Sitting beside the smaller bonfire, I found myself unusually quiet. The warmth of the flames flickered against my face, and though the lively energy of the beastmen festival surrounded me, I couldn’t focus on any of it. I wasn’t even watching Ace anymore, even though he was still in the middle of that wrestling match, commanding the attention of half the crowd. My thoughts had shifted to Felix—and the entirely mortifying incident with his tail.

Iker, thankfully, had fallen into silence beside me, though I could still feel his occasional amused glance in my direction. He wasn’t going to let me live that down anytime soon. I sighed, pulling my cloak tighter around me as I stared at the flickering fire.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, waiting for Felix to return, when finally, I heard familiar footsteps crunching against the frost-dusted ground. My head snapped up just as Felix appeared through the crowd, looking uncharacteristically flustered.

His face was already turning red, and the moment he saw me, the color deepened until it almost matched the fiery glow of the bonfire. Without a word, he stomped over and practically shoved a small bundle of meat skewers—wrapped neatly in broad leaves—into my hands.

"Here," he said gruffly, his eyes fixed somewhere to the left of my shoulder. "Take these. And—" He huffed, dragging a hand through his hair. "And don’t touch me again. Or—or my tail." His voice dropped, almost growling. "Ever."

I blinked up at him, momentarily stunned, before glancing down at the skewers in my hands. "Uh—"

Before I could say anything, Iker let out a snicker from his spot beside me. "Poor Felix," he teased, leaning forward to grab one of the skewers from the pile. "You look like she just stole your first kiss in public or something."

Felix whipped around, glaring at his older brother. "Shut it, Iker."

But Iker was enjoying this far too much to stop. He took a bite of the skewer and chewed thoughtfully, gesturing at me with the half-eaten stick. "You know, she’s a herbivore, little brother. Not that it matters to you, since you’re too busy sulking."

Felix froze, his eyes snapping to me in surprise. "Wait—you don’t eat meat?" he asked, his voice softening just enough to make me blink in surprise.

I shrugged, trying to downplay it. "I don’t, but it’s fine. I wasn’t expecting—"

But Felix was already stepping back, his expression grim. "I didn’t know. Sorry." He ran a hand through his hair again, "I’ll get you something else."

"Don’t bother," I said quickly, stopping him before he could run off again. "It’s getting late, and I was planning to eat at home with Allmer anyway. Let’s just head back."

Felix hesitated, his brow furrowing. "You sure? I can—"

"I’m sure," I said firmly, already standing. I glanced at the darkening sky. The festival lights were lovely, but I was more than ready to go back, especially after a day this long. "It’s late. We should head back before it gets colder."

Felix nodded reluctantly. I handed the skewers to Iker, who accepted them with a smirk that made me want to shove him into the fire.

"Don’t worry, Felix, I’ll finish these for you. Waste not, want not."

Felix shot him a glare. "Thanks, brother. Don’t choke."

With that, Felix turned on his heel and motioned for me to follow him. "Come on. Let’s go."

I fell into step beside him as we left the bonfire behind, weaving through the thinning festival crowds. The walk back was quiet, the only sounds coming from the distant hum of the festival and the crunch of our footsteps on the frosty ground. Felix kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, his usual confidence replaced with a slightly awkward tension that made me suppress a smile.

When my house finally came into view, I let out a small sigh of relief. As we approached, I saw Allmer stepping outside.

Thankfully, he wasn’t in his half-beast form. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it. Still, I couldn’t deny that there was something oddly fascinating about it, especially his scales. They shimmered faintly in the moonlight, like polished white obsidian. Not that I’d ever admit it out loud, but I liked the way they felt under my fingers—cool and smooth, like glass.

As soon as Allmer’s gaze landed on Felix, his expression darkened into a scowl. "You have terrible taste in men, little one," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.

I couldn’t help but laugh, having fully expected this reaction. "You’re my taste, though," I shot back with a grin.

That shut him up. His lips pressed into a tight line, and his brow furrowed, clearly caught off guard by my comment.

"And one beating wasn’t enough to keep you away from my mate, huh?" Allmer shifted his attention to Felix, his voice low and threatening. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, glaring at Felix like he was daring him to speak.

Felix, of course, never knew when to back down. "I’ll take my chances," he replied, his tone light but deliberately provoking.

I sighed, stepping between them before Allmer could do something dramatic, like throw Felix into a tree. Again. "Let’s just have dinner," I said, placing a hand on Allmer’s arm. "Besides, you said I should legit choose anyone for the time being and Felix isn’t staying forever. He’s agreed to stick around for the winter, and then he’ll leave. Right?"

Felix shrugged, glancing at me. "Right. Just for winter. Don’t worry, Feral, I’m not here to steal your precious mate. I just need someone to buy me time to leave this city."

Allmer grumbled something under his breath, but I ignored it. I knew he didn’t like Felix, but the fact that he was agreeing to this at all was proof that he saw the value in having a four-stripe beastman around, even if he’d never admit it outright.

"At least he’s useful for one thing," Allmer muttered, shooting Felix another glare.

I could feel the tension between the two of them like a tangible thing, but I was too tired to deal with it. Instead, I focused on the warmth of the fire and the quiet comfort of being home.

As we sat down, Allmer stretched out beside me, his usual scowl softening just a bit. I picked up a plate of sliced fruits I’d left earlier and started eating, content to let the quiet settle. Felix, however, was not.

"You’re only eating that?" he asked, his voice sharp with disbelief.

I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "I like fruit. It’s enough."

"Enough? That’s not a proper dinner, especially for females."

Felix groaned, muttering something under his breath about "ferals" and "incompetence" before turning on his heel. "I’ll get some ingredients," he said over his shoulder, already stalking off toward the bonfires.

I blinked after him, slightly stunned. "Was that necessary?" I asked.

Allmer smirked, finally looking up from the fire. "Let him tire himself out."

"I’m starting to think you enjoy tormenting him," I said, shaking my head.

"He’s annoying," Allmer said simply. "But I’ll admit, he’s not useless."

Before I could reply, Felix came rushing back, carrying a small bundle of herbs, mushrooms, and other foraged ingredients with some stone utensils. He dropped them unceremoniously onto the ground and started arranging them with surprising precision.

"You’re seriously cooking right now?" I asked, watching as he crouched by the fire, muttering to himself.

"Someone has to make sure you’re eating properly," Felix retorted without looking up. "Clearly, your mate doesn’t care."

Allmer, with perfect timing, stuck out his leg and tripped Felix as he stood, sending him sprawling into the dirt.

"Really mature," he snapped, glaring at Allmer before getting back on his feet in an instant.

Allmer leaned back, looking entirely unbothered. "You walked into it. Not my fault."

I sighed, shaking my head. "This is going to be a long winter."

* ** *** Hope you all are enjoying the story! My exams are starting soon (yeah again (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠) ) so I'll just try my best to squeeze in one more chapter update after this one in few hours and then take break for few weeks.

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