Nathan Lockwood felt like an artisan using ancient methods to carve jade, slowly grinding away the gray, dusty stone that weighed Zoe Pierce down.

Clearly, Zoe Pierce was even more desperate for this power than he was. She agreed to every single one of his demands.

Her control over her spiritual power grew more focused. She could now execute the simplest psionic attacks without much mental effort at all.

"Your stamina is lacking."

After practicing the entire morning, Zoe Pierce was drenched in sweat. Her spirit sea was completely drained, unable to muster even another wisp of power, and her arms ached from being held up for so long.

But since Nathan Lockwood hadn’t called for a break, Zoe Pierce didn’t stop.

Hearing his assessment of her stamina now, Zoe Pierce stubbornly pursed her lips and pushed herself to continue.

A flicker of a smile crossed Nathan Lockwood’s eyes. He tapped Zoe Pierce’s raised elbow. "All right, take a break."

The tension Zoe Pierce had been holding instantly evaporated, and her arms screamed with an excruciating soreness.

Nathan Lockwood suddenly reached out and held up her arms. Before Zoe Pierce could even process it, a piercing shriek escaped her lips.

"AH—"

’It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.’

Her pretty face contorted into a grimace as she hissed in sharp breaths of air.

Even as she cried out in pain, Nathan Lockwood didn’t let go. Instead, he continued to knead her taut muscles. "If I don’t work these out now, it’ll only be more painful tomorrow."

Zoe Pierce understood the logic. Just yesterday, Miles Sherman had commented on her weak arm strength.

Today’s slightly more intense training meant her unconditioned arms were bound to be hit the hardest.

So there Zoe Pierce stood, on the verge of tears, as Nathan Lockwood worked her muscles, her pained whimpers punctuated by choked sobs.

Outside, Erin Xavier—who had learned from Chase Shaw that Nathan was in the Psionic Training Room—raised a hand and pressed the notification buzzer.

The Psionic Training Room was extremely well soundproofed; you couldn’t hear a thing from the doorway.

[You have a visitor at the door.]

A mechanical female voice suddenly echoed through the room, making both Nathan Lockwood and Zoe Pierce pause.

"Patch them through," Nathan Lockwood said.

Soon, Erin Xavier’s clear voice filled the room. "Nathan, it’s me. Why haven’t you opened the door?"

Inside the room, Zoe Pierce swallowed nervously.

’Why does this keep happening lately?’

’First, it was Miles Sherman walking into the training room yesterday, only to be found by Nathan. Now I’m with Nathan, and we’re about to be discovered by Erin Xavier.’

’And heaven knows I’m not doing anything improper.’

’So why do I feel so guilty?’

Zoe Pierce looked at Nathan Lockwood, unsure of what to do, just as he spoke into the comms, "I’m busy. I’ll find you later."

But Erin Xavier wasn’t so easily dismissed. He arched an eyebrow. "What are you so busy with? Open the door and tell me. It’s weird talking like this."

He felt like an idiot standing at the door.

A glint appeared in his eyes. "What could possibly be going on in there? How about I just wait for you out here?"

Erin Xavier was just talking. He’d only come to find Nathan to ask if he knew about Zoe Pierce and her spiritual power.

He didn’t expect the line to suddenly go silent. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

’Is something actually going on?’ Erin Xavier was grumbling to himself when the door slid open, revealing Nathan Lockwood’s face.

He was about to speak when his peripheral vision caught sight of someone who had no business being in the Psionic Training Room.

His doe-like eyes narrowed, and he strode past Nathan’s shoulder into the room.

Nathan Lockwood closed the door.

Erin Xavier was different from the rest of the squad. He was a reckless character, and it was entirely possible he’d do exactly as he said and wait at the door.

The Psionic Training Room had only one exit, and an indicator light outside showed if it was occupied.

Even if he left with Erin, as long as that indicator light remained on, Zoe’s presence would be revealed.

So, upon hearing Erin’s threat to wait, Nathan chose to open the door.

A playful smirk on his face, the man strode over to Zoe Pierce. He hooked a finger under a damp strand of her hair, his eyes carefully studying her flushed face.

"Zoe Pierce. Spending the early morning in the Psionic Training Room with Nathan, are we?"

’How can my impression of this person change so drastically over and over?’

An Alpha and an Omega, not sleeping, but running off to a sealed room first thing in the morning.

The Omega was drenched, her training suit slightly unzipped at the collarbone, revealing a sliver of pale, smooth skin. The whole scene looked incriminating.

"Nathan," he said, still toying with the ends of Zoe’s hair as he glanced sideways in a mock-interrogation, "if I hadn’t said I’d wait, would you have refused to open the door at all?"

Nathan Lockwood replied calmly, "If you have something to say, say it."

Erin Xavier couldn’t just get down to business right now. What the hell, the scene before him was just too damn suggestive.

"Hey, Zoe Pierce." He turned back to her, the smile not reaching his eyes, his tone icy and sharp. "Are you and Nathan together?"

He had expected to see her cower, to look nervous, maybe even afraid.

But he didn’t expect her pupils to dilate in an instant—a sign of tension, yes, but her tone wasn’t one of anxiety. It was one of utter, incredulous shock.

"No! I’m not! Don’t be ridiculous!"

She even snatched her hair back and scrambled backward several steps to put distance between them.

Erin Xavier’s cold smirk froze on his face.

’Okay, so it’s a no, but was that reaction really necessary?’

Zoe Pierce’s actions and her denial were so loud and conspicuous that for once, both Erin Xavier and Nathan Lockwood were left speechless.

She was acting as if they were monsters out of a nightmare. There wasn’t a trace of flirtation in her.

It was like she was desperate to clear her name that very second, to prove her innocence.

Her expression was so vivid you could read it like a book.

Erin Xavier’s anger died abruptly, and he let out a derisive laugh. "Look at you, so pathetic. What’s with that look? You’d think you found Nathan repulsive."

If she could get away with it, Zoe Pierce would have cursed Erin Xavier out loud.

’Who asked him to say something so outrageous and terrifying?’

’This is a nightmare. The thought of having to spend so much time on a team with him... suddenly feels unbearable.’

’She really wanted to tape Erin Xavier’s mouth shut.’

"Nathan, you’re losing your touch. Your charm’s fading. Even Zoe Pierce finds you repulsive," Erin Xavier remarked sarcastically.

His anger interrupted, Erin Xavier’s reason returned.

It was impossible that Zoe Pierce would try to seduce them. They’d already agreed to let her join the team, and what’s more, they held the Pierce Family’s fate in their hands. Logically, as long as Zoe was a rational person, she wouldn’t do something so foolish.

It was just that the previous Omegas they’d dealt with had been so full of tricks that this scene had triggered a knee-jerk reaction in him.

Even if he didn’t trust Zoe Pierce, he should have trusted Nathan Lockwood.

Zoe Pierce shot him an eye-roll.

Erin Xavier laughed. ’She was a coward, but she had a temper.’

"Could you please not say such weird things?" Zoe Pierce said irritably. She still had to train her spiritual power with Nathan, and she really didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.

Erin Xavier grinned, leaning in close until their noses were almost touching. "Fine," he purred. "Then tell me, what exactly were you two doing in here so early in the morning?"