Julian’s gaze turned cold. He lifted his eyes to meet Caden Albright’s but said nothing, his lips tightening into a severe line.

Beside them, Loras’s brow furrowed. He glanced at Julian and took half a step back, positioning himself at the edge of the shadows. He didn’t want to disturb them. After all, when it came to a female being courted by other males, he had no right to speak.

Even now, though he had managed to blend in with the others, he still wasn’t accepted by the female.

He knew better than anyone that Evangeline held no deep feelings for him. In her heart, Nix was far more important.

The realization stung his heart. But she wasn’t the true Evangeline—she was, other than Nix, the only person who had brought light into his life. She had given him a place to stand, given him care, given him... an identity.

’She was different.’

Loras stood in the corner, his Adam’s apple bobbing with a difficult swallow.

Caden Albright and Julian, of course, paid him no mind. The two faced each other, one with a sharp, cold expression, the other unhurried. It was like a silent contest of wills.

Julian’s golden eyes, blazing like torches, locked onto Caden Albright. Devoid of any emotion, he said, "I like her, and I want to be her male. I don’t care if you accept it or not. I won’t back down because you try to stop me."

The Goldeagle Clan had always faced challenges head-on, capable of flying against the wind even in a thunderstorm.

’Yes, none of Evangeline’s males are simple. In fact, every one of them is exceptional. Among them, even I, the leader of the Goldeagle Tribe, hold no advantage. I even lack a shared past with her.’

’But now that I’ve chosen her, I will not be timid, much less waver.’

’I will be her male.’

Hearing this, Caden Albright raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his captivating face.

He gave a slight shrug. "You’ve misunderstood. I have no intention of stopping you. Eva is an independent female. I respect whoever she chooses to like. My words just now weren’t mockery, but a sincere thank you."

’When Eva returned with Julian, I understood.’

’She had been away seeking medicine, and Julian had been by her side the whole time. However, he doesn’t carry Eva’s scent, meaning they haven’t formed a Contract. A male who couldn’t capture a female’s heart after all that time really isn’t worth my concern.’

’Besides, my words weren’t entirely a platitude. I truly wouldn’t obstruct Eva’s choice of partner.’

’In fact, I’d be happy to see it happen.’

’What’s one more male? As long as her ties here are deep enough—so deep she can’t bear to sever them—she’ll never leave.’

The word "leave" brought a flicker of darkness to Caden Albright’s eyes. He looked away, gazing at the low, churning clouds, and said calmly, "Eva has been gone for so long. It couldn’t have been just to find medicine, right? Did something happen?"

Caden Albright’s tone, as if addressing a companion, caught Julian off guard for a second, but he quickly recovered.

He stepped forward to stand beside Caden Albright and let out a low chuckle. "You’re much smarter than that snake."

At these words, Caden Albright paused and shot Julian a sidelong glance. He said nothing, but Julian could read the meaning in his eyes: ’You’re actually comparing me to Thorne? And saying I’m smarter? Hah. That’s hardly a compliment.’

Catching the disdain in Caden Albright’s eyes, the tension in Julian’s shoulders unknowingly eased.

A breeze swept by, and the tense, confrontational atmosphere between the two strangely subsided.

However, when he recalled the lethal poison mists in the Venom Pit, his expression grew heavy again. The fact that Evangeline had spent so much time in there was a thorn in his heart—one he couldn’t remove, its pain seeping into his bones.

After a moment of consideration, he recounted everything that had happened in the Venom Pit.

As Caden Albright listened, the half-smile on his face froze.

He slowly lifted his eyelids, his amber pupils churning with a chilling undercurrent. His expression was full of danger.

He had long suspected that something must have happened for her to be gone so long, but hearing Julian’s description of the poison mists, he finally understood what Evangeline had been through. The reality was likely even more perilous than what Julian described.

After all, ever since he’d known Evangeline, he had never seen her in distress.

’Just how terrifying must the Venom Pit be to have kept her there for so long?’

The churning poison mists, the deadly grottoes... the thought made Caden Albright’s chest tighten. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"What kind of poison mist was it?" Loras asked, his face pale as he stepped out from the shadows.

Julian shook his head, his voice heavy. "I don’t know. Rask lived there for a long time and never figured it out."

"Then Evangeline... is she alright?" Loras asked, thinking back to when he’d seen Evangeline just now. She hadn’t seemed any different.

Just as Julian was about to speak, Caden Albright narrowed his eyes, his exquisite features turning ice-cold. "This Snow Ferret you mentioned—did Eva really bring it out of the Venom Pit? Are you sure?"

At the mention of the Snow Ferret, Julian gave a heavy nod.

"Evangeline said none of us could do anything about the Snow Ferret. I don’t know what she meant, but during the journey, her attitude toward it was almost indulgent, yet she remained very wary. I don’t understand it."

Julian’s brow furrowed as he recalled how accommodating Evangeline had been toward the Snow Ferret on their way back.

He had remained on guard against the ferret the entire time. After all, what kind of benign creature could survive in that terrifying poison mist? He still couldn’t even be sure if the Snow Ferret was the source of the mist itself.

Caden Albright tapped a finger on his arm. "Are you sure the Snow Ferret isn’t a Beastman?"

Julian paused, then slowly shook his head, his golden eyes meeting Caden’s amber ones. "The Snow Ferret has no Star Pattern on its forehead," he said gravely. "It can also travel through the poison mist, and judging by its eyes, it doesn’t seem like a Wild Beast that knows only slaughter."

Loras frowned. "Regardless, we can’t let that Snow Ferret stay with Evangeline."

Caden Albright’s gaze deepened. He raised a long eyebrow and said lightly, "Right now, it’s not a matter of whether we want it to or not, but whether *Eva* wants it to. That Snow Ferret is probably not easy to deal with. It’s likely the source of the poison mist in the Venom Pit, though I don’t know why it has attached itself to Eva. If we act rashly against such a dangerous creature, we’ll only cause trouble for her."

Both Julian and Loras’s hearts sank, but they had to admit that Caden Albright’s reasoning was sound.

"Alright, let’s put these matters aside for now. The Vulture Clan—what are your plans for them?" Caden Albright tilted his chin up, looking at Julian. "Eva is due to give birth soon. I need to take her back."

Julian turned to look at the darkening sky, an icy expression on his face. "Kill them, of course."

The Goldeagle Clan was warlike, but they never initiated conflict.

But this time, the Vulture Clan had taken advantage of his absence to attack the Goldeagle Tribe, even coming close to killing Drake. This matter could not be brushed aside. Otherwise, how could the Goldeagle Tribe maintain its standing in Norfell?

Caden Albright shot Julian a glance, one corner of his mouth suddenly curling into a cold, sharp smirk.

’The Vulture Clan has been entrenched in Norfell for many years. They’re fierce and cunning, which is evident from their abduction of Drake. They won’t be easy to deal with.’

’This will be a good chance to see what Julian is really capable of.’