I Have To Get That Damn Mark!

Primrose raised a brow, playing along. "I suppose my body is too disgusting in your eyes, Your Majesty."

It was his fault for being absolutely terrible at communication. Therefore, Primrose wanted him to suffer more with his thoughts.

[That's not what I mean, wife!]

[I'm the disgusting one, not you!]

Primrose sighed dramatically and hugged herself, subtly pushing her cleavages forward. "But, Your Majesty," she murmured, turning her body to Edmund. "If you don't mark me tonight, everyone will think you despise me. Which … might actually be true."

She let her words linger before adding, "They'll never acknowledge me as their queen because their king refuses to mark her." She met his gaze, her golden eyes gleaming. "I know you hate me, but … can't I at least have some peace in this palace if I decide to stay longer?"

She needed that mark.

If escaping wasn't an option, then she had to find another way to survive here. And that meant ensuring the people in the palace couldn't keep looking down on her.

That meant making Edmund mark her tonight.

[No! I don't hate you, wife!]

[I'm afraid of hurting you…]

[But she's right. How can I expect them to acknowledge her if I don't mark her soon?]

[Afraid of hurting her? I'll just bite her and run away immediately. That's safe, right?]

Wait … was it really this easy to get him to do it?!

If she had known, she would've forced him from the start instead of wasting an entire year walking around with the humiliating title, The Unmarked Queen.

Edmund let out a low breath. His voice suddenly sounded deep and husky, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Turn around," he ordered, "and lower your dress."

He wanted her to be naked?

Well, sure.

In her first life, Edmund had suddenly marked her while she was sleeping, startling her so badly that she reflexively pushed him away.

She had been so scared back then and cried—not because she didn't want her husband to touch her, but because, for a moment, she had thought a stranger had entered her chamber.

When she realized it was Edmund, her panic faded. She had even started to relax, thinking, 'This is it. I'm finally not a virgin anymore.'

But then, he had turned around and left.

Just like that.

He had marked her, then walked away without so much as a glance back, leaving her untouched.

This time, she wouldn't cry.

This time, if he marked her, maybe, just maybe, he would finally take her virginity, too.

She reached for the straps of her nightgown, letting them slip off her shoulders. The silk slid down her arms, pooling at her waist—

But before it could fall completely, Edmund's hand suddenly stopped it.

[No, wife! You can't be naked in front of me!]

Why not?! They were husband and wife, weren't they?

His cold fingers brushed against her arms as he pulled her closer, not roughly, but surprisingly gently.

[She's shivering … My hands must feel freezing to her.]

As Edmund lifted her red hair and leaned in, his warm breath fanned against the back of her neck.

The tension between them was unbearable, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

Her husband … even though he had seemed indifferent to her in her first life, Primrose couldn't deny that, at some point, she had fallen for him.

She didn't even understand how it had happened. It was like an invisible force, a connection she had no control over.

She thought she had buried those feelings long ago. But now, with him this close, her heart was racing so loudly she could hear it.

[Her heart is beating so fast … Is she scared of me?]

[Let's get this over with. I don't want to make her cry.]

Could he, just once, stop expecting the worst?

[Her skin is so soft.]

Before Primrose could brace herself, the Lycan King's sharp teeth sank into her neck, piercing her flesh.

The unbearable pain immediately hit her.

She gasped, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

It hurt. So much that she could feel her body trembling from the sheer intensity of it.

It felt like he wanted to devour her whole.

Why did Lycans have to do something this painful just to claim their mates?

Couldn't they just sign a damn marriage certificate?

She clenched her jaw, her body shuddering as a burning sensation spread from the wound, searing through her veins.

[I hurt my wife …]

[My wife is definitely going to hate me after this.]

It hurt. God, it hurt.

Was this why Edmund had marked her while she was asleep in her first life? So she wouldn't have to feel how excruciating it was?

"Your Majesty, are you done?" Primrose hissed.

"Not yet." His voice was low, almost hesitant, before his lips brushed against her skin.

Edmund's tongue slid over the fresh wound, lapping up the blood with slow, deliberate movements. His tongue was rough, but he was … careful. Almost as if he was trying to soothe her.

And it worked.

The burning pain dulled, replaced by a cool, tingling sensation that spread across her skin.

By the time he pulled away, the wound barely hurt at all.

Did his saliva heal her?

Lycans really were built differently.

[I'm acting like an animal. My wife must be disgusted by me.]

Disgusted?

He just healed her, so why would she be disgusted?

Before she could even process what had happened, another sensation spread through her body. Warm, restless, hot.

It was familiar. Too familiar.

Oh. Oh no.

She was still a virgin, but that didn't mean she was clueless about her own body.

This feeling ... this was horny.

If she, a human, was already this affected, then ...

What about Edmund?

Lycans were known for having much stronger desires than humans, so—

[FUCK! BONER, STAY DOWN!]

Yeah. He was definitely suffering more than her.

"Your Majesty—"

She barely got the words out before he ran.

Not walked. Not stepped back. Bolted.

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving her alone.

Alone, with the throbbing sensation between her legs.

… Was he really that terrified of fucking her?!