My Wild Beast
Chapter 53: Besties! (2)

Chapter 53: Besties! (2)

"Oh," Nova muttered rather awkwardly as she looked away, feeling irritated by how she held onto such hope in a girl she didn’t know. Sure, Aiyana was showing her glimpses of kindness, but that didn’t mean anything. They weren’t close and barely even acquaintances.

"Why help me at all." Nova offered up the fabrics in her hands. "If you have no intention of seeing me get stronger?"

"Do you secretly want me to die?" Aiyana surprisingly growled at Nova’s question. It didn’t stop her from pushing, demanding answers whether her questions were crazy or not. "Is this the perfect time for an accident to occur?"

The anger Nova had seen in Aiyana’s gaze trickled out, replaced with amusement as she watched Nova. "Believe me, if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead." She walked past Nova, hips swaying lazily like a cat unbothered by Nova’s little outburst.

Unbothered and bored. "It wasn’t only for Yoa’s sake," she said quietly, hopping up to one of the ledges on one side of the walls that were scattered with them and reminded Nova of cat owners who had them running up the sides of a wall for their cats.

Aiyana perched up on one, legs dangling over the sides, hands clutching at the edge by her knees as her sharp gaze fell on Nova again. "The lake brought you here for a reason. Or maybe it brought you here to entertain us beasts," she continued in that amused tone that almost sounded like a purr. Nobody could ever deny this woman was less than a jaguar. Not with her behaviour, skills or even the way she spoke.

A shiver ran through Nova at the way Aiyana’s gaze had swept over her like she was nothing more than a toy to play with. She leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other as she considered Nova again. "I’ll guide you in the right direction."

Nova’s brows shot up at that.

"I will not help, though. Your journey is your own—just as ours were during our rite of passage."

Rite of what now? Nova stared up at Aiyana, taking in her words.

"So that’s what this is? A tradition that stops you from helping me?"

In truth, Nova already considered Aiyana’s so-called ’guiding’ help enough. However, she wondered if Aiyana’s guidance would be anything but normal to Nova. Before Aiyana could answer, Nova added, "I am not from here. I know little of this world besides what I have witnessed while on the run from mystical beasts trying to kidnap me or possibly sacrifice me."

Aiyana watched Nova under that intense amber gaze but she didn’t interrupt. She didn’t seem the type. Whenever she spoke she held attention in the room. It was inspiring.

Now that the floor was hers, Nova gulped down the nerves climbing up her throat from Aiyana’s hawk-like gaze and began to walk back and forth. "Just imagine this for a second, Aiyana. You were suddenly taken from this island and landed in the middle of a city." Nova gestured with her hands, speaking with more confidence as Aiyana watched her inquisitively.

"There are no trees. No animals. No seas close by and certainly no beast men. There are towering skyscrapers, taller than any tree here. Everything is loud with horns honking, thousands of people walking around you in either blind rage, drama, busy with their lives... There is no such thing as magic."

Nova knew she was probably ranting now but she couldn’t stop it, not even to take a breath.

"And your status is based on how much money you have. How big your house is. Having the nicest cars and clothes, having the perfect online life-"

"You lost me at skyscrapers," Aiyana deadpanned, finally interrupting Nova. A smirk quirked on her lips. "I understand. Not what half of what you spoke of it. It sounds unpleasant, and I would not know what to do with myself," she said thoughtfully, tilting her head slightly to the side as she took Nova in again.

"The weak do not thrive well here. Our ’status’ is all about the strongest and most powerful. Predator and prey. This world is different to yours, I understand this..." Aiyana trailed off, thoughtful, before speaking up once again, this time with curiosity. "I assume fighting others in your world is not common?"

A weight on Nova’s chest disbursed as she released a breath. Aiyana was trying to understand her. With some amusement, Nova replied, "Erm, fighting is strictly for clubs. Or meant to be. Others might get in squabbles, but the police would have something to say about that."

At Aiyana’s blank stare, awaiting for Nova to continue, she then went on to explain what fighting clubs were and then that expanded into the explanation about law enforcement.

"Oh. So, they have more than one guardian protecting the people..." Aiyana nodded along, translating the police and law enforcement to guardians.

"Can I come in now?" Atia called from the door frame, strolling in and discovering Nova sitting on the same level as Aiyana. His eyebrows rose at the girls sitting side by side now, surprised Aiyana hadn’t pushed Nova off intentionally. She didn’t like anyone too close to her. It was a safety thing, and he was sure it was a feline thing. Like Yoa, Yana was also a little more of a loner than Atia. It was the jaguar in them.

With a widening grin that immediately straightened Aiyana’s spine more, Atia clapped his hands excitedly.

"Have you two had enough time to plait each other’s hair and swoon over a certain sexy jaguar shifter?"

He raked his fingers through his hair, the long strands for once loose as he purposefully flexed his muscles.

"Atia..." Aiyana purred, her voice dripping with honey as she looked him over. It was alluring even to Nova.

That honeyed tone didn’t vanish, but it gained a sly sharpness, dismissing Atia’s charms as she added, "Find Firstmark."

Firstmark? Nova looked between them in question, but their attention was not on the tiny human but on each other.

Atia pouted. "Why are you sooo mean to me? I did help you against Konu earlier..."

Aiyana glared at him, looking every bit like a queen on her throne right now. "I had him."

Atia stepped closer, hands now outstretched, muscles taut as he gripped the back of Aiyana’s ankles. He stared up at her with such warmth and affection Nova was taken aback—especially when it was met with Aiyana’s steely gaze. Could he not see that?! Nova was close to shrinking back, but Aiyana’s ire wasn’t focused on her.

"Didn’t look like it," Atia muttered, his relaxed expression hardening, lips thinning with a silent fury that was blazing behind those green-golden eyes.

Aiyana narrowed her eyes at him, leaning forward slightly, fingers tightening on the edge of their ledge. "I don’t need protecting."

"Oh, I know," he mused, his gaze wandering over Aiyana’s body with such heat Nova’s cheeks heated as she looked between them. His thumbs idly stroked her ankles as his eyes ran back up to meet hers. Oh. OH!

"Atia," Aiyana snapped.

Atia sighed, releasing her ankles and backed up, raising his hands in surrender. "Yes, my Queen. I will get Firstmark." Their eyes remained locked on each other longer than would be considered normal for friends before Atia stepped out of the room.

Nova’s eyes flicked back to Aiyana, trying to read her expression. There was a slight red hue to her cheeks, which she tried hiding by hopping down from the tall ledge and returning to the alcove where they’d left a small heap of fabrics. A small grin graced Nova’s lips as she watched her. It looks like Atia’s flirting hadn’t left Aiyana completely unaffected.

Seems even queens can blush. "You’re a queen?" Nova asked, seriously wondering if Aiyana was. Were there queens on the island? She wasn’t sure how the tribes worked. She climbed down slowly from the ledge a little awkwardly, and not athletically or with grace like Aiyana, who’d leapt like a cat.

Aiyana snorted and looked back at Nova like she’d just asked if the moon wore shoes. "I’m no queen," she said, amused. "But I don’t need a crown to be obeyed."

Nova couldn’t help but whistle in response. "Damn."

Aiyana put aside the newly folded fabrics. "He started calling me princess, queen, your majesty after a few times of me telling him to do something. Not my fault he kept obeying." She stared at her nails nonchalantly.

Oh, there was definitely something going on between them, right? RIGHT?! Nova wanted to ask more about them, but their ’budding friendship’ felt like the tiniest seed just beginning to sprout. It needed careful tending for it to truly grow. And something about Aiyana made Nova want it to grow. Really grow.

Even if she wasn’t one of Yoa’s closest friends, Nova would have been drawn to her whether she was feisty and intimidating or not. Aiyana would probably be considered a sassy ’Girl Boss’ in her world if she hadn’t claimed ’Badass Supermodel’ first. It was almost empowering to be in her presence.

Nova realised she’d spent too long in her own thoughts to actually reply to Aiyana’s last comment as the room remained silent. That silence felt too long, and Atia was collecting... First... Mark?

"So, um... What now?" Nova asked, hoping to continue Aiyana’s unusual social behaviour.

"Now we hunt," Atia answered, returning to the room and tossing a blade at Nova.

She inhaled sharply, terrified the blade would stab through her hand. She reached for it and simultaneously stepped out of the direction Atia had thrown it in, risking it stabbing the floor instead.

A hand shot out at the last second, catching the handle. Aiyana stared at Nova, the unspoken words clear: Really?

Okay... Maybe I’d been a little dramatic.

Atia was standing right beside her and his ’throw’ was a slow underthrow at no more distance of a 30 centimetre ruler.

Clearing her throat, Nova exclaimed, "I was taught never to run with scissors! Let alone catching a knife!"

The pair of jaguar shifters stared at her and then down to the short distance between Atia and Nova. Flames heated her cheeks at the judgement growing thicker in the room. "Alright... I see how it is... Jungle folks..." Nova huffed dramatically, backing away a few steps after feeling incredibly tiny between the pair of athletic supermodels.

Aiyana snorted, spinning the blade in her hand like a professional entertainer, or God help us, an assassin. She looked more like the latter—

"What are scissors?" Atia asked.

Nova pinched the bridge of her nose. Instead of answering, she spoke to the room, staring up at the ceiling. "What did you say about hunting?"