Kael Virell raised his free hand—only to find it gently brushing the man's lashes with tenderness and care.
Then, in a soft, soothing voice, he said,
"Don't be sad. It doesn't hurt."
And time… stopped.
The two men froze as well.
Never in his entire life had Kael Virell imagined he'd one day be comforting a man over two meters tall—not just comforting him, but… caressing him.
Damn it. Did I catch some mental illness after transmigrating into this crazy world? Even if I were gay, I've always respected personal space. I don't like physical contact, even with my closest male friends. So what the hell is this?
It's all because of those eyes.
If that man hadn't looked at me with those sorrowful, desperate eyes, as if I were his entire world, and that world had just abandoned him, he wouldn't have acted so recklessly.
I mean… go ask a cat lover if they can resist petting their cat when it rubs up against them.
What does that have to do with anything?
Everything, obviously. Just look at how those stunning purple eyes widened, the pain and sadness swept away in an instant—as if they were just a hallucination.
How could any human remain unaffected?
Unless they had a heart made of stone.
...
How could those eyes not widen when their owner had just experienced the greatest shock of his lonely life—
For the very first time, Valkar had been touched by a female.
Even better, it was his female. His mate.
His chosen one.
All three of Valkar's hearts were on the verge of exploding.
[He touched me? He really touched me. He comforted me too. He doesn't want me to be sad. He wants me to be happy… That means he loves me. He loves me. My female loves me. I'm not unwanted. I have a mate. I have someone who cares. I'm not alone in this world anymore.]
[Mother, you were wrong. I'm not trash. I will have a family. A beautiful, loving family. Not like the things you used to scream at me while beating me, saying I was a monster like Father and no one would ever accept me as a mate. Look—someone cares. He cares about me. About my pain.]
Valkar's thoughts spiraled out of control—from ecstasy to joy to painful memories flooding back into his mind.
The cruel words from his past echoed in his head: how he was a monster, how no one could ever love him, not now, not ever.
Even the female who birthed him had hated him—cursing him as a monster born of a monster...
Kael snapped out of his stunned daze from touching a strange man so intimately, only to see the glimmer in those gorgeous purple eyes vanish once again—replaced by something murky, like a brewing storm.
And once more, he found that expression unbearable.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, he much preferred the dumb, excited look Valkar had just moments ago to this heavy, sorrowful gaze.
But this time, Valkar didn't wait for Kael's sympathy.
This time, the dragon moved first.
He pulled Kael into a tight embrace—so tight Mo Chen genuinely feared his bones were about to be crushed.
[Shit, I'm gonna suffocate. Is this dumb lizard trying to kill me?!] Kael Virell thought, his handsome face darkening in fury, brows furrowed in warning.
Just as he prepared to punch the man in the face out of sheer rage, he heard something—soft sobs—coming from above his head.
Kael : "???"
For a second, Kael could practically imagine a question mark floating above his own head.
No, it had to be his imagination.
There's no way...
Even if they were small… yes, they were real.
The tiny, trembling, burning breaths brushed against his neck in uneven intervals.
As Kael's anger cooled and he focused on the body pressed against his, he realized…
He wasn't imagining it.
The man was crying.
Or at the very least, on the verge of crying—his entire body shaking violently as he clung to Kael, burying his face into the curve of Mo Chen's neck.
As if trying to merge their bodies—their souls—into one.
"Can you… not hate me…?"
Finally, after what felt like an eternity in that awkward position, the man spoke.
Thank the heavens they were sitting on the wooden bed. If Valkar had been standing, Mo Chen would've collapsed to the floor from the sheer weight.
But the words still caught him off guard.
Why bring that up again? Does he really care that much about how I feel toward him?
Kael frowned slightly.
[Maybe this is trauma from his past… Maybe someone he loved once rejected him…?]
For some reason, the idea made Kael Virell furious.
I mean, who would enjoy being treated like a stand-in?
And so, poor innocent Valkar—who had never been in a relationship or even touched a female before—was labeled a two-faced player in Mo Chen's mind.
Valkar had no idea what was going through Kael's head, but when he didn't get a response, he panicked.
Silence, in his mind, equaled rejection.
(Bro? Who the hell told you that silence means rejection? Ever heard of silence is consent? This is the right one.)
Valkar pulled away slightly but kept both hands firmly on Kael's arms, gripping him from both sides—afraid he'd vanish at any second.
He looked at Kael with a storm of emotions—most of them negative. Fear, anxiety, mistrust… and buried deep within, obsession. A dangerous, shadowy kind.
His purple eyes darkened again, transforming into an abyss.
(I need to run.)
That was Kael's first instinct as Valkar—taller and far stronger—stared him down in eerie silence.
His light brown pupils trembled slightly, but of course, none of his reactions escaped the dragon's sharp gaze.
In fact, Valkar could already guess what Kael Virell was thinking.
How could he not, when it was written all over that beautiful pale face?
(He's too beautiful. Too pure. Too enchanting. A rare and precious female like him… of course he wouldn't want someone like me. I'm a monster. I've always been and always will be. No one will ever love me. Not even him. He hates me. And he'll only hate me more with time. I was a fool to think we could be a family… to think I could be happy. I was stupid...)
"I was so stupid..." Valkar muttered aloud, lost in his thoughts.
That icy, hollow voice pierced Mo Chen's heart like a dagger.
(Something's wrong. Very wrong.)
The thought echoed through Kael's head as he began to move—weakly, slowly—trying to distance himself without causing a scene.
(Slowly… carefully… I have to put some distance between us. But something deep in my gut screams that if I panic and try to force my way out, the result won't be something I'll survive—let alone want.)
Unfortunately, Kael's genius escape plan had already failed.
Why?
Because this wasn't Earth.
This was a fantasy world.
And the man in front of him wasn't a regular human—but a beastman.
A powerful one. One of the strongest in this world.
Which meant that all of Kael's "subtle" movements were as clear as day to Valkar.
And Valkar, already upset, now grew furious.
"You want to run away from me? Again? Again, you want to run? I've tried so hard to be kind to you. I want to give you everything—anything! But all you ever do is run away! Why?! Why do you want to run?! Why don't you love me?! Why do you hate me?! Why does no one in this world love me?!"
Finally, a deadly glow ignited in Valkar's eyes—purple flames flickering in his pupils.
If Kael had understood this world better, he'd know this was a sign of rage-induced frenzy. Or in other words, this was a sign that Valkar was going berserk—completely consumed by rage and power.
Kael would know both of them were in serious danger.
But the idiot had only been here a short time and didn't know the signs.
So, he just assumed Valkar was angry—maybe using some power?
Before Kael could say anything, Valkar spoke again—coldly.
"If you already hate me… then there's no point being gentle."
"If you're never going to accept me, then I won't bother caring about hurting you—or your feelings."
The moment Kael heard those words, a dreadful feeling crashed over him like a wave.
And just to confirm his fears, Valkar leaned closer and whispered into his ear—his voice trembling and low:
"If you won't be my mate willingly…
Then I'll take you by force.
You'll be mine… whether you want to or not."
"Wha–?"
Kael tried to speak, but his words were cut short—by something that made his entire body tremble.
To be continued...