Lucien's chest tightened painfully, regret clawing at his heart. He hated himself for being so stubborn—this was all his fault. He should've known better. 'Is Emma still crying? I…' Before he could finish typing, Silas sent another text. 'Emy was furious, but even then, she couldn't bring herself to break your beast marks or punish you. She took all the pain and disappointment on her own. Tell me, do any of you really think you deserve her kindness?' Even when she's furious, she's still thinking of us… Lucien's eyes burned. Tears welled up and fell onto the control panel, splattering silently across the metal. Marcus' long fingers flew across the lightcore's screen. 'It's my fault—entirely my fault. Silas, please tell Ms. Tibarn I've realized my mistake.' From the moment he boarded the warship, he had been trying to reach Emma—calling her, sending message after message, begging her to forgive him. But she hadn't answered any of them. 'What should I do to make Ms. Tibarn forgive me?' he added. … On the lead warship, Silas glanced at the flurry of replies from Marcus and Calum, the corners of his lips curving faintly. Good. At least they know they messed up. His pale fingers tapped lightly against the lightcore's screen. 'I'd really like to help you figure something out, to get Emy to forgive you sooner. But honestly, you guys really went too far this time. It'll take a lot for her to drop it.' 'What should we do then?' Lucien typed in a rush, tense and desperate. 'I told Emy that for now, you three should return to your clans. When you've truly reflected on what happened—and realized where you went wrong—you can come back,' Silas answered. What? Return to our clans? The three of them stared at the message, their vision almost going dark. 'Is there any way to avoid going back?' Marcus asked. He didn't want to return to Frostveil, and his clan didn't want him back, either. 'I don't have a clan,' Calum mentioned. Lucien said nothing. He thought the punishment was aimed squarely at him—and yet, maybe it was what he deserved. 'Silas, isn't there any way to calm Ms. Tibarn down faster so we don't have to leave?' Calum asked again. He had long since severed ties with the Argenclaw. Silas replied quickly. 'Marshal, I suggest you listen to me. If you don't, you won't be making things hard for me, but for Emy. She's still angry and heartbroken. Seeing you now would only make it worse. Do you really want that? Do you want to hurt her further?' The truth was, Silas never felt "troubled" by anything—except when it came to Emma. His words silenced the three men instantly. A minute later, Silas sat in the cockpit of the leading warship and watched the monitor. The ship behind them began to turn away. "They're… leaving?" Edric asked in disbelief, staring at the screen. "What did you say to them?" Kieran and Drake both turned to look at Silas as well. How the hell had he managed to make those three so obedient? Feeling their curious stares, Silas gave an innocent smile. "Nothing much. I just told them Emy's still angry and doesn't want to see them. So they should go back to their clans and reflect for a few days." "That's it?" Kieran asked, his tone disbelieving. Silas nodded. "That's it." Kieran looked skeptical. Since when were Marshal Calum, Marcus, and Lucien this easy to deal with? If that's all it takes, maybe I could be the primary mate too. … In the mech lab, Corvin shut off his lightcore, but the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He tossed the tool in his hand aside, reopened his lightcore, and found the private group he had created, consisting of only his fellow mates. After adding Calum's contact to the group, he began typing. 'Silas, please—talk to Emma for me. What if we take turns being the primary mate, one at a time?' Lately, Corvin had learned to be sneakier. He wasn't really asking to take Silas' place; he knew Silas would never agree to that. Being the primary mate wasn't like trading out some low-tier beast one could replace at will. He was simply jealous—and too bitter to sit with it alone. Tagging Silas gave him the excuse he needed to start the conversation, to remind Lucien, Calum, and Marcus exactly what they'd lost. When Edric opened his lightcore and saw Corvin's message in the group chat, he immediately understood what Corvin was doing. His fingers flew across the screen as he tagged Silas too. 'Corvin's right. Being the primary mate comes with perks—like spending the first three and last three days of every month with Emma…'