After finishing her canned food, Zoe Pierce quietly took out her small notebook. There was far too much basic knowledge she needed to catch up on; she couldn't afford to relax.
The orange-yellow firelight warmed her feet. With a hand lamp to see, Zoe Pierce slowly committed the information in her notebook to memory. For a time, the only sound was the CRACKLE of burning wood snapping in the fire.
"Is your spirit sea okay?"
Zoe was silently reviewing her notes when she suddenly heard Nathan Lockwood speak.
For an Alpha, using spiritual power would inevitably lead to some discomfort. Yet Nathan Lockwood had been observing her for a long time and hadn't noticed any signs of unease from Zoe Pierce.
It was as if her use of spiritual power had no side effects at all.
That was why Nathan Lockwood spoke up, even knowing Zoe Pierce was studying.
'Her spiritual power... it's too special.'
'Even though he'd had his suspicions, she continued to defy his expectations time and again.'
Zoe Pierce put down her notebook and took a moment to assess herself. "I feel fine."
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but Zoe Pierce felt that after her physical training, her spiritual power wasn't as drained as it had been last time.
She had used it both overtly and covertly so many times today, yet she hadn't felt the slightest discomfort.
On the contrary, she felt full of energy, and everything seemed effortless.
Nathan Lockwood's eyes darkened. He leaned in closer. "Release some. Let me see."
Zoe Pierce saw no reason to refuse and slowly released her spiritual power, just as she had when she was scouting the area. This time, Nathan Lockwood observed it carefully. Her spiritual power was incredibly gentle, without a trace of agitation—just like that of an Alpha after being soothed.
He frowned and warned her bluntly, "Don't let anyone know you can use spiritual power."
'Did he even need to tell me that?' Zoe Pierce wondered why he felt the need to give her an extra warning. If he hadn't found out, she would have hidden it from him, too.
'But in the end, I miscalculated and exposed myself.'
'It was my own fault for being too hasty. If I had waited until I had more control, things might be different now.'
'Then again, gaining him as a free instructor wasn't a bad deal, all things considered.'
"Not even the others on the team?" Zoe asked, thinking of their teammates. She couldn't risk betting that the others weren't as perceptive as Nathan Lockwood.
If they were all like him, she'd have no chance of keeping her secret.
She still didn't fully understand her own uniqueness, especially as an Omega possessing such power.
"Keep it a secret for now." Nathan Lockwood wasn't sure of his own motives. Perhaps it was because she was too precious a sample, and he subconsciously wanted to keep her existence hidden.
In the firelight, her features were clear and innocent, her expression one of complete trust in him.
'Fine by me,' Zoe thought. She didn't want that many people to know anyway.
The words had barely left their lips when a massive roar from a Xenobeast echoed through the night, followed by a short scream. But the next second, the sound was brutally cut off, and an abrupt silence fell.
'Someone is killing a Xenobeast.'
Judging by the roar, the Xenobeast had to be enormous; nothing smaller could make a sound like a tiger's bellow.
The sound, however, seemed to be some distance away.
Zoe Pierce glanced at Nathan Lockwood, but he remained seated on the rock, his expression unchanged, as if this were a trivial matter.
'I really want to see what it would take to make him lose his composure,' Zoe thought to herself.
'Well, there was that moment I got the upper hand on him. His stunned, incredulous expression was deeply satisfying to watch.'
Zoe was leaning against the rock wall, lost in thought, when a sudden chill ran down her spine. Her gaze snapped toward the dark forest.
Nathan Lockwood stood up as well. He was very familiar with this spiritual signature. His eyes fixed on the forest. "Chase Shaw is here."
The spiritual power radiating from the darkness felt like a violent force being continuously compressed. It carried an oppressive weight, as if it could explode at any moment.
If she had to rate the pressure on a scale, Nathan Lockwood's spiritual power earlier today would have been a three or four. The intimidation radiating from Chase Shaw right now was a seven or eight.
The oppressive spiritual power grew stronger, and a figure emerged from the woods.
The man was well over six feet tall, nearly six and a half, clad in training gear. His chest was broad and powerful, tapering to a narrow waist in a classic V-shape. In the moonlight filtering through the trees, she could see a brownish, mottled liquid splattered across his face and soaking more than half his body.
An almost tangible killing intent clung to him.
His custom-made combat boots crunched over the leaves with each step, his presence impossible to ignore.
His short hair was severe, his brows tightly knitted. His grey irises were slitted like a predator's, and the bloodstains on his skin only enhanced his bestial, unapproachable aura.
The difference from when she'd last seen him in the classroom was so vast that even though Zoe Pierce recognized his face, she was frozen to the spot in terror.
Before, Chase Shaw had been like a sleeping lion. Now, he was fully awake.
'It's like he's two different people.'
Zoe's gaze was unconsciously drawn to his shoulder. A bulky form was hoisted there—a person, their condition unknown.
Zoe's whole body tensed.
'Logically, Chase Shaw wouldn't do something like this,' she thought. 'But anyone else seeing him like this would surely jump to the same conclusion.'
'Did Chase Shaw kill this person?'
After all, the person slung over his shoulder was also covered in filth and blood. If Chase was half-soaked in blood, the other person looked as if he'd been pulled from a pool of it.
Besides, he was completely unresponsive, hanging limply as Chase carried him.
As Chase Shaw drew nearer, the metallic scent of blood reached Zoe's nose. The overpowering stench made her want to wrinkle her nose in disgust.
"Chase Shaw's spiritual power is going berserk."
Zoe saw Nathan Lockwood's expression darken. He spoke quickly, "His spiritual power can cause other Alphas to go berserk. I'm going to restrain him."
He glanced at her. "You soothe him. Calm him down, quickly."
Zoe quickly stowed her notebook in her Space Button. Nathan Lockwood sprinted toward Chase Shaw, spiritual power enveloping his limbs and unleashing immense strength.
Chase Shaw's gray eyes seemed to register him. He dropped the person he was carrying, who rolled twice on the ground, revealing a blood-streaked face.
The features were familiar enough. They had just seen him this afternoon. It was Ethan Grant.
But there was no time to dwell on that. Chase Shaw stared fixedly at Nathan Lockwood, a guttural sound escaping his throat. "Soothe..."
He panted like an animal, his body taut as he frantically searched for something.
'Good. It hasn't reached the worst-case scenario yet.'
Nathan Lockwood breathed a sigh of relief. Chase Shaw was still conscious enough to ask for help.
Suddenly, the corner of his mouth twitched.
The scene unfolding before him was quite dramatic. The moment the girl's hand touched the man, he seized her arm and yanked her back against him. His broad frame hunched over, and he buried his head in her shoulder.
From this angle, Zoe Pierce had a perfect view of Nathan Lockwood's face.
She was held in Chase Shaw's arms, facing Nathan directly.