Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

Althea didn't care what were going to be the consequences of her actions.

All that mattered at this point in time was that she was not going to release Zaroth no matter what.

Unlike with others, being near him didn't require caution or distance… no, this was different—she wanted to be close to him.

Safe… she simply felt safe when she was next to him, no one else had given her this feeling since getting this forsaken curse—not her mother, nor father, nor her husband, nor the servants. Even if some had a good opinion of her, they were too scared to show their true feelings, fearing the repercussions.

But Zaroth was different.

As both of them were in their embrace, Zaroth took slow and steady steps forwards towards the bed, keeping his hand behind Althea's waist.

Once they reached it, he gently let her rest her back on it, as he positioned himself above her.

Because both of them needed to get some air, as the kiss was too deep to allow for such a thing to happen, they had to separate their lips for a moment.

Zaroth lifted his head a bit as he gazed at the woman that was lying on the bed beneath him, her breathing was shallow as her cheeks had blushed a little red, her crimson eyes were looking at his, while her raven-black hair was spilling to the sides.

Zaroth slowly moved his hand placing it over her chest as he began to remove her clothing one by one.

However, Althea moved by instinct as she placed her hand over his, stopping him.

Zaroth raised an eyebrow, "Should I stop?"

Althea parted her lips but no voice came out as she was too hesitant, but in the end pushed past the emotions as she spoke.

"... My face may not be affected that much by the curse, but my body is an entirely different matter. I… don't want to scare you away by the view," she admitted.

She was scared that seeing the state her body was in, Zaroth would be horrified and pull away from her, and this is something that she did not want.

"Althea," Zaroth spoke as he put his hand on her chin and made her gaze into his eyes.

"Did I not say that your beauty was the thing that pulled me in? Why do you think I will be scared after seeing you naked?"

"...Because I doubt you've ever seen someone with this curse—naked, exposed. Not to mention… aren't you afraid? Don't you fear the rumors might be true? That just by being with me, you'll be cursed too? Why… why would you want to be with someone like me?"

Zaroth chuckled at her words. "How long have you suffered from this curse?" he asked.

"... About two decades," she replied.

"This is why," Zaroth spoke.

"This is why?" she asked.

"Most of my life, I had to take care of a person that meant a lot to me. They too had this curse, and all my childhood memories were spent looking at that person slowly dying, slowly rotting away."

"You remind me of that person to an extent… not to mention, even after two decades, you are still able to walk and speak properly despite the constant pain you must feel due to the curse. This alone shows your determination to not give up. This is the thing that pulls me in more than all of the others—your strength."

"My… strength?" she repeated in disbelief; in her life, she had never expected to be called strong.

Zaroth moved his hand slowly as he continued to undress her, "Yes, that is right. And no, I do not fear the curse. I didn't get it before, so why would I now? Either it is just a lie that is contagious, or I am simply immune."

With these words, Zaroth finally removed her clothing on her chest, revealing her breasts. Though they were in a pretty bad shape as they ha—

"You… really are not horrified by my body?" she asked in disbelief.

"No," Zaroth replied calmly as he brought his lips again to hers.

Althea welcomed him as she slowly lifted her hands and weakly brought him closer to herself.

"Then please… please make me a real woman."

At her words, Zaroth moved his member slowly as he entered her.

Althea clenched her palms into fists as pain rippled through her. It was her first time, after all—and her heart was pounding wildly, almost as if it were seconds from giving out.

Her heart had been weakened significantly by the curse, so being in such a state, with her heart racing wildly, could spell doom for her at any moment.

Having an intense relationship with someone meant risking her already fragile heart.

But none of that mattered. She wasn't afraid, not even a little. She wanted Zaroth—wanted him now, completely, no matter what.

It was better to die feeling truly alive than to spend the rest of her life in what could only be described as a prison.

Zaroth moved slowly, towards her as he got a bit deeper, making the bed make a screeching sound.

"Zaroth."

When he heard her whisper his name, he turned his gaze to hers—and saw tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

Before he could ask if something was wrong, she placed her hands on both of his cheeks, preventing him from moving his head.

"Please… do not leave me," she spoke in a whisper.

Zaroth's chest tightened. Seeing Althea so fragile hit something deep in him. He cared about her—more than he expected. And no matter what, he was going to protect her.

Was it because he genuinely loved her? Or was it because seeing her reminded him of his deceased mother—and in a way, he was trying to cope with the guilt of failing to save her?

Was this true love, or was it misguided protection meant for someone else?

The answer didn't matter. Zaroth didn't want to think about it.

He knew what he was feeling and what he desired, and he was determined to act on it.

Bringing his head closer to her ear, he whispered,

"I will not leave."

Althea smiled weakly as she wrapped her legs around him, preventing him from pulling away.

She had made her choice, and she did not regret it.

*****

Zaroth was exhausted.

It wasn't because they had done it numerous times, but because he had to be as gentle as possible to minimize Althea's pain. And honestly, that turned out to be more exhausting than he expected.

Both of them laid on the bed, Althea was leaning on him tiredly, not willing to let go as she stared at the ceiling, no doubt full in thought.

Zaroth, meanwhile, as they lay in skin-to-skin contact, felt no trace of lust. All he could feel was how fragile she was—and how deeply he wanted to protect her.

'Zaroth?' His trail of thought was broken as he heard Luna reach him.

'What is it?' he asked, not moving his gaze from the ceiling.

'We have a problem.'

'What is it?' he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

'It's Elysia and Draconis… they are gone.'