By the time Xin Yi finally managed to pull on a fresh, woven linen tunic and properly tie the leather belt around her waist, the morning sun was already high in the sky.
She stepped out of the house,pointedly ignoring the splintered remains of her front door lying sadly on the stone pathway, and took a deep breath of the crisp air.
The Neutral Zone was bustling.
Beastmen were carrying timber, washing clothes at the communal pumps, and actually greeting each other instead of baring their fangs.
It was a miracle. A domestic, perfectly functioning miracle.
If only her personal life was this organized.
She found Hei Yan sitting alone on the steps of the newly built training pavilion.
The Black Panther Alpha was aggressively whittling a piece of wood with one of his sharp claws, his broad shoulders hunched forward.
Xin Yi walked over slowly, her soft leather boots making almost no sound on the stone. She sat down next to him on the wooden steps.
