"So," he said. "What is your answer? If you cannot marry my son, I’m sorry, but you cannot stay in this tribe."
Veer took a sharp step forward.
"Dad, what the hell are you talking about?" His voice pitched up, half anger, half disbelief. "Kaya can stay as long as she wants. You can’t—"
"Veer." His father cut him off, voice iron. "I’m not talking to you. I am still the leader of this tribe. You and the others have to follow ’my’ lead."
Veer’s eyes flashed amber, the edges glowing faint with heat. His teeth ground together. "Dad, don’t you dare force her. If you want, we can leave this tribe."
His father turned that glare back on him, matching fire with stone.
"Veer," he said slowly, "maybe you’ve forgotten that you are ’also’ the tribe leader. You have responsibilities. You cannot throw them away just to protect one woman."
Veer opened his mouth to argue—
A small sound stopped him.
Laughter. Soft. Light.
Kaya’s smile blood across her face, sweet and bright, like the sun breaking through storm clouds.
"Dad," she said.
The word landed like a blade.
Veer’s father went rigid. His spine locked. A full-body shiver crawled from his neck down to his feet. Behind him, Robert’s face went white as bone, one hand flying instinctively to his shining head like he could protect it by touch alone. The elders exchanged horrified glances, bodies shifting back half a step in pure instinct.
Kaya looked straight at Veer’s father, that smile still sitting pretty on her mouth.
"I think you’re right," she said, voice warm, almost shy. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear—the picture of a woman who’d just fallen in love. "I also think it’s a good idea. I can’t stay here for free, right?"
Silence crashed down.
Veer’s father stared at her, mouth half open, brain grinding to a halt. His thoughts had simply... stopped. Like soone had blown out the candle inside his skull.
Robert made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, both hands now gripping his head as if checking it was still attached.
Veer just stood there, frozen mid-step, amber eyes wide, looking between his father and Kaya like the ground had opened under him and he hadn’t hit bottom yet.
Kaya’s smile didn’t waver. She clasped her hands in front of her, tilted her head just so—demure, agreeable, the perfect bride-to-be.
"When should we start preparations?" she asked sweetly.
Veer stared at Kaya like soone had hit him over the head.
Did she just... say she’d marry him?
His heart was doing stupid flips in his chest, giddy and scared at the sa ti. Her smile was bright enough to make his knees feel weak, but he knew Kaya—bright on her face usually ant sharp in her head.
At the side tunnel, Cutie and the sparrow had both co out, drawn by the noise.
Cutie froze in the doorway, eyes wide, lips parted slightly. Shock washed over his face for a heartbeat before he smoothed it down, but his fingers tightened on the stone fra, knuckles white. The sparrow beside him gaped, then snapped his head toward his cousin’s room, one thought pounding in his skull: ’This jinx is really powerful.’ Now he honestly didn’t know who was cursed—Kaya, Veer, Veer’s father, or the entire vulture tribe.
Veer’s father slowly turned his head toward Robert.
The look in his eyes was pure murder. Robert felt it land like claws between his shoulder blades. He trembled, hand flying up to his bald head as his own voice replayed in his skull: ’If she accepts it, your shoes, my head, my lord.’ He swallowed hard.
Desperate, he lurched forward, forcing a shaky smile onto his face.
"But, dear," he said to Kaya, voice quivering, "you are still young. Don’t you want to live with your parents more? Find... more beastn partners? How can you decide to settle down so fast?"
Kaya turned that bright, shy smile on him like she was so innocent maiden.
"I don’t have parents," she said simply.
Robert flinched.
Kaya’s gaze drifted to Veer, softening in a way that made his ears go hot.
"I’ve spent so much ti with him," she went on. "With the person who never cared how much money he spent on . Who never cared about anything except... ." Her voice stayed gentle, but every word dug a little deeper. "The one who put his life in danger for . Any woman could fall for that."
Veer forgot how to breathe for a second.
Kaya laughed lightly, then added, "And thinking about it... Veer is really sothing. Even after how many tis I was rude to him, he still... likes . Now that I think properly, it’s enough. I’ve travelled too much. I want to marry him and travel with him. Alone on the road isn’t that fun."
Robert felt a cold sweat slide down his spine. He could ’feel’ Veer’s father’s glare cooking the side of his head. He tried again, voice almost squeaking.
"But, dear, you are still fine, you know? You could find stronger vultures. Better matches. Getting married so early is—"
Kaya shook her head, eyes going glassy as she sniffed once.
"No," she whispered. "My first husband..."
A tear slid down, perfectly tid. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, shoulders hunching just a little, posture shrinking—a textbook display of vulnerability that would trigger protective instincts in most onlookers.
"He was a bastard," she said quietly. "He cheated on . Left alone to die. If Veer hadn’t been there, I don’t even know when or how I would’ve died."
Her fingers twisted in the hem of her dress.
"So, no," she finished, lifting her wet eyes to Veer with a soft, trembling smile. "I really love Veer. And I think... we’ll be really happy together."
The room spun a little for Veer. His heart leapt straight into his throat, half‑drowning in joy and doubt. Cutie, at the entrance, lowered his head just enough that his fringe hid his eyes.
Behind everyone, Robert silently started planning his own funeral.
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