Zoe Pierce seemed to think the problem lay with her, not with Miles Sherman.

Chase Shaw felt there was a fundamental misunderstanding between the two of them, but Zoe Pierce seemed completely unaware.

"There’s really nothing going on between Miles and me," Zoe Pierce said, but the more she explained, the stranger Chase felt.

He couldn’t quite grasp Zoe Pierce’s way of thinking at the moment. He just watched her as she tried so hard to explain herself, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"Chase, that’s enough." Miles Sherman came up from behind and grabbed his arm.

Chase’s eyes fell to the hand Miles had clamped on him. He raised his arm, shaking Miles’s hand off. "Zoe Pierce, why do you think Miles is the one who lost out?"

It took him a moment to process, but then he seized on the key point.

She was clearly the Omega, so why did she think Miles was the one at a disadvantage in the marking?

The target of her emotions was wrong.

And so was the direction of her apology.

Zoe Pierce froze on the spot.

"He marked you. He’s clearly the one who benefited, so why do you feel guilty?"

Regardless of the reason, Miles’s temporary marking of her was a done deal. Why was Zoe Pierce still thinking about it from Miles’s perspective?

Zoe Pierce didn’t understand why Chase Shaw was asking this, but meeting his gaze, she still tried her best to answer. "I was the one who needed help in the first place. He could have chosen not to help, and it even caused this misunderstanding with you, so..."

’So it’s only normal to feel guilty, right?’

Chase Shaw suddenly felt a surge of defeat. He remembered it now: Zoe Pierce’s knowledge about pheromones was absolute crap.

A sense of powerlessness mixed in with his frustration. "Why do you always understand the relationship between Alphas and Omegas like you’re a Beta? It’s not the same, Zoe Pierce."

He said this with his brow knitted tightly together, trying to explain it to Zoe Pierce but not knowing where to start.

Miles Sherman spoke up again. "That’s enough, Chase."

"Don’t say any more."

Miles looked at him with a hint of disapproval in his eyes and stated with certainty, "This was just a treatment. It was my lack of consideration."

Zoe Pierce keenly sensed what Chase Shaw was getting at. In his eyes, it seemed she was always the one getting the short end of the stick.

Neither of them could explain it clearly.

Hearing Miles’s words, Chase Shaw’s lips curled into a smirk. "This isn’t the first time you’ve lacked consideration."

He shot back at Miles.

He was talking about the joint exam, when Miles had let Zoe Pierce shrink away by herself in the rain.

His words left Miles speechless.

"Go buy us something to eat, Miles. I want to talk to Zoe Pierce alone." When he said the word "alone," Chase Shaw deliberately emphasized it. "I’m not Erin Xavier; I don’t act without considering the consequences. Relax."

Chase Shaw seemed to have calmed down now. Miles Sherman remained silent.

After a long moment, he nodded in agreement, walking through the man-made garden toward the street on the other side.

Suddenly, only two people were left in the vast park.

Zoe Pierce gripped her own wrist, looking at Chase Shaw, a little at a loss.

The man was so much taller than her that she had to tilt her head up slightly to see his face clearly.

"Zoe Pierce, why did you choose Miles?" After the silence settled, this was the first thing Chase asked. He had intended to ask something else, but in the end, he couldn’t stop himself from asking the question that had been turning over and over in his mind.

"My spirit sea is a little restless. Help me, Zoe Pierce." Before she could speak, Chase Shaw grabbed her hand.

It was as if he wouldn’t let her escape.

Zoe Pierce suddenly sensed a vulnerability in Chase Shaw. He was so tall and imposing, but the feeling only lasted for a few seconds before quickly vanishing.

She began to explain why she chose Miles: "Because Miles is the captain. I thought he could help me figure out a solution."

Zoe Pierce’s spiritual power probed Chase Shaw’s spirit sea as she added a few more words of explanation. "I was originally thinking of coming to you if it really came down to it..."

"But as soon as I told him, he agreed." Remembering that Chase was considering things from her perspective, Zoe Pierce continued, "I was just afraid you guys would overthink it. I never intended to have any other kind of contact with any of you..."

The first part was fine, but as she said that last sentence, Zoe Pierce inexplicably felt the pressure coming from Chase Shaw grow heavier.

She looked up at him. "It’s not just because of my promise to Nathan Lockwood at the start. Right now, I just want to know what my parents’ deaths have to do with my brother."

’And now,’ she thought, ’I can add becoming stronger to that list.’

Her thinking might not be able to adapt. She didn’t think about things as much as they, as Alphas, did.

As an Omega, she often viewed these matters from a Beta’s perspective. That was because on Earth, there weren’t so many gender dynamics; in her eyes, there was often only the distinction between male and female, which repeatedly caused her to forget the awareness an Omega should have.

"If I do anything to cause a misunderstanding, you have to tell me. I’ll be more careful next time."

But, if something like this happened again, Zoe Pierce felt she wouldn’t have many other options. Was she really supposed to find a random Alpha?

’Fine, if they’re all going to react this strongly, I guess I can consider finding a stranger,’ Zoe Pierce thought. ’Otherwise, with them making a scene every time, my life is on the line too. My poor heart can’t take it.’

For some reason, even though Zoe Pierce felt she had explained herself clearly, Chase Shaw’s mood seemed to have gotten even worse.

His spirit sea was a bit chaotic, but it wasn’t too serious. She smoothed it out with practiced ease, then looked at the hand he was still holding.

Right... even now, Chase Shaw hadn’t let go.

She felt a little helpless.

"Next time, if you run into this kind of situation again, come find me," Chase Shaw said, still gripping her hand. "I’ll help you."

"That goes for going to the infirmary, too. Call me."

The last time she went to the infirmary, it had ended up being Miles who went. Chase Shaw now felt that he wasn’t the only one on the team who was losing control.

Miles Sherman, Nathan Lockwood...

They weren’t as harmless as they appeared, either. All of them had, without realizing it, been captivated by Zoe Pierce.

They tried hard to act like they were unaffected, but in reality, they watched her every move.

It was probably for the best that Zoe Pierce had no such thoughts. Right now, she really didn’t have the energy to spare to figure all this out.

After saying this, Chase Shaw waited quietly for Zoe Pierce’s reply. Zoe Pierce smiled at him, a bit resigned. "Okay."

’Alright, then.’ Chase had generally looked out for her, so Zoe Pierce figured it wasn’t a big deal—if there was a next time.

Chase Shaw released her hand.

He stood beside Zoe Pierce, waiting with her for Miles.

"The barbecue on Siren Star has a very unique flavor. You should try it."

Only then did Zoe Pierce suddenly think to ask him, "What were you out here for? Do you need to go take care of it first?"

This whole series of events had been so distracting that she had forgotten to ask why Chase Shaw was here in the first place.

"I was just going to buy some barbecue." His voice was a little quiet. "I wanted you to try it."