“Mm—!”

But, unlike before, it stung more than a little this time. She could feel the trembling spreading deep inside her. She was almost grateful that he had withdrawn his fingers, given how strongly her body had reacted — she felt embarrassed.

“…Hngh.”

Cassion looked down at her quietly. Grasping both of her flushed hips firmly in his hands, he asked.

“Did it feel that good?”

“Yes….”

“Even so, you must not make such improper requests.”

“I—I was wrong….”

“I will take care of everything. As I always have.”

She nodded at his words without hesitation. Her forehead touched the bedding, her loose hair falling in dark waves across the white sheets.

Meanwhile, behind her, Cassian calmly and deliberately adjusted his clothing. His gaze lingered on the black strands that stood out starkly against the pale fabric.

Having studied the texts on beastkin in advance, he was prepared just in case her heat arrived. His thumb brushed lightly over the ring on his finger — a magical artefact designed to prevent conception.

Then he turned his attention back to her, studying her trembling form with careful, measured eyes.

“W-what… comes next…?”

She asked between shaky breaths. She had reached her limit. After enduring it alone all night, she longed desperately for the searing heat within her to subside. She wanted to move and beg more openly, but she was afraid of being told off again.

Unable to stay still, she turned her head and looked back at him.

“Cassion….”

When he did not answer immediately, she felt his hands steady her again, guiding her gently rather than roughly. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and measured.

“The texts state that a female beastkin’s heat calms only after receiving a male’s essence. I may not be beastkin—but I am male. I can help you.”

His tone remained instructive and controlled — more akin to that of a tutor delivering a lesson than a man overcome by emotion.

Yet the weight of his gaze never wavered.

His voice, calmly delivering guidance, had dropped lower than usual and his final words were almost lost in the quiet.

Even so, she nodded without hesitation.

Cassion — the man who had nursed her back from the brink of death.

Cassion — the one who had given her a home when she had nowhere else to go.

Cassion — the one who had taught her all the little ordinary things.

He hadn’t given her life, but nearly everything that had shaped it came from him. In this world, he was the only person she trusted implicitly.

He carefully aligned himself with her trembling body. The moment he pressed forward, she reacted instinctively, tightening around him.

A low breath escaped his lips.

He moved slowly and deliberately.

The unfamiliar fullness drew a sharp gasp from her. It felt different to his fingers — broader, heavier, and undeniably real.

She clutched at the bedding with shaking hands, her nails scraping the sheets, overwhelmed by the sensation.

Despite his preparation, she still felt impossibly tight. Her body resisted at first, clinging on as if uncertain whether to accept him.

He paused, steadying her with quiet patience.

“…This part is my mistake. Forgive me.”

She wanted to answer him and reassure him, but she couldn’t find the words. All she could feel was his overwhelming presence filling her completely.

Instinctively, her tail flicked behind her.

Although she had never been taught the intricacies of such closeness, she understood enough to know what it meant. A fragile curiosity stirred within her — an urge to reach back and confirm — but she could not bring herself to move.

Before she could act on that impulse, he noticed the subtle motion of her tail and stopped it gently.

“…Curious?”

“Yes….”

“It’s all right. You’re not harmed. Your body is accepting me.”

His tone remained patient and almost soothing.

Gradually, the tension left her body. As she relaxed, he was able to move deeper inside her and she could feel the sensation intensifying.

Her breath caught sharply and her back arched involuntarily.

She could feel the warmth of his breath brushing against her spine.

A soft, helpless sound escaped her lips.

Even this slight shift in sensation caused a white light to flash across her vision.

When the heat that had filled her for so long began to change, she felt as though the world itself had tilted. The fever she had endured all night was finally reaching its climax, with anticipation mingling with desperation.

He moved with careful precision, testing and searching until he found the spot that had elicited her earlier response

Her cry broke sharply into the air.

Her body reacted at once, tightening around him. He paused briefly, his jaw tightening at the intensity of it. What he had read in books and what he was experiencing now were entirely different things.

He forced himself to stay focused, prioritizing her comfort above all else. With a steady and deliberate rhythm, he repeated the motion. The warmth between them deepened, and her body began to respond more willingly, surrendering to the sensation.

When he shifted the angle slightly, her hips rose of their own accord, her breathing dissolving into uneven, broken sounds. The loose fabric draped over her slipped further down, revealing more of her flushed skin.

His movements remained deliberate and measured. They were never careless. As her reactions grew sharper, he slowed down just enough to prevent her from becoming overwhelmed, and then guided her forward once more.

“Breathe, let it happen.”

Her fingers dug into the bedding as the sensation intensified. When his touch shifted, drawing a fresh tremor from her, she let out a helpless gasp.

“That, too, can ease the heat.”

She tried to follow his instructions, but her trembling hands would not obey her. When she glanced back at him uncertainly, her expression wavering, he understood at once.

“Not like that. Your body is sensitive.”

He steadied her again, guiding her attention back to where it was safest.

“This time, focus here.”

His voice remained calm, almost clinical, but beneath it lurked a heavier, more restrained quality.

As the rhythm deepened and settled into a steady beat, her thoughts unraveled completely. All that remained were the mounting pressure and the tightening coil of heat, drawing ever closer to breaking point.

When release finally came, it shot down her spine like lightning.

Her back arched, her breath shattered, and her body trembled helplessly in his grip.

He held her steady, preventing her from harming herself in the force of it. Warmth rushed through her, and at last the searing intensity of her desire began to subside.

For a moment, she could do nothing but breathe.

Her body softened, though faint embers still lingered beneath her skin.

He did not withdraw at once. Instead, he remained where he was, unmoving, waiting until her trembling faded and her breathing became calm.

Her first fever did not end with a single peak.

He stayed by her side for two days, guiding her through each rise and fall — never hurried, never careless — until the fever finally burned itself out.