The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 328

Chapter 328: Irreparable Damage

The sigh that followed Drayce’s response was caught by Arlan. Now that they were on the subject, he recalled his friend’s mate was still unmarked despite being married for several months.

"Have you tried to mark Seren as well?" Arlan asked.

"Hmm, and I scared the hell out of her that she could not even bear to look at me back then. My mere presence brought her distress," Drayce replied, his brows creasing at the unsavory memory of the early days of their marriage.

"I guess I was fortunate Oriana was asleep and didn’t realize what I did." Arlan let out a sigh of relief, but there was something else that troubled him. "But it’s strange. There was something different about her tonight which provoked the beast in me to mark her. Something about her..."

"Scent?" Drayce remarked upon seeing Arlan’s confusion.

Arlan thought for a bit before nodding. "Her scent was the same but different, more... tempting? I’m not sure how to put it into words. Back when she was bleeding, her scent was strong enough to the point that being near her drove me crazy, but it was somewhat manageable since I understand that it was the instinct to mate trying to swallow my rationality. But earlier, there was no strong distinction. It’s like, I don’t know, I was enchanted without realizing it."

"It must be her fertile days," Drayce commented, only to get a questioning look from Arlan. "It means she’s ovulating."

"Hmm?"

Drayce sighed helplessly at his friend. "Do I have to keep track of your mate’s monthly cycle or what? Were you not paying attention to biology lessons back in the academy? Can’t you keep track of when she bled and when she would be in her fertile days?"

Arlan scoffed. "Why would I remember that stuff? I’m not a woman. Besides, it’s my first time having a woman and we just started to know each other. How would I know her being in fertile days can affect me like this?"

"You speak as if I have experience with women before marrying Seren."

The two men could only scowl at each other in silence. In fact, neither of them were very knowledgeable in this department. Before meeting their mates, both Drayce and Arlan spent their days either working in the palace or leading armies through the battlefield. Drayce kept away from people in general, much less women, while Arlan briefly interacted with noble ladies only during social gatherings and nothing beyond.

Drayce took great efforts to understand his naive wife after their marriage, educating himself in the process, making him somewhat more informed than his friend.

The young king spoke up first. "Like I said, these must be her most fertile days. With her like this, obviously the beast inside you wants to mate with her."

"What the hell is this?" Arlan spat out in annoyance. "This beast thing is getting more and more annoying. It was not easy for me to control myself when she was bleeding, just as I thought I have several weeks of normalcy, I have to keep her away again?."

"You don’t have to keep her away. You can just control yourself. Trust me you are already doing good. If you say you are a human, then it’s best to act like one and not to let that beast have his way with your woman."

"Do I have any other option? he presence of that inner beast has already inflicted irreparable damage upon my life, and now additional complications are emerging."

"Irreparable damage?" Drayce interjected abruptly.

Arlan fell silent, his gaze shifting to his friend who had caught onto his words uttered in frustration.

"I simply mean that coexisting with him within me is no easy task."

Drayce arched an eyebrow, his tone firm. "I await your honesty."

"That’s the truth, but you just can’t resist prying," Arlan responded, rising to his feet. "I must take my leave now. It’s getting late; you should return to your wife."

Just as Arlan was about to vanish, Drayce called out, "Wait."

"Good night," Arlan bid his final words before vanishing from the scene. _{ƒгeewёbnovel.com}