How did things end up like this?

It must be due to the beast-person transformation, or perhaps Noah was right—maybe she had always been lewd by nature. Rudis sobbed quietly, feeling pathetic for desperately seeking s*xual satisfaction during what should be a treatment session.

Beyond wounded pride, her self-esteem felt completely shattered, yet she still couldn’t stop her hips from moving, which filled her with even more shame.

“Haah.”

A deep sigh reached her ears. Rudis flinched and turned her head. Noah had closed his book with a thud, wearing a displeased expression. Even the casual way he brushed back his silver hair was captivating.

His sharply furrowed brow only highlighted his distinct facial features, making him look like a sculpture in a temple—sacred yet coldly beautiful. The contemptuous curl of his lips held a strange allure, along with his darkened gaze.

Everything contrasted with his otherwise delicate, pristine appearance, making him all the more enticing. Rudis swallowed hard.

“I…”

“No.”

Though she twisted her body painfully trying to speak, she was rejected before even finishing her sentence. Tears welled up from frustration, and she felt overwhelmed with misery.

Just then, the howl of a wolf broke the silence. Rudis’s short ears trembled and perked up. Though she’d never heard it before, she knew exactly what it was—Iska. He was nearby. Rudis lifted her head sharply and looked at Noah.

“I want to leave.”

She no longer cared about treating her transformation. Her body burned unbearably, and there was only one way to relieve this heat—she wanted to run straight into Iska’s arms. Simply put, Rudis was not in her right mind.

“You’re the one who wanted treatment. Are you going back to that beast again?”

Noah’s face instantly contorted with displeasure. Rudis burst into tears and retorted, “I feel like I’m going crazy! It’s not like becoming a beast-person will kill me, but this might! It’s so painful, and you just keep saying no!”

Noah silently observed her for a moment. Cracks began to form in his previously composed expression. His cold green eyes wavered turbulently, and complex emotions flickered across his face, making him appear almost sad, like someone hiding an untold story.

“Please allow me to complete the treatment. Afterward, I won’t interfere with your choices.”

“…Then you’ll help me?”

Rudis wiped her tears and looked at Noah. Hidden narratives didn’t matter to her now—her own needs were more urgent. Faced with her pure yet lustful expression, Noah brushed back his hair again and sighed deeply, his face complicated.

“Fine. Lie face down.”

Rudis positioned herself with anticipation, her opening twitching with expectation. But what she hoped for didn’t happen. The cold rod pushed into her body again, causing her face to crumple with disappointment.

“Hnngh… Not this… Mmph.”

She shook her head vigorously, her body twitching involuntarily. Though the cold treatment device moved skillfully to stimulate her, Rudis didn’t want this mechanical, icy sensation. Instead of this glacial treatment, she craved human warmth—someone to hold her tightly and pour everything into her.

But Noah merely looked down at her with indifferent eyes. With a short sigh, he spoke coldly, “I see there’s no helping it. Bear with this today. Tomorrow, I’ll call someone for you.”

Rudis felt her breath catch. Someone would be called? Before she could process Noah’s words, his gloved hand firmly gripped her waist and moved downward.

“Ahh…”

She involuntarily gasped when his fingers penetrated her. His movements were quick and persistent. His fingers smoothly filled her inside with precise, unrelenting motions. Rudis tried to speak with a trembling voice, but only unintelligible moans escaped her lips.

Noah moved his fingers rapidly and relentlessly, continuing until Rudis convulsed through countless climaxes and finally fainted, unable to protest further.

* * *

Following Rudis’s trail, Iska arrived at an enormous white tower that glowed even in darkness, situated at the northern forest boundary. Though not large, the tower stood majestically like a pillar reaching toward the sky. The sacred energy surrounding it, though invisible, pressed heavily upon Iska.

He trembled with instinctive fear—it was the power of Pathos, dreaded by all Tarkars. It reminded him of the light that had consumed his birthplace, Grimnoir, burning the entire forest. Recalling that day when light devoured all darkness, Iska paused briefly. Yet he couldn’t abandon his mate. Steeling his resolve, he took another step forward.

Only the determination to reclaim Rudis kept him moving.

Iska slowly advanced toward the tower, one step at a time. With each step closer, the sacred light engulfed him more fiercely. Sharp pain seared his skin like fire.

Even breathing became difficult, each breath feeling like swallowing hot metal. Still, Iska didn’t stop. His gaze remained fixed ahead, driven solely by the desire to recover his mate.

But there were clear limits. As he nearly reached the tower, Iska’s body suddenly met resistance. Something invisible blocked his path.

When he tried to step forward again, the air seemed to solidify, and intense pressure surged from his feet throughout his body. He could barely maintain consciousness as an even stronger force pushed against him. His feet slipped, and Iska fell to his knees.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand again, but something cold and solid wrapped around his entire body, pressing down with increasing strength. When he reached out to gauge the empty space, an invisible sharp energy burned his fingertips.

Catching his painful breath, Iska looked around. The tower stood right before him, yet he couldn’t approach any closer. The surging power of Pathos blocked his way, rejecting his very existence and denying him entry.

Iska knelt again. A faint sense of despair weighed on his chest in the face of this overwhelming force. Through pain that threatened to collapse his entire body, he once more whispered Rudis’s name.

That’s when he heard it.

A faint but familiar voice carried on the breeze. Iska held his breath and listened carefully. The voice coming from beyond the barrier was distant and unclear, sounding obstructed, but he recognized it—unmistakably Rudis’s voice.

“Treatment… help…”

Brief, broken words. Yet they were enough for Iska to understand: Rudis was trying to reverse her transformation. She considered her beast-person state an illness.

Iska’s fingertips trembled coldly as they clutched the ground.

Why?

The power of the Tarkar was mighty. It prevented illness, aging, and could even defy death. Iska wanted to give that power to Rudis so they could be together forever. She would never be lonely. Rudis had wanted that too.

But had she really?

His hands trembled slightly. All his past actions flashed before him—how much he had hidden and manipulated to transform Rudis into a Tarkar, to draw her into his world.

With belated realization, Iska lowered his head.

Rudis didn’t belong in the Tarkar world. Deep down, he had always known this truth—that a cruel being like himself had no right to possess her.

Yet despite this, he had wanted to keep her by his side and make her part of his family, convincing himself that she wanted the same.

He had claimed to love Rudis, but it was closer to obsession and desire, just like what the first Tarkar, Baltar, had done. He had tried to bind and constrain Rudis to keep her by his side.

He had attempted to drag her shining soul into darkness, corrupting and twisting her to fit his grotesque world. It wasn’t love but a cruel desire to fill his loneliness and emptiness.