Erin Xavier felt a shiver run down his spine under that gaze. His brow furrowed. "Don’t look at me like that. You’re definitely up to no good."

’This scheming guy is definitely up to no good.’

Nathan Lockwood didn’t state his purpose directly. Instead, he asked, "Where did the three of them go?"

The question didn’t seem to have anything to do with scheming, so Erin Xavier pointed. "Zoe Pierce said she needed to wash her hands. There happens to be a lake over there, so Miles and Chase went with her. They’re probably getting soothed while they’re at it."

Nathan Lockwood, propping his chin on his hand, suddenly said, "Erin, haven’t you noticed the three of them have a secret?"

Erin Xavier, who was in the middle of a stretch, froze and glanced at Nathan Lockwood.

He wasn’t smiling. The dancing flames were reflected in his dark pupils.

"What secret?" Erin Xavier asked.

’After all, everything seemed perfectly normal to him. Neither Miles nor Chase was acting any different.’

"Ever since that day after the barbecue delivery, the three of them have gotten a lot closer. Haven’t you noticed?" Nathan Lockwood lifted his head, sat up straight, and looked in the direction Erin Xavier had just pointed. "Lately, there have been several times when just the three of them were together, right?"

Erin Xavier hadn’t thought anything of it until Nathan Lockwood brought it up.

But now that he mentioned it, Erin Xavier realized it was true.

He’d seen it himself at least a few times.

Seeing Erin Xavier fall into deep thought, Nathan Lockwood knew his misdirection had succeeded.

The truth was, Erin Xavier hadn’t been keeping track. Everyone had spent roughly the same amount of time with Zoe Pierce recently, and the entire group was often together. However, whenever Miles Sherman and Zoe Pierce were together, Chase Shaw would proactively join them, which resulted in scenes with just the three of them.

He hadn’t lied, merely employed some clever wording.

Erin Xavier was now utterly convinced that this guy, Nathan Lockwood, was up to no good.

But he could only stare at Nathan Lockwood, both angry and exasperated. "Just tell me what you want! You bring up an issue but refuse to explain it clearly."

’He was definitely a pawn in Nathan Lockwood’s plan.’

Nathan Lockwood smiled at Erin Xavier. "It’s nothing. I’m just curious because I don’t know what happened either."

"It’s just that I can’t do much on my own, so I need your help."

’Yeah, right,’ Erin Xavier thought.

But Nathan Lockwood had successfully piqued his curiosity. "Did you ask them and they wouldn’t say?"

Nathan Lockwood replied, "If they had, I wouldn’t be talking to you."

’That was true...’

The problem was that he’d asked, and they hadn’t told him. Erin Xavier had complete faith in Nathan Lockwood’s powers of observation. If Nathan said something was up, he must have genuinely discovered something.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" A flicker of interest shone in his eyes. He had to admit, he was a little intrigued.

Nathan Lockwood stood up and whispered in his ear.

...

「By the lake.」

The soothing wasn’t over yet.

After she finished soothing Miles Sherman’s spiritual power, Zoe Pierce was turning to Chase Shaw when he asked, "During the soothing, do you feel anything else?"

Zoe Pierce’s outstretched hand froze in midair. She looked at him, confused.

’Great,’ he thought. ’Confirmed another gap in her knowledge.’

She silently placed her hand on Chase Shaw’s. "No."

’I don’t feel anything at all. It couldn’t feel more normal.’

"After a temporary marking, an Omega develops a desire for closeness with the Alpha who marked them." Chase Shaw’s gaze fell on Miles Sherman. "You don’t feel that?"

’So that’s why he’s been lurking like a ghost behind me whenever I’m with Miles lately?’

Zoe Pierce quickly shook her head. "I don’t feel anything."

Her attitude toward Miles was perfectly proper. In fact, because Chase had found out about her asking Miles for help, she was being extra careful to maintain her distance.

Miles Sherman could also tell that Zoe Pierce didn’t seem to be affected by the pheromones or feel any particular closeness to him.

He, on the other hand, always felt an unconscious urge to get closer whenever Zoe Pierce was near.

This was consistent with the psychological state of an Alpha after marking; they would be unconsciously drawn to their Omega.

Chase Shaw was a walking contradiction. On one hand, he didn’t want Zoe Pierce to be affected; on the other, seeing her completely unaffected made him worry that there was still something wrong with her glands.

"Go to the infirmary for another check-up when we get back."

Zoe Pierce nodded in understanding. It was about time for a follow-up visit anyway. It was still uncertain whether her glands would ever return to normal.

After soothing Chase Shaw’s pheromones, the three of them returned to their temporary camp.

Hearing their footsteps, Erin Xavier turned and saw the three of them—Zoe Pierce, Miles, and Chase—walking closely together, just as expected.

He would have thought the scene was perfectly normal before, but upon reflection, he realized Zoe Pierce had never been like that with him.

Recalling what Nathan Lockwood had said, when Zoe Pierce sat down beside him and reached out her hand, Erin Xavier said, "Zoe Pierce, ride in my Mecha on the way back."

She had ridden in Miles Sherman’s Mecha on the way there, so she would certainly need a ride back.

Erin Xavier was volunteering.

A youthful liveliness shone in his light brown eyes. "I’ll show you what a real high-speed sprint feels like."

Chase Shaw and Miles Sherman didn’t even look up.

’Just another one of his teenage delusions acting up.’

Zoe Pierce was a little tempted. Seeing that no one objected, she immediately agreed, "Okay."

Riding in Erin Xavier’s Mecha was more intense than any roller coaster. At those speeds, Zoe Pierce sometimes felt like her heart was about to leap out of her throat.

After Zoe Pierce agreed, everything went back to normal.

Only Erin Xavier and Nathan Lockwood exchanged a look in the darkness before calmly looking away.

If you had to pick one person in the squad that everyone felt most at ease with Zoe Pierce being around, it would be Erin Xavier, without a doubt.

The silly kid was completely oblivious when it came to romance. He had no awareness of how to treat an Omega and even instinctively rejected all normal Alpha-Omega dynamics.

Even after becoming teammates, Erin Xavier hadn’t changed in that regard.

This was the one point Miles Sherman and Chase Shaw had overlooked, and Nathan Lockwood had exploited it perfectly.

If he had been the one to suggest riding in the same Mecha as Zoe Pierce, either Miles or Chase would have certainly objected.

But since it was Erin Xavier, they wouldn’t think twice about it.

Sometimes, Erin Xavier’s train of thought was so unpredictable it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

And right now, Erin Xavier wasn’t interested in Zoe Pierce, but in the secret that the other three shared.

’What could possibly be so important that it had to be hidden from him and Nathan Lockwood?’

He was genuinely curious.

The subsequent Xenobeast hunt proceeded without any incidents. The four Alphas gave Zoe Pierce complete free rein, neither interfering nor getting close, allowing her to complete all the tasks on her own.

When the Intelligent Brain sent a notification that the Xenobeast Tide’s Wormhole had closed, Zoe Pierce knew the operation was over.

They needed to get to the transport ship’s docking point to return to Siren Star. For the next ten days, a transport would depart from the same location every day.

It was quite a distance from their current location. Even by Mecha, the flight would take the better part of a day.

Erin Xavier watched Zoe Pierce climb out of her Mecha. His eyes flickered as he opened his cockpit. "Let’s go, Zoe Pierce."