Darius paused before speaking again. "The explosion was too powerful. My wolf used up all its strength to protect me and is now in deep sleep, so my self-healing ability has weakened too." But he hid an important truth. The blast wounds were only the trigger. The real reason Lorcan fell asleep was that Darius had fought a brutal mental battle inside his mind to suppress "that person." "Do not worry. I'll be fine after some time." Seeing that he wasn't lying, Thora glanced at his injuries and demanded in a low voice, "Then why are you not letting them treat you?" "Because I value my purity," Darius answered seriously. "How can I let anyone other than my mate see my body?" Looking at the man who had wrapped himself up tightly in the blanket, a vein twitched on Thora's forehead."Is something wrong with your brain lately?" "It's fine, except when you were gone, it often stopped working properly and made me feel a little gloomy." Thora didn't bother arguing and reached out to pull away his blanket. In an instant, his fit and well-built body was completely exposed. Thora paused briefly, the corner of her brow lifting almost without notice as her gaze naturally settled on him. Darius's body was impressive. There was not an ounce of extra fat, with smooth and balanced muscle lines and a firmness that was pleasing to look at. She had seen the physiques of many Wolffang Unit members, most of them shaped by years of training, with powerful muscles and tan skin. But Darius had unusually pale skin, even lighter than hers, yet he did not look weak at all. Instead, he had a different kind of appeal. Seeing her stare so openly, Darius teased, "You're gonna burn a hole in me with that stare. Do you like it?" Thora honestly praised him. "You're in good shape." It was the first time she thought pale skin on a man could look this attractive and tempting. Darius smiled with a hint of pride and let her look all she wanted. "My body is yours anyway. You'll be using it someday. I'm glad you like it." Thora was an adult now, and just thinking about that had Darius feeling his head heat up. That also meant there were some things he no longer had to hold back. It was just a pity that he had missed her coming-of-age ceremony. Among werewolves, the coming-of-age ceremony was one of the most important rites, a sign that a pup had stepped out of protection and become a full member of the pack. What he did not know was that in her previous life, Thora had been a commander in an apocalypse, with her eyes only on survival and fighting mutated werewolves. A coming-of-age ceremony was, to her, just another ordinary day. In a ruined world, staying alive was already a luxury, and no one wasted resources on celebrations. Still, Darius had one more question. Now that Thora is grown, her wolf should have recognized her destined mate. So why does she have no reaction to me at all? And why can I still not smell her scent? Could it be that we're really not fated mates? While he was thinking, Thora suddenly grabbed his wrist and pressed her other hand on his shoulder. Before Darius could react, he was forced from sitting into a face-down position. Thora ended up on top of his back, so close that he could feel her warm breath. "Thora ... what are you doing?" Darius's throat grew tight. That position, with her on top of him, was strange. His mind went straight into the gutter. "Don't move," Thora ordered coldly. "If you move even a little, I will dislocate your arm."