Wayne stared at his hand, eyes wide with disbelief.
A single touch from that small blade and his hair had been severed cleanly.
”Ugh…” He let out a low, concerned growl.
The thought of an enemy wielding such a weapon was genuinely terrifying to him.
Euphoria read the alarm on his face and offered a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Wayne.
This is the only one like it in the world.”
Wayne’s tension visible melted away at her words.
”Alright, help me set up the pot,” Euphoria commanded, eyeing the stone vessel.
It was smooth and perfectly sized for what she had in mind.
While Wayne gathered wood and stoked the fire, Euphoria went to work on the wild boar.
she carved out several pieces of fat to use for oil and prepped the aromatic seasonings she had scavenged from Harry.
She wasn’t a gourmet chef by any stretch, but military life had taught her the basics of survival cooking.
Wayne watched as she heated the pot, rendered the boar fat into oil, and tossed in the chili peppers.
As the oil took on a vibrant red hue, she added the ginger, garlic, and water.
Once the broth reached a rolling boil, the fish went in.
The aroma was intoxicating, far more complex than anything Wayne had ever smelled.
Euphoria seasoned it with salt and eagerly ladled out the first bowl.
Wayne couldn’t wait.
Despite the steam rising from the pot, he used the makeshift chopsticks Euphoria had carved to snag a piece of fish.
”Mmm~” His eyes lit up instantly.
He didn’t say another word, simply grabbed his own stone bowl and began serving himself.
Euphoria took her first bite and sighed in pure contentment.
It wasn’t exactly the authentic boiled fish from home, but compared to days of plain roasted meat, it was a five-star meal.
Wayne, driven by a protective streak, waited until Euphoria had eaten her fill before finishing off the rest of the stew.
Then, true to his carnivorous nature, he polished off the roasted fish he had started earlier, ensuring nothing went to waste.
By the time the dishes were washed, night had fallen.
A massive moon hung in the sky, casting a silvery glow through the window of the stone house.
Wayne stretched, hopped into bed, and gave Euphoria a cheeky wink.
Euphoria felt a bit helpless; the lion was clearly addicted to being her personal heating pad.
”Starting tonight, no more sleeping in my arms,” she said firmly.
She couldn’t keep indulging him.
Wayne was a good man, and since she didn’t see a permanent future for them, she didn’t want him to fall any deeper than he already had.
Wayne’s lip twitched in a pout, but he closed his eyes with an aggrieved huff.
Euphoria smiled softly and lay down on the opposite side of the bed, her back to him.
In the dead of night, as the temperature dropped, Euphoria felt a chill.
Then, a comforting warmth enveloped her, and she drifted back into a deep, peaceful sleep.
When she woke at dawn, she found herself exactly where she had forbidden him to be: tucked firmly into Wayne’s side.
Wayne had shifted into his massive lion form.
Seeing her wake up, he leaned down and gave her cheek a long, sandpaper-tongued lick.
Euphoria froze for a second, then wiped the dampness from her face and gave him a sharp pat on the head.
“Are you trying to lick my skin off?”
”Ouch~” Wayne let out a soft, purring moan, clearly not bothered by the reprimand.
Euphoria sighed, pushed the heavy beast away, and stood up to open the door.
The air was fresh and earthy; it had rained heavily while they slept.
“Your heat is coming soon,” he noted, his gaze lingering on her.
Euphoria gave him a flat look and ignored the comment.
Wayne was beginning to understand her boundaries, and while he wasn’t giving up, he didn’t push the subject further.
Suddenly, he let out a surprised “Awoo!” as he peered at her face.
”Your face…
it looks different?”
Euphoria touched her cheek.
She had been scrubbing the tactical greasepaint daily, but without soap, the green and brown pigments had been stubborn.
She assumed it had just faded, but then she looked at her hands—there were small patches of green transferred onto them.
She remembered his earlier licking.
Could his saliva be the secret?
Feeling a bit ridiculous, she fetched a bowl of water and called him over.
“Wayne, do me a favor?
It’s a bit…
strange.”
Wayne nodded instantly.
”Could you lick my face again?”
Wayne’s eyes practically sparkled.
“I’d do that every day if you asked!”
Euphoria’s brow twitched with annoyance.
“Listen carefully: don’t swallow.
Rinse your mouth with water immediately afterward.”
Confused but happy to comply, Wayne shifted back into a lion.
”Wait!” Euphoria pushed his snout back.
“Gently.
Those barbs on your tongue actually hurt.”
He let out a soft whimper of agreement.
Euphoria took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said, “Go ahead.”
Even with him trying to be soft, the rough texture was abrasive, but Euphoria endured it for the sake of hygiene.
After several passes, she stopped him and hurried to the water tub to wash.
Wayne, now human, rinsed his mouth as instructed.
Watching her scrub her face so vigorously, he felt a pang of insecurity.
“If you hate it that much, I won’t do it anymore.
You’re going to scrub your skin raw.”
Euphoria didn’t answer.
She took one last look at her reflection in the still water.
The paint was gone.
Every last trace of the camo had been stripped away by the lion’s rough tongue, leaving her skin clear and bright.
She felt like she could finally breathe.
She wiped her face and turned to smile at Wayne.
Wayne had been in the middle of a drink, but as she turned around, he stood frozen, the water going down the wrong way with a loud gulp.
Wow…
He rubbed his eyes, certain he was seeing a forest spirit.
Euphoria walked toward him, amused by his dazed expression.
“What?
Wayne’s eyes roved over her face, and a deep flush crept up his neck.
Their female wasn’t just beautiful—she was stunning.
His heart did a somersault.
Unable to help himself, he leaned in and stole a quick kiss on her cheek.
Before she could react, he caught her wrist and pressed his lips to hers.
Euphoria was momentarily stunned.
First the snake, now the lion.
It seemed her natural face was a hazard in this world.
”Euphoria, you are the most beautiful female I have ever seen!” Wayne exclaimed, his mood soaring.
Seeing his goofy, lovestruck grin, Euphoria decided not to hit him.
It was clear this society placed a huge premium on aesthetics—Luce’s reputation was proof enough of that.
”Alright, lover boy, go hunting.
I want fruit for breakfast and fish for dinner,” she said.
Wayne pulled her back inside and shut the door with a serious expression.
“I’ll go, but you have to promise me: stay inside.
Don’t leave the stone house.”
”Why?”
”Because you’re too beautiful!” Wayne frowned.
“If someone else sees you, they’ll try to steal you.
I won’t lose you again.”
Euphoria rolled her eyes, but agreed just to get him out the door.
Wayne was always on high alert for Luce when he hunted.
He had managed to avoid the python for days, which he considered a major victory.
Today, he crossed paths with a male from Luce’s tribe and learned that the serpent hadn’t been home for days.
No one knew where he was.
Is he still looking for her?
Wayne wondered.
While the males of this world were used to sharing, Wayne felt a possessive streak he couldn’t quite suppress.
He wanted her all to himself for as long as possible.
As he gathered red berries near a rocky ridge, Wayne’s instincts suddenly spiked.
He looked toward a nearby cave and saw shadows moving.
Ghost beasts.
And lots of them.
Every year, as mating season approached, the ghost beasts became restless and violent.
But the peak was still a month away.
Seeing them massing like this so early felt like a dark omen.
Wayne didn’t linger.
He grabbed his gather and hurried back to the safety of the tribe.
When he arrived, he found Euphoria outside, hanging up the animal-skin clothes he had made for her.
”I told you to stay inside!
I would have washed those,” Wayne said, his worry for her safety making him sound a bit gruff.
”It was stuffy in there, Wayne.
I just needed some air,” she replied calmly.
Wayne didn’t argue further.
He took the wet skins from her hands and quickly finished hanging them himself, his eyes scanning the treeline for any sign of trouble.