On their way, the sight of the Goldeagle Tribe—their feathers scorched black, their members wailing in agony—caused Thorne’s and Loras’s expressions to grow grim.

They had assumed only Drake was in trouble, never imagining the entire tribe had been attacked by the Swarm.

It was no wonder that even though they had arrived some time ago, no sentries guarding the tribe’s safety had spotted them.

Soon, a Goldeagle Clansman led the two to their leader’s cave in the cliff face. Before they even went inside, they heard Julian’s furious voice booming from within, "If you can’t save him, then get out of my way! I must take Drake back!"

The cave was clearly filled with people. Someone spoke up, "Leader! The weather outside the Triangle Abyss is not suitable for a long journey right now. Besides, in Drake’s condition, how could he possibly make it back to Blackwater Swamp alive? Perhaps we should..."

Julian’s voice dropped, laced with menace. "Perhaps we should *what*?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The man was frightened into silence, but a female began to sob quietly. "Leader, the Corrosive Swarm launches sneak attacks every night. They clearly don’t want the Goldeagle Tribe to leave here alive. They hate Drake for hunting in their territory—he’s the one they want! Our people have suffered terrible casualties. For the continuation of the tribe, you have to..."

"Hah—" Julian let out a cold laugh, his voice seeming to hiss from between his teeth. "I have to do *what*? Don’t you all know why Drake went hunting in the first place? Many young were born this Cold Season and food was scarce. To survive, the warriors had to give their kills to the females and the young. Drake did it for the tribe! For our people!"

Julian reined in his fury, his tone dripping with scorn. "And now that he’s in trouble, you want to abandon him?"

The cave fell silent.

Suddenly, the sound of applause came from outside, accompanied by a cheer. "Well said!"

Julian whipped his head around. His sharp, gilded eyes widened for a moment upon seeing Thorne and Loras. Then he gasped, excitement flooding his face. "You’re here! Does that mean Evangeline... is she here too?"

As a tribal leader, Julian’s mind was naturally quick.

Thorne strode forward, arms crossed. He looked at Drake lying on the dry straw—his face deathly pale, clearly unconscious—and gave a nod. "Alright. Give him to me. I’ll take him out of the Triangle Abyss and have Eva treat him."

Julian let out a long sigh of relief and nodded emphatically. "Alright!"

He wasn’t afraid that Thorne and Loras would harm Drake; after all, everyone had seen for themselves how Evangeline treated her Beast Husbands.

Seeing him agree so readily, Thorne paused and tilted his head to look at Julian. "We’re just going to leave like that? Aren’t you worried the Swarm will attack again? I thought you’d want Eva to come here herself to help you solve this problem."

At his words, Julian stiffened, then gave a wry smile. "How could I?"

He was well aware of the dangers in the Triangle Sea, and he knew even better what the Goldeagle Clan was now facing. It was for that very reason that he would never drag Evangeline into this. After all, this had very little to do with her.

At that thought, Julian shook his head again and said seriously, "This is a matter for the Goldeagle Clan."

Thorne glanced at him, his dark green eyes glinting. "So tell me, how did Drake end up like this? I heard you say the Goldeagle Clan was short on food, so Drake went to hunt in the Swarm’s territory? Did The Everwake recognize him?"

Before Julian could speak, a Goldeagle Beastman beside him shrieked, "The Everwake?!"

The surrounding Goldeagle Beastmen fell deathly silent, and the cave was plunged into a sudden, deep quiet.

Thorne raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over them. "What? You’ve seen him?"

Julian’s brow furrowed, his gilded eyes filled with grim confusion. "What do you mean, Drake was recognized by The Everwake? What are you implying? Did Drake and The Everwake know each other?"

Thorne paused, giving Julian a surprised look. "You don’t know?"

’But then it clicked. While Eva was a renowned female in Norfell, not all of her Beast Husbands were as famous as he, Danton, and Lachlan. Loras, for instance—no one knew where he came from.’

’The same was true for The Everwake. After all, back when he was in the Oasis Tribe, he’d just been a poor, pitiful creature that everyone shunned.’

"Know what?" Julian’s frown deepened.

Loras stepped forward, glanced at the unconscious Drake, and stated calmly, "The Everwake is also one of Eva’s Beast Husbands."

Julian’s pupils constricted, and he replied instinctively, "That’s impossible! The Everwake is about to form a Contract with Hecate!"

This bombshell of a revelation made Thorne and Loras exchange a look, their expressions growing strange. They asked in unison, "Who is Hecate?"

By the time Julian finished explaining everything, Thorne’s brow was deeply furrowed.

"So, in the Triangle Abyss, there are three major Swarms: the Blade-Wing Insectoids, the Corrosive Swarm, and the Parasite Swarm. The one hunting you is Hecate, the Queen of the Corrosive Swarm, and The Everwake is the king of the Blade-Wing Insectoids... and they’re about to form a Contract?"

Loras quietly added from the side, "A male can’t form a Contract with more than one female."

Thorne rolled his eyes and sneered, "If The Everwake wants to find another female, why should we stop him?"

’He didn’t like The Everwake anyway. It was just as well. If he left on his own, that would be one less rival for Eva’s affection. It was just a shame for Genesis. His own father didn’t even know he existed, and now he was about to abandon both him and his mother for another female.’

Loras pursed his lips. It wasn’t as if they had a say in stopping him.

He looked up at Julian, his deep violet eyes filled with a complex emotion. "When will they form the Contract?"

Julian shook his head. "I only know that things have been bustling all over the Triangle Abyss for the past few days. A Contract between the rulers of two Hives should be a major event. It’ll probably be in the next day or two."

Thorne wasn’t concerned with The Everwake. His gaze fell back to Drake. "Why does Hecate want Drake?"

At this, a sharp aura flared around Julian. He said in a low voice, "She wants Drake’s Beast Crystal to celebrate her Contract with The Everwake."

Thorne sneered and said to Loras, "Alright. You take him back. Leave the rest to me."

Loras’s brow furrowed. "You’re going to cause trouble?"

At that, Thorne raised an eyebrow, his voice defiant and untamed. "What do you mean, cause trouble? Drake is from the Goldeagle Clan. He’ll thank me for staying behind to help his tribe. Besides, I already promised Eva I’d find The Everwake. We need to get this whole thing sorted out, right?"

With that, he twisted his lips into a smirk. "Besides, we belong to the same female. He’s forming a new Contract—how could I possibly not attend?"

Loras looked like he wanted to argue, but stopped himself.

"Alright, hurry and take him back. If he doesn’t make it, Eva will blame us," Thorne said, helping Drake up and handing him over to Loras with an urgent expression.

Loras saw the eager, trouble-making glint in Thorne’s eyes and felt a headache coming on. He really shouldn’t just let him do as he pleased.

But sensing how faint Drake’s breathing was, he finally left, though he kept looking back over his shoulder.