeked through half-open eyes. It wasn't her familiar building or parking lot-it was a strange villa.

Nyx's lips curved faintly as she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep on. The usually sharp leopard didn't notice a thing. She had him wrapped around her finger, defenseless against her pull.

The villa sat empty most days, with Kai as its lone resident. His territorial instincts were fierce-he'd tolerate outsiders in the surrounding woods, but no one stepped foot inside this house. In that huge villa, there wasn't a single guest room to be found.

Knowing it was improper, Kai's ears burned as he carried Nyx to his own bedroom and laid her on the bed. The bed was big enough for two, but he couldn't join her.

He paced restlessly in the living room for a bit, then crept back to the bedroom, crouching by the bed to watch her. Even though he'd done this last night, it was daytime now. Having her in his den felt different.

Kai couldn't tamp down his excitement. His head dipped lower, sniffing her hair, lost in the sweet scent mixed with her shampoo. Up close, he could see everything clearer.

Nyx's face was pale with a pink flush, like a peach sticky rice dumpling, tempting him to take a bite.

Nyx shifted slightly. It wasn't a big move, but it spooked the guilty male enough.

Kai jerked back half a step, barely keeping his balance without tumbling over. He held his breath, terrified of waking her. Luckily, it was a false alarm. The figure on the bed rolled over and kept sleeping.

Once his heartbeat settled, Kai couldn't resist inching closer again. Nyx timed her flips perfectly, rolling over now and then, teasing the jumpy leopard until he let his guard down.

She flipped again, one hand slipping into her pocket to rip open a wrapper and pull out a catnip ball. At the same time, she opened her eyes.

Caught off guard, their gazes locked. Kai's green pupils shrank to slits. In a panic, his beast ears popped out uncontrollably.

Nyx was quick as a flash. She grabbed one. With a rip of fabric, the man in front of her turned into a massive leopard. The leopard panted heavily, eyes screaming "run,” but with his ear in her grip, he didn't dare pull away.

The catnip ball didn't work like Nyx expected. Kai barely glanced at it, staring at her instead. After a moment, he ducked his head nervously, then peeked up at her.

Compared to catnip, she clearly had a stronger hold on him. Nyx stayed quiet, and Kai didn't dare speak. He had no clue what to say or how to explain. Things had spiraled way beyond his control.

He'd dreaded exposing his true self to Nyx most of all, but despite his fears, it happened anyway. The huge leopard curled

up tight, trying to shrink his presence and look less scary. He didn't need a mirror

to know how terrifying he must seem to humans.

'Nyx must be freaked out, he thought.

After sizing up the leopard, Nyx slowly let go of his car. "What are you?" she asked, curious. "Beastman"

Having lived here for months, she was pretty sure most people were regular humans, no different from Earth folks.

Kai could've sworn the hand on his ear rubbed it a couple times before letting go- or maybe he imagined it. He shook his head to ditch that wild thought.

"I'm a demon," he mumbled, backing up a few steps until his spine hit the window. With nowhere left to retreat, he slumped to the floor. A leopard talking like a human was freaky enough-he kept his words short, not wanting to weird her out more.

"A demon?" Nyx exclaimed, shocked. No wonder this leopard had a raw, untamed vibe-kinda cute, too.

Curiosity took over, and she pressed closer with questions. "How old are you? Did you just learn to turn human? How many demons like you are there? How'd you get a human identity? Does anyone else know what you are?"

The barrage of questions left the leopard dizzy. Cornered by Nyx, he felt small, pitiful, and helpless, answering everything honestly.

After the grilling, Nyx had a solid grasp of the situation. She nodded thoughtfully. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."

The leopard snuck a glance at her, mustering the courage to ask, "Are you scared of me?"

"Nope," Nyx replied flatly.

Realizing why he looked so down, she laughed and patted his head. "Do I look like I'm scared of you?"

She really didn't. Seeing her warm, smiling eyes, Kai's heart leaped, his gaze brightening-only to tense up again.

He remembered she was an actress with killer skills. She'd just faked being drunk and asleep, fooling him completely. 'So, is she faking not being scared too?' he wondered.

Nyx rubbed the leopard a bit more for fun, then stood. "Can I check out your place?"

She wanted to know her partner inside and out-including what kind of space a demon like him preferred. The leopard couldn't say no, trailing silently behind her.

The villa was huge but sparse on rooms, all wide and open. Nyx scanned the decor, noting it matched Kai's pre-amnesia taste-still as neat as ever.

'Even without memories, he's still the same guy,' she thought.

A fluffy paw suddenly appeared in front of her. Its sharp claws were fully retracted, making the big paw look downright adorable.

Nyx raised an eyebrow, stuck her foot out next to it for comparison, and nodded seriously. "Yup, your paw's bigger."

The paw zipped back. Kai felt his face heat up like crazy. Nyx didn't tease him too much, strolling on. Then, out of nowhere, a low, rough growl rumbled behind her- deep and commanding.

That kind of roar from a wild beast would trigger primal fear in any human. But after decades living with fierce creatures, Nyx was unfazed, turning calmly to the leopard. "What's up?”

Kai studied her hard but couldn't spot a trace of fear. He tilted his head, puzzled, and went quiet.

Nyx didn't push, switching gears casually. "Got any water?"

Hearing she was thirsty, the leopard padded to the water dispenser-then froze mid-step, realizing he couldn't pour it like this. Plus, the whole house only had his one cup-no spares.

Nyx didn't wait, breezing past the stuck leopard to grab the cup, fill it, and drink in one smooth move. She was so quick, Kai couldn't stop her.

Nyx used his cup. That hit the leopard like a truck-shy and thrilled, he wanted to climb every tree in the back hills.

Nyx set the cup down, her fingertip brushing the wet rim. The leopard suddenly felt parched, staring at her finger, dying to lick it. A tiny tease had him hooked, head over heels.

Nyx played innocent, tilting her head toward the stairs. "What's on the second floor?"

She took one step up, and the leopard sprang, pouncing in front of her.

First a paw swipe, then a roar, then a mock attack stance. Anyone could tell he was trying to spook her, give her a little scare. But his body stayed low, his eyes brimming with nerves he couldn't hide. Nyx saw through his conflict.

A touchy leopard like him needed to test her over and over before believing she'd accept him. She softened her gaze, crouching to hug his big head. "What, you going to carry me upstairs?"

Without waiting for a reply, she swung onto his back, settling in like a pro. No one rode a leopard better than her.

The leopard was floored. Her whole soft body pressed against him, clinging tight. Electricity shot through him. He stumbled, legs tangling, forgetting how to walk.

It was her first time on such a wobbly leopard. Nyx wrapped her arms around his neck, legs gripping hard to stay balanced. The tighter she held, the more unbearable it was for Kai.

The poor leopard ditched all doubts, focusing entirely on resisting temptation. After settling her partner, Nyx pulled out her phone to check on Helly, asking if she'd made it home safe.

Helly: [Wahhhhh, boss, I'm so sorry!]

Helly: [I'm home, I got home safe.]

Helly: [I didn't do any work today and even caused you trouble-sorry, sorry, sorry!

Dock my pay!]

Nyx: [It's fine. Feeling better?]

Her kindness and concern made Helly feel worse, sobbing harder: [Wahhhhh.]

Helly: [I'm not sick, don't worry.]

She'd reverted to her fox form from sheer terror and was claw-typing replies to

her boss. Thinking of the big demon scent all over Nyx, Helly hesitated, unsure if she should warn her.

She thought, 'If it's Lord Kai, he wouldn't eat Nyx, right? But-'

Before she could decide, Nyx messaged first: [Good to know you're not sick.]

Nyx: [Helly, are you a little fox?]

She was exposed. Helly's fur stood on end, and she leaped three feet in the air. 'Aaaaaaaaaah-!' she screamed inside.

adio silent. That

Nyx got back a garbled mess like a face-roll on the keyboard, quickly retracted, then nothing-Helly w reaction only confirmed Nyx's guess. A little fox smelling leopard scent would naturally freak out-everything clicked.

10:00 Wed, 19 Mar

Nyx finally pieced together who was who around her, sending soothing messages

to felly, promising to Veep her were With no reply, she sighed, giving her time to

recover

The leopard nearby flicked his tail impatiently, craving, Nyx's attention back on him. Nyx tossed her phone wide, Blogging onto his fuzzy back for a deep leopard-sniffing session, playing until his ears flicked up and down.

Ears down, head round, the leopard turned into a seal on the spot. Nyx laughed

so hard she could barely breathe, gaking his face to plant a few big smooches. Of

all the big cats at home, Kay's ears were the liveliest.

The leopard's face burned hot good thing fur hid the blush. He felt it for real now. Nyx wasn't scared of him. She liked his beast form.

"I'll show you outside," the giddy leopard said, eager to flaunt his territory. They'd

toured the three-story house, so he carried her out to the back woods for a spin. His phone buzzed nonstop in the bedroom, one ping after another. With his sharp ears, he heard it fine but ignored it. focused solely on Nyx. A roar sent birds and beasts scattering. The woods fell silent, sunlight streaming through the branches, dappling them in golden glow.

Nyx got playful, snapping a long stick, tying the catnip ball to it with flexible grass, and adding, feathers to make a makeshift cat toy. She flicked her wrist, and the leopard pounced right on cue.

The bedroom phone rang for over an hour before finally stopping. A few dozen minutes later, a sunflower parrot swooped in, clutching a fox by the feet, crashing into the woods. "Big trouble! Lord Kai! The little fox's cover's blown! She says Nyx

knows she's a demon-!"

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