Felicity's Beas Chapter 165: Panther’s Warmth

Chapter 165: Panther’s Warmth

Lucan did not sleep the way other n did, even in rest, there was a part of him that remained awake, aware, coiled just beneath the surface, and when the early light of morning began to bleed through the edges of the broken skyline of Orange, that part surfaced fully without transition.

His eyes opened but he did not move imdiately.

Felicity lay within the curve of him, small and warm, her body tucked into the center of his panther form where he had positioned himself around her during the night. He had shifted hours ago, soti after she had finally fallen fully asleep against him, her breathing softening into sothing steady and deep, her body trusting enough to relax completely in his presence. That had been the mont he had decided. Not to leave or move not to give the world even a fraction of access to her while she was like that. His body had circled her instinctively, massive and dark, muscle and heat forming a barrier that did not need to be explained. One foreleg rested just slightly over her waist, not pinning, not restricting, just enough that if she shifted, she would feel him there imdiately. His tail curved loosely along the edge of the blanket, sealing the space without making it feel closed. She was warm and safe, entirely within his reach.

Lucan lowered his head slightly, his gaze tracking over her in slow, deliberate passes. Her hair had been brushed back, her skin clean, her clothes adjusted carefully during the night when she hadn’t stirred enough to notice. He had taken his ti with it, not rushing, not careless, washing away what needed to be removed, leaving what did not. His scent remained layered into her in a way that was intentional. He had considered removing it entirely he had not because her other husbands would.

They would erase him from her skin, from her clothes, from the soft places where scent lingered longest, and he understood that well enough to know there was no point competing with it prematurely, but he would not make it easy.

Lucan’s nose dipped slightly closer to her hair, breathing her in again, slower this ti, grounding, confirming.

He had dealt with the interruptions already, n drawn by movent, by the illusion of opportunity, by the idea that sothing untouched might still exist in a place like this. They had not gotten close, they had not been given the chance. Lucan had removed them without noise, without allowing any of it to reach her, she had not woken once. That had mattered more than anything. He thought about waking her but not when she was still soft from sleep, still relaxed, still unaware of the pressure that was already moving toward them.

Because he could feel it now it was faint but approaching.

————-

Snow Team had not stopped the decision had been unspoken, but unanimous no one complained and no one suggested rest. Because none of them would have slept anyway. By the ti the sun began to rise properly, casting long pale light across the road ahead, sothing else shifted.

Victor had stopped suddenly he slt her, they could sll her, Felicity. Faint at first then clearer then undeniable Victor moved.

He just went eagle form shifted mid motion, wings snapping outward as he launched forward, cutting through the air with violent precision, speed increasing in seconds.

Voss didn’t hesitate he surged forward, his wolf form dropping lower, faster, muscles coiling and releasing in rapid succession as he broke from formation and ran.

Damien followed.

Then Ivan.

The four of them moved first.

Behind them, the rest of Snow Team did not wait long enough to pretend they weren’t doing the sa. Kai cursed under his breath and bolted. Sarge let out a sharp laugh that didn’t hide anything and followed. Legend muttered sothing about this being unfair and then imdiately increased speed anyway.

The entire group broke into a run.

Leaf Team followed not to be outdone and not willing to lag behind. Dimitri did not call it didn’t need to, they all felt it.

The scent and layered with sothing else Lucan, their team mate, their pack mber, interlocked with her, with her scent.

That landed differently.

Richard’s expression hardened slightly.

Dawn’s presence deepened.

Thane’s flight dropped lower, faster.

Exile well Exile snapped but sothing in him surged forward with violent clarity, his massive body moving faster than it had all night, tongue flicking rapidly now, finally catching sothing real, finally he could sll her, not a fake sll not a scent of her but, but her, real alive, breathing. But he could also sll his best friend woven into her scent.

That thought did not settle cleanly.

Kai caught it first, voice tight as he ran "yeah that’s him."

Pope exhaled sharply "all over her."

Sam grimaced, "don’t phrase it like that."

"I’m not phrasing it," Pope said. "I’m stating it."

Voss didn’t speak he didn’t need to and he already knew that this was going to happen.

Ivan’s jaw tightened.

Damien’s expression flattened into sothing colder.

Victor well Victor was already ahead of them already closing distance.

The town of Orange ca into full view as they pushed forward, broken streets and silent buildings stretching out around them, but none of it mattered now.

Victor landed first hard dirt everywhere, his wings folded as he shifted back mid motion, boots hitting the ground without hesitation as his gaze locked onto the space ahead.

Voss followed seconds later.

Then Damien.

Then Ivan.

They didn’t slow they just arrived and what they saw was Lucan in his panther form curled around her. Felicity asleep in the center of it, warm, untouched by the world, covered, safe and still carrying him, undeniably covered in his cum in side and out, he had "cleaned her" but not really.

Lucan didn’t move imdiately he didn’t need to. His eyes opened slowly, his gaze lifting to et theirs without urgency or without apology.

Victor’s expression didn’t change but sothing in it went cold.

Voss’s posture lowered slightly.

Ivan stepped forward once.

Damien didn’t blink.

Victor was already dropping to one knee beside her, already reaching for her. Up close, it was worse. The attempt Lucan had made to clean her was obvious, careful even, but incomplete in a way that made Victor’s jaw tighten slightly. The scent was still there, layered into her skin, her clothes, her hair, and beneath that, Marks, faint but unmistakable Victor exhaled slowly.

Voss ca in behind him and stopped short, his expression shifting once before flattening out completely. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath, "that tracks."

Ivan didn’t say anything at all, but the way his shoulders squared, the way his gaze lingered just a second too long before pulling away, said enough.

Damien crouched slightly, eyes moving over the sa details, and then away, because looking too long made sothing in his expression sharpen in a way that wasn’t useful.

Victor reached for her anyway his hand slid gently against her shoulder, careful, grounding, familiar. "Felicity."

She didn’t wake fully but she shifted then, without opening her eyes properly, she moved toward him climbed into his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her arms wrapped loosely around him, her face pressing into his chest as she let out a small, sleepy breath. "Missed you..." she murmured, voice barely there. "So sleepy..."

Victor froze his hand ca up automatically, settling against her back, holding her there without thinking about it.

Behind them, the rest of Snow Team arrived.

Then Leaf Team and that was where the shift really hit because Leaf Team saw her like this for the first ti. Small and asleep curled into Victor like she belonged there and she did but what confused their scent was that she was carrying Lucan all over her, she even tho asleep in victors arms, slt entirely of Lucan.

Richard went still.

Dawn’s gaze sharpened.

Thane’s wings faltered for half a second before he corrected.

Exile well Exile stopped breathing, she was right there and she slled like him, his best friend. She looked like sothing fragile enough to break if touched wrong.

Dimitri said nothing but one of his eyes twitched again, just slightly.

Lucan, still in his panther form, made a low chuffing sound, entirely unbothered, his head lowering back down like none of this mattered enough to disrupt.

Voss looked at him then kicked him.

Victor exhaled quietly and leaned down slightly, his voice dropping. "Felicity its wake up ti."

She made a small noise soft and high almost a whimper or a squeak it broke sothing in the air every single man there felt it.

Lucan’s eyes opened again.

Exile’s entire body went rigid.

Thane stilled mid air.

Even Dimitri’s gaze sharpened.

Felicity shifted again in Victor’s arms, making another quiet, sleepy sound as her fingers tightened slightly against his shirt and then they were gone. Just gone the space emptied instantly, Felicity her husbands including Lucan disappearing into nothing like they had never been there at all.

Leaf Team stood there, still processing.

Richard blinked once. "What."

Dawn frowned slightly. "That was?"

Thane’s wings adjusted slowly "she moved them."

Exile’s head snapped around, tongue flicking rapidly again, searching nothing his fox was gone.

Behind them, one of Snow Team’s voices echoed faintly from nowhere "It’s fine," Tommy called, like this was normal. "She does that."

And that sohow made it worse.