"Who gave her my nest?"
The growled complaint echoed through the lower chamber like a rock tossed into calm water.
Lyra looked up mid-sip of her root broth, her cheeks puffed
like a startled squirrel.
A tall, sharply built female beastwoman stood at the edge of the den's hearth. Her wolfish ears flicked back, silver braids tumbling over her shoulders. She wore a bone-chained harness, revealing sleek muscles and teeth that gleamed when she smirked.
"She smells like dried plants and sweet cub milk," the woman sniffed.
Lyra blinked, carefully setting her bowl down. "I'm… sorry?"
"You're sitting in my spot," the wolf-woman said flatly.
"That nest is mine. Was mine."
Lykos, standing near the herb wall, didn't even turn.
"It was yours," he said without looking back. "Now it's hers."
A hush fell over the chamber.
The woman's eyes narrowed. "Since when do you reassign nests for humans?"
"Since she arrived."
"And why exactly does a soft-skinned, wide-eyed, bunny-hearted—"
"She has a cub," Lykos interrupted, voice cool.
The Mooncub in Lyra's cloak pouch peeked out with a chirp
and sneezed.
The wolf-woman blinked. Then narrowed her gaze again. "That cub chose her?"
"It did."
"…Tch."
She stalked off, tossing her braid with a huff.
Lyra looked down at the cub. "I think I just made an enemy."
The cub purred like it agreed.
---
🪷 Upgrades and Awkwardness
That night, in the quiet of the sleeping den, Lyra slipped
into her inner space.
The Eden Core's Sanctuary Grove had changed again:
Her moonberry bush had spread into a low vine maze.
The celestial pond now sparkled with faint glowing fish.
And a new structure had grown beside the animal pen: a
Wishing Lantern Tree.
> 🌸 [New Feature
Unlocked: Wishing Lantern Tree – Converts strong emotions into blessings or
passive skill boosts.]
She stared at it.
> Emotion-detecting trees? What next—mood-reading
carrots?
But as she brushed her fingers across the bark, it pulsed
faintly.
> Input: Emotion—Longing.
Result: Passive buff: "Warm Presence" – nearby beasts
become mildly protective of you.
"Oh," Lyra muttered. "So that explains the grumpy girls and
clingy wolves."
The system dinged again:
> 🌿 System Reminder:
Bond Development with Alpha Lykos – 27% complete. Early soul imprint forming.
(Warning: Soul imprints are difficult to undo.)
Lyra's jaw dropped. "Undo?! I didn't even—?!"
The system, of course, ignored her panic.
---
🐺 Dangerously Close
The next morning, Lykos asked her to help him sort scent
herbs by the waterfall cave. "Fresh water helps them keep potency," he said.
She followed him with a satchel and ten thousand racing
thoughts.
He barely said a word as he laid out wolfmint, bloodroot,
and sunvine across sun-warmed stones. Lyra, trying to keep things light, hummed softly.
"You always hum when you're nervous," he murmured suddenly.
She paused, startled. "How do you know that?
"I have ears. And you hum off-key."
Her cheeks burned. "I didn't ask to be perfect."
"No," he said, glancing at her. "But you are good. It's
confusing."
"…Good?"
Lykos didn't answer, but she caught him staring at her lips
too long before turning back to the herbs.
---
💬 Flirt and Fluster
As they worked, a shadow loomed at the cave entrance.
"Alpha Lykos!" a voice called. "You're needed by the western patrol—oh!"
A young beastman, probably a junior scout, stopped
mid-sentence at the sight of Lyra kneeling in the sunlight, sleeves rolled up, hair tucked behind one ear.
He blinked rapidly. "I—I didn't know you had such… pretty…
helpers."
Lykos's brow twitched.
Lyra gave a polite smile. "I'm not really a helper, just
surviving."
"You're doing more than surviving," the scout said. "You're
glowing."
Lykos growled. Audibly.
The scout blanched. "Sorry! Sorry! Didn't mean to—!"
"Out," Lykos snapped. "Now."
The boy fled.
Lyra tried—and failed—not to laugh. "Did you just… growl at a compliment?"
"He was looking at your neck like he wanted to taste it."
Her cheeks blazed. "It's a neck! I didn't offer it to anyone!"
Lykos gave her a glare. "It's mine to protect."
She blinked. "What?"
"I mean… you're under my watch. My den. My territory." His
voice cracked slightly. "Stop looking at me like that."
"I didn't say anything."
"You're blushing."
"You're blushing!"
"I don't blush."
He absolutely was.
---
🐾 Girls Talk (or Glare)
That night, Lyra was invited—more like dragged—by the
Moonfang healer apprentices to the "Warm Pelt Circle," a moonlight bonding gathering for female pack members.
Lyra, sitting awkwardly with a cup of fermented flower
juice, found herself surrounded by curious eyes and one particularly annoyed wolf-woman.
"You smell like Lykos," said one. "But not like… mated
smell."
Another added, "He didn't give you a claim yet?"
"Isn't it too early?" Lyra squeaked. "I've only known him
for, like, a week!"
The annoyed wolf-woman from before sniffed. "He marked her wrist. That's more than he's done for anyone in seasons."
A third beastwoman giggled. "Maybe the little petal is blooming faster than she knows."
Lyra nearly choked on her drink.
But as the night wore on, the teasing softened. One of the
women offered to braid her hair. Another gave her moon-petal oil for the cub's fur. The tension turned into something else—something like hesitant welcome.
Maybe it wasn't hate.
Maybe it was… wary curiosity.
---
⚠️ The Burn Reaches the Den
That night, howls rang out near the edge of the territory.
Lykos was gone on patrol. Scouts rushed through the den.
Lyra clutched the mooncub close, heart racing.
A shaman entered and threw powder into the hearth. Flames rose high—and inside them, a message appeared.
> "A fire-mark was found near the eastern ridge."
"The symbol of the Flame Guardian has crossed into Moonfang soil."
"The Lion seeks her."
Lyra's blood froze.
And far beyond the trees, on a cliff overlooking the Moonfang border, a beast with a mane of golden fire stared into the forest… and smiled.
---
End of Chapter Six