A Goldeagle dove from high above, its clear cry tearing through the sky. Its Feather Wings retracted as it transformed into human form, landing before Evangeline.

He stood nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders, long legs, and a handsome face. His golden hair, braided into a neat high ponytail, whipped about in the fierce wind. His body was draped in brilliant golden feathers, making him resemble Apollo from Greek Mythology.

At the moment, however, this "Sun God" looked rather disheveled, with several black scorch marks streaking his cheeks.

Despite his injuries, Julian’s back remained ramrod straight. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, his powerful aura undiminished.

Evangeline tilted her head slightly, her red lips curving into a smirk. "What’s this? Ready to talk nicely now?"

Julian’s knuckles brushed across the scorch marks on his cheek. The stinging pain made his eyes darken. He looked up at his tribesmen, still trapped in the electric net high above. Their shrill cries were like a desperate plea.

Julian’s jaw tightened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He stared coldly at Evangeline, his voice like ice. "I’ll take you to see that Snow Leopard. Now, release my people."

Evangeline laughed softly, her slender fingertips toying with a loose strand of hair by her ear.

"I don’t think so."

"I need to see Lachlan first. Unharmed."

The smile in Evangeline’s eyes vanished, replaced by a sudden chill. "If he’s hurt, then your people won’t be returned in one piece. This is the Beastman Continent, where the strong devour the weak. I thought you, of all people, understood that rule, Leader Julian."

Julian’s handsome face darkened abruptly, a golden light flickering in his eyes. After a long moment, he threw back his head and let out a shriek that could pierce clouds and shatter stone.

Evangeline pursed her red lips, her fingertips tapping lightly on her arm as she waited for Lachlan to be brought to her. But time ticked by, and her patience wore thin. Julian’s cry yielded nothing. There was no response.

"Are you toying with me, Leader Julian?" Evangeline’s eyes narrowed, her tone lilting upward with a dangerous edge.

Julian’s pupils contracted. As if struck by a sudden thought, he said grimly, "Something’s happened to the one guarding the Snow Leopard."

The moment he spoke, a golden light erupted. Julian transformed into a Goldeagle and shot into the air, streaking toward the nests like a drawn sword.

Evangeline’s brow twitched. With a light tap of her toes, she transformed into a streak of crimson light and gave chase. "Wait for me here."

A white light flashed around Caden Albright. His fox tail retracted, and he shifted into his human form.

He looked up at the receding crimson streak, his long, narrow fox-like eyes narrowing slightly. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"We’re just going to stand here and wait?" Brutality churned in Maverick Thorne’s dark green pupils as black scales surfaced on the side of his neck.

"What else would we do?" Caden Albright’s stunningly handsome face was like a mask of frost, his expression cold and grim.

"If Eva said to wait, then we’ll wait. I trust her." Danton turned to look at Thorne, his pale blue eyes filled with unshakeable conviction.

Loras had no room to speak on the matter. He simply stood a few meters away, waiting in silence.

「 」

Evangeline followed Julian, soaring toward a damp, cold cave set in a cliff face.

The moment she stepped inside, Evangeline saw a Beastman collapsed on the cave floor.

Julian rushed forward and knelt, checking his kinsman for breath. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly when he found the man was still alive, but his expression immediately turned as black as iron. All that remained on the ground was a messy tangle of vines.

Lachlan, the Snow Leopard who was supposed to be trapped here, was gone.

Leaning against the cave wall, Evangeline’s lips curved into a mocking smile. "It seems Leader Julian has a habit of making poor decisions," she said, gloating. "You only assigned one Beastman to guard Lachlan?"

At her biting sarcasm, Julian spun around, his golden eyes piercingly sharp.

A cold laugh escaped through his teeth. "Do you really think one Snow Leopard could escape this sheer cliff on his own? If it weren’t for Drake, he wouldn’t have even found the cave entrance, let alone evaded the many watchful eyes of the Goldeagle Tribe!"

"Oh?" Evangeline’s eyes glinted. "So you’re saying Drake didn’t approve of you capturing Lachlan and bringing him here?"

Julian’s jaw tightened into a hard line. "I take full responsibility for my actions," he said coldly. "At the trading assembly, I could see how important that leopard was to you. I only wanted you to voluntarily break the Contract and release Drake. I never intended to harm Lachlan."

Evangeline tilted her head, glancing at him. "Break the Contract? Is that what Drake wants, too?"

Julian’s golden pupils constricted. He shot her a derisive look. "You have the gall to even ask?"

"You trick a male into a Contract, then you hurt your own mate. What male wouldn’t want to break a Contract with a female like you?"

"My brother is a variant Goldeagle Beastman of our tribe. He had the potential to reach the Nine-star Extreme Realm. If it weren’t for you, you vicious female, how could he have ended up being sold off like property?"

The mention of this brought a wave of unconcealable pain to Julian. His golden pupils narrowed into vertical slits, radiating a savage energy.

Evangeline shot Julian a contemptuous glance, her red lips parting slightly. "And you call yourself a tribe’s leader. How utterly short-sighted."

"You know my Beast Husbands have all suffered calamities. So, did Drake not tell you? I personally gouged out Lachlan’s eyes and shattered his Star Pattern to pieces. But I still reforged it for him, raising him to Seven Stars."

"I possess that kind of power. Did it never occur to you that I could be the one to let Drake soar through the nine heavens once more?"

Julian’s expression changed drastically. "Reforge a Star Pattern?" he asked, shocked.

Ever since Drake returned to the tribe, he had never left his nest or appeared before his people. He was like a ghost. If Julian hadn’t brought Lachlan back, Drake probably still wouldn’t have shown his face.

Evangeline strolled to the cliff’s edge and gazed down at the boundless sea of clouds. "Alright, we’ll let the matter with Lachlan rest. I can overlook you kidnapping him without my permission. However, Drake must come with me."

Julian’s brow furrowed, the veins on his neck bulging. "Don’t even think about it! Drake cannot leave the Goldeagle Tribe."

Evangeline looked back at Julian, her bewitching face full of scorn. "Is that so? If I recall correctly, hasn’t he already left? It seems Drake has no desire to stay in the Goldeagle Tribe."

She raised an eyebrow, then spread her arms and leaned back.

Julian rushed forward a few steps, just in time to see Evangeline’s slender figure plunging into the mist below.

Evangeline landed lightly at the base of the cliff. Caden Albright and the others immediately surrounded her. Seeing she was unharmed, they asked, "Where’s Lachlan?"

"He should still be nearby." Evangeline’s fingertips gently brushed the Contract Mark on her waist. Through its faint warmth, she could sense that Lachlan and Drake were indeed together. They were close to each other and hadn’t gone far from Cloudfall Cliff. They must have only just left.

"We’ll split up and search," Julian’s voice suddenly said from behind her.

Without waiting for Evangeline’s consent, Julian let out a sharp cry into the sky. The Goldeagle Beastmen spread their Feather Wings and circled overhead, their sharp eyes sweeping over every inch of the mountain forest like blades as they began to search for the two lone beastmen.

Evangeline stood with her arms crossed, casting a nonchalant glance at Julian without objecting.

When it came to tracking, the Goldeagle Beastmen were indeed uniquely gifted.

"Eva?" Thorne’s long arm suddenly snaked around Evangeline’s waist, his calloused palm ice-cold.

He blocked her view of Julian, his dark green, slit pupils contracting slightly. His fingers tilted Evangeline’s chin up, and his voice was low and sullen. "Why are you looking at him? Is he better-looking than us?"