Night had finally fallen, and the whole world seemed even more desolate and lonely. The blood in Hunter Carter's body was about to boil, and one alluring figure after another kept flickering before his eyes—Emily Foster, Sophie Miller, Lena Clark... All the women he had once been involved with surged into his mind at once, his desire rising higher and higher. Hunter Carter yanked at his own hair, hoping to use the pain to distract himself. But then hallucinations began to appear in his ears. He slowly turned around, gazing in the direction behind him. Emily Foster's corpse should still be there, like a feather stirring his heart, and he almost turned back.

 “No! I can't!” Hunter Carter shouted loudly, ashamed of his own thoughts. His voice startled a flock of birds, which flapped their wings and flew into the pitch-black night sky.

 Only then did Hunter Carter realize there was a dense forest ahead. He struggled to walk into the woods.

 As soon as he entered the forest, he heard the sound of trickling water. Hunter Carter dashed madly toward the source of the water.

 The stream shimmered under the moonlight. Hunter Carter tore at his clothes and jumped into the icy current, scooping up water with both hands and gulping it down until he was so full he couldn't drink another drop. Only then did he stop.

 Yet the stream still couldn't extinguish the fire rising within Hunter Carter.

 “No! I can't!” Hunter Carter cried out in pain. Before his will completely collapsed, he slammed his head hard against a nearby rock, and everything went black before his eyes...

 When Hunter Carter woke up again, it was already the next morning. Half his body was still soaking in the water, his skin had turned pale from being submerged, and sunlight filtered through the foliage, leaving mottled patterns on his body.

 Hunter Carter instinctively touched his forehead. There was a bloody gash from where he'd hit his head, and the blood had long since clotted. He stood up and picked up his clothes from the stream bank. The morning dew had soaked them, and they felt sticky and uncomfortable against his skin.

 “I’m still alive!” Hunter Carter told himself quietly. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. He looked up and saw a herd of beautiful elk running in neat formation toward the stream. When they reached the water, they lined up, bent their graceful necks, and began to drink.

 Hunter Carter didn’t want to disturb their peace, so he turned and walked out of the woods—only to realize the effects of the drug hadn’t worn off.

 Hunter Carter cursed William Longman viciously.

 As the temperature rose.

 “Hunter Carter, you are a human, not a beast!” he reminded himself over and over.

 For the current Hunter Carter, this was undoubtedly fatal. With a loud shout, he charged forward recklessly, his mind filled with lust. What he needed most was release. Yes! Release—nothing else mattered to him anymore.

 The owner of the territory keenly sensed the commotion behind and quickly turned around. A pair of brown eyes, full of greed and murderous intent, locked onto Hunter Carter. It opened its huge mouth and let out a low growl, its white, gleaming teeth flashing with a chilling light.

 It was a white leopard, staring intently at the human who intended to violate its territory, but not in a hurry to attack.

 Hunter Carter stood there as if petrified, his fear instantly cooling the passion inside him. After a long moment, he finally shouted, “Oh my god!” and turned to flee deeper into the woods.

 The leopard chased after Hunter Carter at full speed, its roar quickly summoning another companion—a larger, stronger male leopard.

 Hunter Carter summoned every ounce of strength he had, the threat of death easily unleashing his full potential.

 He leapt over the more than three-meter-wide stream with ease. The herd of elk, startled by the sudden danger, fled desperately into the depths of the forest.

 The leopards’ attention was diverted by the elk. They charged at the herd, and the male leopard pounced on a weak fawn, while the female’s sharp teeth mercilessly tore open its throat.

 Taking advantage of their distraction, Hunter Carter escaped. In his panic, he had no time to figure out which way he was going. His skin was scratched in many places by thorns, and suddenly his foot was tripped by something soft. Hunter Carter lost his balance and fell flat on his back. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he climbed up and discovered that what had tripped him was a heavily pregnant doe. Her big, bright eyes looked at Hunter Carter pleadingly, and her slender legs were struggling beneath her.

 Relying on his extensive medical knowledge, Hunter Carter immediately determined that this was a doe in labor.

 In this critical moment, Hunter Carter didn’t have time to think. He was about to run away, but the doe let out a plaintive cry. Hunter Carter couldn’t help but look back. Somehow, the look in the doe’s eyes reminded him of Emily Foster’s gaze before she died. His heart ached, and he bit his lower lip, finally making up his mind. He returned to the doe’s side, gently feeling her belly to locate the fawn’s head and forelegs. He took off his coat and covered the doe, then reached his arm into her warm body. The doe seemed to understand that Hunter Carter was there to help and didn’t struggle at all.

 “Little one! Welcome to this world!” Hunter Carter grasped the fawn’s forelegs and smoothly pulled it out. The doe let out a cry of pain at the sudden discomfort.