The cave felt smaller once Kai left the entrance fully stepping inside. Maybe it was because he took up space due to his height and lets not forget his overwhelming presence Or maybe it was because Aria had been alone here long enough that even one extra presence made a noticeable difference.
She set the basket of fruits aside and wiped her hands on her clothes, Her mind had been restless since they entered the den. She could keep her face neutral in front of the tribe, but now that she was alone with Kai, all the thoughts she'd been holding back started pushing upward.
Kai stood near the wall, arms folded, looking at her an waiting for the next action or reaction from her.
"Well," he said finally, breaking the silence. "Say it."
Aria blinked. "Say what?"
"You've been acting strange since we came back." His eyes didn't move from her face. "And you avoided the chief. You walked right past her."
Right. So he noticed that.
Aria exhaled softly and sat on the hay. "I didn't want to talk to her."
"That's not an explanation," Kai said.
"It's the one I'm giving tho, you have no choice than to accept that."
He didn't move, but his tail flicked once against the stone floor. She could tell he was starting to get annoyed.
"You know what happens when someone chooses a mate," he reminded her. "You're supposed to declare it to the chief. The tribe prepares a ceremony. Food, witnesses, blessings."
He paused, voice steady.
"You ignored all of it." for a feral like me , i knew that so why did you skip the process?
Aria rubbed her temples. She didn't want this to turn into an argument. She also didn't want him to think she was dragging him into something blindly.
"It's not that I don't understand the rules," she said. "I know them better than anyone."
"Then why ignore them?" Kai asked. "Why avoid a proper ceremony?"
Aria looked at him.
For a moment, she considered lying.
But she had learned something important today: Kai wasn't the type who needed long explanations. He just wanted the truth, and he wanted it clean.
"I don't want the tribe involved because I don't plan on staying here," she said simply. Kai with his calm steady aura , gave a continue look ,
Aria with an even voice, "If the chief approves the bond, that means I'm registered here. It means I have duties and It also mean people watch me. I don't want all that."
Kai studied her quietly. He wasn't judging just trying to understand.
"And you want a mate bond anyway?" he asked.
"Yes."
"To leave the tribe?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Among other reasons."
Kai stepped closer. "Aria. A mate bond isn't temporary, it needs to be a proper reason other than living the tribe"
"I know."
"If you choose me, you're tying yourself to someone for life."
"I know," she repeated. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."
A beat of silence stretched.
Kai tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "…Why do you need it?"
Here it was.
The question she'd been dreading.
Aria looked at the cave wall instead of him.
She wasn't ready to talk about reincarnation, about dying twice, about the lingering imbalance she carried inside her as well as what has made her wake up sometimes with her heartbeat wrong, her instincts overly sharp and alert which according to modern psychology could be called severe anxiousness, her energy also has remained unstable.
She wasn't ready to tell him that her soul felt like it didn't sit in her body properly this timeBut she could say part of it.
"My soul is… not stable," she said quietly. "I don't know how to explain it without sounding insane."
Aria swallowed. "The bond will help anchor it. At least, that's what I hope."
Kai frowned slightly. "You're sure?"
"No," she admitted. "But it's the only option I have right now."
Another silence settled.
Aria pulled her knees up slightly, resting her chin on them. "If I told the chief, she'd ask too many questions. She'd want to monitor me. Maybe even forbid it. And I don't want any of that."
"So you're asking me to trust your… guess," Kai said slowly.
"Yes," Aria said. "I am."
Kai let out a slow breath and walked closer, stopping just a short distance away.
"You're planning to leave soon," he said. "Not someday. Soon."
Aria didn't deny it.
"You don't want the ceremony because it ties you down," he continued. "And because they'll try to stop you if they know."
"That's right," she said softly.
"And the bond…" Kai paused. "You want it because it helps you, and because I'm the only one strong enough to handle it."
Aria nodded once. " i just felt it apart from your beastal rank, you wouldn't be someone who will break easily."
Kai's expression didn't change, but she could see he registered the compliment. Or insult. It depended on how he interpreted it.
"And you're sure it has to be me?" he asked.
Aria thought about the others in the tribe.
The ones she knew in her first life.
The betrayals.
The false kindness.
The future she refused to repeat.
"Yes," she said firmly. "It has to be you."
Kai didn't move or speak for a moment. His eyes lowered slightly, like he was thinking deeply.
Then he asked, quietly,
"When?"
Aria met his gaze. "Dawn."
He lifted a brow. "You want to start the ritual tomorrow?"
"I don't see a point in waiting," she said. "The longer I wait, the harder everything gets."
Kai let out a quiet exhale—half sigh, half acceptance.
"Fine," he said. "I'll do it."
Aria blinked. "…Just like that?"
"You asked," he said simply. "You gave your reason and for some reason I decided to go along with this madness."
That was it?
Aria almost laughed—not out of amusement, but relief.
Kai turned toward the entrance of the cave. Just before stepping out, he said without looking back—
"But you better explain everything after the bond forms."
Aria nodded. "I will."
"Good."
He left with the same silent slitter he entered with.
Aria sat alone in the cave for a long time after his figure disappeared.
Deep Breath IN ... and OUT...
She just breathed slowly, steadying herself.The mate bond would solve one problem.
But it would create ten more.
And once the mark appeared on her skin…
Her time in the tribe would be over.. Out in this jungle, its to eat or be eaten .. its strong vs the Weak..