It was a care he couldn’t deny.

His feelings had changed without a sound, and he unconsciously found himself wanting to do more.

The moon was bright, and a cool breeze brushed against his face.

Chase Shaw strolled toward the street, his path inevitably taking him through the man-made garden.

From a distance, he spotted two figures.

One tall, one short. Judging by their silhouettes, it was an Alpha and an Omega, standing under a tree.

They were hidden beneath the tree, their faces invisible, their forms nothing but blurry silhouettes.

Still, Chase Shaw couldn’t help but frown. The two were too close; the Alpha was practically pulling the Omega into his arms. Their silhouettes looked as if they were about to merge into one.

’If they were really going to do something, they shouldn’t be doing it in such a public place.’

After a single glance, he looked away, planning to take a detour around them.

"Sss—"

The sound of a sharp, pained gasp reached him faintly.

Chase Shaw, who had been walking forward, suddenly stopped. His gaze, which had been fixed ahead, slowly drifted back toward the couple.

’That sound... it was a little familiar.’

Even though it was just a gasp, he could faintly recognize who it belonged to.

’But... how could that be?’

’Zoe Pierce should be in her dorm right now. She couldn’t possibly be in the garden, let alone doing something so intimate with an Alpha under a tree.’

It was as if his feet had been nailed to the ground, rooting him to the spot.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long across the path, casting his face in a cold, grim light.

Zoe Pierce was completely oblivious to the eyes on her from a distance. All her attention was focused on the back of her neck.

Miles Sherman’s fingers pressed against her gland a few times. She lowered her head and gripped the tree trunk, just as he had instructed.

’How should I put it? A mark, something that was supposed to only happen in novels, was now happening in real life. It felt a little strange, but also new... and a little scary.’

’The unknown was always frightening.’

Her fingertips dug into the rough bark, her body as taut as a drawn bowstring.

Standing behind her, Miles Sherman found his own breathing unconsciously quickening. They had agreed this was just a standard medical procedure, but now that the moment for the temporary mark had arrived, he was inevitably affected.

He carefully brushed the hair away from Zoe Pierce’s nape and slowly lowered his head.

Zoe Pierce still felt a sharp sting as his canines pierced her gland. A cool rush of pheromones immediately flooded into the abnormally swollen tissue. A strong, fresh scent of mint erupted from the gland, swirling around her, enveloping her entire body as if she were wrapped in it.

She couldn’t help but gasp in pain.

Miles Sherman wasn’t having an easy time of it either. At first, Zoe Pierce’s gland had been scentless, but as his pheromones entered it, the subtle, elegant fragrance of freesia began to rise.

It was the kind of scent that could entice any Alpha, and it slowly began to spread.

’I want to bite deeper...’

His reason quickly returned, and he snapped his head up to look at the person who had, without him noticing, approached from the distance.

The man’s towering frame was as solid and broad as a boulder. His sharp, gray eyes were like those of a wolf or a falcon. The next second, he lunged straight at Miles Sherman, his hand reaching for Miles’s neck.

"What are you doing!?"

Chase Shaw’s voice was low and furious. Miles Sherman barely managed to block the attack by crossing his arms, stumbling back a few steps.

In the shade of the tree, the scent of Miles Sherman’s mint pheromones was mingling with Zoe Pierce’s freesia, creating a strangely soothing aroma.

Chase Shaw stared coldly at the face now illuminated by the moonlight. The owner of that face had just told them he had something to take care of.

’Now he knew what that "something" was.’

’Hah.’

’A mark.’

’He actually marked Zoe Pierce!’

’Miles Sherman... He actually did something like this.’

Anger coiled in Chase Shaw’s chest, accompanied by a profound sense of betrayal. He was practically growling in disbelief.

Miles Sherman frowned as he parried Chase Shaw’s attacks. Chase wasn’t using any of his spiritual power at all; he was fighting with pure physical strength.

"Chase Shaw! Calm down!" Miles Sherman yelled.

Chase Shaw gritted his teeth. A rational part of him knew Miles Sherman must have a reason, but right now, he simply couldn’t control his rage. When one punch was blocked, he relentlessly threw another, not caring at all.

A sudden burst of spiritual power yanked him back.

It wrapped around his arm, pulling him back and stopping his assault.

Chase Shaw whipped his head around and saw Zoe Pierce. She had a confused expression on her face, but she was firmly holding him back.

"Chase Shaw, you’re misunderstanding," Zoe Pierce said, breathing a sigh of relief for some reason when she saw him finally stop.

’A Chase Shaw like this was a little terrifying.’

"Miles Sherman is helping me with a medical treatment." Even though she knew how absurd the excuse sounded, Zoe Pierce forced herself to say it, quickly showing Chase Shaw her diagnostic report.

She pointed to the doctor’s recommended treatment. "It’s just a temporary mark."

As she spoke, she turned around, deliberately exposing the abnormal gland on her nape for him to see. "See? The gland isn’t normal, is it?"

The rage that had been building in his chest was brought to a screeching halt. Chase Shaw lowered his gaze.

The gland on her nape did indeed look unnatural. Even the faint freesia scent from moments ago was gone.

"I just wanted to see if my gland would recover after a temporary mark. That way, if there’s a problem, it can be treated right away," Zoe Pierce said, a bit embarrassed. "I’m sorry for the misunderstanding."

Chase Shaw’s lips tightened. He lowered his voice. "You can retract your spiritual power now."

’She’d even had to resort to using her spiritual power to stop him.’

’There was no other way. Chase Shaw was so huge; without spiritual power, she stood no chance against him.’

Zoe Pierce took out a barrier patch, tore it open, and adeptly applied it to her nape. She continued, "Please don’t misunderstand Miles Sherman. He was just doing me a favor. I’m sorry, I really didn’t know who else to ask for help."

When Chase Shaw heard that, his attention immediately fixated on the last part of her sentence.

’Why didn’t she ask me?’

’Why did she go to Miles Sherman?’

’Was Miles Sherman the first person she thought of for help, not me?’

But before he could fully grasp the implications of that statement, Chase Shaw studied Zoe Pierce’s expression as she spoke. Thinking over her entire sentence, he found her logic a bit strange.

"I misunderstood Miles Sherman?" he repeated. ’But he hadn’t misunderstood at all.’

’He had seen him mark Zoe Pierce with his own eyes. It might have only been a temporary mark, but what was there to misunderstand? Even with the barrier patch on, he could still recall the scent that had come from Zoe’s gland a moment ago.’

"I was afraid you’d be angry that Miles Sherman gave me a temporary mark," Zoe Pierce explained.

She’d said the words, but Chase Shaw could tell from her expression that her understanding of the situation was completely different from his own.