The next day when Veer woke up, he was shocked.
The bed beside him was empty. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kaya calmly tying her hair back into a neat ponytail. She looked like she’d already washed up, dressed in clean clothes, her posture as straight and disciplined as always.
Veer blinked, disbelief flooding his face. "What..."
Kaya glanced at him. "What?"
There wasn’t even an ounce of tiredness on her face. No exhaustion, no soreness, nothing. She looked completely fine, like last night hadn’t even happened.
Veer stared at her, his mind struggling to catch up. The last ti he rembered—wasn’t Kaya supposed to be exhausted? He could barely move, and she looked like she was ready to run a marathon.
Kaya looked at him like he was an idiot. "Aren’t you gonna get up? Go and take a bath. We need to go outside."
Veer just gaped at her, literally in disbelief.
What he didn’t know was that the last ti Kaya had been bedridden all day, she’d been sick. That’s why she’d stayed in bed. But now? She was completely fine. After all, no matter what, she was a soldier. Even though she couldn’t fight too many beasts at once, it didn’t an she couldn’t handle sothing like this.
Veer dragged himself out of bed, every muscle protesting, and stumbled toward the bathroom. He was still in complete disbelief.
When he ca out, freshly bathed but still moving like he’d been through a war, he saw Kaya with Cutie and Sparrow, talking calmly. She was explaining the plan for getting into the Archives, her voice steady and professional.
And here Veer was, barely functional.
That morning, Veer didn’t speak a single word. He just stood there, trying to process how utterly unfair this was.
When Cutie saw him shuffling into the room, sothing flickered across his face. A small sneer curled at the corner of his lips—subtle, but definitely there. His eyes swept over Veer’s disheveled state with barely concealed satisfaction.
Veer caught the look and scowled, but he was too tired to respond.
Kaya glanced between them, her expression neutral. "Ready?"
Veer nodded mutely.
"Good," Kaya said, turning back to Cutie and Sparrow. "Let’s go over the plan one more ti before we leave."
As she spoke, Cutie’s gaze lingered on her for a mont—sothing soft and pained in his eyes—before he looked away, his jaw tight.
Veer noticed, and despite his exhaustion, sothing uncomfortable twisted in his chest. But he said nothing.
The market was crowded that afternoon, packed with beastn from all tribes buying and selling goods. The air slled of roasted at, spices, and the earthy scent of leather and fur.
Kaya walked beside Veer, her arm looped through his, pressed close against his side. To anyone watching, they looked like any other couple—young, affectionate, completely absorbed in each other.
Veer glanced down at her, surprised by how naturally she played the role. Her expression was soft, almost sweet, a far cry from her usual no-nonsense deanor. She even smiled up at him, her fingers tightening around his arm.
"You’re really committing to this," Veer murmured, trying to sound casual even though his heart was doing sothing stupid in his chest.
Kaya’s smile didn’t waver. "We need to look convincing. The elders have eyes everywhere."
"Right. Convincing," Veer repeated, though sothing in his tone suggested he wished it were more than that.
They walked past stalls selling woven blankets and carved bone jewelry. Kaya leaned into him, her head tilting slightly toward his shoulder like she was listening to him with rapt attention.
An elderly beastwoman at a fruit stall smiled warmly at them. "You two make a lovely pair."
Kaya’s cheeks actually colored slightly—whether it was genuine or an act, Veer couldn’t tell. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice sweet.
Veer grinned, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "She’s amazing, isn’t she?"
The woman laughed. "Hold onto that one, young man. Good mates are rare."
As they moved on, Veer’s hand remained on Kaya’s waist, his thumb absently rubbing small circles against her side. Kaya didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned further into him, her hand coming up to rest against his chest.
"You’re enjoying this too much," Kaya whispered, though there was no real bite to her words.
"Can you bla ?" Veer whispered back, his lips close to her ear. "This is probably the only ti you’ll ever willingly cling to ."
Kaya’s expression flickered—sothing complicated passing through her eyes—but she quickly covered it with another smile.
They stopped at a jewelry stall, and Veer picked up a simple silver bracelet, examining it. Without a word, he reached for Kaya’s wrist and slipped it on.
"Veer, what are you—"
"Mates wear matching things, don’t they?" Veer said, his tone light but his eyes serious. "We need to look the part."
The stallkeeper, a burly beastman with tiger markings, grinned. "Your mate has good taste. That piece is made from mountain silver—strong, doesn’t tarnish."
Kaya looked down at the bracelet, then back at Veer. Sothing softened in her expression. "It’s nice."
Veer paid for it, then grabbed a matching one for himself, fastening it around his own wrist. "There. Now we’re official."
Kaya rolled her eyes, but she didn’t take the bracelet off.
As they continued through the market, Kaya played her part perfectly. She laughed at Veer’s jokes, let him feed her pieces of candied fruit from a vendor, pressed close against his side when the crowd grew thick.
Behind them, several paces back, Cutie and Sparrow followed.
Sparrow seed oblivious, scanning the crowd for potential threats. But Cutie...
Cutie’s eyes were locked on Kaya and Veer. On the way she smiled at him. On how her hand rested so naturally against his chest. On how comfortable they looked together, like they’d been doing this for years.
His jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Every laugh, every touch, every soft glance Kaya gave Veer felt like a knife twisting deeper.
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