"Marcus, if you're really uncomfortable, I—" Emma didn't manage to finish her sentence before Marcus cut her off, saying, "Ms. Tibarn, I'm fine." The moment the words left his mouth, a flash of white light burst around him. In the next instant, a small silver-white wolf darted past Emma and leapt onto the couch. Its tail flicked sharply, smacking the sulking Cotton Candy out of the corner and forcing him to move. He claimed the spot as his own, which meant that he still could endure the torture. Emma was dumbstruck. Edric glanced at Marcus, then explained to her, "Emma, when males are in heat, shifting into their beast form makes it easier to bear." Marcus bobbed his head at once. "Ms. Tibarn, Edric's right. Trust me. I can deal with it." He would be fine since it was just for a few days.Emma looked at Marcus, who would rather transform into a wolf than bond with her. She was speechless. He made it sound like she was the one desperate for it. If he enjoyed holding back that much, then fine, let him hold back. "If you think you're fine," Emma commented, then go ahead and tough it out." She no longer cared about Marcus and went back to packing cookies. Edric threw Marcus a puzzled look, truly not understanding what this guy was thinking. It was a perfect chance to bond with Emma, and he refused. Malrik couldn't figure it out either. Keeping this guy by Ms. Tibarn's side was such a waste. Switch him out with me instead! He himself didn't even dare to reveal his true identity, much less dream of bonding. … When Marcus actually turned Emma down, Malrik snapped. He sprang onto Marcus and kicked him square in the face. This big-tailed wolf had groped him before, tied him up last night, tossed him out of her room, and now he dared to reject her? New grudges piled atop old ones, causing Malrik's kick to be merciless. No one expected Cotton Candy to suddenly attack Marcus. Emma froze in shock, completely forgetting to react. Even Edric was dumbstruck. Marcus himself hadn't seen it coming either. This rabbit actually had guts. Screee! Malrik blinked, confused. He had kicked Marcus in the face, so why did his own face ache instead? It is just like last time. What trick is this big-tailed wolf pulling? Malrik refused to believe it. They were both Rank 11. There was no way he couldn't hurt Marcus. When one kick didn't work, he twisted and sank his teeth into Marcus' neck. This time, Malrik bit hard. The silver-white fur at Marcus' throat instantly bloomed red with blood.Hiss! Marcus winced, his eyes narrowing against the sting. The rabbit had actually broken his skin, which was unexpected. It was Emma's pet, so he couldn't kill it or eat it. In the end, he whacked it. Marcus smacked the rabbit off with one paw, pinned him down, and began swatting left and right, blows raining hard across its body. He didn't use any energy powers, only physical brawling. Cotton Candy wasn't about to back down either; he fought back with all he had. The wolf and rabbit tore up the couch, locked in a fierce scuffle. Edric stared, wide-eyed. "Cotton Candy's amazing! He's actually fighting with Marcus in beast form?" Emma's gaze turned sharp. Though Cotton Candy wasn't exactly winning, he wasn't being completely overpowered either. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Emma, should we stop them?"Edric stepped protectively in front of her, ready to intervene if things got too rough. She straightened the trays of cookies and rolled her eyes. "If they want to fight, let them be." She couldn't care less, as long as they didn't destroy the cookies she'd worked so hard on. She ignored the chaos, scooped up the packed cookies, and carried them to the dining room. Edric glanced once more at Marcus. Upon seeing he wasn't trying to kill Cotton Candy, he followed Emma to help her pack the rest. In the living room, once Cotton Candy noticed Emma leave, he stopped holding back. His little paws struck fast and furious at Marcus. Malrik finally realized something was off. Every time he hurt Marcus, the pain rebounded twice as strong on him. He had already thrown himself into the fight. If he stopped now, wouldn't that make it look like he'd chickened out? There's no way that was going to happen. The sounds of battle echoed all the way to the dining room. Just listening to it made one's bones ache. Edric glanced at Emma, who calmly went on packing cookies, then quietly joined her. For a while, the living room's loud, rhythmic brawl and the dining room's peaceful domestic quiet formed a strange but oddly harmonious picture. … By the time Emma sealed the final bag, dusted her hands, and rose with satisfaction, the noise outside had finally ceased. She lifted a fresh glass of lemon water and strolled out of the dining room. In the living room, Cotton Candy, still dressed in his little gown that made him look like a princess, lay miserably on the floor, resembling a bedraggled, grimy puff of fur. The once-lovely dress hung in tatters, and one of his ears drooped limp and lifeless.