Chapter 263: Most Suitable Protection

Chapter 263: 263: Most Suitable Protection

Ayra sat there quietly, lost in thoughts about what to do. Zark stared at her as he asked, "Why do you ask?"

Ayra hesitated. "Nothing much... I was just wondering why he’s not around..."

Zark and Vale slowly nodded, believing her words.

"Don’t worry, he’ll be alright. He’s actually stronger than you might think," Vale said.

"Yes. And if anything happens, we’ll be off to rescue him. So don’t worry," Zark assured her.

Ayra smiled and nodded. "Okay, then..."

They briefly discussed the meals Vale wanted to try making for her the next day, and when they were done, they left Ayra to get some rest.

Ayra sat quietly in bed, lost in thought.

Then, her system beeped.

[Ding!]

[Host, you have only 5 hours to complete the task.]

Ayra stared at the system for a while, knowing that she had to complete it one way or another. But the issue was clear: Commander Lynn wasn’t around at all.

"I guess I’ll have to go and meet him there..." she told herself after thinking it over.

Sneaking out and finding her way there initially seemed like a simple plan. But then she realized that she didn’t actually know her way around.

And she needed someone who could at least protect her through the wild forest. At least one person.

So she found herself running through the possibilities in her head, trying to figure out who would be the perfect person for the job. She thought through her mates for a while, comparing and contrasting them before finally arriving at her best choice.

"Nyx..." Ayra nodded to herself. "The wild cat will be the best option."

After reaching her conclusion, Ayra got down from the bed and began making preparations to sneak out.

She didn’t have much time left, so she had to make the best use of the little time she had.

---

Ayra covered herself properly with an animal-skin hood, making sure she couldn’t easily be recognized as she walked through the corners of the tribe that night.

She finally arrived at Nyx’s wooden house and knocked. After knocking a couple of times, Nyx opened the door.

Nyx was rather confused by what he saw. "Who’s this...?" He stepped backward, immediately becoming alert.

But Ayra opened up the hood to reveal herself.

Nyx was now even more surprised and confused.

"Ayra...?" Nyx called her name.

Ayra was rather surprised. She didn’t even remember when he had started calling her by her name.

She smiled at him. "Let’s cut down the formalities. I need your help with something. Right now."

Nyx hesitated before asking, "Help with what?"

Ayra smiled. "Take me to where Commander Lynn and his team are camping." ℯℯ𝑙.

Nyx hesitated as he stared at her. Then he folded his arms.

"It’s a dangerous place for someone to be, especially for you. So why would you want to leave the comfort here and go there?"

Ayra explained, "He’s my mate. The father of the cub inside me..."

She hesitated before adding, "And besides, it’s an emergency. I have to be there. So help me get there..."

Nyx remained with his arms folded as he stared at her. "It’s better you stay here. I don’t want to get involved in taking you somewhere that dangerous."

He was about to turn and leave when Ayra grabbed him by the hand.

"I know. And that’s why I want to bring you along to protect me..."

Ayra caught a glimpse of his ears twitching. She could interpret it as excitement from the fact that she had considered him worthy of protecting her.

She could tell he liked that attention.

Nyx swallowed and cleared his throat. "You could ask the Dragon Lord or the Snake Lord for this. They should help you. Why me?"

Ayra figured they wouldn’t want to bring her along to protect her. Instead, they would probably have her stay behind while they went themselves, promising to bring Lynn back safely.

She didn’t have time to go back and forth with them. So she came to the person she hadn’t had a cub with yet.

"You’re stronger..." Ayra smiled as she gently caressed his hand. "I picked you myself because you’re very strong and worthy of protecting me. You’re the best candidate for this. So please... consider me."

She put on her best puppy eyes, ready to strike.

And Nyx had already fallen for it.

His heart fluttered as he blinked at her for a moment. Then he looked away and cleared his throat.

"Okay. Let me get ready... I’ll take you there."

Ayra smiled, surprised. It had worked so quickly that she was beginning to wonder if Nyx really was that easy to deal with.

"Okay. I’ll be waiting."

---

Nyx quickly got ready and put on thick animal-skin clothing to keep himself warm.

Then he led the way. The two of them walked through the corners of the tribe so they wouldn’t be seen. Ayra had said she didn’t want to be caught, so Nyx took a shorter route out of the tribe.

Soon, the two of them were walking through the forest outside the tribe.

Nyx held a fire torch in one hand, illuminating the path as they made their way toward the location where Commander Lynn and his team had camped.

Ayra looked around cautiously, meticulously following behind Nyx.

Nyx glanced at her for a while before saying, "You’re really something else... different from the females I’ve encountered."

Ayra stared at him with a smile. "How? I’m prettier," she said, placing both hands beneath her chin as she flashed him a bright, bubbly smile.

The smile almost gave Nyx a heart attack.

Nyx suddenly paused, the fire torch still in his hand, his eyes firmly fixed on Ayra. His heart fluttered harder than usual as he stared at her.

Nyx couldn’t deny the fact that he found her extremely pretty now. She looked different from how he remembered her, and for some reason, the thought always bothered him.

He stared at her for far too long, completely losing track of time.