I felt as if a hammer had struck my head. In the midst of my shock, the butterfly monster took off with its honey and bread. By the time I regained my senses, the creature had left without even a goodbye.

The original story was deviating.

The disappearance of the Raven clan’s spirit was an event that took place in the middle of the novel. How could the spirit disappear when the female lead hadn’t even appeared yet? The disappearance of the spirit was the catalyst for it to be absorbed into the female lead’s body, granting her mystical powers…

As per the story, this event was meant to make the heroine the living spirit entity of the Raven clan. One of the critical events that ensured the Raven clan’s eternal protection of her… What’s happening? Could the heroine have arrived here without my knowledge?

But that seemed unlikely, that I who had been looking for her news for over a year, didn’t know. Humans were rare in this world, and the presence of the heroine, someone from another dimension, would undoubtedly make waves.

My head was spinning. Without opening my mother’s letter, I decided to take a break and went to the staff room. As I sat on the couch to gather my thoughts, the answer was clear.

The story was going off track. The heroine, who should have appeared a year ago, was still missing, and events scheduled for later were already unfolding.

Was it because of me? Maybe I shouldn’t have taken the wolf in that day. Darn, my unwarranted interference! What to do now? Should I let the wolf go?

The pitiable face of the wolf from that day flashed in my mind, making me feel guilty as I shook my head. A year had passed since we were together, and I had become attached to him.

But if the story began to diverge the moment I took in the wolf, doesn’t that mean he might not return to his kind because of me? Oh, what have I done!

***

“Lily, you said you’d be home late, but you’re back early!”

As soon as I opened the door, the wolf sprinted over and enveloped me in a hug. Burying his face into my neck, he took a deep breath. I could hear a low purring sound from his throat, suggesting he was content.

I had been feeling so unwell today that I couldn’t focus on my work. I had to ask Mr. Kunta for an early leave, something I don’t usually do. He looked at me with concern, but there was nothing to be done.

As I attempted to pat the wolf’s head, still buried in my neck, I hesitated. Normally, I’d comfort him, but my conflicted emotions held me back.

Like a psychic, the wolf sensed my state and lifted his head. His eyes, scrutinizing my face, seemed unusually sharp.

“Lily, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing… I’m just tired.”

Avoiding his gaze, I excused myself and headed to my room. I felt his intense stare on my back but didn’t turn around.

After changing my clothes and sinking into my bed, a sudden wave of pain and exhaustion hit me. Maybe I was coming down with body aches or something due to stress? I groaned, flipping the blanket over me.

The bedroom door creaked open slowly.

“Lily, are you feeling really sick?”

It was the wolf. Who else could it be but him? Shivering from sudden cold, I curled up. Why was it suddenly so chilly?

The wolf approached the head of the bed. Before I knew it, he leaned down, and as his face neared mine, it paused just as it touched my forehead.

What is he doing…?

Pressing his forehead to mine, the wolf pulled back after a moment to look down at me.

“You don’t have a fever but why are you shaking so much, Lily?”

“I have a bit of a cold… what are you doing, Wolf?”

The wolf climbed on top of me and pulled me into his embrace. He wrapped around my waist and buried his face between my neck and shoulder, exhaling slowly. As his hot breath brushed against my neck, a different type of shiver ran through me, one that was not borne out of the cold air.

“Lily.”

With his lips still pressed against my neck, his voice calling my name had dropped several degrees lower. The sensation of his moving lips and breath against skin was unsettling. Trying to wriggle out of his grip proved fruitless, as he was holding me down firmly.

“Oh, Wolf…”

While I was trying to push him away, the wolf moved his lips against my neck again.

“Lily… you are so cold.”

His weight pressing down on me conveyed a sense of urgency.

“Ah… you’re so heavy…”

As I let out a groan under the wolf’s considerable heft, he propped up his upper body to gaze at me. But before I could catch my breath from the newfound relief, I found myself staring into the eyes of the wolf, which were noticeably dimmer.

His eyes moved slowly down from my eyes, nose, mouth, and throat, to my collarbone. The sense of his gaze marking its path felt like a trail of heat, even though his hands didn’t physically trace the journey.

This is getting dangerous.

Alarm bells were ringing in my head. Desperately, I grabbed the wolf’s arm. His arm that trapped me was as firm as it would be if he weren’t human.

“It’ll hurt… lie down comfortably.”

“Is that so?”

He glanced at his arm, which I was holding.

“Yes, yes. If we stay like this, your arm will hurt.”

I hastily added, hoping that the wolf would move away. However, he just nodded and lowered his body.

Wait a minute! That’s not what I meant!

I was astonished at how he misinterpreted my words. Instead of moving off me, the wolf let his full weight descend onto me. One hand landed behind my shoulder, with the other stroking my waistline, skirting dangerously close to my ribs.

His thumb, perilously close to my bosom, pressed gently down.

Eeek!

I let out a silent gasp, my body taking an involuntary twitch. The reaction seemed to stoke the wolf’s heat, and his warmer breath tickled my ear.

“Lily, let me warm you up.”

“No! I’ll be fine if I just cover up with the blanket. Don’t!”