The young woman just shook her head, crimson eyes gleaming softly beneath the moonlight. She set down a plate of meat beside him before trying to wrap the blanket around him again properly.
Lith shrugged her off sharply.
"Are you DEAF?!" he snarled. "I said leave me be!"
One of his claws lashed out instinctively.
A thin cut opened along Celine's arm.
Lith froze immediately.
But before he could say anything, Celine snapped back.
"SO WHAT?! SO YOU CAN DRINK YOURSELF TO DEATH?!"
She caught herself quickly, glancing toward the sleeping estate before lowering her voice again.
Then she straightened herself and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Kaelith, I may not be your beloved and I understand you not wanting me here because you see me only as the girl the nobles dumped on you…"
Her voice softened slightly.
"…but I want to make one thing clear."
She stepped closer.
"You will not dismiss me as if I am some servant girl. Talk to me with the respect I deserve, please."
Lith looked away silently.
Celine took a slow breath before continuing.
"I know I won't replace her."
That made his ears twitch slightly.
"I know that," she repeated quietly. "And I am not trying to."
The garden grew still around them.
"But right now," Celine continued, "I am here."
She placed the blanket over him again, gentler this time.
"And whether you like it or not, we are still to be wed."
Lith let out a low tired growl but didn't pull away again.
Celine sat beside the bench quietly.
"I care about you, Kaelith," she admitted. "Even if your heart belongs to someone else right now."
Her crimson eyes lowered slightly.
"I'm not asking you to love me."
That one hurt him more than he expected.
"I just…" she hesitated briefly. "I just want you to let me try to help."
For a long while Lith said nothing.
The giant panther simply stared out toward the forest.
Then finally, quietly:
"…sorry about your arm."
Celine smiled faintly despite herself.
"There you are," she muttered softly.
That was how it started.
Not with love.
Not with passion.
Just two lonely people learning how to sit beside each other.
Months passed.
Then more.
Celine slowly became part of his life in ways Lith never noticed until it was already too late to deny. She made him laugh again. Argued with him when he got too self destructive. Stayed beside him on the nights the memories got bad.
And slowly, against all expectations, Lith began loving her too.
Not in the same way he loved Abella.
But genuinely.
Deeply.
Life became warmer after that.
Then came Lucien.
Then Demetrius.
The estate grew loud and lively. There was laughter in the halls again. Tiny claw marks in the furniture. Endless sleepless nights and mornings filled with chaos.
Life was good.
And for a while Lith truly believed he had moved on.
Until one day while hunting near the elven woods, a massive explosion shook the forest.
Birds scattered instantly.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
Lith's head snapped toward the distant trees as silver light erupted into the sky beyond the barrier.
And the moment he felt that energy—
his heart stopped.
As Lith moved toward the sound of the explosion, his pace quickened with every step.
The blast had happened far from the great scorch mark he'd carved into the forest years ago trying to break through the barrier. This was deeper in the woods. Far deeper than he had ever managed to reach before.
Then the scent hit him.
His entire body froze mid-step.
Abella.
Not memory.
Not imagination.
Her.
The smell hit him like a punch to the chest, buried beneath the scent of pine, smoke, and fresh earth. There were others too. Different scents layered around the area, unfamiliar ones, but none of them mattered.
Only hers.
Lith's breathing became uneven instantly.
Behind him, the hunting party called his name, confused as the Duke suddenly abandoned formation, but he ignored them completely. He bolted forward headfirst, moving faster and faster until the forest around him became streaks of color.
Branches shattered against his body.
The earth cracked beneath his feet.
His heart pounded so violently it almost hurt.
No.
No no no.
There was no way.
And yet the scent only grew stronger.
Lith burst through the treeline and skidded into a clearing.
A cabin stood there.
Large.
Cozy.
Smoke drifted lazily from the chimney while warm light flickered behind curtained windows. It looked impossibly peaceful sitting in the middle of the forest like something torn from a dream.
Lith stared at it breathlessly.
Then slowly stepped forward.
His hand trembled as it reached for the doorknob.
And something slammed into him.
The impact sent him crashing through the door, landing hard enough to crater the ground beneath him. Lith barely managed to react before a massive shape pinned him down.
His hazy vision cleared slowly.
Teeth.
Rows and rows of sharp teeth hovered inches from his face attached to a gigantic beast covered in black fur. Hot breath washed over him as the creature snarled low in its throat, massive claws digging into the ground beside his head.
Lith's instincts screamed at him to fight.
Then the maw moved closer.
And a voice called out from behind the creature.
"Lith?"
Everything stopped.
The beast froze instantly.
Lith's eyes widened.
That voice.
Gods.
His heart sank and rose at the exact same time.
Slowly, almost afraid to move too quickly in case reality shattered around him, Lith looked past the creature.
And saw her.
"Lith?"
It was Abella.
As the creature slowly closed its mouth and stepped back, Lith finally got a proper look at it.
A massive black panther.
Its golden eyes locked onto him cautiously, fur bristling slightly as it stayed between him and the cabin protectively.
Lith's breath caught in his throat.
The scent.
It carried Abella's scent.
His mind raced instantly.
Could this be…?
His baby?
Emotion hit him so hard his chest physically hurt. His mouth opened slightly but no words came out. Years of grief, rage, longing, all of it crashed together at once as he stared at the massive panther standing before him.
Then suddenly-
Lith jolted awake.
His eyes snapped open.
The sound of booming laughter filled the room.
For a second he looked around disoriented before realizing where he actually was. His study. Warm sunlight poured through the windows and one of the books on his lap slid onto the floor.
Rokash was laughing loud enough to shake the walls.
Lith blinked twice.
Then slowly wiped the drool from the side of his mouth.
A dream.
Just a dream.
He rubbed his face once before standing and gathering himself. Outside the study he could already hear Ikurus talking loudly somewhere in the estate, probably harassing a servant or accidentally starting another international incident by flirting with demon royalty. Typical Veythros behavior.
Lith smiled faintly despite himself.
As he headed toward the lobby where Ikurus and Rokash were, he let out a quiet breath and laughed softly under it.
Funny thing was-
he really had gotten lucky.
Against all odds, everything had worked out.
He had Celine and Abella.
His sons.
His family.
Peace.
A good life.
Not perfect.
But good.
And as Lith stepped into the hall toward the sound of his family laughing, he found himself thinking something he never thought he'd be able to admit after the war.
Maybe…
just maybe…
he was finally happy.