Something seemed off about Marcus today. Ever since they'd gone out that morning, he hadn't missed a single chance to get close to her. If he wasn't holding her hand, he was pulling her into his arms. Emma tilted her head, worry flickering in her eyes as she studied his cold, handsome face. "Are you feeling unwell, Marcus?" "No, I feel great." He frowned slightly upon hearing her question. "Are you feeling unwell, Ms. Tibarn?" Was he doing it all wrong and making her uncomfortable? He found it nice, though. "I'm fine," Emma quickly said, shaking her head. Her confusion only deepened. After all, he seemed fine physically. Was he going through a heat period?She heard that males had such cycles. If they could not mate during their cycles, they would have to suppress the urge. By doing so, they'd cling to her endlessly—just like what Marcus was doing now. Emma found this risky. She was just about to pull away when Marcus' hand wrapped around her waist, keeping her close. He held a freshly picked fruit in his other hand. Emma didn't look uneasy, so he figured she was fine with it. The book claimed that as long as she seemed to be enjoying it, he was allowed to kiss her. Marcus gulped as he stared at Emma's soft lips, wondering if she'd get angry if he kissed her out of nowhere. He lifted the two red fruits. "Would you like to try one, Ms. Tibarn?" Emma looked at the fruit, still glistening with morning dew.After a moment's hesitation, she leaned forward and took a small bite. The sweet juice burst in her mouth, staining the corner of her lips red. Marcus' fingertips brushed against her mouth, tracing the crimson stain lightly. At the same time, he narrowed his eyes like a snow wolf watching its prey. "You've got some on you, Ms. Tibarn," he muttered in a low, husky voice. Following that, he quickly leaned in. The moment his lips touched hers, Emma tasted the faint sweetness of fruit still lingering on her mouth, but that sweetness was quickly shattered by Marcus' forceful kiss. His tongue swept deftly across the corner of her lips, wiping away the sweet juice. Just as he was about to pull back, he deliberately nipped at her lower lip. Emma's breath faltered. His kiss carried the chill of ice and snow, yet the heat between their lips was scorching.One of his hands held the back of her neck, the other gripped her waist, trapping her firmly between himself and the tree. The rough bark scraped her back, but it couldn't compare to the burning pressure of his body. Marcus' gaze and the cool brush of his touch made her tremble more than the taste of any fruit could. "Emma! I found a bunch of little fruits over here!" Aria's voice came from nearby, snapping Emma back to her senses. She quickly pushed Marcus away. "We're outside. Behave yourself. Even if you're experiencing a heat period, you'll have to keep it to yourself." Emma had no intention of playing any kind of wild game in a place like this. As soon as she finished speaking, she called out, "Aria, we've found plenty of fruit here too!" A heat period? Is she talking about me? I'm not in my heat period, though.After being pushed away, Marcus obediently stood beside her again. His tongue flicked over his lips, quietly tasting them. Her scent still lingered there. In that instant, Marcus felt as if his sense of taste had come back to life. Ms. Tibarn tastes so sweet! … Inside the resting cabin, Corvin sat on the couch, diligently studying the new material Silas had given him. In the corner, a little pink rabbit was sneakily peeking at its own lightcore. He thought the first two materials Silas had given him were spicy enough, but these new links were even more explicit. He could already feel his heat period coming early. And so, within the resting cabin, the pale-blue liger beast and the fluffy pink rabbit each kept to themselves in eerie silence.As the sky gradually darkened, Corvin finally received a message from Lucien. Lucien didn't immediately question him about why he had sent those links. Instead, he first asked, 'Has Edric woken up?' Seeing his message, Corvin instantly sat up straight on the couch. 'No, he hasn't. I don't think he'll be waking up today.' He added, 'Also, I didn't mean to send you those messages earlier this morning! Cotton Candy was messing around with my lightcore and accidentally sent you that.' Cotton Candy was Emma's new pet. She had already introduced the little bunny in the group chat, so both Lucien and Silas knew about it. But for Lucien, whether those links had been 'accidentally' sent by Cotton Candy or not didn't really matter. Lucien asked, 'Where did you get those inappropriate links? Who else did you send them to?'Didn't I make it clear already? Why is he still so hung up on it? Frustrated, Corvin grabbed Cotton Candy and gave the poor rabbit a rough rub. "This is all your fault! How am I supposed to explain myself now?" Malrik was speechless.