The Villainess Winning Back Her Beast Husbands-Chapter 124: Shy Lachlan Isn’t Shy

Evangeline could feel Caden Albright’s scorching gaze branded on her back, but she never once looked back.

As a gold-medal employee of the Transmigration Administration Bureau’s "Lineage Optimization Department," she had long since engraved the first rule of the High-Risk Mission Manual into her very bones: Emotional projection is the single crack that can cause the dam of professional integrity to burst.

She had seen too many colleagues fall, from rookies to other swift and decisive gold-medal employees like herself. They had all willingly shed their system buffs, becoming nothing more than ephemeral mayflies in these little worlds, living and dying in a single day.

Compassion and emotional attachment are a book traveler’s most fatal flaws.

These seemingly harmless emotions would erode her reason, ultimately causing her to make poor judgments.

’Suppressing one’s humanity with rules—that is what a qualified operative must do.’

’She would never let herself get complacent, even if this was supposed to be a cushy assignment.’

*

The bamboo house Lachlan had built was steeped in his unique, crisp scent.

The new bamboo still had a frosty sheen, and the bamboo table and bed were fitted together seamlessly. It really wasn’t lacking anything.

Evangeline padded barefoot across the bamboo floor, which made a soft creaking sound.

She suddenly glanced back over her shoulder, the ends of her hair sweeping in a half-circle. Her eyes fell on Lachlan’s figure, frozen in the doorway. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he seemed to know what was about to happen, his entire body radiating a restless anxiety.

"What are you spacing out for? Come here."

Evangeline sat on the bamboo bed, her fingertips lightly tracing the grain of the green bamboo before she tapped it twice, nonchalantly.

She crossed her long legs, revealing skin as smooth and lustrous as jade. With a slightly raised brow and glistening eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played on her lips—playful and utterly alluring.

Lachlan’s throat tightened, his well-defined fingers unconsciously digging into his palms.

The rich, potent Spirit Rice Wine hadn’t been enough to intoxicate him, but a single, soft call from Evangeline made his very soul tremble.

As if pulled by invisible strings, he moved to stand before her, their silhouettes swaying and intertwining in the soft halo of light.

Evangeline looked up into his eyes. Her fingertip slithered like a snake, lightly tracing the firm muscles of his waist and abdomen, lingering over his taut V-lines. The moment her hand slipped beneath his waistband, Lachlan’s back went rigid.

He shuddered, a suppressed groan escaping his throat. His knuckles clenched tightly, and the stray hairs on his forehead, now damp with sweat, betrayed the utter chaos he was desperately trying to contain.

He finally looked drunk, a peachy flush blooming at the corners of his eyes and burning all the way from his eyelids to the tips of his ears.

Evangeline’s voice was at once delicate and bewitching, soft and seductive. "How about we take a bath together?"

Lachlan’s composure crumbled with her every move. His breathing grew ragged and chaotic, veins faintly visible beneath his pale skin as a tingling pleasure shot straight to his tailbone.

Evangeline’s lips curled into a slight smile, her eyes filled with cunning. ’Innocent Beastmen really can’t handle the slightest bit of teasing.’

With a flick of her finger, his sash fell away. Before Lachlan could react, she had pulled him into the steaming tub. Water splashed everywhere, and his pale skin instantly flushed red.

Evangeline leaned in, her arms wrapping around his tense midsection, and felt his heart hammering wildly.

Lachlan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. In the steam, those eyes that were always so cool and distant were now filled with panic and helplessness.

Evangeline chuckled. "I forgot. Big cats don’t like water."

Lachlan’s long, flaxen hair clung wetly to the side of his neck, droplets collecting on his eyelashes. His usual cool, languid demeanor had melted away in the steam. Gazing at Evangeline pressed against him, his Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty.

Evangeline leaned down, her red lips pressing against the scar on his neck. With a touch of tenderness, her kiss traced past the small pool of water collected in the hollow of his shoulder.

Everywhere she touched, a wildfire sparked. With every breath, Lachlan let out a suppressed gasp.

When Evangeline’s lips met his, Lachlan’s defenses finally crumbled completely. His long fingers gripped her waist, his long lashes trembling as their wet hair tangled together. He responded with an inexperienced yet fervent passion, their ragged breaths mingling in the dense steam.

"Are you willing to form a Contract with me?" Evangeline asked, glancing at him with an extremely serious tone.

Hearing her words, a blood-red tide surged within Lachlan’s grayish-brown eyes. He stared deeply at Evangeline, his normally clear and ethereal voice now incredibly hoarse. "I am willing."

The moment the Contract was formed, a clean Snow Leopard Contract Pattern appeared on Evangeline’s waist.

On Lachlan’s neck, the Red Fox once again coiled. His trembling fingertips stroked the crimson mark, and the Red Fox Contract Mark seemed to recognize him, glowing with a flowing light that mirrored the shimmer in his eyes.

The next moment, Lachlan scooped Evangeline up into his arms.

Though he wasn’t exceptionally muscular, his arms were steady and strong. His skin, heated by the steam, radiated a scorching temperature. Without pausing, he walked straight toward the bamboo bed.

Evangeline was slightly surprised. ’After renewing our Contract, he’s actually taking the initiative.’

The cool, hard bamboo planks sent a chill through her skin.

In a matter like this, Evangeline naturally couldn’t let Lachlan turn the tables on her. She hooked her arms around his neck and left a series of amorous love bites on its side. Lachlan’s back tensed, as if a great wave was building inside him, suppressed.

What followed happened as a matter of course. The bamboo bed began to creak, protesting under their weight.

They say the slower the wine hits you, the more staggering the kickback.

A series of broken moans escaped Evangeline’s throat, her cheeks flushed crimson.

She dazedly lifted her gaze, her narrow eyes reflecting Lachlan’s grayish-brown ones. This Beastman, who used to blush to his ears just from making eye contact, was now filled with aggression, not a trace of his shyness remaining.

Sensing her gaze, Lachlan’s eyes darkened, his pupils contracting into vertical slits in the heat of passion.

He didn’t pull away. Instead, a series of soft pops sounded from his bones as, in the blink of an eye, he transformed into an elegant Snow Leopard. His tail coiled around her slender waist, flipping her over with irresistible force. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Lachlan’s sharp, white fangs gently nipped the nape of Evangeline’s neck. Each thrust was accompanied by the characteristic purr of a feline Beastman, which mingled with her whimpers to weave a rhythm that would make anyone blush.

After what felt like an eternity, long before Evangeline’s gasps had subsided, Lachlan suddenly froze.

Evangeline glanced over and saw that his body was burning hot, his beast form rigid.

Lachlan’s grayish-brown Beast Eyes contracted sharply. The five-pointed Star Pattern on his forehead began to twist and churn like boiling water. He threw his neck back in agony as his bones let out a series of grating cracks.

Evangeline watched as the Star Pattern on his forehead suddenly split and expanded—the five points multiplying into seven!

’So the Spirit Rice Wine wasn’t ineffective after all,’ she thought. ’It was just accumulating power, waiting for the right catalyst to erupt.’

Lachlan’s Star Pattern evolution didn’t last long. He shifted back to his human form, his palm gripping Evangeline’s waist firmly.

In a dizzying flip, he rolled them over so that Evangeline was straddling him. The jade ornament in her hair made a clear, pleasant tinkling sound, just like it had when they first met.

’The young man leaning against the tree, so cool and languid, so utterly pristine... just like an unforgettable, idealized love.’

"A gift for you."

Evangeline’s lips curled. With a flick of her wrist, a photograph appeared between her fingers.

Lachlan’s beast ears were still perked up. When he saw the image in the photograph, his breath hitched.

On the peak of a snow-capped mountain, the setting sun slid down a ridge, casting a tall, slender figure into a solitary, striking silhouette against the crimson-gold snow.

The tips of Lachlan’s ears twitched. He recognized the familiar silhouette in the photo.

It was him.