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Sol smirked, stepping right past her into the bright, blinding light of the outer thoroughfare. “The water in the spire is good for the joints, Huntress. Are you just here to check my scent?”

He looked at her, noticing she wasn’t wearing her usual deployment gear. “The other captains are running around like their tails are on fire. Why aren’t you scouting around, Huntress? Don’t tell me Veylara left you off the roster.”

“I don’t have a scouting duty today,” Kira muttered, her jaw tight as she stepped away from the doorframe, her golden eyes fixed entirely on his face. “The Warchief ordered me to stay back and manage the inner ring defenses. But that’s a lie. She just wants her daughter away from the front line when the horde hits the ravine.”

She stepped closer, her wild, feral scent mixing with the faint trace of swamp lilies still clinging to Sol’s skin. The tough, aggressive front she usually held up was entirely gone, replaced by a raw, unrefined anxiety that made her fingers twitch over her bowstring.

“You’re standing in the middle of a muddy ditch with three hundred children, Sol,” she said, her voice dropping into a low, shaky whisper. “Four thousand monsters are going to march straight over you. I’ve been in the Great Orrath my whole life, and I know what a meat grinder looks like. I’m worried about you.”

Sol smirked, keeping his tone casual to ease her tension. “I told you before, Huntress, my body is special. It takes more than a few thousand bugs to put me under the dirt.”

Kira didn’t laugh. She leaned in even closer, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the fresh bite marks peaking out from the edges of his black Rockhorn carapace. There were several of them… red imprints on his neck and shoulder, clearly left by someone who had been anything but gentle.

“You certainly look like you handled the ’tension’ well enough before the meeting. The water in the Feline Spire must have been incredibly thorough.”

Sol paused, his silver-crimson eyes locking onto hers. He wasn’t planning on hiding his affair with Zeyra from Kira… he didn’t care enough about political modesty to lie to the girl who had dragged him out of the muck… but before he could even open his mouth to explain, Kira cut him off with a bitter, heavy sigh.

“Don’t bother making up a story,” Kira said, looking away toward the open courtyard. “I know everything. In fact… it was me who told her to go to your room and help you wash up.”

Sol looked at her in total surprise. His usual lazy composure slipped for a fraction of a second, his eyebrows shooting up. He had expected her to be furious, to challenge him to a death match in the sparring pits, or to throw a bone-dagger at his throat. He definitely hadn’t expected her to be the mastermind behind the whole setup.

“You sent her?” Sol asked, his voice genuinely thrown off.

“Yes,” Kira muttered, her tail dropping as she looked back at him, her eyes softening into something deeply emotional. “The war horns are blowing, Sol. Thousands of enemies are marching on our home, and the Zharun have left us to rot. Who knows if we’ll even be alive by tomorrow night? Who knows if any of us will make it back to these spires?”

She reached out, her small, calloused hand resting flat against his cold breastplate. “Zeyra has been losing her mind with worry ever since you got carried in from the gully. She acts quiet, but she’s completely consumed by you.

I didn’t want her… or you… to face this slaughter with regrets. If today is the end of the Veynar, I wanted you both to have what you wanted.”

“So I told her to go. Figured if she didn’t do something about all that built-up tension, she was going to explode. Or do something stupid.”

Sol stayed quiet for a moment, studying her face. There was no jealousy in her voice — not really. But there was something heavier. Resignation. Maybe a little bitterness.

“You’re not mad?” he asked carefully.

Kira finally looked back at him. Her expression was complicated — half annoyed, half tired.

“Mad?” She shrugged. “I don’t own you, Sol. You’re not my mate. You’re not even officially part of the tribe yet. You can fuck whoever you want.”

She stepped closer again, lowering her voice so only he could hear.

“But Zeyra… she’s not like the others. She doesn’t do things halfway. When she falls, she falls completely. And the way she looks at you…” Kira shook her head. “It’s not normal. She’s obsessive. The kind of obsessive that doesn’t let go. Ever.”

Kira reached up and casually tugged the collar of his armor a little higher, covering one of the more obvious bite marks.

“Just be careful with her,” she said quietly. “She’ll give you everything. Her body, her heart, her loyalty… even her life if you asked. But if you ever throw her away or treat her like a passing thing…”

Her eyes hardened.

“I’ll be the one putting a spear through your back. Friend or not.”

Sol met her gaze steadily. There was no fear in his eyes, but he understood the warning.

“I’m not planning on throwing her away,” he said simply. “She knew what she was getting into. And she wanted it. All of it.”

Kira searched his face for a long second, then gave a small nod.

“Good. Then don’t fuck it up.”

She stepped back, the tension in her shoulders easing just a little. A crooked, half-sarcastic smile finally tugged at her lips.

“Though I have to admit… I didn’t expect her to leave so many marks. She really went all out, huh?”

Sol smirked, adjusting his armor.

“She’s stronger than she looks.”

Kira snorted. “Yeah. She’s a Binding Snake for a reason. Flexible little monster when she wants to be.”

For a moment, the heavy atmosphere between them lightened. Kira shook her head, almost amused now.

A.N:

So, today is finally last day of event and my Birthday. I won’t waste word count saying cliches, but just wanna let you guys know that I’m really thankful that you guys have been supporting so much, and honestly, this is one my most satisfying birthday, even though I had been busy planning and writing this book.

This is just the first batch, be ready for a big mass release.

And if you guys wanna send some gifts, make sure to do it fast, because there are only few hours remaining before this month and event ends.