"Oh," she added casually, "the dragon eggs should be hatching soon as well."
The room went silent again, one of the women blinked.
"More cubs?"
Ash laughed under his breath.
"You already knew that part."
Alo nodded "Yes. We have been waiting."
Luna grinned "Well, I'm excited."
The bear women exchanged looks.
"This cave is about to become extremely loud."
"That's the plan," Luna said cheerfully.
One of the women crouched beside her "You should know something else."
Luna looked up.
"What?"
"Another tribe will arrive today."
Theo's attention sharpened immediately "what tribe?"
"The red panda tribe," the woman said quietly. "They were raided recently by a group of hostile beasts. Their territory was destroyed and they lost many people."
Luna frowned "that's awful."
"They will arrive by nightfall," the woman continued. "Our chief has offered them shelter until they recover."
Theo's posture shifted almost imperceptibly, he moved closer to Luna again, not aggressively. Just close enough that his presence surrounded her.
Ash hummed thoughtfully.
Alo hummed as well. Neither looked overly concerned, but both had clearly taken note.
Luna noticed Theo's reaction and nudged him gently "you're being intense."
Theo glanced down at her "I prefer knowing who is entering our territory."
"You don't own the mountain."
He leaned closer "i might."
Luna laughed softly "you are impossible."
Meanwhile Charlotte had discovered Luna's hair again. She leaned forward from Alo's arms and grabbed a strand triumphantly.
Luna laughed and gently untangled the tiny fingers, as she did, a strange sensation crept across the back of her neck. The quiet instinct of being watched Luna slowly lifted her head. Her eyes moved across the cavern walls, then she saw him.
A massive figure stood along the upper stone balcony overlooking the chamber. His silver hair caught the torchlight like polished steel. His shoulders were broad even for a beast man and his presence filled the shadowed ledge as if the mountain itself had decided to stand upright, his silver eyes were fixed on her.
The silver bear.
Theo felt the moment immediately, he followed Luna's gaze and his expression cooled.
Ash noticed as well but did not move.
Alo simply tightened his hold slightly on Charlotte.
The silver bear did not look away, neither did Luna, something in the air shifted between them.
Luna inhaled sharply and the sound echoed softly through the cavern.
Theo watched the moment Luna noticed the silver bear watching her. He also noticed the moment she pretended she had not.
Theo bent down and whispered into Luna's ear "Careful, little fox."
"You're making me want to take you somewhere quiet."
Luna's face burned.
Ash saw it too but simply hummed under his breath while keeping one eye on the cubs wobbling across the cavern floor. Alo was crouched beside Charlotte, who had decided that grabbing his horns and issuing loud babbling commands was an acceptable use of her authority.
Theo stood very still.
The silver bear stood across the cavern watching Luna.
Theo's patience ended, he moved before Luna could ask questions. The air around him dropped several degrees as frost crawled across the stone beneath his feet and the familiar surge of power rippled through his body. Feathers of pale blue ice erupted across his shoulders as he shifted in a clean, controlled motion into his ice phoenix form.
Several of the nearby bear women gasped.
Luna blinked "…oh."
Theo lowered one wing beside her.
Luna looked at Ash and Alo.
"I will be out tonight," Theo said calmly. "She will return later."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
Alo glanced up from Charlotte, who had just attempted to chew on one of his braids, both men exchanged a look.
Then Ash shrugged "fine."
Alo nodded once "bring her back."
Luna looked between them, confused "that was too easy."
Theo ignored the comment.
She climbed onto his back with obvious excitement.
The silver bear across the cavern watched the entire thing with narrowed silver eyes.
Theo noticed, he looked directly back. The two beast men stared at each other for a long moment.
the silver bear looked mildly irritated.
Theo looked unimpressed, then Theo launched. His wings struck the air once and the entire cavern filled with a rush of icy wind as he carried Luna out through the open mouth of the bear bunker and into the cold mountain sky.
Luna laughed immediately, wind tore through her hair as Theo climbed higher above the forest canopy. The mountains stretched endlessly beneath them, silver cliffs and dark pine valleys fading into the distance "you're dramatic," she called over the wind.
Theo answered with a low trill and angled his wings toward a distant cliff side. within minutes they reached it.
A waterfall poured down a sheer wall of stone into a hidden basin carved naturally into the mountain. Fruit trees grew along the edges of the clearing, their branches heavy with bright red and golden fruit. A small lake spread out beneath the waterfall, perfectly clear and untouched by any path or trail.
Theo landed smoothly beside the water, the moment his talons touched stone he shifted back into his beast man form.
Luna slid down from his back and turned slowly in a circle "…okay," she said. "This is beautiful."
Mist from the waterfall drifted across the clearing and the fruit trees swayed gently in the mountain breeze.
No voices.
No tribe.
No watchers.
Just quiet, just them.
Theo stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her waist "you needed space," he said.
Luna leaned into him easily "you kidnapped me for a date."
"Yes."
She tilted her head back to look at him "that's extremely romantic."
Theo brushed his nose against her temple and kissed her softly "Good girl, stay where I can see you."
Luna smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders "this is my favorite kidnapping."
Theo pulled her closer, the sound of the waterfall filling the quiet space as his mouth found hers again, slower this time, deeper, and Luna melted against him beside the lake while the hidden cliff held the two of them in complete privacy.
"You keep standing where other beasts can see you."
"That's bold."
Luna watched the muscles in Theo's back flex as he knelt at the water's edge he shimmered as if frost dusted his skin, the last light of afternoon catching on the river mist. There was a sweet burn in her thighs from the flight, a too fast heartbeat inside her ears. All of it, she blamed on Theo, who had led her here with a gentleness that was only barely leashed, as if he might snap her up any moment.
He turned. Not the silent, gliding bird form she'd seen, but himself man and beast and more, the blue black of his hair dripping into his collar, the white streaks almost glowing. He stripped, unhurried, and she didn't look away. He noticed she saw his throat work, the way his chest rose and stalled.
She undressed, fingers trembling only a little as she unhooked the ties and slipped the linen off her shoulders. Her skin hummed where the air touched it, goosebumps pebbled up her arms and over the sensitive backs of her knees. Theo's gaze raked over her, slow and greedy and not even a little bit subtle.
"You're staring," she said, and her voice was thinner than she meant.
"Of course." His voice was a low scrape, half smoke, half frost. "How could I not?"
He held out his hand. She took it, let him lead her into the water. It was cold and sharp, up to her thighs, and she squeaked Theo laughed, the sound shivering through her bones.
She pressed against him, her shins bumping his, and he caught her close, all hard lines and cold skin that burned where he touched. His mouth found her neck, and her knees went loose. He bit down, not hard enough to break skin, but just enough to jolt her all the way through.
"Theo," she gasped, the name fogging out of her.
He kissed her, his lips freezing slick and perfect, his tongue cold enough to sting. She let him, let him tilt her head back and explore her mouth with his, biting at her lower lip, breathing her in like it was the only thing keeping him alive. His hands drifted everywhere her waist, her hips, up her ribs to cup her breast, thumb flicking over her nipple until she jerked.
"Yours," he growled against her mouth, and she almost laughed almost except it was true, and some part of her relished it.
He spun them, pinning her against a mossy rock, the chill of the river nothing compared to his skin. His fingers trailed down, between her legs, and found her she was already wet, embarrassingly ready, and he groaned when he felt it.
"Fuck," he muttered, "I'll never get used to how you melt for me."
She couldn't talk, not really, so she held onto him and arched up, letting him hook two fingers inside her. They were cold ice cold and it made her shudder, the tension coiling up, trembling through her belly. He worked her slow, then fast, pressing his thumb against her clit, and it was so much, too much, not enough.
She clawed at his shoulders, left streaks of pink on the marble blue of his skin. He loved it, she could feel his cock hard against her thigh, and when he pressed the head against her entrance, she almost sobbed.
"Ready?" he said, voice rough.
She nodded, the motion desperate, needy.
He slid into her, inch by icy inch, and the cold made every nerve ending flare. She clamped down on him, gasping, and he fucked her slow at first long, deep thrusts, the cold burning her from the inside out. She'd never felt anything like it. Every stroke was like a shot of ice in her veins, numbing and sharp and electric.
Theo lost the rhythm fast, he slammed into her, rutting, his hands everywhere at once her jaw, her chest, her hips, holding her still while he worked himself deeper. He kissed her again, tongue curling against hers, and whispered, "You're mine. Say it."
She moaned, too far gone for pride. "Yours. Please!"
"More," he demanded, fucking her harder.