Chapter 422: Chapter 374: Can I Ask for a Little More?

Gu Ning lay drenched in sweat on the alpha wolf’s chest, listening to his thumping heartbeat as she caught her breath.

Alex held her with one arm, the other stroking her back every now and then.

He was sweating even more heavily than Gu Ning, his hair so soaked it was practically dripping.

Beads of sweat rolled down from the tips of his hair, his cheeks, and the rest of his body.

Now, Gu Ning was completely covered in his scent.

"Hot..."

After a moment, Gu Ning regained some energy and tried to throw off the blanket, but Alex only wrapped her tighter.

"You’ll cool down in a minute," Alex said, kissing her reassuringly.

Even though the room was heated, he didn’t dare let his guard down now that he was familiar with her physical condition.

So Gu Ning had no choice but to lie still, not daring to move around carelessly.

’She knew perfectly well that this alone wouldn’t satisfy Alex. She had been ready to accept him completely, but when it came to the actual moment, it was just too difficult.’

Besides, Alex didn’t seem to want to do anything more tonight.

’Gu Ning knew he was being considerate. She had actually tried to take things further, but Alex had refused. After seeing to her needs, he had taken care of himself...’

After lying there for a bit longer, Gu Ning couldn’t stand the sticky feeling on her skin. She pushed herself up from his chest, looked at him, and said, "I’m going to take a shower."

"You can’t shower yet. We’re leaving for Zone 5 in two days." Alex lowered his head to kiss Gu Ning’s cheek. "Your heat scent is too strong, and Lanuo hasn’t finished making the new scent-suppressing agent. We’ll have to cover it with my scent for now."

’So that’s why,’ Gu Ning thought. ’No wonder he didn’t clean me up like he usually does, and even...’

The amorous scene from before flashed through her mind, and Gu Ning’s face began to burn again.

"Ahem." Seeing Alex staring at her, Gu Ning cleared her throat and said, "I’ll shower, and then... you can cover it again before we leave."

They still had two days, and she really, really wanted to take a shower.

’She didn’t know if Alex had intentionally been so thorough this time to cover her scent, or if he’d just lost control. The previous times he’d masked her scent felt like child’s play compared to this...’

Alex said, "We’re going into the city tomorrow to get some supplies. Didn’t you say you wanted to get some fresh air and gather some material for work? Or do you not want to go anymore?"

’The city?’

Gu Ning froze for a second, then immediately said, "I do!"

For the past few days, Alex and the others had been busy preparing to leave the zone. She had only mentioned her idea to Barto, but she hadn’t specified going into the city, planning instead to just gather some material nearby.

Of course, going into the city would be much better. She was tired of always hiding, of feeling so restricted in everything she did.

Now that Alex had brought it up, the sticky feeling on her skin suddenly seemed much more bearable.

’It’ll be fine once the sweat dries.’

’It’s just...’

’She could smell Alex’s scent on her.’

’She could always smell it before, but never this strongly.’

’Besides, Alex was a very clean Beastman. Even when he was masking her scent, he would always clean them both up afterward.’

’This time...’

Gu Ning swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

’Alex and Barto had to endure the daily assault of her scent. The smell she was dealing with now was nothing compared to what they had to tolerate.’

’After all, their sense of smell was many times more sensitive than hers.’

’I’ll just ask Barto for some perfume later.’

"You don’t like the scent?"

Alex, ever perceptive of her moods, asked.

Gu Ning shook her head. She definitely preferred feeling fresh and clean, but this was necessary to mask her scent. Otherwise, knowing Alex’s habits, he wouldn’t have left her like this.

"Once Lanuo creates a new, effective scent neutralizer, you can have a proper shower."

As he spoke, Alex pulled her deeper into his embrace, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her scent and planting kisses.

Worried that he might want to go again, Gu Ning shifted in his arms, trying to avoid anything that might lead to it.

’Then again,’ she thought, ’we’ll have to take that final step sooner or later, so why not...’

"Let’s wait a little longer." Alex caught Gu Ning’s hand as it reached for his stomach, bringing it to his lips for a tender kiss. "Wait until your body is a bit stronger."

Gu Ning said, "I’m fine now."

She’d felt mostly recovered for the past two days. She didn’t feel any discomfort, her appetite was great, she was just a bit sleepy, often sleeping late into the morning.

"You’re too light," Alex said. "You wouldn’t be able to handle it."

Gu Ning was at a loss for words.

’She felt that Alex was telling the truth.’

"Should we try?" she asked, mustering her courage.

Alex raised an eyebrow, his fingers tracing her waist. "Wasn’t that enough?"

Gu Ning glanced behind her, and all the courage she had just summoned vanished.

’No matter how many times she saw it, it was still intimidating.’

Since Alex wasn’t pushing for it, Gu Ning couldn’t bring herself to be brave either.

’After all, she was already quite satisfied.’

’But it wasn’t right for her to be the only one satisfied. Still, if the alpha wolf wasn’t in a rush, then she didn’t need to be either.’

Gu Ning flopped lazily back onto Alex’s chest. Listening to his heartbeat gradually calm down, she remembered she had something she wanted to talk to him about.

She rehearsed the words in her mind for a moment, then looked up at the alpha wolf.

His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, as though he had already fallen asleep.

If not for his flushed face, the beads of sweat, and his matted, damp hair, it would be hard to tell how ravenously he had just been feasting on her.

’Even though Alex was always very self-controlled when it came to this, and was generally mindful of her feelings even when things got intense, Gu Ning couldn’t help but feel that at a certain point, he was always on the verge of taking that final step.’

’At a certain point, she lost control of herself, so how could a male be expected to...’

’That’s why she had mentally prepared herself for it after choosing to be with Alex. But he always held back, which paradoxically made her feel uneasy.’

’It felt like walking through a minefield. She knew there was a bomb underfoot, but she had no idea when it would explode, and the waiting made her anxious.’

"Can’t sleep?"

Sensing Gu Ning’s gaze, Alex slowly opened his eyes.

Gu Ning slid off him, wrapped the blanket around herself, and scooted over to sit cross-legged near his head. "Alex, I want to talk to you."

Alex automatically corrected her slightly jumbled phrasing in his head and understood what she meant.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Seeing Gu Ning’s serious expression, Alex also sat up, leaning against the headboard to look at the little female.

Gu Ning met his eyes for a moment before looking down and picking at the bedsheet.

The alpha wolf waited patiently for the little human to speak to him.

"Barto..." After a moment of silence, Gu Ning looked up at him and said, "Alex. Barto and I."

Alex reached out to brush away a strand of hair stuck to her face, his voice hoarse but gentle. "I know."

Just as Gu Ning was about to continue, Alex said, "I’ll help you take good care of him."

She looked at Alex in astonishment. "No, I wanted to say... we..."

"I understand." Alex pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. "Choosing a Mixed Breed as a partner isn’t easy. I’ll help you figure things out, so don’t worry too much."

Gu Ning felt like they weren’t talking about the same thing, yet somehow, it sounded like they were.

The speech she had been preparing for days was completely shut down by his words, now seeming entirely redundant.

"In the future, you will have other male partners," Alex told her. "If you can’t handle them, we will be responsible for them together."

Gu Ning’s eyes widened as she stared at him.

Alex said, "Whoever you like, whoever you love, we will be responsible together."

It was an incredibly solemn promise, so weighty that Gu Ning was too shocked to speak, her already shaken worldview on the verge of collapsing.

Although, by the logic of the Beastmen, her own views on male partners were probably far more shocking to them.

But Alex was willing to understand her, to follow her ideals, to support her thoughts and everything about her without shattering them or forcing her to accept his ways—even when it came to her other male partners...

"But," Alex said, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of her lips. "Can I ask for just a little more?"

Gu Ning snapped out of her daze and asked, "More of what?"

"Your love."

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