"Belong to… me?" Gu Mengmeng asked with misty eyes that were lacking the clear look. She seemed to be in a chaotic state, while also looked lost. Her lips were lifted, but that smile was blank, unlike her usual unbridled one.
"Yes, belong to you." Lea's voice was still calm, with slightly curved lips and a confidence of controlling over everything.
As though he was the god looking down on humankind.
Elvis secretly released some beast pressure and interrupted the affectionate interaction between Lea and Gu Mengmeng.
Lea glanced at Elvis, confused.
Elvis took over the almost unconscious Gu Mengmeng from Lea's arms, frowning. He looked at Lea with criticism and disapproval. "She is the Messenger of the Beast Deity."
"That's why she must stay in Saint Nazaire." Lea sounded as if he could not read between Elvis's lines, or as if he was using this attitude to remind Elvis 'This is the simplest and most effective method'.
Elvis frowned even more as he himself knew that Lea was right. As the leader of the tribe, he should be considering for Saint Nazaire. Moreover, using the fox seductive fragrance to make the messenger stay was one of the methods he had approved of at the start.
However, at that time, he did not know that this unknown Messenger of the Beast Deity would be the Gu Mengmeng that always surprised him, delighted him, made him break his rules and be irresistible towards, and one that called him 'Leader'.
"She would blame us after she wakes up." Elvis stared at the unguarded, sleeping Gu Mengmeng in his arms. Just thinking of the eyes raging and filled with resentment when they opened again made his heart ache.
"To her, it's just two more outstanding males following her, she has no loss. Besides, if she was angered because of the fox seductive fragrance, the person that she would not forgive is me, not us." Lea seemed to have everything planned from the start, no matter if the ending was good or bad. "If it really turns out like that, you should kill me in front of her to vent her anger. It is worth for me to sacrifice my life to make the messenger of the Beast Deity stay in Saint Nazaire and make the tribe stronger than ever."
"Things have yet to proceed to this stage yet." Elvis interrupted Lea's words. Throughout the years of braving countless dangers together, he had treated Lea as a family member long ago, they were blood brothers. Although the thought of sharing Gu Mengmeng with Lea had made him feel as though a fish bone was stuck in his throat, he treasured Lea like a brother without Gu Mengmeng's matter though.
But Lea gave a faint smile and looked towards the entrance of the cave as if deep in thought. "If she could mature into adulthood a few more years later, or just a few more months later, I don't have to use the fox seductive fragrance to mate with her. But it has to be now. Even if you and me are different to her, it was not much distinctive from the rest of the males. You know, if we want her to really stay in the tribe, her first baby have to be from either one of us. Only then can Saint Nazaire keep her forever. If not, she can leave with her males anytime she wants, while we… we could only choose to betray Saint Nazaire, or become stray beasts."
Elvis clenched his fists instinctively. Some lines were not meant to be crossed.
But if he were to sacrifice Gu Mengmeng for his ambitions, his principles, his bottom line, he did not have the heart to do it.
Lea was probably right, Gu Mengmeng would not suffer any loss if they mate with her when she was seduced by the fragrance. Even if she dislikes them because of the fragrance, she could always choose other partners, ignoring Lea and him, or even divorcing with them in just a single thought.
All along, it was Lea and him taking the greatest risks, but why… he could not make up his mind just looking at the unguarded Gu Mengmeng in his arms.