slight sexy scene ahead<3
Chapter 28 – The Weight of Eyes (Maise's POV)
The fox's scent still lingered long after he vanished into the grass—amber, wind, and something sharper that clung to thought.
Maise walked ahead of the others, pretending calm she didn't fully feel. The steady rhythm of Nox and Luka's footsteps behind her was grounding, but her pulse wouldn't slow. That stranger's grin had unsettled her in ways she hadn't expected.
She'd faced beasts stronger than him, colder than him, yet none had dared look at her like that—half challenge, half invitation.
"Do we let him trail us?" Luka asked at last.
"For now," she said. "If he wanted blood, he'd have drawn it by now."
Nox's growl was low, distrustful. "Foxes hide fangs behind smiles."
"So do lions," Maise replied, glancing at him over her shoulder. "You forget that part."
His glare softened, though only slightly. "I don't forget anything about you."
Her lips curved in the faintest smirk. "Good. Then trust me when I say—let him follow. I want to see what kind of creature keeps pace with a pride."
They walked in silence for a time, the plains humming with midday heat. Maise could feel their eyes on her—their protectiveness, their confusion—but her thoughts stayed on the one who wasn't there.
That fox had moved like shadow and sun combined, his words too smooth, too measured. Yet beneath that confidence she'd caught something else. Restless curiosity. Loneliness maybe. Something she recognized far too well.
She exhaled slowly. The wind carried his scent again, faint but unmistakable.
[Luka if you think you must stand watch and guard the camp. Nox follows me.
My lion, will you officially accept my bond? Nox stood ramrod straight completely shocked. Well, are you going to stand there all night or are you going to mate with me Maise said teasingly.
Nox quickly took action and moved further away from prying eyes. It would be an honor to be your mate. Things moved quickly after that. Maise quickly started pulling off Nox's skirt and lovingly explored his body. It didn't take long for Nox to take over and run his hands over her curvy body. He adored the way she had more meat on her knowing that mating can be quite difficult for smaller females.
With that thought he completed his task she was bare to him. She was absolutely breathtaking. How did I get so lucky to be yours he said to her. Maise stood there smirking as she saw his body react to her. She opened up her arms and beckoned him closer. Well, my little lion come make me yours! They soon fell into each other's arms and basked in the mating glow. Not long after they finished it would soon be daybreak and she her first spousal mark and beamed up at Nox and pointed at her heart. Now you will always be with me.
Morning crept soft and blue across the horizon. The pride had settled near a shallow ravine for rest, and the world smelled of damp earth and fresh air.
Maise sat apart from the others, sharpening her blade on a flat stone. Every stroke was deliberate, rhythmic. She wasn't thinking of battle, not really.
She was thinking of eyes like ice-lit gemstones and a grin that had no right to stay in her mind this long.
A soft rustle behind her made her pause. Nox's voice, quieter than usual: "You didn't sleep."
"Neither did you," she said without turning.
He stood close enough that she could feel his warmth. "If that fox returns—"
"He will," Maise interrupted gently. "Curiosity doesn't fade overnight."
Nox frowned. "And when he does?"
She finally looked up, the morning light catching in her hair. "Then we see whether he's hunting... or hoping to belong."
Nox's answer came after a long pause. "And if it's both?"
Maise smiled, a slow, knowing curve. "Then the fox will learn what happens to those who chase lionesses."
(Chyron's POV)
The wind had changed.
Even before he saw them, Chyron knew. The air carried it—warm, layered, electric. The scent of a bond newly sealed, a mark older than words.
He crouched among the tall reeds, the morning dew cool beneath his fingers. The pride was moving again, their pace different now—less guarded, more certain. The tension that had once strung tight between the lioness and her strongest male had eased into something else. Balance.
So, the stories were true after all. Lionesses chose their mates with teeth and trust both.
He watched them from a distance as the sun crept higher. Maise moved in front, her stride confident, her hair a wild flare of red against the pale sky. Beside her, Nox walked like a shadow at her side, protective but not possessive. His hand brushed hers once, brief and natural as breathing.
The sight tightened something in Chyron's chest. Not envy, exactly. Something sharper.
He'd seen countless prides, countless leaders who ruled by fear or hunger. But this—this was something rarer. Power shared without diminishing either half.
He followed at the edge of scent, quiet as ever. Each time Maise laughed, he caught himself leaning closer. Each time Nox glanced back, his fox instincts screamed retreat.
And yet, he stayed.
He didn't want what the lion had. Not yet. What he wanted was to understand her—the way she held the wild itself in her gaze, the way her pride shaped itself around her will without chains or commands.
Maise turned her head once, the motion fluid, her eyes sweeping over the horizon. For a heartbeat, they locked with his.
She saw him. Again.
Her mouth curved in a faint, knowing smile. No accusation. No dismissal. Just silent acknowledgment.
And something inside him answered.
Chyron exhaled slowly, his tail flicking once behind him. "So," he murmured to himself, "the lioness chooses her flames carefully."
He rose, stepping deeper into the shadows as the pride moved on. The bond between her and the lion burned bright, but he didn't turn away.
Curiosity was a dangerous thing for a fox. But fascination... fascination could be fatal.
Still, he followed.