Chapter 224: Belonging
Chapter 224
Velesia
I hear the light footsteps behind the door before it swings open.
"Isaac, you’re here early—oh." Poppy’s voice falters when she sees me standing there. Her bright ears stiffen, her expression dropping from eager to wary.
"What are you doing here?" she asks flatly, still by the door.
Ha. How arrogant she’s become, to speak to me like that. In the old days, she’d never have dared. My jaw tightens, but I let it slide.
"This is not a conversation to have out here," I say flatly.
She hesitates only a heartbeat before stepping aside. Maybe she knows better than to make a scene. I glide into the room; she closes the door behind me.
Her room is small—cramped bed, battered wardrobe, a stack of worn books. Hardly a surprise. Fitting for her kind.
"Make this quick," she says with audacity that makes my scales prickle. "I have company coming soon."
One bite and she’d be lifeless on the floor. She must know that. Yet she stands there, arms folded, ears twitching in fear even as she postures. I can smell her nerves in the air.
I circle her slowly, letting my tongue flick the air. "What gives you this courage to speak to me this way? Felix?" My voice drips disdain.
"Among other things," she replies coolly. "But mostly? Someone bigger and scarier. I happen to have a connection to her. And I know if you hurt me, she’d skewer you over a fire."
Ah. The rumors about her connection to the panther. Seems to be true.
"You think she would care about you?" I sneer, circling closer.
"Why don’t you try and find out?" she counters. Her voice shakes just slightly, but she doesn’t back down. Still afraid, but daring me. And infuriatingly, she’s right. Apart from Felix, she’s found herself a backer that even I wouldn’t want to cross.
"I’m not here to talk about that," I say finally, "but about your relationship with Felix."
Her eyes narrow. "What about it?"
"I don’t care what you argued about. Just apologize and be done with it," I tell her sharply. "Restore the balance."
"I will not do such a thing. Apologizing implies I’m wrong, and I did nothing wrong."
I laugh, a harsh rasping sound. "Ha. You overestimate your importance. Just go back into your role. Do what you Longears do best—open your legs and smile. Be grateful you even have his affection. You have nothing else to offer. You are not worthy."
Her ears bristle; her posture stiffens. But her voice is steady.
"I refuse."
The single word cuts sharper than expected.
"How dare you?" I hiss, my tail twitching.
"No, how dareyou?" she snaps, stepping toward me. Her voice rises.
"This all happened because Felix was unhappy that I had fun with another man while he enjoyed the ball with you lot. Why should I apologize for that?"
"Because you belong to him!" I snap back. The words feel natural, absolute. It’s the order of things.
But she shakes her head, ears trembling.
"No. No, I do not." She takes a step back but doesn’t look away.
"You—" I start, but she cuts across me.
"Thank you," she says bitterly, "for being the final push I needed. Leave. Tell Felix I want nothing to do with him. And you? Never come back. I don’t want to be involved with either of you."
Fury coils in my chest like a living thing. "How dare you, you unworthy, lowborn—"
"You’re right," she says, voice shaking but clear. "I am unworthy. So I’ve decided to remove myself from the picture."
I stare at her, stunned at her gall.
"You should be grateful for even a sliver of attention he sends your way!" I spit, fangs peeking.
"Why?" she asks softly.
"What?"
"Why should I be grateful? What has Felix done for me? When has he ever called for me for anything other than his own gratification? Why do you all get the spotlight and I get the shadows? Why is my worth only in what I give?"
How ridiculous. How naïve.
"Why? Because you’re a Longear. He’s a royal. The future king. What more do you wish for?" I sneer.
Her ears lower slightly, but her voice is quiet steel. "I don’t want that life for me."
I blink. "What life could possibly be better? With who? Isaac? What is he compared to Felix?"
She meets my eyes without flinching. "He respects me. He listens. He treats me like a person. And most importantly—he doesn’t come with extra attachments like you."
She walks to the door, swings it open, and looks back at me one last time.
"Leave."
I leave, though rage burns with every step. And for the first time, a coil of unease slithers through me. Because I don’t know what Felix will do when he hears this.
And I don’t know why part of me is afraid of that answer.
***
Poppy
The second the door shuts, my back presses against it and my knees give out. I slide down to the floor, shaking. My chest feels tight, my heart hammering like it’s trying to escape.
Velesia always made me uncomfortable—her stillness, her quiet stares, the way she slithered around like she already knew everyone’s secrets. Amongst all the women around Felix, she seemed to dislike me the most. Even Lumiya’s frosty silence was easier to handle; Lumiya at least ignored me. Velesia’s gaze always held something sharper.
I used to tell myself I didn’t care. To spite her, I’d flirt harder with Felix, press closer, smile sweeter when she was watching. Maybe I thought I was winning something by doing that.
Now? It dawns on me how wrong I was.
She didn’t even see me as a rival. I wasn’t a person to her. Not even a nuisance. I was a belonging. A pretty pet on Felix’s leash. Something to be tolerated at best, dismissed at worst. Her words still ring in my ears: open your legs and smile.
My stomach twists. I know that’s what they think of us Longears,and it’s true most nobles do keep Longears for that purpose, as do brothels,I definitely did not help matters but that is indeed all did with Felix, but I am more than a sexual outlet.
I hug myself tightly on the floor. The fear hadn’t left me when she walked out—it’s still coiled in my body like cold venom. I was terrified she would hurt me.
Once, I would have thought like she said—that I should be grateful for whatever Felix gave me. And back then, maybe I was. When I noticed him first year, my entire life goal involved Felix, even when my fellow bunny shifter suddenly turned into a lion and a royal.
Even when Felix, introduced me one by one, to the other ladies, saying he liked them too.He was golden, bright, untouchable, and I wanted to belong to that.
But now...
I think of Nima.
She’s like me. Quiet. Soft. Prey. Except look at the difference in how she’s treated. The way Daphne carries her, dotes on her, shields her without apology. Nima doesn’t have to fight for scraps of attention or hide her existence. She’s cherished.
And I realize—I want that too.
Even just a fraction of what Daphne gives Nima, and I’d need nothing else. I deserve that too, don’t I?
Tears prick the corners of my eyes, but I blink them back.
What now?
A knock jolts me out of my spiraling thoughts.
My ears twitch. I scrub quickly at my eyes and force myself to stand, even though my legs feel like wet paper.
I open the door hesitantly.
It’s Isaac.
"Hey," he says with an awkward little smile, holding up a small paper bag. "I brought you some snacks. There’s carrots in here too—wait, is that stereotypical? I really don’t know if that’s offensive, I just thought you liked them—oh no, I’m rambling, aren’t I? I’ll just—"
He stops mid-babble when he actually looks at me.
"What’s wrong?" he asks softly. His voice is warm and gentle.
Before I can second-guess myself, I throw my arms around his neck and press my face against his shoulder. His scent—fresh grass and cedar, fills my lungs, and I cling tighter.
Yeah. I didn’t make the wrong decision.