“A-Althea?!”

 

Brought down to the bed, I was given a taste of how it felt to be pinned. Given my size and frame, this was probably the first time in my life that I had been pushed down. However, the person that brought me down wasn’t a top-tier sumo wrestler, and neither was it a brown bear. It was the feeble young lady that I called my girlfriend.

 

“W-What are you doing?”

 

“Desir… Isn’t it time?”

 

Time for what? That question never did leave my mouth. I knew very well what Althea’s intentions were. One could even say that I was expecting it. It was just… I didn’t have the courage to face it.

 

“We’ve been dating for two months now. I know that you’re a gentleman, but even I have my limits, you know?”

 

“... I wasn’t trying to be a gentleman.” I shook my head, denying Althea’s subtle hint of praise. No, there was probably a line of condemnation as well. For the fact that I’d made her, the lady in the relationship, make the first move.

 

“Ever since you told me about your past with Paul, I had been careful not to cross your boundaries. I didn’t want to freak you out and scare you away. I didn’t want to repeat your trauma.”

 

I wasn’t kidding.

 

Althea was a victim of a sexual assault. That mental blow she suffered had even forced her to develop a painful androphobia. One so bad that she wasn’t able to remain in the dorms and had to move away from school.

 

It took Althea over a year to cure her fear of men. And to a certain extent, I knew that I was part of her recovery. If the person she trusted most tried to initiate a physical relationship the same way that Paul had… I was afraid that Althea might think less of me.

 

Alas, my worries were unfounded.

 

“I don’t care about Paul anymore!” Althea exclaimed, her hot breath spewing all over my face. “I hardly even think about him; rather, I’ve even begun to forget how he looked. Right now… All I care about is to bond with the person I love. Is that too much to ask?”

 

This lass…

 

Althea’s emerald eyes pierced through my very core. I felt my heart waver and my worries fade away. Compared to her determination, my fears were nothing more than chickens waiting to be killed.

 

Althea, she…

 

She’s already putting forth everything that she had.

 

If I were to deny her now… What kind of man would I be?

 

I grabbed onto her dainty white shoulders and twisted my body with hers. This time, I was the one on top. An agitated yelp, no, an expectant cry escaped from Althea’s mouth. She didn’t care that a bulky man was straddling her. She didn’t bother with the fact that a muscular hand was pushing her down.

 

With Althea pinned under me, I was able to see a whole new side of Althea, one that I’d never experienced before. Luscious black strands of hair flowed out like tendrils of life from the valley of dreams. Her little face was blushed red, an assortment of emotions permeating out from her agitated warmth. The colours of her eyes, lips and skin were now more defined, making the girl look far more alluring than that of any woman in existence.

 

I traced my index finger down her pristine cheeks and down the white neck that would make any swan jealous. Althea jerked at my touch, but it wasn’t because she was scared. It was because she was eagerly awaiting what’s to come.

 

When I left my finger just inches away from her covered bosom, I felt a knot develop in my throat. This perfect face… This elegant neck… These perky breasts… This decanter waist… These snowy, plump legs… They were all going to be mine to enjoy.

 

No man in existence could resist this urge. But to be certain, I held back my raging desires and looked to Althea, hoping to seek one final affirmation, and...

 

All I saw in her gorgeous, ethereal eyes… Was joy and hope.

 

“No man in the world can resist you if you say that, Althea.”

 

“I didn’t want you to resist me in the first place.”

 

“Don’t hold me responsible if you turn me into a wolf, okay?”

 

“I’ve been waiting for you to turn into a wolf for months...”

 

It was decided.

 

I was going to turn into a man tonight.

 

“Hold on, let me get something.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Leaving the poor girl who’d thought we would get right into the action, I reached into the deepest recesses of my bag and pulled out the box that Len had so generously ‘gifted’ me. Althea was confused at first, but when she saw the label on her pack, her face immediately turned crimson.

 

“D-Desir… I didn’t think that you were already expecting this to happen.”

 

“No, I didn’t.” I honestly admitted. “Len gave this to me. He said that it might come in handy and for the first time… I guess he was right.”

 

I had to give credit where credit was due. I didn’t think that I would use this box at all, and if it weren’t for Len, I would be unprepared when the time came.

 

But just before I could unwrap the purple box…

 

“Desir, wait… We don’t need that today.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“T-Today… It’s fine without protection.”

 

Ah, could this be her safe day? Hold on a second. Did Althea choose today because she knew that this was going to happen? Looks like I’ve severely underestimated her resolve.

 

“There’s still a chance,” I protested. “One can never be too careful. You’re still young, Althea. I wouldn’t want to ruin your future.”

 

“... I’m glad that you think that much about me, but I’ve been dreaming about this day for a long time.” Althea reached out to my hand with the box and gently pried it out from my grasp. Shaking her head, she continued:

 

“I want my first time to be without barriers. I want to be as deeply connected with you as possible. I… want to mark you with everything that I have.”

 

Althea spewed out some embarrassing words before looking at the box in disdain. “And if you used this… I feel like our first magical night together would be ruined.”

 

“Althea!”

 

With those words, my reason snapped. I flung the petite young girl down on the bed and immediately mounted her. Althea was surprised at first, but a knowing smile quickly replaced her shock.

 

“Althea… Are you trying to drive me insane?”

 

“Hehe, it would be better if you were.”

 

Fanning the flames in my loins, Althea wrapped her arms around my neck and held my knees with her legs. And to deal the final blow, she leaned in close to my ears and whispered the words that would break my sanity.

 

“Come Desir… Let’s become one.”

❖❖❖

The next morning…

 

My vision was blurry. Light from the morning sun beamed through our drawn curtains, warming up my face and, therefore, slowly waking me up. The drowsiness that overtook my consciousness was being melted away, and my mind gradually became active again.

 

And the first thing I felt…

 

My body was aching. It was the first time I’d ever felt this kind of soreness. There wasn’t any piercing pain or inflamed agony. Rather… The pain was somewhat pleasant.

 

And it wasn’t long until I realised that my left arm was being hammered down by an amazing weight. I tried to move my fingers, but they barely reacted. With my vision returning, I turned to the source of the gravitational pull and saw…

 

A goddess.

 

A perfect beauty, snoozing away while using my left arm as a pillow. Her shoulders were covered by a blanket, but it was almost certain that she was naked from the neck down. No, by retracting my left arm, I could feel the entirety of her back with my skin, so it was certain that she was in her birthday suit. And it was then…

 

That my memory came back.

 

Last night… Althea and I crossed the final border.

 

It was all coming back to me now. The things that we did… The things that I did to her… The things that she did to me… Everything had become crystal clear in my memories.

 

… The human body really was magical.

 

How were we able to do all that even though it was our first time? I did train my body regularly, but to think that it could last for that long… Althea’s body was an even more magical wonder. How could her petite self take everything that I threw at her? There was even a point when she was the one leading the charge!

 

I shyly pulled the blanket and examined the exposed girl to confirm that it wasn't a dream. No, at this point, she should be called a full-fledged woman.

 

And as I’d anticipated, there were some red markings on her chest. I didn’t dare to look further down, but I knew that the red marks didn’t stop there. There were probably even some… below her waist.

 

B-But that’s not important! I sat up abruptly, and as my consciousness became clearer, I could feel itches throughout my body.

 

“What’s this?”

 

I glanced down at my own body, only to be stunned by the state of it. The number of red marks far surpassed that of Althea’s body! For comparisons, Althea looked like she had walked into a summer tent and got bitten by a dozen mosquitoes. But in my case, it seemed like I had full-on chicken pox!

 

There was no way that I could hide all of these marks!

 

However, just as I was about to complain further, I remembered Althea’s actions last night. She wanted to mark me, she wanted to possess me… She wanted the whole world to know that I was her man.

 

That excessive possessiveness was unlike Althea’s prim and proper behaviour. That goes to show how much the girl actually treasured me. How much she desired me. How much… She loved me.

 

And that thought made me chuckle.

 

“Mmmm...”

 

A moan emerged from my left, drawing my attention away from the numerous red marks on my body. I turned around and saw Althea’s crystal clear, emerald eyes slowly flickering open. Watching her slowly get up like a lazy cat, I brought my hand over and stroked her hair.

 

Seeking the warmth my hand provided, Althea, purred and touched her cheeks against my palm. This simple action triggered my playfulness, and I coiled my body against hers. With one hand still stroking her head, I leaned in and stole her lips.

 

Last night, we exchanged kisses countless times, and even in her drowsy state, Althea’s body could still react accordingly. Pecks and slurps continued to resonate through the debaucherous room until my partner finally woke up from her stupor.

 

“Good morning, Princess.”

 

“M-Morning...”

 

Althea sheepishly hid in my chest, seemingly in embarrassment after remembering her actions last night. Ashamed, the girl tried to pull herself away from me, and I kindly obliged. As she sat up, Althea wrapped half of the blanket around her chest while leaving the other half for me to cover my groin. After she gathered herself, Althea began to pry:

 

“A-About yesterday… Could you forget some of it?”

 

“Why? Do you regret it?”

 

“N-No! I’m delighted that we finally did it; it’s just...” Althea’s face boiled red before finally continuing. “I did many unladylike things… I was far too forward… It’s just...”

 

I could roughly guess what Althea’s mental conundrum was. Jesus, you didn’t have to be that flustered. I didn’t care if you were a perfect lady or not. And the things we did… While strange, I was perfectly okay with them.

 

“There’s no way I can forget.”

 

“D-Desir?!”

 

“No,” I leaned towards her ear and whispered with the most seductive voice I had: “Let’s do it more next time.”

 

“Hic!!!”

 

Unable to bear it anymore, Althea yelped like a bird in fright. At this point, her face was beyond red and was borderline turning maroon. Without looking back, the girl fled from the bed and ran straight to the bathroom.

 

Goodness… Althea, how were you going to shower without a towel and a change of clothes?

 

Were you that taken aback about last night?

 

Holding back my laughter, I got out Althea’s change of clothes that she’d prepared last night and left it on the door of the bathroom.

❖❖❖

Later that morning...

 

“Desir! You’re late!”

 

After checking out from the hotel, I drove Althea straight to Len’s childhood home to pick the couple up as planned. They stood out at the gate, awaiting our arrival. Given that the scheduled pick-up time was eight and it was already eight-thirty… They had every reason to be mad.

 

“Sorry, it took some time to check out.”

 

“You’re lucky that our train doesn’t leave until eleven, besides...”

 

Len nagging paused for a moment as he finally settled down in the back seat. Sienna was the same; she looked at us with peering eyes, like a lioness examining its prey. And it didn’t help that Althea was blushing furiously on the front passenger seat.

 

“Desir… Don’t tell me...”

 

It was then that the nosy couple caught sight of my neck and collarbone. The red marks Althea had left behind had been so prominent that the pair could easily see them through the rearview mirror.

 

I was careful not to leave any marks on Althea’s neck or any visible place last night for fear that this exact situation would happen. Alas, contrary to my caution, Althea went in like a feral cat. The girl acted like a vampire and bit nearly every corner of my neck and shoulders, making sure to leave as many marks as she physically could.

 

In the heat of the moment, Althea had probably forgotten the consequences that would unfold. That’s why when she saw the numerous marks she’d left on me and the fact that I couldn’t hide it with my v-neck shirt… The girl wasn’t able to speak due to her shame.

 

And well…

 

“Hoh? Hohoho? HOHOHOHO?!?!?!”

 

Len and Sienna were not strangers to love marks. With a single glance at my neck, they would be able to deduce that we had a wild night. Smiling like silly idiots, the pair nodded to each other and began to tease us.

 

“I never thought that I would see this day… My young and innocent Desir had climbed the stairs to adulthood!”

 

“Congratulations, Althea! Your dream has finally come true, hasn’t it?”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

Neither of us could muster up a reply. If we acknowledged their words, we would just be falling deeper into their trap. All that we could do was wait until they got tired of tormenting us.

 

However, how could those two sadists ever be satisfied?

 

In the end, our entire trip back to the city was more boisterous than our summer vacation itself.