A Werewolf's Unexpected Mate

•Ring-A-Bottle Game Stall•

[Ovelia’s POV]

We came to a stop in front of the next game stall. The scene before me was simple and sweet, lit by strings of small, twinkling paper lanterns that cast a gentle, golden glow. The stall itself was a neat wooden counter adorned with jars of colorful wildflowers. Beyond it, dozens of glass bottles with slender necks were arranged in tight rows on a raised shelf. Their green and brown glass gleamed softly in the light.

The young man running the stall—he looked to be about my age, with kind eyes and an open, friendly face—was just handing a beautifully arranged bouquet of purple and white flowers to a beaming man wearing a wide-brimmed hat. The customer must have won. Beside him, a young woman, also around our age, was carefully collecting the large, colorful rings—each about the size of my fist—that had landed around the necks of the bottles. She smiled at the winner, and I saw the easy affection between her and the stall owner.

The stall owner’s gaze shifted and landed on our group. His eyes lit up. "Oh, hello! Welcome! Let me give you a quick explanation of the game," he said, his voice carrying a natural, cheerful lilt. He gestured toward the bottles. "It’s straightforward. You just need to toss these rings so they land around the neck of the bottles. If you get ten rings to land successfully—on any bottles you like—you win a bouquet of your choice." He then nodded proudly toward the young woman. "My wonderful girlfriend is a fantastic florist. She will arrange the flowers for you, based on your selection." The young woman looked up and offered us a shy, genuine smile. I found myself smiling back without thought.

"This game looks less like a scam," Gale observed, his arms crossed as he surveyed the setup. "And it has fewer players than the Tumble-Top Towers Game Stall. Most people seem to prefer the rigged games where they can feel clever for a moment before losing." He sounded genuinely irritated by the dishonesty of the other vendors.

"What a blunt observation," Ann said with a sigh. Gale just shot her a sideways glare before turning his attention back to the stall owner.

The owner’s smile became slightly awkward, but he maintained his cheerful tone. "It’s twenty spina per round, and you get fifteen rings to try and win."

Ray stepped forward without hesitation. He placed a single, twenty-spina coin on the counter with a soft clink. "One round, please," he said, his own smile easy and disarming.

The stall owner took the coin, and without a word, his girlfriend placed a stack of fifteen smooth, wooden rings on the counter before me.

"You try it, Lia," Ray said, giving me an encouraging nod.

I felt Ace’s hand, which had been a warm, steady presence around mine, gently release its grip. I looked up at him. "Go for it," he said, his voice low. A faint, almost invisible smile touched his lips, softening the usual stern set of his mouth. I nodded, feeling a flutter of nervous excitement.

As always, Ann gave me a little, spirited fist-pump. Her silent support was a steadying force. I smiled at her, took a deep breath that smelled of damp earth and floral sweetness.

I picked up the first ring. It was lighter than I expected. I aimed, focused, and threw. My first, second, third, and fourth throws were... not good. The rings clattered against the bottles, bounced off the wooden shelf, or spun uselessly on the ground. Only one managed to wobble precariously for a second before slipping onto a bottle’s neck with a soft thunk. A tiny victory.

I bit my lip, focusing. Maybe if I throw it higher, with more arc... I aimed, wound up, and let the fifth ring fly.

It sailed in a high, graceful arc—directly over the bottles. The stall owner, who had been leaning forward to watch, straightened up at the wrong moment.

The ring descended and settled neatly on top of his head, encircling his brown hair like a makeshift crown.

He froze, his eyes crossing slightly as if trying to look up at it.

"You did the unexpected thing. Again," Gale stated, his voice flat. He then leveled a glare at me that was more exasperated than angry.

Beside me, I heard Ray choke back a laugh, turning it into a cough. Ann had clapped both hands over her mouth, her shoulders shaking silently. I heard Ace let out a long, weary sigh. The handful of other spectators around the stall burst into good-natured laughter.

I felt my cheeks burn. I looked at the stall owner, who carefully reached up and plucked the ring from his hair. He held it in his hand, looked at it, and then broke into a wide, good-humored grin.

"So... sorry, I didn’t—" I stammered.

"I’m not a bottle," he interrupted, his grin turning playful. He leaned on the counter, his voice dropping to a teasing conspiratorial tone. "But if you think of me as a prize, you’re welcome to take me hom—"

*WHUMP*

Before he could finish his sentence, his girlfriend’s fist connected solidly with his stomach. He doubled over with a soft oof, all the air leaving his lungs in a rush.

"Deserved," Gale and Ann said in perfect, deadpan unison. They then looked at each other, seemed to realize they’d agreed on something, and immediately turned identical scowls on the now-wheezing stall owner.

"R, finish this so we can move on and find another stall," Ace said, his voice cold enough to frost the nearby flower petals. He reclaimed my hand, his grip firm and possessive. I looked at him. His jaw was tight, his silver eyes fixed on the recovering stall owner with a look that could curdle milk. Was he angry with me? Or was it that strange, prickly feeling again... that jealousy? I shook my head violently, dispelling the thought. Of course not. He sees me as a friend. Just a friend.

"Forcing yourself to set aside those feelings again," Lady Firera’s voice chimed softly in my mind, a gentle, knowing whisper.

The image of Princess Eliana, beautiful and composed, flashed behind my eyes. The familiar, cold knot tightened in my stomach.

"Just realizing I already love him more than a friend... that’s enough for me," I replied mentally, the confession quiet and final even in the privacy of my own thoughts.

I turned and gathered the remaining ten rings from the counter. I held them out to Ray. "Sorry," I said, offering a sheepish smile. "I’ll let you end this now."

"It’s perfectly alright. It looked like you were enjoying yourself." he said with a warm smile that made me feel a little better.

"I was," I said, and my smile turned genuine.

Ray took the rings, his expression warm.