The silence that followed my confession wasn’t that of hatred; it was the heavy, suffocating weight of a heart breaking in real-ti.
Noah didn’t look at with fury. He looked at with a weary, profound sadness that hurt a thousand tis worse.
He walked forward, his heavy steps soft on the sand, and reached down. He didn’t grab my chin; he simply tucked a stray, tear-damp hair to the side, his hand lingering there for a second too long.
"Get up, little tiger," he murmured, his voice thick with that sadness I had seen in his eyes. "A Queen shouldn’t kneel in the dirt, even when she’s made a ss of things."
He handed the sleeping cub he was holding to Damar, who took the baby with a silent, mournful nod.
Fenric, anwhile, was staring at the ground, his broad shoulders shaking slightly. He wasn’t growling. He was huffing out short, ragged breaths, trying to find his footing.
"You really... You really kissed him?" Fenric asked, finally looking up. His ruby eyes were glossy. "While we were right there, just feet away, dreaming of you?"
"I’m sorry," I said, my voice sounding like a sob, and my forehead dropping to the cool sand.
I gave a bow to show my sincerity, but I know even that wasn’t enough.
"I’m so sorry. I’m greedy, Fenric. I’m selfish. I saw sothing beautiful, and I didn’t turn away. I let him touch . I let him kiss ."
Noah exhaled a long, shaky breath and knelt down in front of , forcing to look at him. He took both of my trembling hands in his large, warm palms and said.
"Stop calling yourself nas. You’re not a monster, Arinya. You’re just... you." He gave a sad, half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Of course, we knew who you were when we claid you. We knew your heart was a wide, wild territory that didn’t like fences. We just... we hoped that for a while longer, the three of us would be enough to fill it."
Those words made feel even more guilty.
Fenric walked over and sat down heavily on the sand beside us, burying his face in his hands.
"It’s the fish, isn’t it?" He dragged his palms down, as if he had seen this coming. As if it were only a matter of ti before I walked up to that bronze statue and left a claim. "I understand why you feel ’enchanted’. He’s a different kind of beastman and has such a nice body. You’ve always been a sucker for hot bodies."
"Fenric," I called, my voice coming out in such a low whisper that I wasn’t sure he heard the whole thing.
"While we’re just skin and claws, he’s... he’s starlight and water." His voice dropped into sothing hurt and pained. "Did we... push you far, Arinya?"
"No," I imdiately reached out, grabbing Fenric’s arm, pulling myself towards him. "It’s not like that. You are my ho. You are my fire. He is... a curiosity that turned into sothing more, but he could never replace you."
Damar sat behind , his tail coiling and his cool chest acting as a steady anchor for my back. He didn’t say anything, but I felt him lean his head against my shoulder then.
The three of them were surrounding , even now. Even with the scent of Taylor on my lips and the purple scales on my ankle.
"We aren’t going to stay mad," Noah whispered, leaning forward to press a lingering, bittersweet kiss to my forehead. "We can’t. You’re the air in our lungs. But don’t ask us to be happy about it yet. Our hearts are bruised, and they need ti to stop aching."
"That’s why..." I pursed my lips heavily and bit the inside of my mouth, nearly tasting my own blood. "I told you not to forgive . If you stay mad, if you stay mad... hic..." I suddenly began to cry without aning to. "It’s the only punishnt I think I can hear. Anything more than that would ruin . So, please don’t forgive ."
I was like a broken recorder at this point, repeating for them not to forgive over and over.
It wasn’t like them staying mad would be good for my conscience. That just makes even more selfish since making them do sothing that would relieve my conscience was not atoning.
It was hard. Knowing they would stay mad would help reflect better on my actions.
And maybe this ti... Thalor will be the last ti.
Fenric reached out and took my left hand—the one with the crest—and stared at it.
He just traced the blue lines with a trembling finger with no vibe expression on his face and then said, "If he’s coming into this family, he’s going to have to learn that we don’t share well. And he’s going to have to answer to for every tear you just shed."
"And he has to promise to never hurt you," Noah added, and I saw that mocking flicker in his eyes. "You know, the way Damar almost had my neck the first ti we t."
The mory flashed through my mind, and I nearly laughed. It wasn’t a hearty mont right now and back then, too, but it sohow felt comical.
"Ari," Damar called softly from behind . "I will... educate the fish."
My eyes slightly widened, but then they fell into a soft, somber glow.
Why are they so good to ?
Even when I do sothing that breaks their heart, they try to adapt. They try to make feel better for my own wrong.
I... I don’t really deserve all of this.
"You guys..." I called softly. "You have to stay mad at ," I said, and they stared at .
Noah suddenly let out a light chuckle and asked,
"Little tiger, what happens when we stay mad at you?" He leaned closer, his nose nearly brushing against mine. "Do we ignore you when you talk? Do we disobey your orders? Or do we go hard on you at night until you beg for us to stop, and we still won’t listen?"
I gulped, my heart hamring again and my eyes darting to the floor.
I don’t know, honestly. I don’t know what they would do if they were mad.
I can’t even imagine them walking off on their own and telling not to co find them. Or even trying to break just for the fun of it.
The ’punishnt’ this ti was likely the hardest they could go with because they just couldn’t stop themselves from worrying about my well-being.
"Well," I wanted to say sothing, but I really didn’t have any clue.
"How about this?" Damar spoke up. "Instead of staying mad, which we cannot afford to do, and ignoring you while putting up airs, you have to make one promise to us."
"A... promise?"
So far, I’ve never really made a promise to them, have I?
"Yes, I think that will do," Noah added.
"I already know where this is going, and I am all for it," Fenric added.
"What’s the promise?" I asked, willing to do whatever it was.
"Do not do anything with the rman for a week." Damar finally. "Do not let him mark you either, so that there isn’t a situation where you can’t control yourself."
Ah, it just reminds of Damar’s marking process. Consummation always cos after marking.
"If you can abide by this, Arinya, we’ll forgive you and try to see eye to eye with the fish," Fenric said, his grin wide and clear.
My eyes flickered from one to the other. It sounded reasonable. They wanted to give him a probation period.
"And... if I break that promise?" I asked, not because I was planning to but because I wanted to know exactly what they had hidden in their thoughts.
Suddenly, the air grew cold, not from the night air but from the heavy, dangerous gaze of all three husbands.
"Ari, we may not be able to do anything to you," Damar began, flicking his tongue. "But that cannot be said for the fish."
"If he lays a hand on you after he makes this promise, we’ll simply interpret it that he lured you despite your wish," Fenric said, his tone sounding grave and scary. "Even if you insist it was you, we won’t listen to it."
"We’ll be having fish soup," Noah growled, and I gulped.
"Noah, won’t that... cause a diplomatic war?"
"Huh? What does a diplomatic war have to do with the fact that a male touched my wife without her consent?"
I looked at all three of them. They seed scary. Too scary.
Well, I already get what their hidden intentions were, and have gotten a clear eye on what I must do.
In no way am I going to let Thalor touch this period.
I should probably keep myself busy so I do not run into him.
"I understand," I whispered. "I will definitely keep my promise and not let Thalor touch for a week."
I leaned into them, the four of us huddled together by the dying embers of the fire.
The guilt was still there, a sharp stone in my gut, but the wall of their love hadn’t crumbled. It had just cracked, and now we had to figure out how to fill those cracks before the sun fully rose.
"Let’s go back inside," Noah said, his voice regaining a bit of its strength. "The cubs are restless, and you’re shivering."
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