章 33: Awakened Emotions

As Victoria and Aren looked at each other, the silence in the room was broken by a creak as the door opened. Keiran stepped inside, tilting his head slightly as he took in the sight before him. In Aren's arms was a frail, pale young woman. Unable to hide his expression of surprise, Keiran narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows.

"Mate, I wouldn't have expected this from you," he said with a mocking tone. "Are you cheating on Victoria with a little girl?"

Aren responded to Keiran's words with a flash of anger. His muscles tensed. "Hey, this is Victoria. I don't know how, but… she's taken human form."

Keiran studied Aren's face, then shifted his gaze back to Victoria, choosing his words carefully. A moment of silence passed. "Really?" he said, doubtfully.

"Yes," Aren repeated.

After a brief pause, Keiran burst into laughter, his voice slicing through the tension in the room. "Hahaha! So Victoria has turned into a human. Honestly, I can't say I'm all that surprised," he said with a smirk.

Aren scowled, barely holding onto his patience in the face of Keiran's lack of seriousness. "Why? Do you think a spider transforming into a human is normal or something?"

Keiran's expression grew a touch more serious, though the glint of amusement in his eyes remained. "No, of course I've never seen anything like it before. But Victoria's species dates back around 300 million years. And then there's you, Aren. That spider's DNA runs through your veins too. This can't be a coincidence."

As Aren mulled over Keiran's words, he noticed Victoria's eyelids flutter slightly. Her pale cheeks and trembling lashes tugged at something deep inside him, making his heart pound. "This isn't the time," he muttered to himself, unable to take his eyes off her. "Victoria needs clothes."

Holding Victoria close, his heartbeat drummed against his chest: thump, thump, thump.

Keiran noticed a young maid standing by the door and gestured to her. "Excuse me, could you bring some clothes for a woman about five feet tall?"

The maid gave him a curious look but nodded without question and hurried out. After a few tense minutes, she returned with an armful of garments in various fabrics.

"Here are the clothes," Keiran said, a faint smile on his face.

Aren took a deep breath as he glanced at the clothing. "All right, now get out."

Keiran raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender and nodded. "Fine, fine," he said, stepping back and leaving the room. As the door clicked shut behind him, silence settled over them once more. Aren looked down at Victoria's trembling shoulders and took a deep breath. After a moment's hesitation, he knelt down to help her.

His gaze drifted over the clothes, and he chose the black ones. Moving slowly and carefully, he began to help Victoria dress. As she looked at him, she couldn't suppress the strange sensation welling up inside her—a feeling unlike anything she had ever known. "What's happening to me? What is this feeling?" she murmured.

She looked at him and whispered, "My husband…"

Aren felt his self-control slipping away bit by bit. He wanted to keep his distance, but the space between them seemed to shrink until their faces were close enough to touch. His eyes locked onto hers, an indescribable pull drawing him in, setting his heart racing.

His hands came to rest gently on her shoulders. He fought to suppress the surge of desire rising within him, but his eyes drifted to her lips. Almost unconsciously, he leaned in closer, his face inches from hers. He paused, taking a deep breath and trying to pull back, but resisting the urge was nearly impossible.

In that moment, he bit his own tongue to snap himself back to reality. He carefully pulled his hands away from her face.

Slowly, he steadied himself. Though a storm raged within him, he tried to remain patient, continuing to dress Victoria with gentle movements.