Alo took the dress from Theo carefully.
Not dismissively. Not possessively.
With respect.
"We'll keep it safe," he said, folding the gem-threaded silk and placing it into a carved stone chest set deep into the wall. "For the market."
Theo nodded, relieved and strangely proud.
Luna watched the exchange with bright eyes, fingers fidgeting at her sides. "It's really beautiful," she said again, softer this time.
Theo's ears warmed. He looked away.
Alo glanced at her. "You wanted to rest?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Just… for a bit."
He brushed a kiss to her temple and stepped away without question.
The moment she was alone, Sprout cleared its throat.
SHOP ACCESS: TEMPORARILY EXPANDED.
Luna blinked. That's new.
A translucent menu unfurled, brighter than usual, practically humming with enthusiasm.
LIMITED-TIME PERKS AVAILABLE.
MARKET PROXIMITY BONUS ACTIVE.
Her eyes widened.
Oh no.
ALURE ENHANCEMENT — 7 DAYS.
Subtle pheromonal amplification.
Scent profile: lavender, warmth, safety.
Effect: may soften hardened warriors.
Side effects: increased attention. Increased heart rate in others.
Warning: you will notice mirrors noticing you.
Luna swallowed. That sounds… dangerous.
APPLIED.
"Sprout—"
A warmth washed over her skin, like sunlight settling in her bones. She gasped softly as her body adjusted, curves softening just enough to draw the eye, her chest filling slightly, breath catching as her balance shifted.
Her lips tingled.
MINOR LIP PLUMP — APPLIED.
SKIN CLEANSING — APPLIED.
PERK BOOST — ACTIVE.
She pressed her hands to her cheeks. "I did not say yes."
YOU THOUGHT IT.
She scowled. You're being suspiciously generous.
Sprout made a pleased sound.
INVENTORY BONUS: 20 BOTTLES HERBAL SHAMPOO.
HIGH DEMAND.
RESELL VALUE: SIGNIFICANT.
Luna stared. Why are you being nice?
A pause.
Then:
CONDITION REQUIRED.
Her stomach sank. What condition.
YOU MUST MATE WITH THE ICE PHOENIX MALE TONIGHT.
Silence.
Luna closed her eyes. Sprout.
OPTIMAL TIMING.
EMOTIONAL READINESS: CONFIRMED.
PHYSICAL SAFETY: CONFIRMED.
She exhaled slowly. You're impossible.
I PREFER "EFFICIENT."
She rubbed her temples. I'll… think about it.
Sprout hummed, smug.
⸻
Theo POV
Theo had been pacing for nearly an hour before he realized what he was doing.
He stopped, pressed his palms to his thighs, and drew in a slow breath.
Ask him, he told himself.
Alo stood near the outer path, overseeing preparations, posture relaxed, attention split between a dozen things at once.
Theo approached.
"Alo."
Alo turned. "Yes?"
Theo swallowed. "I… would like to ask something."
Alo's brow lifted slightly. "Go on."
Theo forced the words out. "May I have the cave tonight."
Not a challenge.
Not a demand.
A request.
Alo studied him for a long moment. Then nodded. "Yes."
Theo's chest loosened so suddenly he nearly staggered.
"Thank you," he said hoarsely.
Alo's mouth curved. "Bring her food. She likes berries. And warmth."
Theo nodded again, already turning away.
He didn't trust himself to say more.
Instead, he headed for the forest edge, mind racing, heart pounding, determination settling into his bones.
He would do this properly.
He would bring her something good.
And when night came, he would finally stop standing still.
Theo had survived war.
He had watched cities burn, had stood knee deep in blood and ice and still slept afterward. He had learned how to lock himself down, how to cage instinct until it starved.
None of that mattered now.
Because she was breathing.
Because every time she moved, the world tilted toward her like gravity had finally chosen a center.
He stood outside the den with the food in his hands, knuckles white, heart slamming so violently he was half-convinced it might tear free of his chest and throw itself at her feet.
Get inside, he told himself.
His legs didn't move.
Inside him, something was already kneeling.
Not metaphorically.
Not poetically.
Kneeling.
He could feel it. That internal bow, that collapse of spine and pride and self until there was nothing left but readiness. Waiting. The sick, sweet certainty that if she asked him to bleed, he would thank her for the honor.
Theo clenched his jaw so hard it hurt.
She smelled wrong.
Not wrong-bad. Wrong like this should not exist. Lavender and warmth and something beneath it that made his scar itch, made his wings ache to wrap, to hide, to smother her from the world and apologize afterward.
He stepped inside.
She turned.
That was it.
That was the end of him.
She didn't even do anything. Didn't beckon. Didn't smile wide. Just looked at him with those soft eyes like she wasn't holding his entire mind in her hands.
Theo dropped.
The motion shocked him. One moment standing, the next on one knee, wings folding so tight they trembled, head bowed like his body had finally remembered its purpose.
He didn't decide it.
His instincts did.
"I brought you food," he said, voice steady only because everything else was gone. "If you want it. If you don't, I'll take it away."
The words tasted wrong the moment he spoke them.
Because she didn't smell like anyone.
Not Alo.
Not the tribe.
Not safety or territory or possession.
She smelled open.
Like a space left deliberately empty.
Theo's pupils widened as the realization hit him all at once. The absence was loud. A quiet, aching vacancy where a mark should have been. Where his should have been.
Say something, his mind screamed.
She moved closer instead.
Her presence pressed against him like a hand at the nape of his neck, guiding him lower without touching and that was when it broke.
Not his restraint.
His balance.
Theo's thoughts shattered, devotion slamming into dominance so hard it left him breathless. He could feel it now, the instinct to rise and surround, to cage her gently with his body and decide things for her because the world clearly hadn't earned the right.
He imagined it then not bodies, not flesh but structure.
Her seated above him, calm and radiant, but waiting. Him at her feet only until she was no longer unguarded. Listening for breath cues. Watching for threats. Existing to anticipate her needs before she knew them herself and to answer them without hesitation.
The idea nearly broke him in half.
"I would burn for you," he said before he could stop himself. "Freeze. Wait. Take the ground apart if you asked."
His scar throbbed, ice cracking beneath skin.
"I don't need to touch you," he went on, words spilling now, reverent and dangerous all at once. "But you shouldn't be left like this. Not unheld. Not unmarked."
Silence stretched.
Then warmth.
Her fingers slid into his hair.
Light. Careful. Real.
Theo inhaled sharply and almost lost himself.
"Hey," she whispered. "You're shaking."
"I know," he said, forehead dropping forward until it brushed her knee. He stayed there, still only by force, devotion wrapped tight around a coiled, patient hunger. "I'm trying very hard not to frighten you."
Her breath hitched.
"You're not," she said.
That was worse.
Theo smiled slow now, feral under the softness, something ancient and proprietary waking behind his eyes because she didn't yet understand what it meant to be looked at the way he was looking at her.