ready

Mila's heart thumped painfully in her chest as Azoula's shadow loomed over her, the tigress' intense gaze boring into her. Each word Azoula spoke seemed to weigh heavier than the last, confirming the darker undertones she had begun to sense. The air around them felt thick, almost suffocating, as Mila struggled to maintain her composure under Azoula's domineering presence.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, a stark contrast to Azoula's commanding tone. "No, I haven't... not in the way you mean," Mila confessed, her eyes glancing away briefly before returning to meet the tigress's. There was a vulnerability in her confession, a raw honesty that she hoped would assuage Azoula's harsh scrutiny. "I... I've been close to others before, but it never went... beyond that," she added quickly, hoping that her words would not arouse Azoula's anger or contempt.

Mila's voice trembled slightly as she continued, her mind racing with thoughts of what might be expected of her now. "I'll learn what I need to... I don't want to let you down," her gaze was serious, pleading for some semblance of understanding, or even a hint of the kindness Azoula had once shown her. She swallowed hard, trying to steel herself for whatever the tigress's response might be.