Albert looked up and found himself staring straight into the snow leopard's enormous head, easily the size of a paper lantern.
The corner of his mouth twitched—he was about to speak—when the leopard impatiently lowered its massive muzzle, nudging him over with its snout. Then, with a wet, deliberate motion, it licked the nape of his neck.
The soft, enormous tongue swept over the skin behind his neck, leaving a cool, damp trail.
Albert's brain short-circuited.
From the leopard's throat and nostrils came a deep, satisfied rumble, almost like a purr multiplied tenfold.
It was as if a giant housecat had just discovered its absolute favorite treat.
Lick. Then another lick.
The snow leopard finally seemed addicted to the skin around Albert's alpha gland, pressing its wet nose insistently against the spot. One massive paw pinned Albert's shoulder to the ground, leaving him completely trapped.
After enduring a full-on inspection from the leopard, Albert's mind began to piece things together.
Felines… do all felines love catnip this much?
His thoughts whirled.
He was an alpha with a catnip scent.
In the modern ABO society he'd left behind, pheromones could make or break a person's love life. They dictated attraction, influenced partners' choices, and determined who might end up with a high-quality mate.
Albert's scent, however… was unusual.
It wasn't particularly enticing to humans—more like people could smell it and shrug. It certainly wasn't the kind of alluring, sophisticated aroma that turned heads. Coupled with a chronic heart condition that had limited his physical activity since childhood, his love life had been—let's say—uneventful, despite his looks, family background, education, and charm.
The only beings who'd ever reacted to his pheromones? Stray cats. And now… this oversized, terrifyingly agile snow leopard, who could crush him with a single paw.
Albert's life had officially taken a surreal turn.
In the leopard's grip, he was utterly helpless, being kneaded, turned, and thoroughly "inspected" at will.
But the leopard didn't seem to want to eat him—probably a good sign.
Albert's body stayed rigid for a few minutes. Gradually, realizing there was no real danger, he allowed himself to relax.
Then, another thought struck him.
He'd spent most of his life with cats. Few human friends, but plenty of feline companions. He had frequented cat cafés, reveling in the envious stares of others as the cats practically worshiped him. He had even rescued strays from the streets, taking them to the vet for free neutering, earning their trust and affection.
Now, staring up at this majestic snow leopard, Albert finally understood—
"…Sir." Albert's face was almost completely buried in the snow leopard's thick, furry arm. He had to fight his way up just to lift his head and speak to Hayes. "You seem to be in… your… h-hea—"
The wet, velvety thing pressed against the back of his neck abruptly withdrew.
Hayes's icy, murderous voice descended from above. "Say those three words, and try your luck."
Albert shut his mouth on instinct.
Hayes paused, then gave a cold, disdainful snort. "Relax. I have no interest in sleeping with a man—much less an outsider with a completely unknown background."
Albert thought to himself, Weren't you just happily licking me?
But for the sake of living a little longer, he wisely chose not to say it out loud.
"I know," he said instead, licking his lower lip in a placating way. "I wasn't thinking that."
This Commander Hayes was clearly proud.
Fastidious, contradictory, short-tempered…
A moody, unpredictable, highborn big cat through and through.
Seeing that Albert had become obedient, Hayes snorted again, said nothing more, and simply lifted a paw to groom the back of it with deliberate precision.
He truly had lost control earlier.
Albert's gland was like a drug to him.
That cool, herbal scent seeped slowly into his body, easing some of the agitation gnawing at him from the inside.
It couldn't cure him, but it granted him a rare moment of relief.
Hayes forcibly reined himself in, withdrew his tongue, and rolled onto his side.
In doing so, he casually pulled Albert—who had thought he'd been spared—right back against his broad chest, as if preventing him from escaping, savoring this hard-won tranquility.
Albert, once again squashed into a wall of thick fur: "...?"
F-i-i-i-ne then.
The giant snow leopard radiated heat like a living furnace, wrapping Albert in steady, enveloping warmth.
On his very first day after transmigrating to this post‑apocalyptic world, Albert had gone through shock, hunger, and bone‑deep cold.
But now he was full, freshly washed, and even had a self‑heating fur blanket to sleep on. That was a miracle in itself.
A heavy wave of drowsiness rose up and swallowed him whole.
Giving up resistance entirely, Albert surrendered to his fate, awkwardly shifting in the leopard's hold before closing his eyes.
Forget it. Staying alive is all that matters.
When Albert woke, he realized a man was lying in his arms.
From his angle, he could make out the thick, unruly black hair atop the other's head, the small cowlick sticking up stubbornly.
He stared at that fuzzy crown for a long moment before accepting an undeniable fact—
This was the snow leopard from last night. The so-called Commander Hayes, leader of the camp, the "White Commander" everyone spoke of.
The leopard's body radiated so much energy that Albert had grown increasingly warm while sleeping, instinctively wanting to push the massive creature off him. Later in the night, the weight beside him had lightened, and something had settled into the crook of his arm. Without much thought, he'd hugged it and drifted back into deep sleep.
Who could have guessed Hayes had shifted back into human form?
Albert lowered his gaze and finally saw the young man's face clearly.
His skin was pale and flawless, features far more delicate than Albert had anticipated—it would not have been an exaggeration to call him a beauty.
Even in sleep, Hayes's brow was faintly furrowed.
His hands rested lightly in front of him, his smooth forehead pressed just so against Albert's chest, and their legs were lightly tangled together.
—And most importantly, because Hayes had shifted back to human form in the middle of the night, he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.
In other words: completely naked.
At this moment, their bodies were pressed close together, still maintaining the intimate posture from the previous night.
Albert's arm, which had served as a pillow for half the night, was still numb and tingling. From the closeness, he could even feel the faint warmth radiating from Hayes's body.
Albert: "…" Maybe you could… change back?
Unfortunately, Hayes didn't—or wouldn't—hear him.
Albert froze for a moment, then quickly shifted his gaze to a distant corner, desperate not to see more than he should.
As a man who liked men, he had to admit Commander Hayes was exactly his type. But a beauty who held life-and-death power over him? That didn't exactly put him at ease.
After a moment of internal struggle, Albert took a steadying breath and carefully tried to withdraw his arm from under Hayes's head.
The instant he moved, Hayes reacted.
"Mmm…" The handsome young man's eyelids twitched, a soft hum escaping his nose.
And then, suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
Those elegant, sharp eyes immediately fixed on Albert with an icy glare, as if he couldn't understand why someone was in the tent—or why they were so close.
In the blink of an eye, Hayes's slender fingers morphed into a beastly paw, pressing sharply against the side of Albert's neck where pale veins ran.
Fortunately, he didn't strike with full force, and the motion was small. The cold touch lingered for only a moment before he withdrew.
…And now he's in a bad mood?