Note:


    Gosh.. thank you, DianaSuan for gifting two castles to this book today. Omo... I will publish a bonus chapter soon because you made me so freakin happy!


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    "Yeah… Now, I remember that this area rained a lot in the past during the autumn season. This type of rain couldst all night," Sophie nodded in agreement.


    "Hmm.. I see. Well, you should eat something so you can feel warmer, by the way," Nichs suggested. "If the rain willst all night, it will be really cold."


    "We should," Sophie smiled and nodded again. "I''ll make us supper immediately. Running so fast through the woods and getting us back here before the storm worsened is amazing, Nichs. You deserve to eat well, tonight."


    Nichs looked at Sophie and then quickly nodded. "Ah, yeah, let me make the fire."


    He cast his nce around them to find firewood to make fire. He remembered they put a stack of firewood in the corner of the hut. So, he went there to get some.


    However, the prince had to let out a disappointed sigh when he realized the roof on that part leaked and now the firewood was wet.


    He took a few and checked them only to find out that they were too damp to make fire.


    "I am sorry, Sophie. I should have checked this hut for any leakage and fixed it. Now the firewood is useless." He turned to Sophie and said apologetically. "We cannot make fire."


    "Oh…" Sophie pressed her lips in surprise. It was damn cold and she didn''t know how she could sleep in this temperature. Also… they wouldn''t be able to make tea and cook food.


    "I wish we had wine," Nichs murmured. "It would help with the cold."


    Sophie didn''t say anything. She never spend her money on alcohol because she didn''t have a lot, to begin with.


    A little money she earned from selling mushrooms and vegetables she grew to the market in town was already spent to buy some supplies like a nket, and one set of clothes for her to change into. And now that clothes were wet. She was now wearing her old school uniform from cow dung.


    "I am sorry… I will buy wine the next time we go to the market," Sophie said with a low voice.


    She felt sorry to see Nichs must be feeling cold. The man was a nobleman who was raised in a castle. He must be used to having a good life.


    Nichs smiled and shook his head. "It''s not for me. I don''t feel cold. It''s for you."


    After he was turned into a werewolf, Nichs had the strength of that monster. He had heightened senses and unusual strength. This included a better ability to handle cold. Besides, if he wanted, in the event that he was trapped in extremely low temperature, he could actually shift into his wolf form and let his fur warm him.


    "Oh… I am fine, don''t worry about me." Sophie quickly waved her hands and faked herughter. "I am used to this condition. I lived here, remember? This storm and cold won''t bother me."


    Nichs looked at Sophie with disbelief, but he didn''t say anything to refute her words because he didn''t want to make Sophie feel ufortable.


    "We don''t have anything to eat, but some berries," Nichsmented. "We cannot cook food for dinner."


    Sophie bit her lip. She thought the same thing. It looked like tonight they had to sleep with empty stomachs. Well… at least her bed was still dry and it had a decent nket to keep her warm.


    "Let''s just sleep…" Finally, Sophie decided.


    Nichs nodded in agreement. Outside, the storm continued to pour down heavily and chilled the air in ckwood Forest. The two of them tried to sleep and hoped morning immediately came and rain would stop by then.


    As usual, Nichsid down on his mat on the floor while Sophie took the bed.


    "Are you really okay just staying ufortably on the floor?" Sophie asked him worriedly. It was a routine that she almost asked every night because she wanted him to have the bed.


    A nobleman like him was probably not used to such a lifestyle as hers.


    "I''m fine," Nichs reassured her.


    That was what Nichs answered every time for the past several nights, but this time, Sophie was a bit unhappy about the situation. It made her remember something they used to do as children.


    "We used to sleep together in the same bed when you lived here, by the way," Sophie sighed. "Why not do it now?"


    Nichs coughed. "That was before. T, things are a bit different now, Sophie."


    "In what way, even? The two of us are just going to sleep together," Sophie pulled the nkets all the way to her chin and shivered.


    Nichs tried not to think about the birds and the bees.


    "It''s so cold tonight, I should have bought more nkets," Sophieined. "Are you cold?"


    "I''m warm…" Nichs said.


    "Oh..." Sophie remembered the sight of him transforming back into a human and flushed a little. He was probably really warmpared to her so he didn''t have problems with the cold.


    "Yeah," Nichs nodded and tried not to remember their nights of sharing a bed together as kids. He was a child back then and didn''t have any strange thoughts, but now he was a man. As he said, it was… different.


    Even if the floor was ufortable, it would have to do.


    "I''m sorry, Nichs." Sophie quickly apologized when she realized what he must be thinking. "I just feel really cold that I wasn''t able to think straight about how it might seem weird. I didn''t realize how it would sound so wrong."


    Sophie realized was finally aware that it was a bit strange for herself, an unmarried woman to just offer him, an unmarried man, to share a bed with her. People would have the wrong idea.


    It reminded her of the times when her aunt Helga called her a harlot who invited men to sleep with her… but she knew that Nichs was a gentleman and she really didn''t think of such things.


    Gosh, why did Sophie have to even think about it now? That made things strange for her when it wasn''t odd for her to live with Nichs before. The two of them were friends!


    "No worries, I know you didn''t insinuate anything," Nichs chuckled weakly. Why did he wish that she did? Ah, he was such a pervert.


    A couple more minutes would pass between them. Sophie tossed and turned in her bed and was unable to fall asleepfortably.


    Even if she tugged the entire nket all over her head, she was still freezing and her body shook uncontrobly. Sophie didn''t realize how living in Hastings with a warm room over her head made the cold temperature in her old home unbearable.


    Nichs cleared his throat. "Sophie?"


    "Y-yes, Nichs?" Sophie''s teeth chattered a bit, but she sat up and nced down at him.


    "Um, do you want me to hug you?" Nichsughed sheepishly. "I reckon that you need it. I can hear you shivering."


    Sophie''s face heated up. "Ah, I''m so sorry. Were you finding it hard to sleep? I''ll try not to make a noise."


    "Hey, that''s not what I meant. I really don''t mind. It doesn''t bother me, really." Nichs sat up and coughed. "Er, I am just worried about you. You see, I''m really warm here. So, a hug from me will make things warmer for you. I can wait for you to fall asleep then I''ll get back to my bed."


    "You mean your mat?" Sophie asked doubtfully.


    "Yeah, my bed, my mat… it''s the same." Nichs chuckled. "If you don''t mind. Actually, I''m a little afraid that I''ll wake up to you frozen over in ice."


    "Hey!" Sophie yfully red at him. "It''s not that cold. I have body heat too, you know?"


    Nichs shrugged. "I know, but it doesn''t seem to be enough. What about it? Just until this storm passes over. You don''t have to worry about me doing anything sneaky."


    "Er…" Sophie averted her gaze shyly and rubbed her arm. "I know I was the first one who suggested it…"


    Nichs nodded and chuckled. "You really did just do that earlier."


    "Fine, fine, a hug doesn''t sound terrible right now." Sophie decided, atst, to quit being hesitant. She scooted over and patted the space on the bed beside her. "Come over here now."


    Nichs quickly got up and sat beside her in bed. It was a little awkward at first and Nichs could hear his heartbeat so loud in his chest as he inched closer to her.


    Sophie coughed. "You''ll… hug me while I try to fall asleep, right?"


    "That''s right." Nichs nodded with a smile. Even though it was dark and Sophi couldn''t see his face, she could tell that he was smiling...


    "Then we should do this while lying down." Sophie moved a little back in her bed andy back down on her side. Her face was incredibly hot as this was the first time she was going to share a bed with someone in eight years.


    Why was it so embarrassing?


    Nichs gulped as he stared at her. She looked so inviting and it made his blood burn, but as promised, he rested down beside her and slowly ced his arm around her. "Is this okay?"


    "Um, yeah." Sophie nodded shyly. "Actually, can you pull me a little closer if that''s alright?"


    "Haha, of course." Nichsughed sheepishly as he tugged her closer. Her body pressed against him and it made his breath hitch. Why did this feel so good?


    He closed his eyes and tried to think about something else.


    Sophie''s eyes widened as she felt Nichs'' incredibly firm body so close to her. She could feel his body heat and even hear his chest pounding wildly.


    While it made her feel a little rxed that Nichs was also nervous like her, Sophie began to feel a growing heat spread around her body.


    It wasn''t just Nichs'' warmth seeping into her.


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    Aww... poor prince, trying so hard to distract his mind from the beautiful woman who is sleeping beside him. XD