Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman emerged from the airship’s cockpit after speaking with their teacher, walking into the main hall to find Erin Xavier looking the picture of laziness.

Miles Sherman didn’t see Chase Shaw or Zoe Pierce. He was about to ask after Zoe Pierce, but hesitated and asked instead, "Where’s Chase Shaw?"

Erin Xavier glanced up. "He went to work out with Zoe Pierce. She hadn’t done her physical training yet today."

Nathan Lockwood, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks.

"You guys looking for him? I’ll come with you. They should be about done by now." Erin Xavier got up from the sofa and followed nonchalantly behind Miles Sherman.

The three of them headed straight for the training room. Opening the door, they were met with silence. The people they expected to find were nowhere in sight.

"Where are they?"

Erin Xavier glanced around, confirming that the training room was indeed empty.

Nathan Lockwood headed back out, and Miles Sherman glanced over his shoulder at him.

He must have been using his spiritual power as he walked toward the stairwell at the far end of the corridor outside.

Miles Sherman quickly found his answer. Two sets of footsteps, one light and one heavy, echoed on the metal stairs, creating a low ringing sound.

"A moment ago... did I... accidentally touch you?"

The voice was faint, seeming to drift up from far below.

The man’s reply was short and simple. "No. You just grazed me."

’Is that so?’

Zoe Pierce watched Chase Shaw out of the corner of her eye, her brow furrowed slightly.

’Just now, Chase Shaw had dodged so quickly that she still wasn’t sure what part of him she’d brushed against. His temple? Or his cheek?’

’Is he really okay?’

’He won’t think I did it on purpose, will he...?’

But when she tried to study Chase Shaw’s face, she couldn’t read his expression at all. Meeting his gray eyes and sharp features, Zoe Pierce found she didn’t dare to look any longer.

’Her heart would speed up on its own. It happened whenever she looked at any one of them.’

’When their eyes were on her, it inexplicably created a strange illusion.’

’As if they cared about her a great deal.’

It wasn’t that they didn’t care for her; after all, Erin Xavier, Nathan Lockwood, Miles Sherman, and Chase Shaw had all helped her immensely.

It was just... becoming difficult for her to discern, as if the nature of their concern had started to change.

She was sensitive enough to perceive this slight difference, but the feeling was too subtle to be certain.

After all, they always said they treated her this way simply because she was their teammate.

They continued up the spiral staircase. Zoe Pierce skirted the sensitive topic and asked a different question. "Chase Shaw, is there anything I should know about piloting a Mecha?"

The young woman’s faint voice drifted up to them, and the casual expressions on the men’s faces instantly vanished.

"I’ll let you try it out in the simulator. Don’t be afraid." The man’s voice was deep and rich, as if to soothe her. "Are you afraid of heights?"

As they were talking, Zoe Pierce was the first to spot the figures on the stairs above. She looked up as she answered, "No, I used to..."

’...love roller coasters...’

Erm...

She looked up to see three men staring down at her and Chase Shaw. There it was again, that subtle feeling. This had happened more than once, and Zoe Pierce was starting to think she wasn’t just imagining things.

Hearing Zoe Pierce’s voice trail off, Chase Shaw followed her gaze upward and met three pairs of eyes.

His pace didn’t falter. He just gave Zoe Pierce’s arm a light tug. "Don’t look up while you’re climbing the stairs."

Zoe Pierce tore her gaze away, quickened her pace, and emerged at the top of the stairs.

"You’re out? What did the teacher say?" Zoe Pierce asked.

Nathan Lockwood shot a glance at Chase Shaw. Instead of answering her, he asked, "Chase Shaw is teaching you how to pilot a Mecha?"

Chase Shaw met Nathan Lockwood’s gaze. "Yeah. She has spiritual power, so she can pilot one."

’Someone who’s never piloted a Mecha before is going to get right into one? The idea was almost laughable.’

"Chase Shaw was just showing me his Mecha," Zoe Pierce felt compelled to explain. "My spiritual power was able to link with it."

"Spiritual power linking with a Mecha?" Nathan Lockwood repeated.

The abnormal feeling completely shattered the calm facade.

Zoe Pierce could only feel the atmosphere freeze over. The hidden turbulence had suddenly broken through the surface, and nothing about the situation could be described as normal anymore.

She looked helplessly from Nathan Lockwood to Miles Sherman. "What’s wrong?"

The smile on Nathan Lockwood’s face didn’t reach his eyes. He turned to Miles Sherman. "Miles, take Zoe Pierce to the simulation room. I need to have a word with Chase Shaw."

A flicker went through Miles Sherman’s eyes, but he didn’t object.

Only Erin Xavier felt that something was off. It wasn’t Chase Shaw and Zoe Pierce looking at the Mecha that bothered him. It was the fact that he now felt inexplicably uncomfortable himself.

The feeling had peaked the moment he heard Zoe Pierce had linked with Chase Shaw’s Mecha.

He glanced between Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman, ultimately deciding to leave Chase Shaw behind and follow Zoe Pierce.

Zoe Pierce followed Miles Sherman and Erin Xavier into the Mecha simulation room. The door closed, shutting out the sounds from the corridor.

She couldn’t hold back any longer. "Miles, did I do something wrong?"

’They were trying to get me out of the way.’

’I’m not so dense that I can’t see that much.’

Miles Sherman was silent for a moment. "Letting you pilot a real Mecha right away is too irresponsible."

Zoe Pierce was at a loss for words. She hadn’t done anything; she had just touched Chase Shaw’s Mecha and linked with it for a moment. But words felt hollow right now.

"Don’t worry, they’re just going to talk to Chase," Miles Sherman reassured her.

Out in the corridor, Chase Shaw leaned silently against the wall, watching Nathan Lockwood.

"What did you want to say?"

"Chase Shaw, letting Zoe Pierce link her spiritual power to your Mecha... Hah." The smile on Nathan Lockwood’s face was gone, his eyes filled with scorn. "What were you thinking?"

Chase Shaw’s gaze didn’t waver. He parted his lips. "I have it under control. Even if she activated the Mecha, I could take back control."

But Nathan Lockwood just stared at him. "Really? Is that what you were thinking?"

"Or were you just peacocking?" For a moment, his words were as vicious as anything Erin Xavier might say. "Putting on a little show?"

"If anyone’s going to teach Zoe Pierce about Mechas, Miles is a better fit than you, isn’t he?"

A Mecha is an Alpha’s second life. No one would let someone link to their machine so easily, especially a Mecha like Chase Shaw’s, which is gene-locked.

He had opened up access and allowed an Omega to link with it.

Nathan Lockwood refused to believe there weren’t ulterior motives involved.

Chase Shaw suddenly let out a laugh and straightened up.

Even though Nathan Lockwood was tall and lean, he was still dwarfed by Chase Shaw’s towering height. As Chase drew himself up, an aura of wild recklessness washed over Nathan. "Nathan Lockwood, it’s just a Mecha link."

"What are you getting so worked up about?"

"You’re hovering over Zoe Pierce like a mother hen. Did she say she thought it was inappropriate?"

"You call me a peacock, but what about you? Hah. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Mind your own damn business."