Saskia glanced at The Everwake and said, "Penna, it would be best to complete the Contract now."

Penna nodded. The corners of her lips curved up as she leaned in close, her breath hot, about to press her lips to his. For a male and a female to form a Contract, the blood from the tips of their tongues had to mingle—an act of extreme intimacy.

The light in The Everwake’s iridescent, glass-like eyes turned frigid, his expression one of utter disgust.

He turned his head to dodge, but Penna grabbed his jaw tightly. "What are you dodging?"

She let out a low laugh, her grip turning vicious. "You don’t get a say in this Contract!"

Penna’s fingertips pressed against his jaw, forcing him to meet her lips.

The Everwake’s lips tightened into a thin line, sharp as a razor’s edge.

Just as their lips were about to meet—

"SWISH—"

A tiny, brilliant Light Arrow suddenly tore through the air, slicing sharply between their lips!

A scorching shockwave erupted. The webbing of Penna’s hand split open, and she let out a sudden scream. Her hand, which had been clamping The Everwake’s jaw, flew open as she stumbled back two steps.

The Light Arrow embedded itself in the trunk of a massive tree, its fletching quivering. A moment later, it dissolved into motes of light.

The Iridian Beastmen froze. The singing stopped, the dancing ceased.

A few of the quicker males flashed forward, moving to shield Penna.

"Who! Who is it!" Penna shrieked, her voice nearly tearing through the night sky.

The web of her hand was torn and bleeding profusely. Her face was ashen, and a terrifying fire burned in her brownish-yellow pupils. Even her voice, normally as lovely as an oriole’s song, was slightly distorted with fury.

Saskia stared at the dissipating Light Arrow, her pupils contracting. It looked somewhat familiar.

’Could it be...’ Her heart skipped a beat.

The Everwake’s chest heaved. The iridescent light in his eyes swirled as he snapped his head toward the direction the arrow had come from.

All eyes followed his gaze.

A slender, crimson figure swept in through the curtain of rain.

Her fiery-red gossamer robes fluttered in the wind like cascading sunset clouds. Her waterfall of black hair seemed to stain the rainy backdrop like splashed ink, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

The Everwake’s pupils constricted and his Adam’s apple bobbed, but not a single word escaped his lips.

’He never thought she would be the one to save him in the end.’

Evangeline landed gracefully, her toes tapping the ground so lightly it was as if she’d sent out a ripple of crimson.

She ignored everyone else, tilting her head slightly to survey The Everwake’s pathetic state. Her red lips curled. Her bewitching face was flushed, and the vermilion dot between her brows was a startlingly vivid red. Her entire aura was so otherworldly it bordered on sinister.

A languid, half-drunken smile played on her lips. "I said I’d break your legs. How did you still dare to run?"

The night wind stirred, lifting her crimson gossamer and faintly revealing the winding Contract Mark on her waist.

The Everwake sneered, having no intention of humoring her.

"Who are you?! How dare you come to our Iridian Tribe and cause trouble?"

A hiss escaped Penna’s throat, and her tail feathers flared out in fury.

Her voice was thick with jealousy, her gaze scraping across Evangeline’s face like a knife. ’Such a beautiful female, and she’s even favored by the Beast God, made a Witch... How unfair!’

Evangeline twirled a lock of dark hair around her fingertip, her snow-white skin faintly visible beneath the red gauze.

The corners of her eyes tilted up, her sultry voice laced with ice. "You were about to kiss my male. If I didn’t show up to crash your party, wouldn’t that make me seem far too generous?"

"What did you say? Y-Your male?!" Penna shrieked, in utter disbelief.

A slight smile touched Evangeline’s lips as she suddenly reached out and pulled open The Everwake’s collar. Her slender fingertips traced the red fox Contract Mark on the nape of his neck. At her touch, the mark seemed to come alive.

"You really formed a Contract?!" Penna’s face went pale, and she couldn’t stop herself from clenching her fists.

’This was the first time she’d ever liked a male this much, to the point she didn’t even care about his lowly status as a member of The Swarm!’

Evangeline rose onto her tiptoes, the red gauze fluttering as she pressed herself against The Everwake. Her lips moved close to his ear, her warm breath caressing his skin. "The Contract Mark is seared into your very flesh and blood. Why are you pretending to be mute?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Evangeline bit down hard on his ear.

The moment her teeth broke the skin, every muscle in The Everwake’s body tensed. His jawline sharpened like a blade as a suppressed grunt escaped his throat, the veins in his neck bulging.

"Speak." As she released her bite, her tongue traced suggestively over the bleeding imprint of her teeth.

The Everwake stared coldly at Evangeline, a dangerous light churning in his colorful Beast Eyes. After a moment, he looked down at her with utter scorn. "And you think you’re any better than this flock of mangy birds?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Evangeline stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly took half a step back.

The instant she was no longer touching The Everwake, the refreshing coolness vanished. An unnatural flush crept into the corners of her eyes, and the vermilion dot between her brows looked like a drop of fresh blood. The searing heat flowing through her body seemed to grow even more tyrannical.

The Everwake frowned at her. "You..."

Before he could finish, his nostrils flared, and a storm broke in his colorful eyes.

’He was all too familiar with that scent.’

The sweet fragrance lingering in the air made his muscles tense instantly, and the flush at the corners of Evangeline’s eyes deepened.

Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and the cloyingly sweet scent emanating from her was as thick as honey.

"CLANG—"

The male Iridian Beastmen grew restless, and some of the younger ones had already dropped their bone knives.

They dropped to their knees, panting, letting out bird-like cries from their throats. Their eyes were bloodshot, their magnificent feathered crests flared up, and their long tail feathers swept back and forth, every single feather trembling. This was a reaction that only occurred when Iridian Beastmen were courting.

Penna’s expression changed drastically. "Have you all gone mad?!"

She turned to say something to Saskia, only to find that she, too, was nowhere to be seen!

Evangeline’s steps were slow and deliberate as she approached a kneeling male, her slender fingertips gently lifting his chin.

The Everwake’s eyes were dangerously dark, the butterfly-like markings on his face shimmering, but he still managed to force a cold laugh.

He watched Evangeline’s every move, his tongue slowly sliding over a canine tooth. ’Even though he hated her to the bone, she was still his female. And now, during her heat, she was going to pick some mangy bird?’

"I’ve heard that among The Iridian Clan, it’s the males who incubate the eggs and raise the young. Is that true?"

The young Iridian Beastman grunted, the feathers on the side of his neck standing on end as he gave a trembling nod.

The corners of Evangeline’s eyes lifted, a lazy smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head to look at The Everwake.

"You heard him. An ordinary male probably wouldn’t be so fortunate."

"Since you detest me so much, just consider this me being nosy. Go ahead and stay here."

With that, Evangeline turned to leave, her red gossamer cutting a sharp arc through the air.

’The light in her eyes flickered, and she knew even the Heart Clarity Spell couldn’t suppress the tide of passion surging through her body anymore.’

The Everwake’s iridescent pupils constricted violently, and his knuckles turned white from how tightly he clenched his fists. The aura around him felt as if it were plummeting into The Abyss.

His thin, cold voice was tempered with fury as he spoke, enunciating each word. "Evangeline! You’d really just hand me over to someone else?" He suddenly let out a cold laugh, a crimson tide surging in his eyes. "Heh, my mistake. I forgot how heartless you’ve always been."

Evangeline’s steps faltered. She looked back at him over her shoulder.

A vibrant flush bloomed at the corners of her eyes. She lightly caressed her own feverish cheek, her sultry voice laced with a playful, teasing tone. "Are you admitting that you’re mine?"

The fury on The Everwake’s face froze. Before he could react, the vines binding him shattered.

A streak of crimson light suddenly wrapped around his waist, violently yanking him in front of Evangeline.

Evangeline wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her burning forehead against his chest. Her long lashes trembled, and the coolness of his skin drew a contented sigh from her. "Since you’re mine, then... I’ll have to trouble you."