Seven came in the late afternoon, when the cave was quieter.
Lin Yue was sorting dried herbs when he sensed someone at the entrance. He looked up and saw Seven standing there, posture relaxed, eyes lingering a little too long on him.
"Lin Yue," Seven said gently. "How is your wound?"
Lin Yue blinked, then smiled politely. "It's fine now."
"I can treat it again," Seven offered, stepping closer. "Just in case. Sometimes wounds look healed but—"
"No." Lin Yue raised a hand instinctively. "I'm really okay."
Before Seven could say anything more, a shadow shifted beside Lin Yue.
Feng Lihan's voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.
"I've been taking care of him," he said. "If he needs treatment again, I'll handle it. You don't need to concern yourself."
Seven's gaze flicked briefly to Feng Lihan, then returned to Lin Yue. He smiled, not retreating at all.
"I can see that," Seven said lightly. "Still…" His tone turned curious. "Now that Lin Yue is accepted by the clan… am I allowed to pursue him?"
He tilted his head, eyes bright. "He's cute. Soft. I want to pursue him."
Lin Yue froze.
"…Pursue?" he echoed, genuinely confused. "What does that mean?"
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Feng Lihan's tail snapped into view behind him—thick, dark, scales catching the firelight as it struck the ground once with a sharp sound. A low warning rumbled in his chest.
Seven laughed softly. "It means exactly what you think."
He shifted, letting his own tail appear—sleek, patterned, swaying slowly with intention.
"I can show you my tail," he said innocently. "I know you like tails."
Then, calmly: "After you become someone's mate, you may touch their tail freely."
Lin Yue's breath caught.
Without meaning to, his eyes drifted—not to Seven's tail—but to Feng Lihan's.
Feng Lihan was the one who had protected him. The one who stayed by his side. The one who took care of him when he was weak.
He didn't want anyone else.
When Feng Lihan had once said you are my mate, Lin Yue had wanted to ask what it truly meant—but he never had the chance.
"Is it… really that important?" Lin Yue asked quietly, his hand lifting just a little.
Before his fingers could move closer—
Feng Lihan caught his wrist.
Not rough. Just firm. Possessive.
"Don't," Feng Lihan said in a low voice. "He doesn't want that."
His grip tightened slightly. "He is mine."
Lin Yue looked up at him, startled by the intensity in his eyes.
Seven watched them, the amusement on his face slowly fading into something sharper.
"…Seems I arrived at an interesting time."
Feng Lihan met his gaze without blinking. "He doesn't need you."
Seven smiled faintly. "That's for Lin Yue to decide."
Silence stretched between the three of them—thick, electric, filled with things left unsaid.
Slowly, Lin Yue lowered his hand. His heart was beating faster than he understood.
He didn't yet know what mates truly meant in this world.
But he knew one thing clearly.
he has some felling for feng lihan