The night wind brushed softly across the village, carrying the scent of wood, earth, and distant ash from the destroyed elders' hideouts.
The moonlight cast pale silver across the ground, and in that faint glow…
A cloud of smoke drifted away.
Where a small, fluffy white rabbit had stood, now stood a woman , tall, curvy, trembling from excitement and nerves.
Long white hair flowed down her back, her red eyes glowing with fierce devotion.
Her rabbit ears twitched uncontrollably, and her hands hovered close to her chest.
Bella had finally returned.
She stared at Ragnar from the shadows, his profile illuminated by lantern light as he lifted heavy tree chunks like they weighed nothing.
Even from here, she could hear the deep steady breaths he made, the quiet focus he always had.
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
"Nineteen years…" she whispered, placing a hand over her trembling chest. "Nineteen years since that day… and you're still the same. Kind. Strong. And stupidly handsome."
Her ears drooped, flustered.
"I-I wasn't supposed to show myself yet… I wanted to make the perfect entrance.
But then you held me," she whispered, recalling the feeling of his arms. "You pet me.
You rubbed your face against mine. Ragnar… do you know what you did to me…?"
She hugged her own arms, legs weak.
That small favor he did when she was a child , saving her from the wolf, feeding her, protecting her , had bloomed into something so consuming, so overwhelming, that she'd spent 19 years fighting monsters, evolving through seven transformations, ruling her tribe… just to keep her promise.
Now she is here.
Now he was in front of her.
And now… she had competition.
She looked through the window again.
Inside the hut, Kalia was sorting wood calmly, humming to herself like she lived here with Ragnar already. Her eyes lingered on him whenever she thought no one was watching.
Aria was sharpening her spear by the doorframe, her movements too slow, too controlled, like someone who could jump into violence at any moment. Her eyes locked on Ragnar every few seconds.
Sarah clung to Ragnar's discarded cloak like a blanket, sniffing it when she thought no one was paying attention.
Bella's eyes twitched.
"I go away for nineteen years," she whispered dangerously, "and THIS happens?"
Her fingers curled around the windowsill.
"Nineteen years of training. Evolution. Fighting dragons like toys. And these women, these random women, think they can steal you from me?"
Her ears snapped straight up.
"No. Absolutely not."
Even so… her confidence wavered for a brief moment.
What if he didn't like her human form?
He liked the rabbit. He cuddled the rabbit. He adored the rabbit. But this body… this version of her…
Her cheeks burned bright red.
"What if he thinks I'm weird…? Or scary…? Or too much…?" she whispered, squeezing her fingers together.
But as Ragnar shifted his position, the moonlight catching the curve of his jaw, something inside Bella snapped back into place.
She straightened.
"No," she told herself. "I promised him. And rabbits do not break promises."
Her legs trembled, but she stepped forward anyway , just as a voice came from behind her.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
Bella froze like she'd been shot.
Aria stood leaning against the wall, spear in hand, golden eyes half-lidded and dangerous.
Bella's brain broke instantly.
"I, I, THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" she squeaked.
Aria raised a brow. "…Then what is it?"
Bella's ears flopped. "…I don't know…"
Aria's gaze swept from Bella's rabbit ears to her trembling legs. "You smell familiar."
Bella gulped.
Aria stepped closer.
"You were… the rabbit from earlier."
Bella's face exploded red. "D-DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!"
"So you are intelligent," Aria said, voice sharpening. "And you were pretending to be a normal rabbit."
Bella covered her face. "I-I needed time! I wasn't ready to show Ragnar this form!"
Aria tapped her spear on the ground.
"I knew something was off. Your eyes were too aware. Your body too tense. Even your tiny paws were suspicious."
"W-What does suspicious paws even mean?!"
Aria smirked. "You tell me."
Bella's ears drooped. "I-I'm going to die…"
Aria stepped even closer, her tone lowering.
"You like Ragnar. A lot."
Bella stiffened.
Aria's eyes narrowed. "How much?"
Bella swallowed. "…Yes."
"That wasn't an answer."
Bella's voice cracked. "M-More than my own life."
Aria's grip on her spear tightened, though her expression didn't change.
"Explain."
Bella took a shaky breath.
"I met him when I was small. A wolf almost ate me… I was weak, useless. But he saved me. Fed me. Played with me. No one else ever did something like that…"
Her eyes softened with pure devotion.
"So I promised him. I promised I'd come back when I became strong. Strong enough to protect him. Strong enough to stand beside him."
Aria's expression wavered for a moment.
Then hardened.
"So why hide?"
Bella trembled again. "B-Because… what if he hates this form…?"
Aria blinked.
Then actually snorted.
"Ragnar? Hate curves and long hair? Please."
Bella froze. "…Huh?"
"He would probably faint before he even finished looking at you."
Bella turned bright scarlet. "W-What?! Really?!"
Aria didn't answer.
But the silence was enough.
Bella began pacing rapidly like an overheated kettle. "I can't do this, no, I can, I've trained for nineteen years, wait no I can't, Ragnar will think I'm weird, maybe I should go back to the forest, oh gods oh gods, "
Aria sighed. "Stop panicking."
"I'M NOT PANICKING!"
"You're literally hopping in circles."
Bella looked down.
She was.
"Oh no."
Aria leaned her spear on her shoulder. "Look. I won't attack you."
Bella blinked. "You… won't?"
"Not unless you hurt him."
Bella shook her head violently. "I would never! Never, ever, never!"
Aria continued, voice calm.
"And I won't tell the others yet. You deserve to show him first."
Bella froze.
Her red eyes widened in shock.
"R-Really?"
Aria nodded once. "But be warned…"
Bella swallowed.
"He's not alone anymore," Aria said, stepping closer until their faces were inches apart. "If you want him… you'll have to fight for him."
Bella trembled.
Her fear melted.
Her eyes sharpened.
Her determination returned like a flame reigniting.
"I've been fighting my whole life," she whispered. "And I'm not losing him."
Aria smirked faintly. "Good." and disappeared into the hut, leaving Bella alone outside to gather her courage before facing Ragnar.
Bella turned back toward the window, watching Ragnar laugh softly as Sarah clung to his cloak. Kalia smiled at him in that warm, teasing way she always did.
The lantern light flickered against Ragnar's silhouette.
Her Ragnar.
Her lifelong obsession and promised partner.
Bella placed a hand on the windowframe, heart surging.
"Wait for me, Ragnar…" she whispered. "I'm going to reveal everything."
And to do that, I know the best method