Chapter 122: Intimate

That fragrance was entirely different from her usual body scent—richer, infinitely more tantalizing, and so addictive that inhaling it left his throat uncomfortably dry.

It was as though a primal, genetic instinct deep within him had been forcefully unlocked.

Bunny maintained an entirely tranquil expression. "It’s just the scent of my body wash."

She had already injected suppressants in advance; how on earth did this hound have such a terrifyingly sharp nose?

All the way back to the Sentinel Tower, Brandon hovered around her, sniffing incessantly. Bunny eventually retreated into her own room, locking every last Sentinel outside under the pretense of needing undisturbed rest, strictly forbidding anyone from coming to bother her.

The pack of Sentinels exchanged bewildered glances, though considering Bunny had just survived a harrowing ordeal in the radiation zone, taking time to rest was only reasonable.

Having completed a non-stop, week-long mission, everyone was thoroughly exhausted. They retired to their respective quarters to recuperate, yet when dinnertime rolled around, Bunny had still not emerged.

In the kitchen, Xander was preparing a pot of steaming clam soup, while the oven baked a warm cinnamon apple tart—Bunny’s absolute favorite treat.

A man’s refined intuition warned him that something was off with Bunny, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

"Hahaha...!"

Crisp, boisterous laughter echoed from the outdoor courtyard.

Orion, Illai, Rain, and Brandon were splashing around in the swimming pool, hurling a play ball back and forth across the water. Arden, possessing feline traits, refused to get anywhere near the water.

Tyr shared a similar sentiment; avian species generally detested dampening their pristine plumage.

Consequently, Tyr sat on the poolside deck acting as the designated referee—though strictly speaking, he had been coerced into it. Astin and Kai, close friends reunited after a prolonged separation, naturally had a mountain of brotherhood topics to catch up on.

With San fast asleep, Tyr was the only option left for referee duty. After all, not a single soul possessed the suicidal courage to disturb Cyrus.

Cyrus had always held utter disdain for participating in such childish games.

The rules were simple: a hit to an opponent’s face earned a point, while having a shot intercepted resulted in a deduction.

Clad only in swim trunks, the four men took immense delight in the match, their sculpted abs and chests gleaming under the sun.

Taking the offensive, Illai executed a powerful shoulder spike, slamming the ball straight at Brandon and knocking him headfirst into the water.

Tyr silently recorded a point on the tally.

Rain retrieved the ball from the pool and launched a tricky curve shot. Orion attempted to intercept it, but his reaction was half a beat too slow, resulting in the ball smacking him right on the forehead.

Tyr silently deducted a point.

Illai hauled Orion out of the water, shaking his head in fond frustration. "Dumbass."

Xander neatly plated the freshly simmered clam soup, vegetable baked rice, and fruit tart, instructing Sunny to deliver the meal to Bunny’s room—respecting her request that no Sentinels disturb her.

Rolling its plump body, Sunny knocked lightly on Bunny’s door.

Inside, Bunny was thoroughly consumed by frustration.

Calculating her menstrual cycle, she realized her heat cycle aligned perfectly with her ovulatory phase, sparking an ominous premonition.

Was every single future heat cycle going to overlap with her ovulation window?!!

Alion’s words still echoed ominously in her mind. "If you still choose to force your way through using suppressants, once the medication wears off, the backlash will strike with double the intensity."

She harbored a few private, sensitive questions she wanted to ask Rin—such as whether physical intimacy would instantly conclude the heat cycle—yet that "living encyclopedia" was nowhere to be found, completely out of reach.

Opening the door, Bunny was greeted by Sunny presenting the tray, its display screen shifting to a cute, cheerful emoticon:

"Guide Bunny, time for dinner!"

A soft laugh escaped Bunny’s lips, but in the very next second, that terrifyingly familiar wave of heat surged forth once again. The excruciating memories of last night’s torment rushed back in vivid detail.

Dealing with periods was annoying enough on its own; now being a Guide came with this wretched heat cycle? Ah, screw it all—let the whole world burn!

After a moment of deliberate thought, Bunny instructed Sunny:

"Sunny, bring Liam here to my room."

The little robot obediently rolled away.

When Liam arrived at Bunny’s quarters, she had already collapsed onto the floor.

Panicking, he scooped her into his arms and prepared to sprint toward the medical bay, only for Bunny to gather her last remaining strength to deliver a sharp smack to his head:

"Take me... take me to the shower..."

Only then did Liam tardily realize that the concentration of Guide pheromones on Bunny had reached an intoxicating, frantic level, saturating the entire room with an aphrodisiac scent lethal to any Sentinel.

The suppressants had officially worn off. After weighing her choices, Bunny concluded that Liam—being her legitimate boyfriend, naturally simple-minded, and devoid of hidden malice—was the most suitable choice to call.

Liam’s throat felt bone-dry. "Bunny, you..."

No matter how naive he was, he understood that Bunny had entered her special period. Without a second thought, he carried her into the bathroom, scrubbing his girl thoroughly from top to bottom like scrubbing a radish, leaving her spotlessly clean.

He even took the opportunity to wash himself squeaky clean as well.

Then, with lightning speed, he slithered into his wife’s warm, fragrant blanket like a slick eel.

Bunny’s flushed face grew even more deeply crimson from the lingering steam. Guided by the comforting scent of Sentinel pheromones, she took the initiative to throw her arms around Liam.

Now, the two were truly "frank and unfiltered" with each other.

Beneath the heavy quilt, with every stitch of clothing stripped away, they could sense everything belonging to the other with razor-sharp precision.

Even the subtlest shift or quiver was magnified to the absolute limit against their tightly pressed skin.

Bunny wrapped her arms around Liam’s neck, his dark hair still damp at the roots with lingering drops of warm water and heat. Squeezing her eyes shut, she quietly absorbed his scalding body temperature and the rapid, heavy thrum of his heartbeat.

A woman’s frame was naturally soft—so soft she felt like a pool of autumn water that could never be contained.

Her curves rippled like gentle mountain crests, an ethereal flower in a mirror, a translucent moon reflected in water.

Her skin was radiantly fair, like snow bathed in fresh milk.

Deep within Liam’s eyes, a dangerous fire caught spark. That body fragrance—infinitely richer and more potent than usual—was relentlessly invading and dismantling his remaining sanity at every single second.

Desire was a poppy’s addiction.

Once touched, one would succumb and sink hopelessly into its grip without restraint.