Afternoon sunlight drifted lazily through the window, warming the wooden table where Luna and Ezra sat across from one another.
The light was gentle and soft, yet neither woman looked capable of appreciating it.
They both resembled maidens who had survived a long night on a battlefield rather than in the comfort of their own home.
Luna, who usually carried herself like a frosty noble flower, now looked like a cracked porcelain doll that someone had dropped and hastily glued back together.
Her silver hair was slightly tangled, her eyes rimmed with red, and her cheeks were flushed a shade that screamed embarrassment rather than warmth.
She fanned herself with one hand, her movements sharp with irritation.
Ezra crossed her arms and kept her gaze fixed on the table. On the surface, she seemed composed, but her ears were pink, and her eyes flicked away from any movement that reminded her of Judas's shape or height.
She sat rigidly, her back straight, as if letting her guard down would only make the memories of last night louder.
Together, they shared a silence born from mutual suffering. Neither spoke, but their expressions said the same thing.
They had fought a war. And lost miserably.
Judas had been outside for a few hours. He had left for the farmland earlier, leaving the two alone with their thoughts.
And with Nina.
In the kitchen, Nina hummed a cheerful tune as she cooked noodles. Her tail swung behind her in a steady rhythm that matched her light steps.
Her skin glowed brighter than the afternoon sun, so unnaturally clear that it made the other two squint.
She had slept until the afternoon. Luna and Ezra had watched her sleeping form more than once through the doorway, each time twitching as they tried to erase the memories of last night from their minds.
When they recalled exactly why Nina slept so deeply, both of their faces burned each time they looked at her.
Nina lifted the ladle, stirring the pot with a bright smile. "The broth is almost ready."
The sound of her cheerful voice stabbed directly into the hearts of the two exhausted women.
After a moment, the wolf-girl finally turned around fully, her ears perked and tail high. She tilted her head.
"Why do both of you have bags under your eyes?"
Luna choked on nothing but her own dignity. Ezra coughed and turned her face away.
Both of them tried their best to hide the grimace almost forming on their faces. But it seemed it couldn't be helped.
Luna snapped first. She slapped both palms lightly onto the table, leaning forward with blazing cheeks. "It is because certain shameless people made noise all night. Loud, sinful noise. Without the slightest care that two maidens were trying to sleep right next door."
Her eyes glared at the pot as if the broth itself bore the blame.
Ezra nodded with stiff dignity. Her face was red too, remembering the sinful orchestra that had kept her awake.
She had listened to far more than she should have, and she would take that shame to the grave.
Nina froze mid-stir, then a spark of understanding lit her eyes.
"So that is why you two could not sleep."
She nodded sympathetically. "I will take that into consideration tonight. Maybe."
Luna's eyes widened. "You are going to do that again?"
Nina's expression softened into a dreamy glow. "Of course. Last night was one of the best experiences of my entire life."
Luna nearly tipped backward off her chair. Ezra gripped her knees tightly, trying to steady her breathing.
Nina pointed proudly at her cheek. "Look at my face. Husband was so rough in bed, yet my skin looks fresh. Even the freckles disappeared."
She beamed, almost sparkling.
Luna and Ezra unconsciously leaned forward, curiosity battling envy in their eyes.
"Doing that clears your skin?" Luna whispered.
"Impossible," Ezra muttered, though she continued staring at Nina like she might unravel a secret skincare method.
Nina shrugged lightly. "Believe whatever you like."
Silence took over again. Luna bit her bottom lip hard. Ezra looked away, but her ears angled sharply toward Nina.
Finally, Luna asked, "What is so exciting about it?"
Nina blinked. "My face? A clear face feels great."
Luna shook her head so fast her silver hair bounced. "Not your face. I mean this."
She formed a circle with her index finger and thumb, then used her other hand to push a finger through the middle.
Ezra dropped her spoon. It clattered loudly against the table as her entire face exploded in red.
Nina's eyes widened. "Oh. That."
She set the ladle aside and leaned one hip against the counter, her tail rising with pride and mischief.
"Let me tell you."
Luna and Ezra straightened instantly, sitting with the posture of students awaiting forbidden knowledge, faces burning and hearts beating fast, as the newly deflowered wolf-girl began explaining the sensations of first intimacy like a teacher lecturing two innocent maidens on the mysteries of adulthood.
"His thing is this big." Nina lifted her forearm and pointed along the length of it.
Luna gasped before she could stop herself. Her eyes dropped toward her own crotch in pure disbelief. "No way. How can it fit inside?"
Nina smirked with the confidence of someone who had seen the mountain and survived it. She rested a hand on her hip, acting far too experienced for a girl who had been a maiden only yesterday.
"It just fits," she said airily. "At first, I thought my abdomen would crack open. Oh, and he likes to suck…"
Her finger drifted lazily toward the chests of the other two.
Luna and Ezra jerked back in unison and covered their full bosoms with both arms, faces burning so violently that even their necks turned red.
Ezra cleared her throat, trying to regain some dignity. "Still, there is no way for a man to be that big."
Her attempt at changing the topic only made it far more embarrassing.
"If you do not believe me," Nina said with complete seriousness, "then check for yourselves."
"What!" Luna practically shrieked.
"No thank you," Ezra said immediately, looking anywhere except at Nina's smug smile.
"Whatever you like." Nina rolled her eyes and returned to her casual lean. "We are his wives. Wives need to fulfill their duties to their husband. If we do not, he will feel dissatisfied and then abandon us."
Luna and Ezra both nodded before their heads snapped side to side violently.
"He is not that kind of person," they said in unison, embarrassed by how desperate it sounded.
Nina hummed softly, drumming her fingers along her chin like she was evaluating two clueless village girls.
"I am sure once you two experience it, you will be fighting over him all night."
"Fighting? For what?"
A deep male voice echoed from the doorway.
Silence slammed into the room. The three women froze like statues caught doing something illegal.
Their faces drained, then flushed, then drained again.
Nina recovered first.
After three seconds of stunned paralysis, she spun around and dashed toward the door, arms flailing wildly. When she reached Judas, she leaped at him like an affectionate missile.
"Husband!"
Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, and she buried her face against his neck with a bright smile.
"You have returned!"