Chapter 47

Around eleven at night, Wright returned to his chambers.

The walk from Mu Chen’s room wasn’t long, about five minutes, but when Wright sat down in his office chair, he’d never been so grateful for a padded seat.

He leaned back against the cushion and, without thinking, pulled a pack of cigarettes from the drawer.

“Click,”

The bright ember lit up half of Wright’s face. The bitter taste of tobacco spread between his lips, and only then did he realize how addictive nicotine could be, especially when someone was troubled by their thoughts.

Wright pictured Mu Chen’s blue eyes drooping slightly when he’d said he needed to go out and take care of a few things. It felt as though someone had squeezed his heart, leaving it sore and aching. At the time, he’d almost been unable to resist going over to hug Mu Chen and tell him, “I’m not leaving.”

But what had happened in the pool was still vivid in his mind. Just thinking about it made the tips of Wright’s ears burn. Heat flared in his lower abdomen, and an electric current seemed to run through that area, bringing an indescribable ache. He frowned and pressed his thighs together. The feeling that no part of his body belonged to him was simply...

Too strange.

Perhaps the merman’s pheromones had affected him. He’d been almost unable to control himself, and by the end, he’d even lost track of time.

And according to Cole, a merman’s courtship period lasted about seven days. For a male merman like Mu Chen, it might last even longer...