MCDWTBS Chapter 54
by VolareSerra’s delighted expression froze, but he concealed his hesitation and worry well. The overly protective part of his male instinct wanted him to say no. In fact, why should a female spread her wings and fight again? Females should be safely placed in the nest, *his* nest, the safest place. She doesn’t need to spread her wings, doesn’t need to leave the nest, doesn’t need to face danger and battle…
Every time Edwin spreads his wings, it’s a moment of fear for Serra, facing the possibility of losing Edwin. Serra wasn’t sure he could withstand the next time. The extremely dark and selfish part of his heart clamored, like a dark snake slithering beneath his skin, forcing him to suppress the trembling impulse with all his might.
He now had the ability to control Edwin, unlike before… He could only watch helplessly as Edwin touched taboos and dangers that would cost him his life, unlike now… Edwin could actually resist the male who marked him.
Protect Edwin, protect his female, keep Edwin in the safest nest. He didn’t care whether those wings still shimmered with light, nor whether those wings could still move… Nothing was more important than Edwin’s life. Protecting his female safe and sound was his responsibility, it was his—
His silence seemed too long, drawing the female’s silent gaze. Edwin’s pale blue eyes still held shadows of fatigue, but Serra couldn’t find a trace of wavering in them.
“Of… of course.” Serra forced a smile: “Male parent, only six days have passed since that battle. The medical bay’s data shows that you still need to rest in bed as much as possible. Maybe we can be a little more patient…”
“Young Male Master, your eyes… have turned into vertical pupils.”
Edwin’s hoarse voice sounded in Serra’s ear. The slight sound was like an ear-piercing alarm to him. Serra blinked absently, activated the mirror function in his bracelet, and felt a chill run through his body at the sight of his own red, black-pupiled vertical pupils in the mirror.
He quickly raised his hand to cover his eyes, fearing that those inhuman, terrifying eyes would recall Edwin’s bad memories. The young male panted heavily under the impact of pheromones, the muscular lines on his arms were clearly visible as he trembled violently. After a long while, he tried to steady his voice, suppressing all shameful trembles, and softly said to Edwin: “Male parent, I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened just now…”
He knew. His body was occupied by his male instincts and those selfish desires. His mind was filled with the thought of eternally imprisoning Edwin in his nest, depriving those wings of the right to see the light of day again.
Why not? This was his right as Edwin’s male, this was his biological instinct, and protecting the female, protecting the nest was his responsibility, so why not? Edwin loved him, Edwin would always forgive him, he could do anything to Edwin—because he also loved Edwin.
No, no, no…
Serra’s fingers suddenly dug into his own eye corners. He had an urge to tear open his savage vertical pupils. This wasn’t him, this wasn’t the insectoid cub that Edwin loved. His vertical pupils would scare Edwin, his flaws, his barbarity and selfishness, would be exposed in front of Edwin, and Edwin would eventually lose all affection and faith in him.
“Young Male Master!”
Cool fingers suddenly encircled Serra’s wrist, not causing him pain, but completely restraining his movements. Serra felt a strand of warm blood slowly slide down from the corner of his eye, stickily crawling on his skin, and he had to meet Edwin’s gaze again.
He was afraid of seeing disgust and fear in Edwin’s expression. He clearly remembered what kind of thorough invasion he had carried out on Edwin the last time he showed his vertical pupils, what kind of thorough contamination and infringement on Edwin’s body, and he knew that Edwin hadn’t forgotten either. His vertical pupils, his hidden tail hook, his unbearable desires and irrational possessiveness… These were things that were enough to make Edwin feel fear.
They were also things that Serra was most ashamed and disgusted with. He had been hiding them. He didn’t think he would ever show this ugly part of himself in front of Edwin again, but contrary to his wishes, his instinctive bestiality still manifested in front of Edwin against his will.
And Edwin had endless reasons to hate him, fear him, and eventually… leave him.
His pupils trembled, and he looked away, landing on Edwin’s face again. To his surprise, there was no disgust or fear on the female’s face.
The female’s face still bore the paleness of recovery. The collar was slightly pulled open due to the action of pulling Serra, revealing straight collarbones and the shadows beneath. The female’s body was still very weak. Even the slightest movement and emotional fluctuation made his slightly parted lips stained with a morbid touch of blood. Black hair like clouds draped over his shoulders, setting off his face as white as snow.
But there was an extraordinary calmness in his expression. He looked at Serra’s mutated pupils, his gaze calm, without a trace of rejection, disgust, or fear, like the first fluffy snowfall of winter, slowly pressing down on Serra’s scorched and panicked heart, bringing a sense of stability and permanence.
“…Uh…” Serra opened his mouth. He wanted to explain, wanted to comfort Edwin, but in reality, he didn’t say anything. His gaze intertwined with Edwin’s calm gaze, and Edwin slowly released the fingers that held his wrist.
Instead, his fingertips landed on Serra’s cheek. The female’s movements were gentle and swift, like a water bird’s feathers skimming the surface of the water, without causing the slightest ripple, only lightly taking away the half-coagulated scarlet blood beads on Serra’s face.
“You’re bleeding, don’t do this.”
The female’s voice carried a hint of implicit reproach, like tides washing over a beach, smoothing out the violent fluctuations in Serra’s heart, leaving behind a gentle aftertaste. That heavy and warm feeling almost made Serra’s nose tingle, wanting to cry.
In Edwin’s eyes, he was still the infinitely tolerated cub, regardless of his appearance, regardless of what he had done. Suddenly, he had an impulse to bury his face in Edwin’s chest, just like the soft and cute cub he used to be, shamelessly drawing warmth from the female’s chest.
The female’s fingertip that touched his cheek was fleeting, and Serra clenched his fists, resisting all impulses to hold onto this touch.
“…Sorry, male parent.”
After a while, he rumbled in his swollen and sore throat, muttering. The black-haired female tilted his head slightly, quietly looking at him, and Serra knew Edwin too well. He knew this was the female’s small action of quietly expressing confusion.
His heart beat violently for the female, but he refused to show it, lest he make himself seem even more unbearable.
“Let’s go, male parent. The sun is good outside… Spring is coming soon, some of the flowers that compete for spring have bloomed. Male parent, promise me, if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, don’t force yourself, we’ll come back immediately, okay?”
Serra stood up from next to the medical bay, carefully reaching out a hand to Edwin, unsure whether his request for touch would be accepted. He felt the abnormal surge of pheromones in his body had faded, and his pupils were returning to their original appearance amidst the gentle drumming in his chest.
Edwin placed his hand in Serra’s web of his hand almost without hesitation. The female’s body was still extremely stiff at the end of the reshaping. His limbs were unexpectedly uncoordinated. With the support of Serra’s arm and mental tendrils, Edwin adjusted his posture, kneeling halfway in the medical bay, his knees sinking into the soft blanket, and his legs trembled violently in this simple action.
Serra wanted to persuade him, watching his male parent, who was usually decisive and never willing to reveal his pain, become so weak, was a tormenting thing, but he didn’t say anything, making no comment or sympathy for Edwin’s visible weakness.
He knew Edwin didn’t want to hear those things. He knew Edwin wanted to stand up quickly, relying on himself to stand up, spread his newborn wings, and regain his pride and body control that had been destroyed by the male’s marking.
And Serra would at least fulfill this wish of Edwin’s.
So he just held his breath, watching Edwin slowly put his bare feet on the carpet, his slender legs trembling violently, his smooth ankles swaying, his ankle bones sticking out, swelling into smooth arcs under his skin, almost like the fragile hooves of newborn lambs.
Serra swallowed heavily, unsure what he should think, only staring at Edwin’s limp knees and bare feet, until he stood on the carpet again, stepping on the soft carpet, and walked towards the door.
A few steps later, Edwin released Serra’s hand. Serra guessed correctly, Edwin wanted to quickly regain control of his own body and strength. Not only because past experience told him that a military female losing control of his body and strength was equivalent to death, but also because as a male parent, he could not allow his insectoid cub to face the upcoming dangers alone.
The era they were in was a huge whirlpool, with various forces eyeing the Duke’s Mansion covetously. He could not leave his cub alone to face all of this.
He was too eager, so much so that before he even reached the door, his knees weakened and he almost fell to the ground. He could feel the male’s suddenly stopped breathing behind him, could feel the male approaching quickly, but without touching his hands, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he walked all the way out of the west wing of the Duke’s Mansion.
The garden in the main wing was still a mess. Many sculptures, fountains, and flower walls in the west wing were also affected, but the ruins and debris had been mostly cleared by robots. The remaining flowerbeds were lush with new buds as spring approached.
The sunlight approached noon, penetrating the energy shield above the Duke’s Mansion, gently falling on Edwin’s still pale face, outlining his gentle eyebrows and tightly pursed stubborn lips, making Serra’s heart beat like a drum, his face embarrassed but unable to look away. Edwin took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and began to mobilize his damaged and reshaped newborn wings with his extraordinary control.
He actually didn’t know if a female’s wings, damaged to his extent, could still be reborn in the male’s power and marking. He had no experience from predecessors to refer to. In fact, no female had ever survived with wings damaged to this extent.
But he still had hope, because he could feel that when his body was washed by the pain of reshaping, his wingshells continued to emit a brain-piercing pain. Wings were the most powerful weapon on a female, and also the place where the most energy was concentrated. If the wings could be reshaped, then his strength could be found again.
Then he could protect his insectoid cub.
So Edwin’s desire to re-spread his wings reached an unimaginable level. On his back, the skin and flesh at his shoulder blades were twitching restlessly. His wingshells emitted sharp, uneasy stabs of pain, refusing the female’s impatient and unreasonable mobilization. Cold sweat instantly covered Edwin’s forehead, his face appearing even paler and delicate in the sunlight, almost like a porcelain doll in the palace, emitting a faint glow.
But Serra’s fingers were deeply piercing into his own palm. He wanted to make Edwin stop his actions, and he knew he could do it. As Edwin’s male, he only needed to say a simple, brief command, and the female would immediately stop all actions, even meekly curl up at the male’s feet, using his warm and soft chest as a foot cushion for the male, rubbing his delicate cheek against the male’s rough ankles.
Just one command, just say the order that had already reached his lips.
Serra didn’t say it. His tongue tasted of blood. He quietly watched Edwin sweat with pain, watching the female push himself to the point where blue veins and blood vessels were exposed on the back of his hand, his legs constantly trembling.
He said nothing, even though watching Edwin’s pain was a hundred times more painful than enduring the pain himself.
A slight tearing sound came from behind Edwin. In an instant, a pair of huge, pitch-black wings suddenly unfolded behind Edwin, the magma-like patterns flowing with golden-red light reflecting a dazzling light, almost causing tears to fall from Serra’s eyes instantly.
“Male parent…”
He murmured, his expression filled with shock and amazement. He watched those pitch-black wings slowly tremble, supporting the female’s weak body, rising half a meter into the air like a fledgling bird flapping its uncoordinated wings, but then staggering and falling, the patterns on the wings surging with an unspeakable powerful, newborn force.
That was Edwin’s power. The metallic copper taste permeated the battlefield’s unique sulfurous breath with a stern war intent, making Serra’s heart almost jump out of his chest.