Probably not. A soft grin spread across her features that echoed the tones of his laughter. She would have been less trusting of him had he insisted it was perfectly safe. She had full intentions of spending a few days on this island while she regained her strength. But the thought of being able to forgo a miles-long swim seemed too great of an opportunity to pass. She glanced past his shoulder once more as she quietly deliberated. It came to her pushing the last bit of doubt to the side before she slowly began to nod. “That is a very generous offer, and if you are certain it is something you’re okay with, I think I will take you up on that ride.” She finished, realigning her attention back to Ardyn.
As he painted a picture of the raft’s intended use, it did sound like a pretty handy means of getting around and transporting supplies. “It sounds like it will be a great asset.” Cassiela agreed, silently wondering if she should offer to help him collect things to take back. But with the exhaustion encompassing her, she was afraid she’d make herself even more of a liability by overdoing it.
Those thoughts were set aside as he made his next offer. One that genuinely surprised her and took her off guard. “You are so kind …” She started, attention drifting towards the sand beneath her toes. In the moment, she somehow felt more vulnerable than she had initially. She hated it. Cassiela quickly came to accept the fact that there would be no going back to the Winterlands. There was nothing there for her even if she could. It would be all too easy to lean into this stranger's goodwill … but her pride. “But I’m not sure I can allow that though. I don’t want to impose or take advantage of your hospitality, and even more so I wouldn’t want to cause any friction with you and your alpha.” She said tentatively as she tried hard to read his expression through her response. The last thing she wanted was to get Ardyn in trouble for taking in weakened strays.
