Waves of dizziness washed over her.

Only at the edge of her awareness did she hear the male’s words. Her brain took agonizingly long to actually process them.

Meanwhile, she pressed herself even closer against his cool body.

Part of her wanted to pull him fully on top of her.

Every place where they touched sent waves of relief through her overheated body.

A purr vibrated deep inside her chest, coaxing the male to do more.

Her eyes turned watery from unfulfilled need.

Then, shamelessly, her tongue darted out and licked across his finger.

’Ohhh...hmmm...’

How could someone taste so good?

Sweet and salty at once, the flavor of his skin spread across her tongue.

With a soft pop, she pulled his finger fully into her mouth and sucked gently.

This time, a low groan escaped the male above her.

"I didn’t realize you were this naughty," he whispered against her ear, his seductive voice slightly breathless now.

’Wait... what?

Aphrodisiac?’

Some of the haze clouding her mind lifted and she released his finger again. A thin strand of saliva still connected them for one lingering second.

’Oh my god, what am I doing?’

Her rational mind wanted to shove him away.

But another violent wave of heat and dizziness rolled through her body.

"It should be here somewhere."

"I don’t understand. The scent is strongest here, but she’s nowhere to be found."

Suddenly, she became aware of the voices again.

She could see the two males over Lucien’s shoulder now.

But somehow they looked blurry.

As though she were viewing them through warped glass.

"Shhh."

The fox male pressed his finger gently against her lips again.

She could still taste herself on his skin, and lightning shot straight through her core.

Lucien had to use every ounce of self-control not to indulge the lynx female further.

Beneath him, she shifted and writhed against his body, accidentally brushing far too many sensitive places.

The scent pouring from her was nearly enough to drive him insane.

He knew his mother and her female companions occasionally used certain substances to enhance private gatherings.

But they always made sure no one else was nearby.

He had never witnessed the effects of an aphrodisiac on a female before and hadn’t realized the symptoms resembled a female entering heat.

Part of him wondered how exactly Mirabelle had managed to consume one.

The other part of him couldn’t believe his luck.

Others would call it immoral.

But Lucien intended to take full advantage of the situation.

"If you behave," he murmured roughly while continuing to press her tightly against him, "they won’t find us."

He had already woven his magic, making the alcove appear completely empty to the two beastmen outside.

"Maybe she went into one of the rooms."

"Shit... we can’t just walk in there."

"What a fucking waste."

Someone kicked the wall hard enough for the sound to echo through the hallway.

"Hey, calm down. We still have a chance at the ball."

"Tch. You don’t actually believe that."

"I’m at least going to try. Either come with me or stay here."

"Hmmm... fuck, I’m so hard right now..."

’Not just you,’ Lucien thought darkly as he listened to the two males finally walk away.

Beneath him, the female gasped softly.

Her breathing came in short desperate bursts.

And her entire body was burning.

There was something painfully inviting about the way she smelled now — soft, heated, and undeniably fertile beneath the sharp sweetness of lynx pheromones.

Like a broken film reel, the scenes Mirabelle had witnessed earlier kept flashing through her mind.

And in between them, she saw Silas.

Kaelith.

Lucien.

Lucien, who stood directly in front of her now.

Her hand, which had rested against his chest until now, slowly moved upward into his hair. Her thumb brushed along the underside of his fox ear.

The touch shot straight through Lucien and settled painfully low in his body.

"What are you doing to me?" he whispered roughly while inhaling her scent deeply.

But Mirabelle didn’t answer.

She pulled him down toward her and kissed him passionately.

For the briefest second, genuine surprise flickered across the fox male’s face.

Then her lips crashed against his.

Unlike the violent hunger she had shared with Silas, this kiss felt different from the very beginning.

Lucien didn’t immediately take control.

He let her kiss him.

As though savoring the fact that she had chosen this herself.

One of his hands slid to her waist, steady and warm, while the other tilted her chin slightly higher.

The kiss deepened gradually.

Like fire spreading through a dry forest, it set everything inside her ablaze.

A soft sound escaped her when his thumb brushed beneath her jaw.

That was his breaking point.

A low sound rumbled from his chest before he finally kissed her back properly.

Mirabelle wanted more.

But Lucien wanted to savor everything.

Every slow movement of his lips felt intentional, like he was memorizing her reactions piece by piece and storing them away for later.

The hard length of him pressed against her, and her body rubbed instinctively against the pressure with shameless need.

A tiny rational part of her was horrified by what she was doing.

The rest of her was drowning in bliss.

"More," she breathed desperately against his mouth.

One of her hands slid downward, trying to reach for him.

But Lucien caught her wrist firmly before she could.

Regret flickered briefly through his eyes.

"There’s nothing I want more than to let you continue," he admitted hoarsely. "But once that pretty head of yours clears again... you’ll hate me for it."

He flicked lightly against her forehead.

The sharp sting startled her enough that she pulled her hand back immediately, rubbing the sore spot with watery eyes.

She wanted him so badly.

Lucien pulled her tightly against his chest and buried his face against her neck.

He wanted to mark her.

Almost more than he wanted to bury himself inside her.

But somehow, barely, he held himself back.

"I can’t let us do that..." he murmured against her heated skin.

"...But I can help you another way."

A/N: A special thank you to Nimyra for sending me my very first Golden Tickets. ♡ I’m pretty sure the Beast Goddess herself witnessed that moment. (´꒳`)♡