Chapter 36 – New Shadows, New Bonds
(Maise's POV)
The forest was still bleeding moonlight when we made it back to camp.
Smoke from the dying fire curled into the dark as Nox looked up from sharpening his blade, his eyes narrowing the instant he saw the tiger at my side. Luka was slower to rise, but his expression was all calculation — assessing, measuring, ready.
Chyron slipped past them both, silent as mist, while Drax halted a few paces from the fire. His cubs clung to his legs, their wide eyes reflecting the flickering light like small blue jewels.
"We had company," I said, setting down my pack.
"Ferals?" Nox asked.
"Thirty," Chyron answered before I could. "They didn't walk away."
That got their attention.
Luka glanced at the cubs, then back at Drax. "And the tiger?"
Drax's tone was even, though the exhaustion beneath it rasped like gravel. "I'm the reason there were thirty to begin with."
Nox's eyes flicked over the deep claw marks raking his shoulder. "You draw trouble often?"
"When it comes for my children, yes."
The two males stared at each other — predator to predator, silent challenge burning in the air.
I stepped between them. "He's staying. At least until the cubs are strong enough to travel safely."
Luka frowned. "And after?"
"We'll decide after."
No one argued further, though tension still crackled beneath the quiet. Drax settled near the fire, the cubs curling beside him like tiny striped shadows. I caught one of them sneaking glances my way, his nose twitching before he buried his face against his father's arm.
They were beautiful — fierce little things.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, I felt something deeper than survival.
A kind of belonging I didn't dare name.
Later that night, after the others had settled, I found Chyron leaning against a tree at the camp's edge, watching the forest.
"You don't trust him," I said.
"I trust very few," he murmured, tail swaying lazily. "But he's strong. The kind of strong you don't ignore."
I nodded, eyes drifting back to the fire where Drax sat with his sons. "He's not the threat. The world is."
Chyron's gaze softened. "That's what makes you dangerous, Maise. You see the storm and still choose to stand in it."
A faint smile tugged at my lips. "And you?"
"I follow lightning when it calls."
The quiet stretched, soft and weighted.
Somewhere behind us, the cubs stirred in their sleep — a small, innocent sound that tugged something warm in my chest.
When I finally turned toward my tent, I glanced back once. Chyron hadn't moved, but his eyes followed me until the dark swallowed the distance.
Morning
(Maise's POV)
The forest woke slow and gold, dew shining on the leaves.
The cubs were up first, tumbling near the water's edge while Drax watched with a weariness that looked too old for his face. His shoulder wound was bandaged but deep; the skin still pale beneath the stripes.
I brought him water, setting it beside him. "You should rest more."
He took it with a quiet nod. "I've rested enough to grow soft."
"You don't look soft."
That earned me a faint huff of amusement — small, but genuine. "You speak boldly for someone who barely knows me."
I shrugged, crouching beside him. "You saved your cubs. That tells me all I need to know."
His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than it should have. "You have the eyes of a leader."
"Maybe. But I'm still learning what that means."
He looked away, watching the cubs splash at the stream. "It means carrying weight that never truly leaves you. Even when you smile."
Something about the quiet gravity in his voice caught me — the tone of a male who'd lost more than he'd ever say aloud.
Before I could answer, one of the cubs squealed with laughter as Chyron flicked his tail across their heads, pretending to scold. Luka sat nearby, half-smiling despite himself. Even Nox's sharp edges seemed to dull as he watched the scene unfold.
For a brief, precious moment, the camp felt almost peaceful.
Almost like home.
And I knew then — this was no longer just survival.
This was the beginning of something bigger.
Something that might just reshape the entire beast world.