Receiving the clothes without a word, he shot me a questioning glance. The stubborn emotion swirling in those black eyes was all too familiar.

Ah, I recognize that look.

Knowing just how stubborn he could be when his eyes lit up like that, I sighed, feeling even more drained. I tried to keep my voice as gentle as possible.

“What is it, Wolf? Don’t you like the clothes?”

I knew the clothes weren’t the issue, but I wished they were.

“Lily, why do you always call me ‘Wolf’?”

Huh? That was an unexpected question. I call a wolf a wolf, what else should I call it? And as for you…

“Well… I don’t know your name.”

“I don’t know my name either. That’s why I asked you to give me one. I want to be called by the name you give me, not ‘Wolf’.”

He didn’t even think about wearing the clothes I handed him; his face, slightly creased in a frown, radiated determination.

The name issue had been quiet for a while… Why is he bringing it up again?

I felt at a loss. Sure, giving a name to a poor wolf who’s forgotten his own might not seem like a big deal. But to this wolf, it was significant. Because this wolf was ‘Kasan’, the heir of the Grey Wolf clan who’d lost his memories and one of the male leads in the novel.

While I knew the wolf’s name was Kasan, I couldn’t call him that. There was another protagonist destined for that role.

Even though circumstances led me to pick him up, I couldn’t steal the role of the heroine who’d find his name after he lost his memories and help him become the leader of the Grey Wolves, right? It’d go against my life’s principles.

Without uttering these thoughts aloud, I pulled out my ultimate weapon to appease the young wolf.

“How about we sleep together tonight?”

The sudden proposition caused his expression to crumble, making it quite a sight. Before the wolf could recover, I quickly added,

“We’ve been sleeping apart for a while now. It must’ve been stifling staying in your wolf form all this time… But if you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

Demi-humans usually didn’t stay in their animal forms for long, except when their energy was low, when they were injured, during recovery, or in battles. So, being in his wolf form for nearly a week without drawing energy from me must’ve been quite frustrating for him.

At first, I thought I’d give him the cold shoulder for just a few days as punishment, but with my hectic life, I lost track of time and before I knew it, a week had passed. Sure, I was at fault for our current situation, but by now, it should be the time to forgive.

At my words, the wolf’s previously droopy ears perked up! His previously dim eyes regained their sparkle as he quickly nodded.

“I don’t mind! Not at all! Can we really sleep together?”

“Only under the condition that you don’t touch me beyond a simple kiss. If you make a move like last time, know that I’ll banish you forever.”

Recalling the incident a week ago, when he almost lost control and I was nearly overwhelmed, I laid down the law. The wolf’s swaying tail, seemingly downtrodden, came to a stop.

“It was a full moon then, which was why it was so hard to resist. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on. If Lily doesn’t want it, I wouldn’t want it either.”

“I got it. I’m so tired. I really want to sleep now. I’ll be in bed first, so put on your clothes and join me. Okay?” 

I said, leaving the nodding wolf behind as I walked towards the master bedroom. I slipped into a one-piece nightgown and surrendered my body to the encroaching wave of exhaustion on the bed.

Ah, I’m really tired today.

As my eyelids grew heavier and I began losing the battle to stay awake, I felt the mattress sinking beside me. At the same time, strong arms slid under my neck, encircling my shoulders and gently turning me to face the opposite direction.

Barely registering the warmth of the wolf’s embrace as I drifted in and out of consciousness, I felt his warm breath near my ear, followed by a slick tongue tracing the ridges. His hand, still nested at my shoulder, faintly traced my collarbone, and I felt a sharp shiver when he nibbled at my earlobe with his teeth.

“Hngg…”

When I couldn’t bear it and let out a low moan, the wolf, as if he had been waiting for this moment, pulled his body closer to mine.

“Can I kiss you, Lily?”

One of the wolf’s hands smoothly brushed through my silver hair as he awaited permission.

“I really like Lily’s hair, it’s like it’s soaked in moonlight.”

The wolf particularly liked my silver hair, a hue distinct from my mother’s golden locks, which could easily be mistaken for white in certain light. Despite my own reservations about its color…

He tenderly kissed my hair, as if courting me. His careful, almost sacred act of a kiss, along with the wave of sleep rushing over me, led me to reach up half-consciously and rest my hand on his cheek.

“You can kiss me, Wolf.”

The moment my words ended, our lips met. Unlike his hard body pressing firmly against mine permitting no space, the tip of his moist tongue knocked gently against my lips as if to seek permission. As I slightly parted my lower lip in response, his moist squishy tongue invaded swiftly, starting to probe my teeth.

His tongue pushed deep within, almost as if attempting to consume every bit of my saliva, scouring the roof of my mouth, twining around my tongue without pause. Gradually, I found my mind growing hazy within the mounting warmth of our shared breath. An unswallowed moan escaped between our entangled lips.

“Uh… slowly…”

Before I could finish the rest of my warning, our lips overlapped once more. The wolf, as if attempting to compensate for a week’s worth of longing, seized my lips relentlessly, endlessly biting and sucking. Even then, there was a noticeable intensity in his embrace as if fearing I might slip away from him.

The young wolf, who was utterly passive during our first kiss, was long gone. Overwhelmed by his reckless kiss, pressing me till my breath grew short, a strange ticklish sensation stirred within my lower abdomen.

“Ah… stop, stop…”

“Just a bit more…”