Bunny Man with a Tan

A cough interrupted them.

"Sorry to intrude on… whatever this is, but you're blocking my way."

Kyla froze, still clutching Kiloil in her arms. They both turned toward the voice.

A few steps away stood a tall, gorgeous, and muscular man with large, floppy ears, dark, wavy brown hair, and caramel-toned skin. A brown paper bag hung from one arm, an iced drink in his hand, and a leash in the other. Attached to it was a bizarre little creature—a mix of a dog, echidna, and duck—that wagged its tail excitedly.

"Bahhhhhhh!" the creature bleated, eyes bright.

Kyla's breath hitched.

She knew this man—even with his big ears.

"Paison," she choked out, suddenly flustered. Running into her childhood crush was not part of today's plan.

"Hey, Kyla." Paison tilted his head, taking a slow sip from his drink as he gave her a once-over, his nose twitching. "You've changed."

Kyla's eyes darted around, suddenly aware that she was standing right in front of his massive house gate. Her gaze flicked back to Paison, scanning him up and down, wondering, 'What's his gender here?'

"Yeah," she laughed awkwardly, offering a half-hearted wave before yanking Kiloil away. "Nice seeing you!"

They hurried toward their house, only to find Gavin leaning against his car, arms crossed, watching them with amused detachment.

"Done sulking?" he called. "Ready to face the music?"

"Can it, Vinny," Kiloil muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets, eyes fixed on the ground. "I don't even—"

"My babiessss!"

A booming voice shattered the air, and before they could react, strong arms yanked Kyla and Kiloil into a bone-crushing embrace.

"Aunty Deb's here to save you!"

"Hey, Mum," Gavin greeted, barely glancing at the woman currently smothering his cousins.

Aunt Deborah was larger than life in every sense—her bright, puffy yellow sundress swaying as she moved, black beads woven through her thick, curly brown hair. Large gold earrings dangled from her ears, and layered wooden ball necklaces jingled as she finally released them.

She grinned, reaching out to ruffle Kyla's light blond curls. "Miss me, loves? Ky, you must be nervous."

Kyla forced a weak smile. "Yeah."

Aunt Deb sighed dramatically, pulling Kiloil into her side. His face puffed up like a puffer fish.

"And now you're an S-Grade Alpha of all genders… what a shock." She shook her head in mock disbelief. "Who'd have thought? Just like your dad—an omega in a family of betas. The world is full of surprises."

"Aunty," Kiloil wheezed. "You're choking me."

She let out a hearty laugh and released him—only to slap his back with enough force to make him stumble forward.

Then she turned to Kyla, wiggling her eyebrows. "And you, my dear, are an adult now. That means you'll be getting a mate by the end of the year."

"Mate is outdated language, Mum," Gavin huffed. "It's spouse now."

"Whatever, whatever. A shoe's a shoe," Aunt Deb dismissed with a wave of her hand, already striding toward the house.

Then, with a knowing smirk, she called over her shoulder, "Now get behind me—there's gonna be a catfight."

"Mum, that's speciest," Gavin groaned, rolling his eyes as he followed her.

"Bah, not if we're cat folk ourselves," their aunt retorted with a scoff. She strode down the pavement and up the stairs. "I'm here, Devy!"

Kyla, Gavin, and Kiloil trailed after her. From the lounge room, the sound of raised voices carried through the house.

"We're divorced, Tyla!" their father's voice thundered throughout the house, followed by a heavy thump. "We separated ten years ago. You have no say over her marriage or spouse choices—per the court agreement."

"I'm her mother," a sharp, angry voice snapped back. "I know what's best, and obviously someone of your—"

"Someone of what? Of my status? Because I'm poor?!"

"Deviloil, calm down," another voice interjected—Ryan, Tyla's other concubine.

"No, I won't calm down, Ryan! The four of you barge in here, into my home—"

"I'm bringing her back to the household," Tyla said coldly. "What she needs is elite training and enrollment into—"

"And what? You think I can't get that on my own? That I can't provide for her?" Deviloil's voice shook with fury. "For heaven's sake, Tyla! You haven't contributed a single cent toward her education for the past ten years. You disowned her the moment she hit puberty and was graded B! You broke her heart—"

"ENOUGH!" their mother roared.

The sound of glass shattering rang through the house.

The four of them froze outside the lounge room, loitering by the heavy double doors with their glazed panel windows.

Aunt Deborah's brows twitched, her hands curling into fists.

"Kids," she said, her voice tight. "Go to Ky's room. And mute your senses."

Kyla swallowed hard. The air felt too thick to breathe. It was like before—the arguing, the tension—and now every sound was amplified.

Gavin was the first to move, giving his mother a lingering glance before striding down the hallway, dragging both Kiloil and Kyla by their hands.

Suddenly, the world buzzed around Kyla, and things she hadn't noticed before became startlingly clear—the grinding of the door as her aunt entered, the tapping of hurried feet, the soft buzzing of the small flying monster, even the rhythm of her own pounding heart.

She could hear her father's ragged breathing, the tremor in his voice—not with fear, but with barely contained rage, the kind she hadn't heard since she was eight.

She could hear the venom in her mother's words, dripping like poison into the air.

She could hear everything.

The hallway stretched long before her, like wading through something heavy and unseen. Their footsteps echoed in the silence, punctuated by the distant arguing still ringing in her ears. Kiloil walked beside her, his head low, his jaw clenched so tight that the tension was visible on his cheeks.

He didn't say a word.

When they reached her room at the very end of the house, Gavin let go of their hands and pushed the door open without hesitation, stepping inside. Kiloil stopped just before the threshold.

Kyla paused beside him.

He wasn't looking at her, but she could see it—the way his fingers trembled before he shoved them into his pockets, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the way his entire body tensed as if bracing for something that might never come.

Her own heart pounded too fast.

Aunt Deb had told them to mute their senses, but how could they? Every word, every shard of broken glass, every ounce of bitterness in her mother's voice was seared into her mind.

Kyla's hands curled into fists.

She stepped past Kiloil, gently dragging him inside, and let the door click shut behind them.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

Kyla took a deep breath—it didn't help.

She turned, staring at the closed door, then whispered, almost to herself—

"She's still the same."