The moon was high, casting pale silver light across the worn canvas of the training camp's tent. The night was quiet — eerily so — with only the faint chirp of distant bug-types in the woods and the occasional crackle of a campfire far off. Most of the trainees had turned in early after a brutal day of combat drills.
But not Jace.
He pushed open the tent flap, his shirt clinging to his back with sweat, his legs aching from nonstop sparring. His dark hair stuck messily to his forehead, and every movement felt like it had to be forced. All he wanted now was to fall face-first into his bedroll and pass out.
He didn't expect to find someone already waiting.
Sitting perfectly still on the edge of his cot was Lumen — his Umbreon.
Her dark fur shimmered like velvet in the moonlight, but what drew his eyes immediately were the glowing golden rings along her ears, shoulders, and thighs — pulsing slowly, like a heartbeat. She wore nothing but one of his oversized hoodies, the hem hanging off one shoulder and dipping low enough to brush the tops of her thighs. Beneath it, she clearly wasn't wearing anything else. Her legs were bare. Her expression was unreadable, as always.
"Lumen?" Jace asked, blinking. "What are you—"
She stood before he could finish, her bare feet soundless on the canvas floor, and walked up to him slowly. Her glowing eyes were locked onto his. Still silent. Still unreadable.
Then she reached up, grabbed the collar of his shirt with both hands, and pulled him into a deep kiss.
Jace's mind exploded. Her lips were soft, warm, a little trembling — as if she'd held back this moment for hours and couldn't bear it anymore. She didn't say a word, didn't ask for permission. She just pressed her mouth against his and let it all out.
He staggered back slightly, but her grip held firm.
Her tail flicked once, slowly, behind her.
When she finally broke the kiss, her lips hovered just above his, her breath hot and uneven. "I waited for you," she whispered.
Jace blinked. "I—I didn't mean to be gone that long. Training ran late and—"
"I know," she said, cutting him off gently. "But I hated every second of it."
And then she straddled him.
She pushed him gently down onto the cot, knees on either side of his hips, her hoodie riding up with the motion and exposing the soft curve of her thighs. She leaned in, nuzzling into the side of his neck. Her breath trembled there, hot and shaky, brushing his ear like a confession.
"I could smell them on you," she murmured. "The others. All of them."
Jace stiffened. "Lumen, I didn't—"
"I know," she whispered again. "I know you didn't do anything. But that doesn't stop how it feels."
Her body pressed tighter into him, and Jace's hands instinctively moved to her waist. Her skin was warm under the hoodie. Too warm. His fingers brushed the soft fur just above her hips and froze.
She wasn't wearing anything under it.
The realization hit him like a lightning bolt, and he swallowed hard.
"I didn't want to feel jealous," she whispered. "But you touch them. You hold them. You train with them. And I just… I sit here. Alone."
Jace's voice caught in his throat. "I never meant to make you feel like that."
"I know," she said, her lips brushing his jaw now. "But I still did."
Her fingers slid under his shirt, tracing the sweat-slicked lines of his chest. Her breathing grew heavier with every inch. "I waited all day… thinking about you. Wanting to be the one you come home to. Wanting you to look at me like you look at them…"
She paused, then finally leaned back enough for him to see her face clearly. Her golden eyes shimmered like fire.
"Do you want me?" she asked.
The question wasn't teasing. It wasn't a game. It was desperate, raw, vulnerable. Her hoodie slipped a little more off her shoulder, revealing the soft slope of her collarbone, the curve of her chest beneath the fabric, clearly unsupported.
"I've wanted you for a long time," Jace admitted, voice low.
Lumen's eyes widened slightly — just for a second — then she smiled. A tiny, rare smile.
She pulled the hoodie down just enough to let one shoulder fall completely, then leaned down again, lips barely brushing his. "Then stop holding back."
Their second kiss was hotter — deeper. Her hips ground gently into his, and his hands squeezed her waist. Her tail curled behind her, twitching like a ribbon of shadow.
As their bodies pressed tighter together, the glowing rings on her fur began to pulse faster — responding to her rising heart rate. Her breath came out in soft, desperate little whimpers against his mouth, her fingers threading into his hair, tugging him closer.
When she finally broke the kiss again, she rested her forehead against his.
"Sleep with me," she whispered. "Just sleep. Stay close. Hold me."
He nodded, breathless.
Lumen didn't move from his lap. She just leaned into him, head on his chest, tail curling protectively over his leg as her breathing slowly steadied.
She had shown everything she never said in public — the possessiveness, the aching jealousy, the need. And now she had what she wanted.
Jace wrapped his arms around her tightly.
She purred.
And for once, Lumen didn't hide how much she needed him.