The days following the battle were filled with relentless motion.
Barricades were rebuilt stronger than before. Watchtowers rose higher along the mountain ridges. Warriors trained until their arms shook and their lungs burned, driven by the memory of how close destruction had come. The Hawk Clan no longer moved with fear—but with sharpened vigilance.
At the center of it all stood Feng Lihan and Mo Shan.
They worked side by side, issuing orders, inspecting formations, testing defensive arrays. Mo Shan's presence had changed since the battle—his aura heavier, more confident, power coiled tightly beneath his skin. Warriors instinctively straightened when he passed.
And Lin Yue noticed.
Mo Shan noticed too.
He watched Lin Yue from a distance at first—how he helped tend to the injured, how he brought water to exhausted warriors, how his calm presence soothed even the most shaken clan members. Lin Yue did not wield a blade, yet people gravitated toward him naturally.
That alone made him vulnerable.
Mo Shan's jaw tightened every time he saw danger drift too close.
I'm stronger now, he thought. Strong enough to protect him.
That certainty filled him with an unfamiliar warmth—one that refused to be ignored.
Late one evening, as the sun dipped behind the peaks and painted the sky in blood-orange hues, Feng Lihan stood overlooking the training grounds. His expression was unreadable, crimson wings relaxed but alert.
Mo Shan approached, arms crossed.
"We need to rotate the night patrols," Mo Shan said. "The eastern ridge is still weak."
Feng Lihan nodded. "Already planned."
Silence stretched between them—heavy, deliberate.
"Feng Lihan," Mo Shan said suddenly. "There's something else."
Feng Lihan turned, eyes sharp. "Speak."
Mo Shan inhaled slowly. This wasn't a battlefield. But it felt just as dangerous.
"I know," Mo Shan began, "that you don't like anyone getting close to Lin Yue."
The air shifted.
Feng Lihan's gaze darkened instantly. "Watch your words."
"I am," Mo Shan replied calmly. "Because I respect you."
That only sharpened the tension.
"I've seen how you look at him," Mo Shan continued. "How you position yourself between him and danger. How you tense when he's out of sight."
Feng Lihan stepped forward, aura flaring. "Enough."
Mo Shan didn't retreat.
"I want to be Lin Yue's mate."
The words fell like a blade.
For a split second, Feng Lihan's control shattered.
He grabbed Mo Shan by the collar and slammed him back against a stone pillar, the impact cracking the rock. Crimson energy surged violently, wings flaring wide.
"You dare," Feng Lihan growled, fist drawing back.
Mo Shan didn't fight back.
Didn't even raise his hands.
Instead, he met Feng Lihan's fury head-on, golden eyes steady.
"Hit me if you want," Mo Shan said. "But listen first."
Feng Lihan's fist trembled inches from Mo Shan's face.
Mo Shan spoke through clenched teeth. "You can't always be there."
That froze him.
"The clan needs you," Mo Shan continued quietly. "You lead. You fight. You carry the weight of everyone." His voice lowered. "But Lin Yue needs protection too. Constant protection."
Feng Lihan's grip tightened.
"I'm stronger now," Mo Shan said. "I proved it. I can stand between him and danger when you can't."
Silence thundered between them.
"I know you want his safety," Mo Shan said. "So do I."
Feng Lihan's breathing was heavy, restrained rage burning behind his eyes.
"You think that gives you the right," he said coldly, "to claim him?"
"I'm not claiming him without his will," Mo Shan replied. "I'm asking you—to acknowledge me as someone who will protect him with his life."
Slowly, painfully, Feng Lihan released his grip.
Mo Shan straightened, collar torn, but his posture proud.
"I don't want to replace you," Mo Shan said honestly. "I want to stand beside you."
Feng Lihan turned away, fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms. The image of Lin Yue trapped in the collapsing cave flashed through his mind—fear like he had never known.
More people protecting him…
The thought tasted bitter.
But undeniable.
"You don't understand what he is to me," Feng Lihan said hoarsely.
Mo Shan answered softly, "Then let me understand—by protecting him too."
From a distance, Lin Yue watched them, sensing the storm between the two strongest pillars of the clan. His chest tightened, unaware of the words spoken—but feeling their weight all the same.
The mountain stood steady.
But beneath it, something fragile had shifted.
Not battle.
Not power.
But the shape of bonds yet to be decided.