Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel!-Chapter 332: A Third Wheel

Chapter 332: A Third Wheel
Riven shook his head, muttering under his breath, "I’ll—be right back."
He gave Leon a short nod before slipping back inside his room, tail flicking in faint irritation. Leon watched him go, sighing heavily as the door shut. For a brief second, Leon thought about just leaving without him, but... No.
Riven had said he’d come back, and if there was one thing Leon liked, it was making an entrance
together
. Still, he wandered toward the front door, hands in his pockets, trying not to think too much about how Soren might react to this outing.
Inside the bedroom, Riven closed the door behind him and found Soren.
The snow leopard had just stepped out of the shower, water still dripping down his toned chest, a towel slung low around his hips. Steam curled out of the bathroom behind him, and his ebony eyes locked onto Riven instantly.
"I’m going out," Riven said quickly, folding his arms like he was bracing for impact. "With Leon. Probably to the commercial district."
Soren didn’t even blink before his voice dropped into that unshakable, commanding tone."No."
Riven narrowed his eyes. "I’m not
asking
here."
Soren tilted his head slightly, a single drop of water trailing from his jawline to his collarbone. The room felt heavier instantly.
"Look," Riven continued, his voice firm but not shouting, "this already happened to me once. Ronan did not allow me to leave the house, and I
refuse
to do that again! Because that’s all I’ve been doing—staying here. Sitting around. Waiting. I am
done
with that!"
Soren’s gaze didn’t waver.
Riven’s tail flicked sharply. "I refuse to live like that. Not again."
The silence stretched between them. Soren’s eyes were unreadable, but Riven could
feel
the tension in the air—like Soren was holding himself back from saying something far darker. If it was truly up to him, Soren would have locked Riven in this room, maybe even
chained
him to the bed, just to keep him safe. And Riven knew it.
Finally, Soren’s voice cut through the air. "Take Xavier with you."
"I don’t need a chaperone," Riven shot back immediately, frustration bubbling up. "We’ll just be in the commercial district. I’m going with Leon—he’s strong, and if anything happens—"
Soren’s voice was quieter this time, but there was steel in it. "I’m not asking here."
It was the exact same words Riven had thrown at him moments ago, only colder, sharper—final.
Riven opened his mouth to argue again but closed it with a pout. Fine. He could live with that. At least Soren wasn’t flat-out forbidding him from going.
He gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. Xavier comes."
But in the back of his mind, Leon’s words echoed again—how Riven needed permission to leave, how someone else always seemed to hold the reins. Riven didn’t want that kind of life. Not from Soren. Not from anyone.
---
"This place is..." Riven trailed off, tail swishing as he craned his neck to look up at a building that seemed to touch the clouds. "...Rich." He was used to this more or less, Leon would probably fit right in.
Leon smirked. "Only the best for me."
Riven scoffed. Of course, he fit right in.
"Stay close," Xavier said from behind them, and when Riven glanced back, he found Xavier looking straight at him. As if he could not care less if Leon got lost.
"Hey, old man," Riven greeted casually.
"Watch it," Xavier replied without missing a beat, though there was the faintest hint of amusement in his voice. Still very hot, Riven thought. He was in his forties, he was broad-shouldered, with silver streaks in his hair that only made him look hotter and that scar, ugh, so good.
And just like that, Xavier slid
right
between them.
Not subtly. Not politely. He literally stepped forward, broad chest acting like a human barricade, so that Riven was now walking on one side of him and Leon on the other.
"What are you—" Leon began.
"Making sure you two stay safe," Xavier said calmly, scanning the crowd as if the elite shopping district were some dangerous warzone.
They tried again, naturally drifting closer as they passed a boutique. Xavier immediately shifted his position, keeping them an arm’s length apart.
Riven groaned. "Seriously? You’re just going to... Wall yourself between us?" He was not complaining too much, if not Leon, he could still rub himself against Xavier. A hot man is a hot man, he does not discriminate.
"Yes," Xavier said, tone calm and final.
Leon muttered, "Do you think I’m going to steal him?"
"Yes," Xavier replied instantly.
"So your master is insecure." Leon scoffed, what did he say to him earlier? That he could never measure up.
"Come on!" Riven protested. "Stop it, we are here to have FUN!"
"You’re welcome," Xavier said without turning around.
Riven smirked. "You’re like... A babysitter with muscles."
Xavier gave him a side glance. "And you’re like a puppy that wanders into traffic if I don’t hold the leash."
"Ouch," Riven said, but he was laughing.
Leon just groaned. "I hate this friendship."
"Good," Xavier said.
The three of them ended up in front of a jewellery shop, the kind with a display so glittery Riven half-expected it to blind him.
Leon stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowing like a predator spotting prey. "I want to see the jewellery. Snow Leopard clan styles are different from mine."
Riven raised a brow. "Of course you do. You vain magpie."
Ignoring him, Leon pushed open the door and walked in like he owned the place. The shopkeeper bowed instantly, and Riven guessed it wasn’t every day they had a lion shifter in here—especially one who still carried himself like royalty.
Xavier followed, looking at the glass cases with an almost professional interest. "These pieces are good," he said, leaning closer to a display of rings. "See the cut on this diamond? It’s a Snow Leopard signature—sharper angles, more light refraction."
Leon glanced at him. "You know jewellery?"
"I know quality craftsmanship," Xavier replied.
Riven felt like the third wheel for once.