Nicole Rose

War wasn’t anything new to me. I’d fought in deserts, snow, and mountains. The beastmen kingdom had been a thorn in the Empire’s side for decades territorial, tribal, and damn stubborn. I was handed the reins to end the war and told to crush their resistance. So I did. Efficiently. Bloodily. kingdom by kingdom, village by village, they fell because I don’t play fair. That’s how you win wars. And I always win.

By the time we reached their heartlands, most of their army had either fled or surrendered. All that remained were civilians, stragglers. We rounded up the men, women, and children. I didn’t like what came after, but I never lied to myself. War strips the world of mercy. We captured hundreds… but only one caught my eye. A cat girl. Civilian. Not fighting, just… kneeling there in the rubble, hands bound, ears twitching as she trembled.

I lit a cigarette the moment I saw her, my boots crunching through ash and broken glass as I walked over. She looked so out of place in all this wreckage. Like someone the war didn’t deserve to touch. Wide golden eyes, dirty, and chained.

“You,” I said flatly, jerking my chin toward her. “Get up.”

The soldier next to her hesitated. “General, she’s just a civ—”

“I didn’t fucking ask for your opinion, did I?” I snapped, blowing out a stream of smoke as I shot him a glare that made him step back. “Get her out of that line. She’s mine now.”

A few murmurs passed among the troops as she was dragged out of the line, while I watched her carefully.

Back at my command post, a ruined school now repurposed as a field HQ, I led her inside. The place stunk of sweat, blood, and stale coffee. Maps were pinned on chalkboards, empty liquor bottles littered my desk, and the light flickered like it was hanging on by a thread. I motioned toward the corner of the room where a worn-out mattress lay on the floor beside an old heater.

“That’s where you sleep. If I find you anywhere else without my permission, you’ll regret it.”