Being forced to rest, Zoe Pierce couldn’t do anything about it.

She looked helplessly at Miles Sherman, hoping he would back her up and say she was really fine now.

But she found that Miles Sherman’s expression clearly showed he agreed with Chase Shaw.

’Help me, what is wrong with them?’

Words were powerless. Zoe Pierce was finally experiencing that firsthand.

No matter what she said, they were all unanimous that it was best for her to rest.

Even Nathan Lockwood didn’t say a word.

Zoe Pierce completely gave up on the idea of soothing Chase Shaw. If they didn’t need it, then so be it.

She glanced around and saw Nina Hayes and Julian Chambers standing off to the side, silently observing her. She turned to Miles Sherman and asked, "And this is?"

Miles Sherman explained, "She’s the doctor who just examined your gland."

Nina Hayes wasn’t wearing a medical uniform and was standing with Julian Chambers, so it had never occurred to Zoe Pierce that she might be a doctor.

After hearing this, she just hummed in acknowledgment.

With Zoe Pierce awake, the atmosphere in the entire group became visibly more peaceful.

Watching from the side, Julian Chambers was simply astounded. He had never considered Zoe Pierce a key figure in the team before, but her falling unconscious had made everything clear.

These Alphas were all completely worried about her.

Their group was gathered together within the main retreating force. They were now several hundred kilometers back from the Wormhole where the incident occurred, and they would decide whether to retreat further based on the situation.

Nathan Lockwood and the others had chosen a deserted corner, away from the restless crowd, where it was quiet.

At this point, Nina Hayes said her goodbyes. She patted Julian Chambers on the shoulder. "Treat me to a meal later. I’m heading out."

She paused, then asked him softly, "Your parents might be here too. Should I let them know?"

Julian Chambers’s eyes flickered, but he ultimately said, "No, it’s fine. Just pretend I was never here."

Nina Hayes knew Julian Chambers had some friction with his family, so she didn’t try to persuade him. She just waved to the others and left.

And though Julian Chambers had said he wouldn’t go back, his finger ended up tapping his Intelligent Brain, sending a message to an account he only contacted occasionally.

In the meantime, Zoe Pierce feigned a casual stroll over to Erin Xavier’s side and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened earlier?"

"What happened to my gland now?" She had been so careful about everything, so Zoe Pierce never expected something else to go wrong.

Erin Xavier looked up with a complicated expression. Seeing Zoe Pierce’s almost clueless face, he pressed his lips together tightly.

He lowered his head again. "I’m sorry."

’I’m a despicable person.’

Especially when met with the trust in her eyes after she woke up, it only made his actions inside the Mech Bay seem all the more excessive.

Confused by the sudden apology, Zoe Pierce’s eyelashes fluttered as she asked hesitantly, "Did you... temporarily mark me?"

It was just that Zoe Pierce had never seen Erin Xavier act so meek and submissive.

The proud, rebellious younger-brother figure now had his head hung low, his expression full of guilt, and his voice was even trembling slightly.

Because he had done something to wrong her, he was no longer arrogant and wild. Instead, he was like a defeated rooster.

Thinking it over, Zoe Pierce couldn’t feel anything wrong with her body. The only thing was a faint feeling that the person in front of her felt closer than before.

She had never felt that way looking at Erin Xavier before.

The feeling was strange and subtle, so Zoe Pierce guessed it was this sudden temporary mark that was causing Erin Xavier to apologize to her now.

Sure enough, after she said this, she watched as Erin Xavier’s head sank so low it practically buried itself in the ground.

’Wait, does Erin Xavier have such a strong moral compass?’

Zoe Pierce was astonished. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

’Was a simple temporary mark enough to warrant this reaction?’

’Miles Sherman temporarily marked me before, and he wasn’t like this.’

"I’m sorry." Erin Xavier couldn’t bring himself to admit that not only had he marked her, but he had also taken the initiative to kiss her.

’Even now, he could recall the feeling of her lips whenever his mind was idle.’

’He had become the very kind of person he hated most.’

’The kind who blames all their wrongdoing on pheromones and then acts recklessly.’

’He felt there was no difference between himself and people like that now.’

Miles Sherman and Chase Shaw, who had been standing to the side, both noticed the scene. They didn’t even need to use their spiritual power to hear Erin Xavier’s words of apology.

To be honest, besides that faint feeling of closeness, Zoe Pierce hadn’t felt anything else.

She still didn’t understand what marking a gland really meant, but she knew from this string of incidents that the gland was definitely a sensitive spot.

Otherwise, Chase Shaw wouldn’t have been so furious, and Erin Xavier wouldn’t be acting this meek and submissive.

At this moment, she completely agreed with what Nathan Lockwood had said. From now on, she needed to be prepared for anything when she went out. Suppression patches weren’t enough; she had to bring inhibitors and all that other miscellaneous stuff too.

But that wasn’t what she needed to think about right now. Looking at Erin Xavier, still stuck in his gloomy state, a harmless little idea suddenly popped into Zoe Pierce’s head.

"Hey, Erin Xavier, call me ’Big Sis’ willingly, and I’ll forgive you."

’Making him do the one thing he’s most reluctant to do should, at the very least, be a good way to show his sincerity, right?’

Erin Xavier lifted his head, his round, doe-like eyes filled with astonishment.

"Really. Call me ’Big Sis’ sweetly, say ’Big Sis, I was wrong,’ and get your expression right. Then I’ll forgive you."

’I’ve really gone out of my way to give him an out,’ Zoe Pierce thought.

Hearing this from the side, Chase Shaw scoffed.

In his eyes, Zoe Pierce’s punishment was far too light. But Erin Xavier’s attitude was indeed acceptable. So, although anger and jealousy still churned within him, Chase Shaw couldn’t say anything more at this moment.

He couldn’t think of any other way to punish Erin Xavier either.

Should they deny him her soothing? Or kick him off the team? Neither was realistic.

Now, Zoe Pierce telling Erin Xavier to call her "Big Sis" was, in a way, making him swallow his own pride.

Miles Sherman and Nathan Lockwood’s gazes also shifted over.

Everyone was waiting for Erin Xavier to carry out the method of apology Zoe Pierce had proposed.

After his astonished expression faded, Erin Xavier paused for about half a minute.

"Big Sis... I was wrong... I’m sorry... Please, forgive me."

His voice had softened considerably, and his expression was perfectly managed, just as Zoe Pierce had instructed. The baby-faced young man’s sincere, earnest apology was delivered in a clear, pleasant voice.

Emm...

For some reason, Zoe Pierce felt like she was the one who had done something wrong.

She glanced at Erin Xavier a few more times, uncertain. His shoulders were still slumped with guilt, and his round eyes stared straight at her as he said again, "I’m sorry, Big Sis."

Zoe sucked in a sharp breath.

Zoe Pierce didn’t think she was imagining things. She now felt like she was forcing an innocent into vice.

’When Erin Xavier called her ’Big Sis’ before, it never had this kind of effect, did it?’

The way he was now... why did he seem so pitifully vulnerable, as if she were about to bully him at any moment?