Bale tilted its head to look at Aurora Rivers.
Sharing its food for the first time in its life, Bale had no idea that Aurora needed to eat cooked meat.
In truth, Aurora Rivers had eaten her fair share of raw meat, but that was back before the apocalypse had ended.
Now that she had the option, cooked meat was definitely more appetizing.
Just thinking about all the different ways to prepare cooked meat made Aurora Rivers’s mouth start to water.
Meanwhile, the meat in Bale’s mouth was getting soaked, with two long strings of drool dripping down from one of its corners.
It just went to show how hard the tiger was struggling against its own instincts.
Aurora Rivers couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Don’t save it, Bale.
Go on, you eat it.”
The next second, Bale ferociously devoured the meat in a single gulp.
After swallowing, it froze.
‘Stupid mouth!
I ate it too fast!
I still wanted to save it for Aurora Rivers.’
“I’m hungry.
Let’s have a barbecue,” Aurora Rivers said, licking her lips.
Winston Wyatt said, “I’ll have them prepare it right away.”
Bale pounced forward on its front paws, its eyes shining with excitement.
“ROAR!” That bag of meat had barely whet its appetite; it was a long way from being full.
…
The barbecue was set up on a stretch of green lawn that had once served as a golf course.
All the tools and equipment were ready.
Slices of meat, marinated in a uniquely flavorful sauce, were placed on the grill.
The moment they made contact with the hot oil, they let out a soulful SIZZLE.
The aroma of barbecue quickly filled the air, making everyone’s mouths water in anticipation.
Eating nothing but grilled meat can get a bit heavy, so a variety of vegetables, fruits, and drinks were also prepared.
Bale only had eyes for the meat.
Restless and drooling uncontrollably, it couldn’t care less if the meat was cooked or not, letting out a series of impatient roars.
If not for the presence of Aurora Rivers and Winston Wyatt, its destructive power would have long since turned the place into a complete wreck.
It would have brazenly jumped onto the table and started to gorge itself like a savage beast.
To appease it, Aurora Rivers and Winston Wyatt started by tossing it some raw meat.
As they kept feeding it, it was unclear who started it, but they began to throw the pieces of meat with force, like tossing a Frisbee—some high, some far.
Bale shot forward at incredible speed, like a thick, black bolt of lightning.
Its limbs were corded with powerful muscle, its run both wild and fierce.
“Bale, try for two!” Aurora Rivers shouted excitedly, flinging two large chunks of meat into the air at once.
Bale leaped into the air, opened its massive jaws, and successfully snatched both pieces of meat before gobbling them down.
‘What’s two pieces of meat?’ it thought.
‘I could polish off a small wild boar in a single bite.’
Winston Wyatt tilted his head to look at Aurora Rivers, a smile spreading across his lips in spite of himself.
Quick on the uptake, Mr.
King raised his camera and—CLICK!
CLICK!—captured the scene.
His eyes couldn’t help but well up with emotion.
“The Master hasn’t smiled like that in so long.”
The camera flash made Winston Wyatt flinch.
He froze for a second before turning to Mr.
King, only then noticing the camera in his hands.
Aurora Rivers patted Winston Wyatt’s shoulder.
“I asked Mr.
King to take them.
I promised we’d take pictures together, but we never got around to it when we were out.
The view here at home is lovely too; it would be a shame not to get a few shots.”
Winston Wyatt pressed his lips together, his heart stirring with each word.
The deep emotion he felt was written all over his face.
Looking completely relaxed, Aurora Rivers flashed a peace sign at Mr.
King’s camera.
A savvy photographer, Mr.
King took the cue and snapped several more shots.
CLICK!
CLICK!
In truth, Aurora Rivers wasn’t particularly photogenic.
Photos tended to give her a softer look, but in reality, she was a stunning beauty with striking, dramatic features.
She was captivating even without a trace of makeup.
Her eyebrows, which needed no shaping, were already as perfect as an ink painting, their natural arch lending her an air of fierce resilience.
She had a delicate, pert nose and a small beauty mark on her face that seemed both bewitching and divine, like a teardrop shed by a goddess.
The more you looked at her, the more captivating she became.
Even if the photos couldn’t capture a tenth of her real beauty, they were still stunning.
Mr.
King couldn’t help but exclaim, “Miss Rivers, you look beautiful in every shot.”
Aurora Rivers raised an eyebrow and joked, “I got it from my mama.”
She leaned closer to Winston Wyatt, raising one arm over her head to form an arc.
Winston Wyatt was a beat slow to react.
He’d never taken a photo like this before, but he could see that if he added his own arm, their two halves would form a big heart.
The pose was identical to the one in the framed photo he’d seen of Aurora Rivers with her parents.
King said, “Master, my photography skills aren’t the best, but I’ll certainly do my utmost.”
Winston Wyatt didn’t say a word.
He simply copied Aurora Rivers, raising his arm to complete the pose.
His ears flushed bright red as a tingling warmth spread across his cheeks.
He tilted his head toward Aurora Rivers with an almost tangible affection, looking as docile as a small child.
The brilliant, fervent light in his eyes showed that he was in a very good mood.
Mr.
King found an angle that framed just Winston Wyatt and Aurora Rivers and snapped a series of photos.
Just as he was about to ask them to try a different pose, Bale suddenly crashed the party with a few roars, clearly displeased at being left out of the fun.
Bale bossily squeezed in between the two of them and roared at Mr.
King, who immediately took a group photo of the two humans and one tiger.
The smile on Winston Wyatt’s lips froze.
A large vein throbbed on his temple.
His voice, low and strained, came out through gritted teeth.
“Bale, who gave you permission to come over?” ‘Fine, come over, but why did you have to steal my spot?’
Bale wasn’t going anywhere.
Not only did it want Winston Wyatt’s spot, it wanted Aurora Rivers for itself.
Its head and limbs weren’t suited for making a heart shape with Aurora Rivers, but its tail was!
Winston Wyatt’s face darkened, his expression turning sullen.
‘I can’t believe the first one to compete with me for Aurora Rivers isn’t one of the other five, but this fat tiger.’
Winston Wyatt reached out to ruin the heart shape Bale was making with its tail.
Bale, in turn, used its head to block Winston Wyatt from the camera’s view.
Aurora Rivers was amused by how childish the man and the tiger were, and in exactly the same way.
It really was true what they said about owners and their pets being alike.
‘Strikingly similar?’
Suddenly, a realization flashed through Aurora Rivers’s mind: Winston Wyatt’s beast-like behavior whenever he had one of his episodes.
Before she could fully connect the dots, she heard Winston Wyatt announce that the meat was ready.
And just like that, the desire to eat decisively took over all other thoughts in her mind.
Isla Chambers hid behind a stone pillar, watching the heart-warming scene that looked for all the world like a family of three.
Her fingers tightened, nails digging into her palms.
She was restless and utterly flustered, an unpleasant wave of jealousy surging through her.
‘It shouldn’t be like this.’
…
Winston Wyatt wanted to eat a piece of meat grilled by Aurora Rivers’s own hands, but Bale, unwilling to be ignored, roared that it wanted one too.
Winston Wyatt was speechless.
In reality, Bale wasn’t used to the taste of cooked meat.
In fact, what humans considered delicious was not particularly tasty to it at all.