「Meanwhile.」

Stellan looked up at the departing Skywing, his brow deeply furrowed.

Coral Cetus was curled up on the ground, her unfocused gaze sweeping past Evangeline’s back, her expression dazed.

"Cherie, do you think I should trust her?" Stellan wavered.

Evangeline’s infamy was a festering wound among the Mer Clan. Her own people regarded her as an enemy.

’Logically, he shouldn’t trust her, let alone pay her any mind. Yet when she so casually mentioned that she could restore Danton’s Star Pattern, his heart had stirred. The temptation was immense.’

’The thought was too dangerous, like a lure he knew was poisoned, tearing his rationality to shreds.’

’He didn’t dare to believe, yet he wanted to. His mind was a tangled mess.’

Coral Cetus came to her senses. Her fingertips paused as they touched Stellan’s tense wrist. She took his hand, using it to pull herself up, then turned to look at Evangeline. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her voice and said, "Trust her. Just this once."

Coral Cetus pressed her lips together, grinding her molars until her jaw ached, but the words forced their way out again. "Stellan, I think we can trust her."

After speaking, afraid Stellan would misunderstand, Coral Cetus quickly explained, "I’m not just saying that because I’ve decided she’s a friend. You saw it at the tribal assembly. She was willing to make enemies with a dozen tribes just to protect a Fallen Beastman’s Beast Husband. That doesn’t sound like The Virago from the rumors."

She paused, the scene from the tribal assembly flashing through her mind.

"...She didn’t have to come. Tell me, would a truly vicious female put herself in such danger just to protect her Beast Husband?" Coral Cetus murmured, her voice nearly carried away by the wind.

Her gaze drifted unconsciously to Evangeline’s back before she quickly looked away.

"Stellan, I think... there might be some misunderstanding in all this."

Stellan listened intently to Coral Cetus. As he lowered his gaze to look at her, his eyes settled into a look of deep focus.

’He knew his female well. She might seem naive, but she had a mind of her own. Her favorite thing was to sit alone on the reefs and count the stars, and she rarely socialized with the other females in the tribe.’

’Right now, she was clutching his hand, her brow slightly furrowed, her expression filled with a rare stubbornness.’ 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"I know," Stellan said softly, his voice full of indulgence.

The pad of his thumb gently stroked the back of her hand. "You never speak up for anyone lightly. I know that."

’This was the first time he had ever seen Coral Cetus trust and like another female so much. It was so rare, as if she had finally found a kindred spirit. He could sense the joy in her heart—a joy he had, unfortunately, just crushed himself.’

’If it had been any other female, he would have gladly let her make a new friend. But of all people, it had to be...’

’Evangeline had left a trail of blood and terror in the Oasis Tribe. Her infamous reputation was known throughout all of Norfell. He didn’t know if there was some misunderstanding at the heart of it all, but what happened with Danton... he had witnessed that with his own eyes. It was fact.’

As he thought this, Stellan slowly shook his head, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

"Rhea won’t come to see her. The Mer Clan wants to eat her alive; how could they possibly help her find Danton? You know the kind of hold a female has over her Beast Husband. As much as I want to believe her, I can’t take that risk."

As he spoke, Stellan looked up at Evangeline, his expression cold and his gaze frosty.

He was just about to speak when Evangeline suddenly snapped her head to the side. Her gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over him and Coral Cetus. The look was so bone-chillingly cold it seemed to freeze the very air around them.

Stellan’s pupils contracted. He instinctively pulled Coral Cetus behind him.

"WHOOSH—"

An arrow shot from Evangeline’s fingertips, wreathed in a blinding, stellar light, came tearing through the air!

Stellan’s muscles tensed, his fangs bared as a low, beastly growl rumbled in his throat.

’Is this vicious female going to kill them all?’

The surrounding clansmen tensed instantly, their scales shimmering into view as they stared intently at Evangeline.

In a flash, the arrow screamed past Stellan’s ear!

"THWACK—"

Blood splattered as the arrow precisely pierced the shoulder of a Beastman behind them, pinning him hard against a tree trunk. The sickening thud of splitting bark and a heart-rending scream shattered the heavy silence.

"CLANG—"

A bone knife clattered to the ground. The Beastman clutched his bloody shoulder, his face a mask of agony.

Stellan spun around to see Coral Cetus’s pale face. Pinned to the tree trunk just three steps behind her was a Beastman. Stellan’s blood ran cold, and his back was instantly slick with cold sweat.

’If Evangeline had been even a fraction of a second slower... Coral Cetus...’

Stellan’s Beast Eyes contracted violently. Trembling with residual fear, he pulled Coral Cetus into his arms.

Evangeline tapped her toes lightly and landed like a feather in front of Stellan and Coral Cetus, shielding them both.

She caught the sound of approaching rustles in the forest. With a flick of her wrist, her Cold Frost Whip materialized, radiating an icy chill.

Evangeline’s red lips moved as she said in a low voice, "Take your people and go! The tribes of Norfell are coming. Since you saved me, they’ll see you as my accomplices."

Her stunning profile was tense. "There’s no time for explanations. To The Quicksurge Sea! Now!"

Stellan didn’t hesitate. He immediately threw his head back and let out a long cry.

The members of the Mysticeti Tribe moved at the sound, following Stellan and Coral Cetus as they sprinted toward the ocean. Startled birds scattered before them with a frantic flapping of wings.

Coral Cetus, held in Stellan’s arms, kept looking back at Evangeline.

She wasn’t frail, but she was slender, standing alone like a single stalk of bamboo.

In the distance, she saw Beastmen swarming toward them like locusts, kicking up clouds of dust. Waves of roars rose and fell as they called to one another, gathering to surround and destroy Evangeline!

"What about Evangeline?" Coral Cetus’s voice trembled, her nails digging uncontrollably into Stellan’s arm.

Stellan didn’t look back, nor did he answer Coral Cetus.

He clenched his jaw, listening to the roars growing deeper behind them. His expression was grim as he silently quickened his pace, allowing Coral Cetus’s nails to sink deeply into his arm, bringing a jolt of pain.

Stellan’s fangs pierced the inside of his cheek, and the metallic taste of blood spread across his tongue.

’It wasn’t just Evangeline he was abandoning without a backward glance; it was Danton.’

’If a female dies, the fate of her Beast Husband... Danton’s final outcome...’ The muscles in his jaw clenched ferociously. He still didn’t look back, only held Coral Cetus tighter.

’He couldn’t help her, and he couldn’t save Danton. Evangeline would inevitably be annihilated by the vicious horde of Beastmen.’

’He had a Contract with Coral Cetus. His greatest responsibility in this life was to protect her. From the moment her beast-form sigil appeared on his neck, all his vows were bound to her and her alone.’

’This time, there was no escape for Evangeline.’

’They were just insignificant specks of foam on the waves, barely able to control their own fates. They couldn’t concern themselves with anything else, nor could they do anything to stop the coming slaughter.’

Evangeline’s figure gradually vanished from sight. Coral Cetus’s eyes were rimmed with red. She rested her head on Stellan’s shoulder, making no sound, but her tears soaked the scales on his neck. Her choked sobs were lost in the thunderous roars of the beasts.

Stellan never once looked back.