He Wouldn’t Marry a ‘Widow’ So I Left Him and His Brother Both Chapter 12

He Wouldn’t Marry a ‘Widow’ So I Left Him and His Brother Both Chapter 12

The three shifters were soon locked in a brutal fight.

The two tigers attacked from opposite sides. Although Soren was large and powerfully built, exhaustion and his wounds had slowed him considerably.

My hands and feet were still bound, leaving me helpless as Ronan and Callum closed in on him from both directions.

Rory was already crying so hard she could barely breathe, calling Soren’s name over and over.

Her heartbroken cries made Soren glance toward her in concern. The moment his attention shifted, Ronan planted a foot on his injured front paw.

The snow leopard let out a low growl of pain. His body went rigid for a moment before he sagged weakly to the ground, his breathing growing heavier.

“Enough!”

I finally worked free of the ropes I had spent the entire journey rubbing loose.

I stumbled out of the wagon and threw myself in front of Soren.

The two tiger shifters froze as I faced them.

“Go on. Why did you stop?”

“If you hurt him any more, I will never forgive either of you. Never.”

“Winter!”

Ronan stared at me in disbelief.

I stepped back, shielding the snow leopard more firmly with my body.

Even Rory jumped down from the wagon and hurried over to stand in front of us.

She was terrified. Her little body trembled as she copied me and spread her arms protectively.

“D–Don’t hurt Soren! And don’t hurt Mama either…”

The fear in the cub’s eyes stopped both males cold.

Callum was especially shaken.

His lips trembled, but no words came out.

He had spent far more time with Rory than Ronan had. He had placed most of the treasures in her box there one by one.

The first time Rory had called out to “Ronan,” she had been looking at him.

He had dreamed of the day he could finally stand before her as himself and hear her call him Papa instead of calling him by his brother’s name.

But one wrong choice had led to another.

Their entire relationship had been built on a lie from the very beginning.

Even now, Rory still did not know Callum’s name.

Ronan hurried forward.

“Winter, how long have you even known this snow leopard? How can you…”

“How can you protect another male right in front of me?”

The rest of the words lodged in his throat.

He stared at the snow leopard panting behind me, his eyes churning with unwillingness and heartache.

I drew a deep breath and decided to tell them everything.

“He isn’t just some other shifter. I’m going to become his bonded mate.”

For an instant, all three males stared at me in disbelief.

Ronan’s expression turned frantic, and he opened his mouth to argue, but Callum grabbed his arm.

“Let it go, Ronan,” he said quietly.

There was nothing left to salvage.

They had truly lost the female and cub they loved.

“What do you mean, let it go? I won’t…”

Ronan knocked his hand away, but before he could finish, Callum hauled him onto the wagon behind them.

Our eyes met across the snow.

Ronan’s gaze moved slowly from my face to Rory.

Despair, confusion, and regret churned in his eyes.

In the end, all that remained was a bleak smile.

“I’m sorry, Winter.”

“I’m sorry, Rory.”

I returned to the Far North with Soren.

Rory had fallen asleep against my shoulder.

Soren remained quiet throughout the journey, keeping his head lowered as he walked. Every so often, he stole a glance at me, then quickly looked away again.

Finally, he could no longer hold back.

“W–What you said back there…”

He had started stammering again.

I smiled helplessly, then covered Rory’s eyes with one hand and leaned over to press a gentle kiss to Soren’s cheek.

His breath stopped.

I drew back and looked into his wide, deep–blue feline eyes with a smile.

“That’s what I meant. Do you understand now?”

Soren stood frozen.

After a long moment, a fierce blush spread from the tips of his ears.

His mouth opened, but only a few incoherent sounds came out. At last, he jerked his face away and fixed his gaze on the distant snowcapped mountains.

Rory shifted in my arms and mumbled sleepily, “Mama… are we there yet?”

“Almost.”

I lowered my head and kissed her forehead.

Then I glanced at the shifter beside me, whose ears were still bright red as he pretended to study the sky, and started walking again.

His flustered footsteps sounded behind me.

After some time, the wind carried his voice to my ears.

“I won’t let you regret this.”

The snow in the Far North melted.

Tiny points of green appeared along the branches.

It seemed I really could build a good life here and spend the rest of my days in this place.