Orion noticed Thorne’s stare, fell silent for a moment, but made no move to hide.

Just then, Evangeline’s voice drifted over. "Orion, I’m glad the Sky-Rend Tribe could make it."

Hearing that charming voice, both familiar and foreign, Orion subtly clenched his fist. A smile reappeared on his face as he turned to Evangeline and shrugged. "I was beginning to think My Lady Priestess had forgotten all about me. Why else wouldn’t you invite the Sky-Rend Tribe? Instead, you had Leader Elias Moretti come all this way himself. And here I thought we were friends."

Evangeline looked at Orion, with his arched brow and carefree, unrestrained air, and chuckled. "My apologies. That was an oversight on my part."

She had assumed the Wyverns, like the Goldeagles, would have migrated to a warmer place for the Cold Season. She never expected them to have stayed, let alone that Elias Moretti would invite them. It was, admittedly, a bit awkward.

Seeing her expression, the tension in Orion’s shoulders eased. "It’s nothing," he said softly.

As they spoke, a female stepped out from the Sky-Rend Tribe’s ranks. She took Orion’s arm in a firm grip and shot Evangeline a critical look. Though she said nothing, the hostility in her eyes was unmistakable.

Evangeline glanced at her, then, as if oblivious to the female’s animosity, gave her a brief nod.

Holly froze for a second. Before she could react, Evangeline had already turned away. Her voice carried back, "Come inside. We need to discuss the migration. If there are no objections, we’ll set out first thing tomorrow morning."

Elias Moretti shot Orion a look, then had Helena Gable see to the settling of the Grymdale Tribe’s Beastmen before following Evangeline into the tent.

Thorne swept a cold, harsh glare over Holly. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone who showed the slightest bit of malice toward his female.

However, out of respect for Orion, he held his tongue and entered the tent without another word to him.

Orion took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Ignoring Holly, he turned to see to his own people from the Sky-Rend Tribe.

Holly stared at the arm he had shaken off, her face turning pale as she bit her lip.

After settling his tribespeople, Orion began to walk toward the tent with heavy steps. But he had only taken a single step before Holly blocked his path again. She lowered her voice and hissed through gritted teeth, "You have a Contract with me! You have to stay away from her!"

Orion scoffed. The fatigue in his body was nothing compared to his mental exhaustion.

He slowly lifted his gaze and said flatly, "Must I repeat myself? We formed a Contract because of my father, not because we like each other. I’ve already told you—I will fulfill my duties as a partner. You don’t need to provoke Evangeline."

Looking at his completely indifferent expression, a surge of hatred rose in Holly’s heart.

She snarled, "You know what I want is for you to love me! I won’t let you love any other female!"

Orion was silent for a long time. This time, his face held no mockery, no coldness—only a profound calm. "You can have many males. They will all love you. You should have known when we formed our Contract that I don’t love you."

Holly looked at his calm, resolute expression, and her eyes suddenly welled with tears.

Orion watched the female’s tears stream down her face, and the corners of his mouth suddenly lifted into a self-deprecating smile.

He reached out and brushed away Holly’s tears. "Don’t cry," he said softly. "I’m already in a Contract. She won’t love me."

On this point, both he and Holly were perfectly clear.

’The last time he left Blackwater Swamp, he had already let her go.’

’Evangeline didn’t love him, and he had a responsibility to the Sky-Rend Tribe. He had left with a flourish then, and had been just as cavalier when he formed his Contract with Holly, not thinking too much about it. After all, once he’d hidden his true feelings away, what difference did it make who he was Contracted to?’

’His father had wanted him to form a Contract with Holly, and Holly loved him. When they did it, he had laid everything bare. Since she was still willing to enter the Contract, that was enough. He didn’t owe anyone a thing.’

With that, Orion turned and walked into the tent without a moment’s hesitation.

Heavy snow began to fall, blurring Holly’s vision. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, striking the ground like lava crashing into ice.

*

The moment he stepped into the tent, a wave of warmth washed over Orion.

He looked up at the others in the tent and broke into his usual carefree smile. "It really is warm in here. A Witch’s tent is something else."

Thorne rolled his eyes. "We were just waiting for you," he said matter-of-factly.

Orion chuckled, strode forward, and glanced at the map laid out on the table, his eyes widening in slight surprise. "What’s this?"

"A map to the Triangle Sea. It was drawn up based on information from many wandering Beastmen. Of course, I can’t guarantee it’s foolproof, but it should at least guide us to the shortest route and save a significant amount of time."

Evangeline pointed to a winding red line on the map that stretched nearly from one edge to the other.

The red line looked like a burning flame, silently heralding an unknown adventure.

"A map?" Orion’s energy returned in a rush. He peered at it closely, then his sharp eyes spotted a familiar area. "This is the Grymdale Tribe?" he exclaimed, pointing. "And this cliff... this must be the Sky-Rend Tribe’s territory!"

He was both shocked and invigorated. Though he had never seen such a thing before, he could already sense how much a map would help their migration.

Elias Moretti and Quinn Cetus glanced at him, feeling a faint sense of satisfaction. Heaven knew how stunned they had been when they first learned of it. Finally, someone else shared their shock. It just went to show what a powerful thing a "map" truly was.

Thorne shot him a sidelong glance and teased, "Now you see. Follow Eva to the Triangle Sea, and you can’t go wrong!"

Orion nodded, his gaze filled with admiration and awe as he looked up at Evangeline.

Evangeline pointed to the route on the map and explained it to everyone. "It is the peak of the Cold Season," she said. "The journey will not be easy; there will be hardships at every turn. Since we’ve decided to travel together, we must look out for one another and reach the Triangle Sea as one."

Her voice was calm and steady. As she finished, her gaze swept over them all, and a sharp glint flashed in her narrow eyes.

"I must remind you all: if anyone causes trouble on the way, I trust you are all well aware of my methods."

"Alright. I have some beast skins here. Take them back and distribute them to the elderly Beastmen, the females, and the young. We leave at first light tomorrow. We’ll try to reach the Triangle Sea as quickly as possible."

She gave a slight lift of her chin. Thorne understood the signal and nodded, leading the others out of the tent.

Wind and snow whipped fine particles against the tent, creating a soft, rustling sound.

Danton’s long fingers combed gently through Evangeline’s hair. "Are you tired?" he asked. "Do you want to rest?"

Evangeline shook her head. "You should go. We’re leaving Blackwater Swamp tomorrow, and you have plenty to do."

Danton let out a low chuckle and leaned down to place a feather-light kiss on her forehead. "Then I’ll go get Loras to keep you company."

As the only male among Evangeline’s three remaining partners with no ties to a tribe or its people, Loras had recently been responsible for looking after the young ones. He had a gentle disposition and was very patient with them. He would even weave little animal-shaped dolls for them out of vines, and all the children were very fond of their "Father Loras."