Late at night.
The snowstorm outside had finally quieted.
Inside the cave, the fire burned softly.
Bai Xueyin was asleep.
Wu Yin slept curled beside her.
Bai Shuyi occupied one arm.
Bai Xingyuan was wrapped around her waist.
The twins guarded both sides.
Bai Qingluo rested near her feet.
The sleeping pile of cubs made the scene surprisingly peaceful.
Outside the sleeping area, the adults sat around the fire.
Xue Linyuan.
Lin Huan.
Wu Ye.
For once, none of them were arguing.
Their gazes occasionally drifted toward the sleeping woman.
Making sure she was still there.
Still safe.
Then a small voice broke the silence.
“Can we ask something?”
The three males looked over.
The cubs weren’t asleep.
At least not all of them.
Bai Qingluo sat upright.
The twins were awake.
Bai Shuyi was pretending to sleep but listening carefully.
Bai Xingyuan’s tail twitched.
The adults immediately knew they had been eavesdropping.
Bai Chen looked at the three males.
“Why are you together?”
The question caught them off guard.
The calm twin continued.
“If you’re all Mother’s mates…”
He hesitated.
“Shouldn’t you dislike each other?”
The cave became silent.
Because it was a very reasonable question.
Lin Huan scratched his cheek.
“Actually…”
“We do,” Wu Ye answered immediately.
Lin Huan pointed.
“See?”
The raven smiled.
“I’m being honest.”
Bai Yan frowned.
“Then why aren’t you fighting?”
The cub clearly seemed disappointed.
Wu Ye looked amused.
“You wanted us to fight?”
“A little.”
“Bai Yan.”
The cub coughed and looked away.
Xue Linyuan finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
“We met because of your mother.”
The cubs listened carefully.
Years ago—
None of the males knew about each other.
At first.
Each believed Bai Xueyin belonged only to him.
Lin Huan laughed weakly.
“I was actually the first one to discover something was wrong.”
Very powerful male scents.
At the time—
He nearly started a war.
Wu Ye nodded.
“I almost killed him.”
Lin Huan immediately pointed.
“See?
This one is the problem.”
“I wasn’t the only one.”
Even Xue Linyuan’s expression became slightly awkward.
A rare sight.
Because he remembered.
The first time he met Wu Ye.
The first time he met Lin Huan.
And the first time all three realized they cared about the same woman.
The result had been…
Terrible.
“How terrible?” Bai Shuyi asked.
The adults became silent.
Wu Ye answered.
“The mountain exploded.”
The cubs blinked.
“…What?”
Lin Huan sighed.
“A whole mountain.”
Bai Xingyuan looked impressed.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Years ago.
After discovering each other.
The three males fought continuously.
Every meeting became a battle.
Every conversation became an argument.
Every argument became destruction.
Then one day—
Bai Xueyin found them.
“What did Mother do?” Bai Qingluo asked.
The adults exchanged looks.
Lin Huan laughed.
“She threw a snowball.”
The cubs stared.
Wu Ye rubbed his forehead.
“It hit me.”
Xue Linyuan looked away.
“…Then she hit me too.”
Silence.
Bai Yan finally asked.
“…A snowball stopped the fight?”
The adults looked embarrassed.
“No.”
Lin Huan smiled.
“Your mother yelled at us first.”
The cubs immediately understood.
That sounded more believable.
“After that…”
His gaze drifted toward the sleeping Xueyin.
“…she told us something.”
“What?” Bai Chen asked.
For a moment none of them spoke.
Then Wu Ye quietly answered.
> “She said she was tired.”
The cubs froze.
“She said she wasn’t a prize.”
The raven’s voice became softer.
> “She wasn’t something for us to fight over.”
Lin Huan nodded.
> “She said if we couldn’t get along, she’d leave.”
The cave became silent.
Even now.
Years later.
The memory remained clear.
Because for the first time—
They realized something important.
Bai Xueyin wasn’t choosing between them.
She was choosing whether to stay.
And none of them wanted to lose her.
Xue Linyuan looked toward the sleeping woman.
His silver eyes softened slightly.
“After that…”
He paused.
“We stopped fighting.”
Wu Ye immediately corrected him.
“We fought less.”
“That’s true.”
The cubs couldn’t help laughing.
For the first time that night—
The tension eased.
Then Bai Qingluo quietly asked the question none of them expected.
“If Mother disappeared…”
Her blue eyes settled on the three males.
“Why didn’t you stay together and search immediately?”
The laughter vanished.
The fire crackled softly.
And for the first time—
The cubs saw genuine regret in the adults’ eyes.
Because the answer to that question…
Was one of the things they regretted most.