Breeding Instinct - Chapter 7: Waning Moon (2)

Since then, Damian had kept Kanna under tight watch. It seemed her decision to leave without permission had truly shocked him. Moritz, observing his brother’s change, was genuinely surprised. Damian, who once seemed incapable of attachment to anyone, was acting completely differently—only toward Kanna. That strange favoritism made Moritz want to steal her away even more.

He waited for his chance, and when Damian left the estate for an errand, Moritz took it. He came to find Kanna. She was sitting quietly in the sunroom connected to Damian’s bedroom, just like the first time he saw her—her serene face turned toward the window, the sight of her evoking an odd sense of pity.

“…You’re here?”

She had already sensed Moritz approaching. The more time she spent with Damian, the more she felt her senses were evolving.

She could hear people’s footsteps more clearly than before, and she could even tell who they belonged to. Damian had been openly delighted by that, always praising her when it happened.

Each time he did, Kanna felt something unfamiliar stir within her. She once believed she would never be able to form any emotional connection with anyone—but somehow, with Damian, it felt possible.

It wasn’t because she loved him. It was something that stemmed from instinct. Her body recognized him as something different from humans, even while her mind still refused to fully accept her own identity. And so, she still couldn’t completely embrace the bond between them.

“You knew I was coming?”

“…I heard your footsteps. The Master is out, and you’re the only one who would enter this room without knocking.”

At her reply, Moritz nodded and asked,

“Right. You haven’t forgotten our promise—to leave together, have you?”

“No. Of course not.”

But the truth was, with each passing day, Kanna’s attachment to Damian grew stronger. Her desire not to leave his side was starting to overwhelm her, and she found herself at a loss.

“Then let’s go now. Right away.”

“…Right now?”

“My brother is wrapping up his outside appointments today. After that, he’ll be in the estate for a while.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’ve lived with him a long time. Once summer arrives, he rarely leaves the estate.”

“…Why? Is he sick or something?”

Seeing the worry on her face, Moritz suddenly didn’t want to say anything more about his brother. Not because he was hiding something—but because, in truth, he didn’t really know either.

“I’m not sure. This year he’s staying in earlier than usual. He always wraps up his affairs before summer and then vanishes for a while. Then just reappears like nothing happened.”

“…Then can we wait until after that? I want to make sure he’s okay.”

Her gentle voice, tinged with concern, made Moritz chuckle bitterly and shake his head.

“I have a feeling… this time, he won’t disappear alone.”

Moritz had already sensed that something was different this year. He didn’t know why Damian always vanished in the summer, but one thing was certain: a man that obsessed with Kanna wouldn’t just disappear and leave her behind.

Which meant—now was the only chance.

“Just pack the essentials and head out. I’ll ask Landon to keep the servants busy and have the coach waiting by the west gate instead of the main entrance. Leave in thirty minutes.”

Kanna couldn’t tell if what she was doing was right. But a promise was a promise—and she intended to keep it. She didn’t add another word, only nodded quietly.

* * *

Kanna didn’t have much she felt she needed, but the one thing she couldn’t leave behind was the blue sapphire necklace Damian had given her—saying it reminded him of her eyes.

After packing modestly, she quietly slipped out along a path rarely used by the servants. She hid herself near the west gate, waiting. A carriage eventually rolled up and stopped in front of her.

Unsure whether Moritz was inside, she cautiously opened the carriage door.

But sitting inside… was Philip.

Kanna didn’t have time to be angry about being tricked—her first thought was fear: was Moritz safe? If Damian’s only family was hurt because of her, she wouldn’t be able to face him, even in death.

Without a scream, she was pulled into the carriage. Philip gave her a cold, smirking look.

“You’re not even surprised now. My little sister’s all grown up.”

He knocked on the wall toward the driver, and the carriage started to move. Kanna sat quietly on the floor, tense and alert. Only after the carriage had passed through the main gate and left the Duke’s estate did she speak.

“…Why are you here?”

“You sure have learned how to lie, huh? Because of you, Mother collapsed.”

“She probably just got a stomachache. I’m sure she’ll recover quickly.”

“Hah. Still got an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’ve decided not to live submissively anymore.”

“…Unbelievable.”

Philip glared at her, leaning back against the seat, truly taken aback by the change in her.

“And what about the young master?”

“Oh, him? He’s probably out cold by now. I gave him a solid blow.”

“…What makes you think you can get away with something like this?”

“What did you say? You calling me out? Are you insane?”

Without holding back, Philip slapped Kanna across the face. The sound echoed loud and sharp. His voice dripped with irritation.

“If you’d just brought those damn jewels like you promised, I wouldn’t have had to deal with those thugs again!”

From that, Kanna realized Philip had racked up gambling debts—again.

“And your precious master… He’s got a big red target on his back in this town. Someone’s offering cash just to bring you to them. Looks like they want to use you as bait.”

Kanna didn’t care if they hit her, or sold her again. But using her to lure Damian? That was something else entirely.

Her golden eyes sharpened, glinting with a fierce light. Something inside her broke—shattered cleanly like glass under pressure.

“What? You think glaring at your big brother like that’s gonna work—”

Philip, about to scold her for her audacity, hesitated. An unfamiliar fear crept up his spine, freezing his raised hand in place. Realizing he’d flinched, his face flushed with shame and fury. He struck her again.

“Don’t act high and mighty. You got your wish—you’re no longer family. You’re nothing now.”

Wiping her cheek with the back of her hand, Kanna let out a bitter laugh at Philip’s words.

“You’re laughing?”

“If being family makes such a difference, why do you keep throwing that word at me now?”

“…Tch.”

“You never treated me like family before. And now you all lecture me about what family means? Just like that precious son of the Baron Mecklen.”

“You’ve really gone mad.”

Unable to contain his rage, Philip growled and raised his hand once more. But Kanna, determined not to be hit again, tensed—only to hear something: the carriage had come to a stop. Even while glaring at Philip, she turned her ear to the sounds outside.

“What, already here?”

Philip couldn’t have forgotten how filthy the people from the gambling den were. Covered in scars, they claimed to be searching for the man who killed their brother. Philip didn’t know it was Duke Royce—but in any case, it worked out for him.

“See? The gods really do favor me.”

Just as he was silently thanking the divine for showing him another way, the carriage door suddenly swung open, making him jump. Masked men blocked the exit, their presence immediate and wordless.

One of them tossed a pouch of gold coins into the carriage without a word.

“Hah, now this is what I call service.”

Grinning smugly, Philip reached for the pouch—only to be interrupted.

Kanna, recalling the day she was sold at the black market, burned with fury at the déjà vu. Without hesitation, she darted forward and snatched the pouch before Philip could grab it. But she didn’t just escape—she kicked the masked man standing closest to the carriage square in the face on her way out.

The men, assuming she was a meek woman, were caught completely off guard by her speed and agility.

Kanna hadn’t realized how light her body had become. She climbed a tall tree in mere moments and secured the pouch at the top of a sturdy branch.

“Hey! You crazy bitch! How the hell did you get up there?! Don’t you bring that back down!”

Kanna didn’t dignify Philip’s shouting with a response. She simply glared at the masked men, then leapt to a neighboring tree with feline grace. Watching them scramble to follow her only confirmed what she already suspected:

She was the one they were after.

And for the first time in her life, Kanna felt something wild and exhilarating surge within her—freedom.

She bounded from tree to tree with a lightness she’d never imagined, escaping with a thrill in her heart. But more than anything, she had made one thing clear:

She would not be used.

They would never turn her into bait for Damian.

Even if it meant losing her life— She would protect him until the very end.

* * *

Damian’s expression vanished completely at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Like rinsing a brush stained with paint, all emotion was wiped clean from his face. And that made him quietly terrifying.

Moritz accepted that this time, even if his brother beat him, he would deserve it. If only he had been stronger—he might’ve sensed someone approaching, might’ve avoided the blow. If he had, he might’ve bought enough time to tell Kanna to run.

Damian said nothing to his discouraged younger brother.

Now wasn’t the time to argue over who was right or wrong. What mattered most was finding the culprit—and fast.

“Tell me everything you noticed.”

“…They were wearing masks, so I couldn’t get a good look at them, brother.”

“Then scents—sounds. Anything distinctive. There must have been something.”

His calm face contorted in an instant. Moritz, who had once wanted to see his brother’s composure crack, didn’t feel any satisfaction. Only discomfort.

“Smell… there was this strong scent of firewood. And the stench of cigarettes—really thick. And maybe… something damp too, like mildew.”

Moritz tried desperately to recall every detail. Damian, silently listening, then asked,

“Did it smell like metal? Blood, maybe?”

“…Yeah! There was a kind of sharp, metallic stench. I guess that’s what blood or iron smells like, right?”

Damian had a hunch. It felt like the culprits were tied to the underground slave auction he’d raided before. The ones he caught back then had posed as blacksmiths.

He’d suspected there were more of them. But he hadn’t expected retaliation—not like this.

“…How dare they.”

The thought that Kanna might be in danger because of him made Damian’s blood run cold. Without wasting a second, he called for his horse.

Moritz couldn’t sit idly by, either. He followed closely behind his brother, even as his stomach churned with guilt. Not long after, Hermann and the knights arrived in full gear, already prepared to move. Together, they began tracking the carriage’s path, riding out without delay.

***

Meanwhile, Kanna was still skillfully evading her pursuers. Among them, Philip was nowhere to be seen. She figured he was probably scrambling to retrieve the pouch of gold coins.

“Shoot her! Aim for the legs!”

The chilling command rang out behind her, and Kanna quickly dove into the underbrush. As she tore away at her cumbersome dress to move more freely, a strange thought crossed her mind:

‘I wish I could turn into an animal.’

After all, if she had animal ears and a tail, didn’t that mean part of her body wasn’t human to begin with?

“There she is!”

The shout from behind spurred her into motion again. She ran as hard as she could, desperate not to become bait that would lure Damian into danger. Her legs pumped furiously, but a misstep sent her tumbling down a steep slope.

In that moment—when her will to live burned the brightest—her body instinctively shifted into a more survival-suited form. From beneath the tattered dress, a small fennec fox emerged.

Kanna was stunned to find her body truly transformed, but there was no time to process it. What mattered now was getting away. Swiftly, she darted from the clearing.

Her pursuers never imagined she could’ve turned into an animal, let alone vanished so completely. Bewildered, they split up in frustration, searching in all the wrong directions. Hidden in a small cave nearby, Kanna curled up, overwhelmed.

Clutching the blue sapphire necklace in her mouth, she crept further inside. Curled up against the cold rock, the strange new sensations of her form made her blink in disbelief.

‘So I really can transform into an animal… Then… am I not human?’

Maybe her family was right. Maybe she really was a monster.

Once her panic settled, her thoughts drifted to Damian and Moritz. She prayed they were safe. What if the men lied, claimed they’d caught her, and set a trap?

Dusk came quickly in the forest. Though it was summer, a chilling breeze crept into the cave. Shivering, she curled into a tighter ball. Her long ears twitched and perked at every gust of wind.

Then—she heard voices in the distance.

Thanks to her keen hearing, she recognized them as knights from the Duke’s estate. But in this form, she couldn’t go to them. She turned her face away, resigned.

‘It’s fine. I chose to leave Damian behind… What does it matter what I look like?’

She told herself that—but her heart still yearned to see Damian’s face one last time.

So she hid the blue sapphire necklace deep inside the cave and ran toward the voices.

In the distance, torchlights swayed, and she could make out familiar faces—Hermann and Moritz. But Damian was nowhere to be seen.

‘Has word not reached him yet? No… I’m safe. He doesn’t need to worry…’

Unable to see him, she crept closer. But just then—
A hand snatched her from behind by the scruff of her neck.

Startled, she let out a sharp yelp, only to hear a voice fall gently from above.

“Hah… Kanna.”

Eyes wide, Kanna looked up in disbelief. Damian had found her.

Following the trail of the carriage, Damian had run into Philip—his limbs grotesquely twisted after falling from a tree while trying to retrieve the pouch Kanna had hidden. After extracting enough information, Damian had left him to rot and focused entirely on finding her.

Tracking her pheromones, he’d discovered the remnants of her torn dress. Instead of despair, hope had sparked in his chest. Examining the area, he’d spotted fresh pawprints—and followed them straight to her.

Kanna looked up at him with a stunned expression, and Damian let out a soft chuckle.

“With ears like that—did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you?”

At his words, Kanna burst into tears. Of course, it came out as soft yipping cries—”Kyang, kyang”—but Damian understood her feelings clearly through her scent.

And he knew—how deeply she’d feared for him.

He couldn’t look away from her true form. Gently, he stroked her head.

Her small body curled into his chest. And in that familiar closeness—Damian could only laugh softly.