"Did you hear their side out?"

​Hana opened her mouth, her voice dropping into its standard, flat register. "Why do I need to hear their side? It’s my decision to make. They just need to be aware of it and accommodate it."

​Ren smiled nervously, his white-furred ears twitching at her absolute, unyielding stubbornness. "Well... that’s true. But then again, if it’s a decision that directly compromises their lives and their position, you should still hear them out. Even if you have absolutely no intention of changing your mind, you should still listen to what they have to say. It makes them feel valued, and it helps you understand how their minds are calculating the situation."

​Hana went completely silent, staring down into the wooden bowl. The broth was entirely gone now, leaving only a faint residue at the bottom.

​Why do I have to listen to their side? she thought, her internal database drawing a complete blank. She didn’t get it.

​All her life in the apocalypse, Hana had been completely selfish. Things were always meant to go her way, according to her strict specifications.

She absolutely hated it when someone tried to talk down to her, tell her what to do, or use her for their own gain without her benefiting from it.

She always had a sharp, lethal comeback ready for any challenge—but this time, she didn’t have a single comeback. She couldn’t find the words to turn Ren’s logic against him.

"Just... put yourself in their shoes for example." He added and she blinked. "If they acted the same way you acted, would you be calm?"

"I’ll break their heads." she said without a moment of hesitation and Ren laughed.

"You see? In a relationship, both sides matter. What they feel now will be what you feel if you were in their shoes." he said and her grip on the bowl hardened.

It didn’t have to go both ways, did it? She was different from them. She was above them and they were below her, catering to her needs. She was... The words started to seem strange in her head. It felt... stupid.

​Ren watched the quiet, intense conflict crossing her face, his expression softening.

Even someone as extraordinary and powerful as Hana could end up with a strained relationship if she didn’t understand her mates’ internal feelings.

​"Listening to them isn’t a sign of weakness, Hana," Ren added gently, his voice carrying a strange, almost hypnotic warmth that seemed to cut right through her thoughts. "Even the mightiest commanders listen to their warriors before a raid. Even our oldest chiefs listen to their advisors. No one is perfect, Hana. And it’s usually those who are closest to perfection that manifest the most major flaws."

​Hana let out a slow, heavy sigh, the tension in her shoulders finally beginning to ease.

​Maybe... she thought, her mind reluctantly recalibrating. Maybe I should do what he says.

​She lifted her head, her dark eyes locking deep into his icy blue gaze. He was incredibly handsome, and from the way he spoke, it was clear he was far too soft-hearted compared to the brutal, apex warriors she usually dealt with.

But his words were actually getting through to her. It was highly unusual. What was this guy made of?

He seemed way too... Kind.

​Sensing her intense gaze, Ren’s pale cheeks suddenly flushed, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Ah... I’m sorry if I spoke too much. My people always say I butt in a lot where it doesn’t concern me," he muttered, scratching the back of his silver-white hair with a nervous, sheepish laugh.

Then, his ears perked up slightly, a hint of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "But I’m still kind of wondering... what kind of decision did you make that caused such a massive fight with them?"

​Hana looked at him, her eyes narrowing into thin, lethal slits. She slowly placed the empty wooden bowl down onto the snow-covered stump.

​Before Ren could even process the shift in her stance, Hana reached out to him, her fingers tightly gripped the rugged straps of his tactical harness, and with one sudden, unexpected tug, she violently yanked him forward.

​"I want a fourth mate," Hana said flatly, her voice an absolute, commanding whisper against his face. "And... I want it to be you, Ren."

​Ren’s icy blue eyes bulged in total, paralyzed shock. Before a single syllable could escape his throat, Hana pulled him down completely and pressed her lips firmly against his.

​A few meters away, hidden entirely behind the thick, snow-laden bark of a massive pine tree, two figures stood frozen in the shadows.

​Raiden leaned against the trunk, his nine pink tails swaying with a sudden, highly amused twitch as he watched the kiss unfold in the distance.

He had followed Caspian out to ensure the dragon didn’t commit a casual massacre, but the sheer turn of events was better than anything he could’ve imagined.

​"Hm," Raiden murmured softly, a sly, familiar smirk creeping back onto his handsome face. "It seems the cat isn’t so bad after all. His advice was actually quite nice and Hana seems to want to follow it."

​He flicked his emerald eyes over to Caspian, expecting the dragon to be charging forward with unhinged fury. But Caspian remained completely still.

​The dragon king was standing rigid in the snow, his massive arms crossed tightly over his dark-plated chest. The murderous fire in his throat had simmered down, replaced instead by a deeply serious, profound scowl.

His jaw was locked tight, and his heavy lips were pressed into an angry, stubborn pout that completely refused to recede.

He looked thoroughly insulted, highly throwing a silent tantrum, yet completely pinned by the memory of Hana’s warning and the thought of Ren’s advice to Hana.

"Who does he think he is to lecture Hana?" he growled and Raiden chuckled.

"Come now, Caspian, don’t be bitter," Raiden teased, his elbow nudging the dragon’s solid, black scaled arm. "At least someone finally gave Hana a lecture that didn’t end with her pulling out a stun gun. It’s a historical milestone."

Caspian merely let out another low, smoky huff, turning his heavy shoulders away as Hana broke the kiss.

His arms remained crossed so tightly over his chest that his dark scales groaned under the pressure. He didn’t care about the cat’s logic. He cared about the fact that Hana’s lips had just touched a stray’s skin, and according to the unyielding rules of her decision, that made the leopard a permanent asset.

"I still want to snap his tail," Caspian growled, his golden eyes fixed on Ren, who was currently sitting on the snow-dusted ground, his white-furred ears flushed a dark crimson as he stared at Hana, stunned.