So’lek had faced danger without hesitation.

This was different.

The forest felt closer tonight—breathing, watching, alive with a quiet expectancy that settled deep beneath her skin. Mating season had always been something spoken of in lowered voices, a future certainty she never rushed toward. Survival came first. Duty came first. Feelings were… complicated.

Yet here she was, standing before him beneath the glow of bioluminescent leaves, heart beating too fast for a seasoned warrior. His presence grounded her—steady, patient, offering no pressure, no claim she wasn’t ready to return. He waited, as if the choice mattered more than the moment.

When she stepped closer, it wasn’t fear that guided her, but trust.

Their bond formed slowly, reverently—foreheads touching, breaths shared, the forest humming softly around them. There was no rush, no spectacle. Just the quiet weight of choosing, of stepping into something new with intention instead of instinct.

For the first time, So’lek let herself be seen not as a fighter or a survivor, but as someone standing at the edge of a beginning.

Pandora did not demand more.

It simply remembered.