The next morning, Hana woke up to an eerie, unnatural quiet in the room.
The spot on the mattress beside her was cold. That was usually Ren's spot but there was no sound of his quiet, steady breathing.
Before Hana could even sit up to check the room, a sharp, red holographic alert flashed directly across her vision, accompanied by the urgent chime of her system interface:
> [WARNING: MATE STATUS CRITICAL]
> [Target: Ren (Snow Leopard Beastman)]
> [Condition: Severe Latent Rut / Hormonal Overload]
> [System Note: Target's apex beastman instincts have reached a critical threshold following prolonged suppression. High-fever, extreme territorial aggression, and cognitive degradation detected. Immediate intervention required.]
Hana sat up straight, her brown eyes snapping wide as she scanned the room.
