Chapter 576: The Beginning of the End

Then, with all the care he could give despite the storm inside him, he parted his lips and gently sank his fangs into the back of her neck.

Rose gasped softly, her fingers instantly clutching the front of his shirt.

A sharp sting spread through her neck, followed by a strange warmth that flowed through her entire body like a gentle current. It raced through every part of her, making her knees weaken.

Edmond held her close, supporting her before she could lose her balance. "It’s alright," he whispered against her hair. "I’m here."

As quickly as it had begun, he withdrew his fangs and pressed a tender kiss over the fresh mark.

The mark glowed faintly for a brief moment before fading into a delicate symbol that rested against her skin.

Edmond rested his forehead against hers, his breathing still uneven from the intensity of his rut.

Rose was just as overwhelmed as he was. The effect of the Lycan’s mark made her entire body burn with heat, leaving her desperate for his touch.

She turned her head and captured Edmond’s lips in another kiss. She didn’t even mind as his hands explored every part of her body, slowly building the pleasure inside her.

Rose grabbed the front of Edmond’s shirt and pulled hard, sending the buttons scattering across the floor. The moment her palms touched the firm muscles of his chest, her heartbeat quickened, and the longing inside her only deepened.

The gentle kiss slowly became filled with passion. Both of them acted as though they wanted to devour each other.

She even spread her legs for him, giving him complete access to her body.

"It might hurt a little," Edmond warned as he positioned himself at her entrance.

Rose looked into his eyes and smiled gently. "I can handle it."

She was indeed able to handle the pain, but she wasn’t able to handle the pleasure he gave her. Her body trembled beneath his touch, while Edmond’s thoughts slowly dissolved beneath the pull of his rut and the warmth of the woman he loved.

He filled her again and again, yet it never felt like enough. Rose certainly didn’t seem satisfied either, even though she had reached heaven over and over again.

The rut lasted for an entire week.

On the second day, several villagers came to check on them, worried that something terrible had happened since neither of them had stepped outside.

With flushed cheeks and slightly shaky legs, Rose opened the door just enough to peek outside.

"I accidentally caught my husband’s flu as well," she said with an awkward smile. "It would be better if we stayed away from everyone for a few more days."

The villagers immediately believed her. Feeling sorry for the couple, they left baskets of fresh food outside the house every day.

Rose couldn’t help feeling guilty for lying to such kind people. But that guilt quickly disappeared every time Edmond drew her back into his embrace.

When Edmond’s rut finally came to an end, the two of them stepped outside the house for the first time in a week.

For some reason, they looked different.

Their faces seemed brighter, and the happiness in their eyes was impossible to hide. Even the villagers noticed that the young couple looked closer than ever.

And around three weeks later, Rose discovered that she was pregnant.

The news left Edmond stunned for a long moment before a wide smile spread across his face. He carefully knelt in front of her, gently placing his hand on her still-flat stomach, almost afraid that he might wake the tiny life growing inside.

From that day on, he worked even harder in the fields.

From sunrise until sunset, he rarely stopped to rest. Every harvest was carefully divided. Some was stored in hidden places around the forest to prepare for the future, while the rest was kept at home.

Even so, whenever a villager ran out of food because of a poor harvest, Edmond never hesitated to share what he had.

"We’ll find another way," he would always say with a smile.

Little by little, the couple became beloved by the entire village.

Rose often helped the other women cook, sew clothes, and care for the children. Edmond helped repair houses, hunt wild animals, and plow the fields whenever someone needed an extra pair of hands.

None of them disliked the young couple. Instead, they became the kind of people everyone wanted as neighbors.

Months later, Rose gave birth to a healthy baby girl and the whole village celebrated her birth.

The villagers decorated the square with flowers, prepared a grand feast, and took turns bringing gifts for the newborn.

Even the elderly women insisted on taking turns helping Rose care for the baby so she could rest.

Primrose, who witnessed everything, couldn’t help but feel warmth filling her heart as well. After all, seeing Rose give birth to a baby girl was the same as watching her own child being born.

For a while, it truly felt as though they had finally found a place where they belonged.

===

One year, during the village’s annual feast, Rose joined the other women in preparing the food.

She was stirring a large pot of boiling soup when someone accidentally bumped into her.

The pot tilted and scalding hot water splashed across the back of her hand.

Several women cried out in shock. "Rose!"

Before anyone could rush over, the reddened skin healed before their very eyes. The burn disappeared within seconds, leaving behind smooth, unmarked skin.

Everyone fell into a long silence. They stared at Rose as if they were looking at a stranger.

Moments later, someone took a frightened step backward. "A witch."

The whisper spread through the crowd like wildfire. "She’s a witch!"

"I knew something was strange about her!"

One of the older villagers suddenly widened his eyes. "Wait... I remember!"

Everyone turned toward him. "A few years ago, the Cardinal of the Sorex Kingdom came to every nearby village looking for the Saintess."

His voice trembled as he continued. "He said a Lycan had kidnapped the Saintess and that the Saintess possessed the power to heal herself."

Another villager slowly nodded as the memory returned. "That’s right..."

"The Cardinal also said..." he whispered, "...that anyone who brought the Saintess back to the kingdom could ask for anything they wanted."

"Anything."

The kitchen fell deathly silent once again.

This time, the way the villagers looked at Rose had completely changed. Gone were the warmth and kindness that had once filled their eyes.

In their place was something far more frightening: Greed.