My Wolf Lord - Chapter 3

Even the wind raised by all those beating wings could not drown out his heartbeat.

Something was wrong. With He Li’s expression, I mean.

Rather than someone humiliated by those words, he looked like a gambler enjoying a thrilling, high-stakes bet.

His trembling ears were impossible to ignore.

I could not help asking, “Is your true form a fox?”

He did not answer directly. Instead, he rested a gleaming canine against my finger and bit down lightly. After leaving a faint mark, he released it.

Then he admired the ring-shaped red impression on my hand with satisfaction.

He Li was still crouched on the floor, yet somehow I felt as though he were looking down at me, something scorching in his eyes.

Something predatory.

“I’m a wolf, Shu Xun,” he said. “If you want, you can touch my ears.”

His voice was pure temptation.

We went downstairs for dinner a while later.

Mom gave He Li a puzzled look. “Why is your hair such a mess?”

He pointed accusingly at me. I guiltily whistled and turned away.

So I had gone a little wild rubbing his ears. He was the one who invited me!

They really were soft.

After He Li was cornered, I thought he should learn some self-defense.

He looked troubled. “Actually, I…”

I waved him off. “Afraid you’ll be bored? It’s fine. I’ll go with you.”

He Li agreed, though his expression remained strange.

Teenagers. Who could understand them?

After He Li entered high school, we met at the boxing gym every day after class. It was close to campus anyway.

One day, club activities ran late. As I entered the gym, I saw two coaches throw punches at He Li simultaneously.

My heart leaped into my throat—only for both burly men to be hurled down in bizarre positions.

Which one of them was supposed to be the minor?

The boy in the ring had not seen me. He adjusted his boxing gloves, his expression cold.

His hair was nearly silver-white, like a blizzard sweeping across a boundless wilderness.

“He Li, how did you do that? Could you show us again?” The normally stern coach now had stars in his eyes.

“No.” He Li pushed the man’s face aside. “Shu Xun will be here soon.”

Oh, you little fraud!

Where was the pitiful face that always whined about exhaustion after practicing kicks with me for ten minutes?

My feelings in turmoil, I changed clothes and took my anger out on a punching bag in the corner.

If he was already this strong, what had all that pretending been for?

After a while, I was panting hard when He Li’s voice came from behind me. “Sister Shu, we’re learning a new kick today. You…”

His words broke off in a ragged breath.

I turned in confusion and found his face flushed an extraordinary shade of red.

He looked like a brilliant hibiscus bursting into bloom, or the wavering sunset outside the window spilling down onto his skin.

His ears appeared without warning. Horrified, I snatched up the jacket lying nearby, flung it over his head, and knotted the sleeves beneath his chin.

“I feel awful.”

He weakly rested his head on my shoulder. His temperature was abnormally high, and his scorching breath washed over my neck.

My eyes widened in horror.

How had I forgotten? The original novel had clearly mentioned this!

I should never have let him leave the house today.

“Where did you put your suppressant?” I frantically searched his pockets.

I did not find the medicine. I did, however, pull out several photographs of myself.

That made me panic even more.

He closed his eyes, breathing erratically. He had to bite down hard on his lower lip to keep his teeth from chattering. “The suppressant… I left it in my room.”

Ignoring the coaches’ puzzled looks and all the stares along the way, I dragged He Li home at a run. Every few steps I looked back to make sure his ears were still hidden beneath the jacket.

After slamming his door shut, I checked his forehead again.

I jerked my hand back the instant I touched him. He was burning.

He Li already looked feverish and dazed.

His face was flushed, his eyes hazy with moisture.

He had unconsciously tugged his collar down from the heat, and even the skin of his neck was tinged pink.

His expression was taut with restraint. Eyes wide, he breathed in shallow gasps like a fish stranded on shore.

Blue veins stood out clearly at his temples.

Nearly frantic, I patted his cheek twice. “He Li, can you hear me? Where’s the suppressant?”

He cracked open his golden eyes, brighter than ever, and lifted a seemingly careless hand toward the drawer beside the bed. I lunged for it.

The instant I turned, I heard the door lock behind me.

He Li collapsed onto the bed in a boneless heap of wolfkin.

Fine, collapse if you must…

But why drag me down too?

Ignoring the dizzy spell, I twisted open the suppressant I had just grabbed and tried to make him drink.

He refused to cooperate. After pushing my hand aside, he pulled me close.

He turned his face toward me, silver hair spilling over his forehead. Deep-set eyes, a heavy gaze, and a clenched jaw made him look aloof and forbidding, but the words he spoke were ridiculously childish.

“Sister Shu, hold me.”

The moment he finished, his ears folded nimbly downward, covering both eyes completely—but not the fresh blush beneath them.