The beast stared at the human boy, already imagining how he would kill him.
He spoke in an angry voice:
"Answer my question! Why the hell are you with her?!"
He asked again, pushing the beast's anger to its limit.
Zachary replied,
"She's taking me to the meadows. We planned it earlier today, so stop bothering me."
The beast had to fight the urge to rip his head off.
He had to resist doing many things to him right now—for the sake of his mate.
They didn't want her to see something so horrible, or to see them doing such cruel acts.
The boy said confidently, almost proudly,
"Look, you can talk to her and go out with her all you want, but she's mine. Everyone knows that, so stay away from her, damn it."
It took all of the beast's strength to stay calm, while the boy congratulated himself for sounding so confident.
The beast started to say,
"Are you even—"
But his angel interrupted him,
"I'm ready!
Oh! Matt, what are you doing here?
You're supposed to be helping Marcus at the tavern."
"Oh—yeah. I just came to check on you. Uh… enjoy yourselves, you two!"
He said it quickly, then ran away, cursing himself for being unable to say that he didn't like the new man in front of his old crush.
"Alright, let's go!" Lillian said cheerfully.
Going to the flower meadows was one of her favorite things to do, along with baking and cooking.
She always felt peace and comfort there.
She was wearing a comfortable dress in pink and navy blue, decorated with flower patterns.
It covered her shoulders and stopped a few inches above her knees.
The beast bit his lower lip as he walked slowly behind her, staring at a certain part of her body, but his wolf quickly scolded him for thinking like that about her.
He decided to ignore it again. He didn't want to deal with its chatter right now.
She was his mate too.
He had every right to think of her that way—she belonged to him.
But if anyone else dared to look at her improperly, they would be dead before the next morning.
She pointed excitedly ahead and said,
"There's the park! The path starts down there!"
Overcome with excitement, Lillian grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the path, running lightly.
She loved going to the meadows, and all she wanted now was to reach them as fast as possible.
As for the beast, his face shone with happiness.
She's touching me! She touched me! Oh God! What do I do?! Do I just run with her?! My face is definitely red right now!
His mind kept spinning as she dragged him along the path.
When they finally arrived, Lillian realized what she had done.
She quickly let go of his sleeve and turned her face away, blushing deeply.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry… I just got carried away," she said hesitantly.
She didn't know how to explain herself.
Grabbing a stranger's sleeve and pulling him along?
What was she thinking?!
"No, don't worry. It's fine."
The beast said calmly as he gently lifted her chin with his fingers, looking straight into her eyes.
Strangely, all the anxiety and embarrassment inside her vanished at once, as if his words and gaze erased all her tension.
What just happened…? she thought.
"O-oh, okay… um… this way," Lillian whispered shyly as she turned to lead him toward the flower meadow.
She couldn't stop smiling for a reason she didn't understand.
She tried to keep her face calm, but it was impossible.
The beast was struggling with the same problem—except he knew exactly why.
He was smiling because he was with her. With his mate.
And he never wanted it to stop.
I will smile for her anytime, any day, anywhere… but only for her.
If anyone else sees me smile, I'll kill them. This smile is hers alone.
His thoughts began to burn with unnecessary jealousy and possessiveness.
He clenched his fists and jaw, but quickly calmed down when he heard his angel's voice.
"Look! The meadows!"
She said with pure amazement, as if she were seeing them for the first time.
The beast froze for a moment, then smiled softly.
Damn… she wasn't lying. They're beautiful.
But of course, not more beautiful than my angel.
Nothing could ever compare to her.
He looked at her again, mesmerized as always.
Seeing her happy and excited made him feel the same way.
All the beast wanted was to see his mate happy.
And if anyone ever dared to make her sad, they would die a horrible death.
He said with a soft smile, without any shame,
"They're beautiful… but not as beautiful as you."
As usual, she blushed deeply, flustered and unsure how to respond.
She joked,
"Oh my God, do you say that to every girl?"
She wasn't jealous or angry—just embarrassed and a little flattered.
But the beast misunderstood her words.
What?! Of course not! How could she think that?!
Was I too direct? Do I sound reckless?
Did I upset her? Make her jealous?
No, no, no—what do I do? What do I say?!
He took a deep breath and said honestly,
"Of course not. I've never met a girl as beautiful and pure as you.
You caught my attention in a way I can't ignore…
And I can't help but be more drawn to you every time I see you."
She slowly turned to him and lifted her eyes to meet his.
There was light surprise on her face—no one had ever spoken to her like this before,
or made her feel this much warmth and shyness at the same time.
Her heart began to race—not just because of his words,
but also when she looked into his deep gray eyes, as if she forgot how to breathe for a moment.
She found herself drawn to him too, without knowing how or when it happened.
Many people had called her "pure" before,
but when he said it, the word felt different…
warm, sincere, filled with something she couldn't explain.
A gentle, emotional smile appeared on her face as she said,
"Well… it seems we're the same.
Because I can't help but be drawn to you too."
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