Damar didn't say anything and simply turned away.
Somehow, that felt kinder.
If he spoke, I knew I would try to stretch the conversation. I would ask him to stay just a little longer. And he… he would hate leaving even more. But that was dangerous.
Dangerous because we were so close to the tribe, and he could get spotted at any moment.
So I let him go.
I watched his back grow smaller until the forest swallowed him whole, then let out a slow breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
My fingers sank into Fenric's lush fur.
"Let's go," I murmured.
Fenric moved.
His steps were slow and deliberate, each padded footfall sinking lightly into the earth.
Despite his size, there was nothing clumsy about him. His body flowed forward with the grace of a born predator, tail swaying calmly behind him, white-and-black fur catching the sunlight like polished silver.
He was a majestic tiger.
One that regular females couldn't handle, no less.
