’Setting the mission aside, out of all her Beast Husbands, Danton was definitely her type.’

The gentle Beastman from the Mer Clan looked down at her, his light blue eyes tinged with red.

After a long moment, he murmured, "He was right. I have truly failed in my duties as a male." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Evangeline’s brows knitted. Unhappy with his words, she leaned in and crushed her lips against Danton’s.

Danton grunted, thrown off balance by the sudden force of the kiss. As he leaned back, his slender hand instinctively wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling. Evangeline didn’t pull away until his pale, thin lips were stained with the color of blood.

"It wasn’t you who failed," she said. "It was the old me. I was the one who didn’t deserve to be your mate."

"But look, everything is getting better now."

"Let the scars of the past stay where they belong. We have more important things to focus on now—nurturing a new life, starting a new Chapter. Don’t you agree? Danton, all I want is to see the stars in your eyes again. I want you to be as free as the wind, to follow your heart wherever it leads."

His azure tail fin swayed, a sign of his unease. The corners of his eyes, already flushed, grew moist.

"Now, just look at me, all right?" Evangeline’s fingertips brushed over his azure abdominal scales, tracing the chiseled lines of his muscles as they slid lower, leaving a trail of wildfire in their wake.

’The Sandwurms of the Mysticeti Tribe can wait. Right now, it’s more important to get a handful of these abs.’

A dark undercurrent swirled in Danton’s light blue eyes, brewing a storm.

The next instant, he yanked Evangeline into his embrace, seizing control. One arm locked around her waist while his other hand cradled the back of her neck, pulling her into a kiss. In that moment, the gentle Beastman became fiercely possessive.

Gauzy fabric, like mist, scattered across the floor.

Danton inhaled the milky fragrance that filled the Sea Conch, and his throat worked.

His eyes darkened as he lowered his head and latched on.

Evangeline let out a soft gasp, her fingers tangling in his hair. His long, azure locks spilled through her grasp, as if she were holding a handful of sun-dappled waves.

A faint sweetness spread across his tongue, and Danton’s pupils instantly constricted into vertical slits, a hint of wildness in them.

His jaw tensed. He seemed to be lost in the moment, yet also desperately fighting to suppress his ferocious, bestial instincts.

Evangeline’s fingertips traced Danton’s cool, pale skin, which seemed to shimmer with a silvery light.

This achingly beautiful Beastman before her had shed the numb despondence from when they first met. Now, the corners of his eyes were flushed, but they remained pure—a soul-snatching sanctity that made her want to... utterly corrupt him.

She loved seeing him flushed with color. She wanted to taint his sanctity for her sake alone.

...

The great tribal trading meet on the mainland, which had begun in a clamor, ended abruptly.

The Beastmen departed one by one. More than a dozen tribes made a dejected retreat. The lush grass, trampled flat, was the only sign left of the once-bustling crowd.

"This is the place?"

A low, raspy voice, as if muffled by fog, slowly spread through the emptiness.

A Beastman knelt on the ground, his knuckles sharp as his fingers gently brushed over a dark brown bloodstain.

The blood had long since dried, but a recent light rain had soaked the ground, releasing a faint, metallic-sweet scent. It was familiar. So familiar it made his chest tighten and his heart ache.

Caden Albright’s breath caught, and a tremor ran around his eyes.

He lifted his head. His long, silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, catching the light with a cold gleam. His gorgeous, striking features were tinged with weariness, but it couldn’t conceal his decadent beauty. When he looked up at Lachlan, his amber eyes were razor-sharp.

"Mommy... Mommy..." The pretty little maiden from the Fox Clan was draped over her father’s shoulder. Her small, pink nose twitched as she tried to catch the familiar scent lingering in the air, her tiny hand grasping at nothing.

Her pointed ears perked and twitched, but when she couldn’t find the familiar figure she sought, they drooped in disappointment.

Tears welled in her crystalline eyes, wetting her long lashes. She finally broke into sobs, tears rolling from her beautiful eyes like pearls from a broken string. Her childish voice was thick with weeping. "Mommy..."

Caden Albright’s arms tightened, pulling the soft little Bunny deeper into his embrace.

He rose abruptly. His throat worked as he said in a low voice, "Let’s get out of here."

"Damn it!" Thorne’s fist cut through the air and slammed into Lachlan’s jaw. The impulsive, short-tempered Beastman’s dark green, slitted pupils were now ice-cold, a violent tide churning in their deep-set sockets.

His handsome face was twisted with fury, and the gloom surrounding him was suffocating.

This time, not even Caden Albright stopped Thorne from striking Lachlan. He simply looked away, his expression cold.

’He had thought Lachlan possessed eyes that could see through all deception. That with him by her side, he could at least have reminded Eva to be careful. But what happened? The man was useless. Utterly worthless. He couldn’t even protect his own female!’

’If Eva hadn’t sent a message back, he would have killed Lachlan without a second thought.’

’What good is a male who can’t protect his own female?’

Caden Albright looked up at the encroaching twilight, and a cold laugh, laced with self-loathing, escaped his throat.

’But what right did he have to blame Lachlan?’

’This so-called trading meet was a death trap set for him. But in the end, it was Eva who threw herself into the trap, shielding him—a Fallen Beastman—with her own body. He, too, was a male being protected by his female.’

’Every time he thought of it, he was overcome with the urge to kill himself.’

’As for Loras...’

He ground the name between his teeth, and a crimson glint appeared in the depths of his amber eyes. ’He’s the one who truly deserves to die, isn’t he?’

Thorne’s throat worked convulsively, his voice raspy as if ground with gravel. "She’s pregnant with a cub!" he snarled.

"She even told us not to blame you! But she’s still not back, and her injuries this time..." Thorne couldn’t even bring himself to think about it. Every rumor he’d heard on the way here had been like a knife to the heart.

’How much does it hurt to be stabbed through the heart?’

’He didn’t know, but just hearing about it was enough to tear him apart.’

Lachlan staggered to his feet. The corners of his blood-stained lips trembled, and when he spoke, his voice was almost unrecognizable.

His once clear, ethereal voice was now so hoarse it sounded like he’d swallowed a handful of needles or sand. Every word seemed to carry the stench of blood.

"It’s all my fault," he rasped. "When she’s found... kill me, flay me, do whatever you want."

He lifted his head. A fog seemed to cloud his gray-brown eyes. His cheeks were sunken, and his tall, slender frame seemed even more fragile.

He had lost so much weight that faint blue veins were visible on his pale neck, making him look as if he might shatter at the slightest touch.

And yet, he remained meticulously neat. He was spotless from head to toe. His flax-colored hair hung smooth and straight, and the jade ornament nestled within it seemed to have been polished by repeated touch, giving off a gentle luster.

’He always remembered what she’d said—that she liked him best when he was clean.’

Caden Albright, still holding Bunny, turned to leave. Suddenly, his gaze shifted, landing on a patch of grass that came up to his waist.

He narrowed his eyes, and their fox-like shape took on a dangerous curve.

Thorne coldly pulled his gaze away from Lachlan. He said nothing more, but as he turned, he saw Caden Albright staring intently at a single spot. Thorne’s heart seized. He lunged to Caden’s side, his voice fraught with anxiety. "Did Eva leave something behind?"

Lachlan’s pupils contracted. He hurried over as well, a faint glimmer of hope igniting in his gray-brown eyes.

But when he followed Caden Albright’s gaze, the light in his own eyes faded.

There in the grass, a single sprout had pushed through the blood-stained earth. It trembled as it unfurled its new leaves, looking utterly fragile, but otherwise unremarkable.