"You're asking him for two more Level 10 beast cores?" Corvin was stunned. "What if he ghosts you after seeing your terms?" Silas chuckled, completely unbothered. "That guy tossed out two Level 10 beast cores on a public forum like it was nothing, all for a crash course on how to win his huntress over. That leaves only a few possibilities. One: this therian is powerful. Someone that strong definitely has more than just two Level 10 beast cores. "Two: if he's posting publicly for advice on how to win affection, his emotional intelligence is practically nonexistent. He's totally clueless about romance. "And three: offering a reward that big proves he's desperate to win his huntress over." "So?" Corvin stared blankly at Silas, still not getting why that meant extra beast cores. "Ugh!" Silas sighed, looking at him in defeat. "Just imagine, Corvin. Let's say you're incredibly powerful, sitting on a pile of Level 10 beast cores. You're desperate for Emy's affection, but she won't give you the time of day. If I told you I had a foolproof way to make her favor you, but it would cost you four Level 10 beast cores, would you pay?" "Hell yes!" Corvin answered without hesitation. If he were strong, he could always kill more beasts and earn more cores. But a huntress' affection? That wasn't something he could win just by being strong or slaying beasts. The light finally clicked. Corvin's eyes lit up as he gaped at Silas. "Silas, you're such a genius." Silas' lips curved into a smirk. "Honestly, I was being generous asking for only four." … In the bedchamber, Drake was reading through the replies he considered most promising from his lightcore post, and narrating them aloud to Remy. Beastie-Not-Cuddly: Winning over a huntress is easy. The way to a huntress' heart is through her stomach. Just make her a bunch of good food, and she'll totally be into you. Remy immediately shut it down. "Daddy, Mommy already has a Merfolk who's great at cooking."He had a strong feeling his daddy wasn't the kind of therian who even knew where the kitchen was. That idea was dead on arrival. Just then, another private message pinged. Ever since Drake had posted the thread, his inbox had been overflowing with advice on how to win affection, but most of it was just one-time gimmicks. He wanted something that would make Emma fall for him for good. He opened the new message. It was from a therian named "Embrace of the Moon." He hadn't offered a single tip. Instead, he'd just made a vague promise and demanded four Level 10 beast cores. Drake's first instinct was to ignore him, but the word "Embrace" in his username reminded him of Emma. Before he could talk himself out of it, he found his fingers typing a reply. Drake: I can agree to your terms, but only if you can actually help me. The message was sent. On Silas' end, the response came almost instantly. Embrace of the Moon: First, describe your current relationship with your huntress. I need to understand the situation before I can tell you how to fix it. Drake hesitated, then typed: I don't think my huntress likes me. She laughs with other males, but not with me. Even when she does, it feels forced. He went on to pour out every detail he could remember about Emma's coldness toward him. … Aboard the warship, Corvin stood beside Silas, reading the anonymous messages with a look of sympathy on his face. "From what he's saying, he's got no chance of winning his huntress' heart. He can't hold a candle to her other mates. Even though he has a cub with her, she still won't give him the time of day. "Silas, for the cub's sake, you've got to help him. A therian without his huntress' love—and a cub without his mother's affection—that's just heartbreaking." Corvin glanced at the stranger's sad story and felt a rush of gratitude. "Thank God I found Emma. She'd never ditch me just because I'm hopeless at romance." Silas shot him a sidelong look. Well, that was an accurate statement. He quickly tapped out a reply to Drake. Embrace of the Moon: From everything you've told me, the fact that your huntress still offers you mental comfort means she hasn't completely given up on you. It's probably just your current approach she doesn't like. Drake: So what should my cub and I do? Embrace of the Moon: If what you're doing now isn't working, then change it. Do you know how to play the pity card? Drake stared at the screen for a moment before typing: Yeah! But would Emma really like him if he played the victim? Embrace of the Moon: Then take your cub and go play the pity card in front of your huntress. But remember—you have to play the victim smartly. Make her want to comfort you first. Play the victim smartly? Drake mulled it over for a moment, then bolted out of his bedchamber with Remy. "Daddy, where are we going?"Remy yawned from atop his head. The Thalassian Palace was chilly at night, so he had burrowed deep into Drake's hair for warmth.