“So this is what rebuilding a Beastman village looks like?”
Ophelia nodded.
“Pretty much.”
By the following morning, Canavar no longer felt like a battlefield.
The damage was still impossible to miss.
Several wooden homes had collapsed entirely, their broken beams scattered across the ground.
Others had holes torn through their walls and roofs.
The communal grounds were littered with splintered wood, overturned tables, and remnants of the barricades the villagers had thrown together during the attack from Balto pack.
But now there were people working everywhere.
Oswald stood near the center of the village, sleeves rolled up as he directed several wolves carrying heavy timber toward one of the damaged homes.
Vivianne watched him for a moment before turning toward Ophelia.
A group of unfamiliar Beastmen walked past them carrying wooden planks over their shoulders.
“Those aren’t Canavar wolves.”
Ophelia smiled.
“They’re from Balto.”
Vivianne’s brows rose.
More Beastmen followed behind them.
Some carried lumber, roofing materials, and tools.
Others hauled sacks of grain, food provisions, bundles of cloth, and crates of medicine.
A few were clearly craftsmen, already examining the damaged buildings and discussing how much wood would be needed to replace the walls.
There was enough material to keep the entire village busy for weeks.
“Did Julian send all this?”
“He did.”
“Seriously?”
Ophelia laughed softly.
“He said Balto caused damage, even if it wasn’t intentional. He wasn’t going to leave Canavar to deal with the consequences alone.”
Vivianne crossed her arms.
“Hmph. Still a grasshead.”
“You’re still mad at him?” Ophelia snorted.
“Obviously.”
Oswald approached them as he wiped his hands on a piece of cloth.
His attention shifted from the supplies to the group of Betas accompanying Ophelia.
“Those Betas came with you?”
Ophelia nodded.
“Julian sent them to escort me back and make sure I got here safely.”
Oswald’s expression eased.
“Good.”
Vivianne glanced at him.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“What else am I supposed to say?” He nodded toward the Betas.
“Makes sense. He sent his best people to protect my sister. That’s what matters.” Despite his casual words, there was genuine respect in his voice.
Vivianne narrowed her eyes.
“You sound like you’re praising him.”
“I’m not.”
“You almost did.”
“I said it made sense.”
“That’s basically praise coming from you.”
Oswald gave her an unimpressed look.
“Don’t start.”
Vivianne grinned.
She was about to tease him again when Ophelia reached into a leather pouch hanging from her satchel bag.
“Oh, and there’s this.” She handed the sealed pouch to Oswald.
He opened it and glanced inside.
A faint metallic clink came from the heavy pouch packed with gold coins.
“From Julian?”
“Yeah. He called it restitution.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
Oswald weighed the pouch in his hand, then glanced at Ophelia.
“This is a lot.”
“He said an apology wouldn’t rebuild the houses his warriors damaged.”
Oswald’s expression softened slightly as he looked toward the ruined homes.
“This could buy enough lumber and stone to rebuild several houses.”
Vivianne nodded.
At least the grasshead had some sense.
The gold wasn’t meant to buy forgiveness.
It was meant to help Canavar stand on its feet again.
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Rebuild.”
The answer came so simply that Vivianne smiled.
Oswald pointed toward the damaged homes.
“The money confiscated from Miles and the resources tied to his position will go toward rebuilding too. Wood, food, repairs, tools. Whatever Canavar needs.”
He might have more muscles than brains sometimes, but damn… Oswald really is a good Alpha.
He wasn’t wasting the resources or letting his personal anger dictate his decisions.
He was putting everything back where it belonged: into his people and their home.
Maybe there really is a brain hiding under all that fur.
“So everything Miles gained from being an Elder is being used to repair what he helped destroy with his scheme to secure Madeleine’s future and his plot to have Ophelia killed.”
“Madeleine? Brother, I believe Elder Miles’s daughter’s name is Samantha.”
“Oh right. Yes. Samantha.”
“Pretty much.”
The three of them watched the villagers working for a while.
Then Vivianne noticed something.
Julian wasn’t there.
She frowned.
“Wait. Where is that grasshead?”
Ophelia sighed.
“Grasshead? Ah, you mean Julian. He couldn’t come.”
“Why?”
“He has Alpha duties to finish regarding the Miles incident. There’s also a lot to prepare before I officially return to Balto as his fated mate.”
Vivianne’s face fell.
“You’re kidding.”
Oswald’s ears flattened.
“So he gets to stay away? That bastard.”
Vivianne nodded vigorously.
“Exactly.”
Ophelia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Oswald folded his arms.
“First, he puts something suspicious in our lunch. His madness made us suffer through the consequences. And now he’s conveniently stuck doing his Alpha duties.”
Vivianne nodded at Oswald.
“See? That’s what I’m saying. He’s the worst!”
Oswald grumbled, “Every time I want to punch him, he comes up with some damn logical reason. It’s annoying.”
“Very,” Vivianne agreed with a dramatic sigh.
“I still want to hit him.”
Ophelia’s eyes narrowed with curiosity.
“You two really have it out for Julian, huh? What exactly did he do to you two?”
A long pause of silence passed.
Vivianne immediately covered her cheeks with both hands.
They were burning so hot, they probably matched her hair by now.
Beside her, Oswald’s ears twitched, a faint flush creeping across his face.
“Nothing,” they said at the exact same time.
“Yep,” Vivianne answered far too quickly.
Oswald nodded. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Absolutely nothing.
Ophelia stared at them suspiciously but eventually let it go.
Vivianne cleared her throat and hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway! We still need to figure out what we’re doing with all these supplies.”
Oswald nodded, clearly grateful for the escape.
Then he glanced at Ophelia.
“Though, speaking of Julian,” he shook his head.
“Father would probably roll over in his grave if he knew you were Julian’s fated mate. And Mother would never let us hear the end of it.”
Ophelia groaned.
“Don’t remind me.”
For a moment, the three of them stood together in the middle of the damaged village, laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Then Vivianne’s gaze drifted toward the center of Canavar.
Oswald followed her gaze toward the large open patch of land between several houses.
Before the attack, it must have been part of the communal grounds.
Now, it sat mostly empty except for broken pieces of wood.
“I have an idea.” Vivianne pointed toward the empty communal grounds.
“Why don’t we build something there for the kids?”
Oswald followed her gesture.
“What?”
“A playground.”
Ophelia tilted her head.
“What’s that?”
Vivianne crouched down and used a fallen piece of wood to sketch rough shapes in the dirt.
“Swings, a climbing frame, a slide. Maybe even a little wooden house for them to play in.”
Oswald crouched beside her, studying the drawing before glancing at the materials stacked nearby.
“We’ve got enough to make it. And you just came up with this?”
“Yep.”
He shook his head with a quiet laugh.
“Of course you did.”
Before long, the villagers had work to do.
Some cleared the damaged area while others sorted the usable materials.
A few carpenters gathered around Vivianne’s sketch, asking questions and pointing out what could actually be built with what they had.
Vivianne had always had a soft spot for children, and the villagers had begun to notice.
She played with the pups whenever she had the chance, had protected one of them during Balto’s attack, and now she was using the rebuilding materials to make them a proper place to play.
She was still an outsider in Canavar, but the villagers weren’t keeping their distance like before.
Some had started approaching her directly, asking about her ideas or joining whatever she was doing.
It wasn’t trust yet, but they were getting used to having her around.
The same seemed to be happening between the two packs.
The Balto Betas worked alongside the Canavar wolves, carrying lumber and helping reinforce damaged buildings.
There were still plenty of wary glances between them, but no one was reaching for a weapon.
It wasn’t friendship.
Not yet.
But at least they were finally working on the same side.
And that was enough for a beginning.
Oswald came to stand beside Vivianne, his shoulder brushing hers as they watched the rebuilding.
He gave her a small smile.
“You did good today. Guess we’re a pretty good team.”
Vivianne smiled back.
“Yeah. We are.”
She turned toward the village once more.
Maybe Canavar wasn’t home yet, but for the first time, as children laughed around her and wolves from two packs worked together to rebuild what had been broken, it felt like it could become one.
A place where she belonged.