Just now, Calum noticed something odd—Emma was filling her plate mostly with meat and soup. Not a single vegetable touched her fork. Being that selective with food wouldn't do. At the moment, Emma had zero interest in vegetables. All she craved was meat—lots of it. But Calum had already placed some veggies on her plate, and he wasn't entirely wrong. To avoid offending him, she forced herself to chew and swallow a few bites. ... In the bathroom. "Ugh..." Lucien's tall, slender body was curled in discomfort. One hand pressed against the icy wall, while the other clutched his stomach as if trying to stop the pain. His skin was pale as paper, and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. His striking eyes were watery from the violent retching. He'd barely eaten that morning. His stomach was nearly empty, so nothing really came up—just relentless gagging and bile burning the throat. His throat felt aflame, and darkness crept at the edges of his vision. "Lucien, are you alright?" Marcus furrowed his brow, deep lines forming across his forehead. Hasn't Lucien just taken the potion Alaric gave him? Why is he vomiting like this again? "I... I'm fine..." Lucien's voice was hoarse, breaking mid-sentence as another harsh retch shook him. "You're definitely not fine." Seeing Lucien close to collapsing, Marcus quickly supported him. "I'll call Alaric—maybe he can help." Marcus activated his lightcore and dialed Alaric's number, the one Silas had given him. Silas had said that if Lucien ever got seriously sick, call Alaric immediately. The line connected almost instantly. "Who is this?" Alaric's voice came through. Watching Lucien struggle, Marcus spoke quickly. "It's Marcus. Lucien suddenly started vomiting uncontrollably. He's about to pass out. Can you come help?" Alaric, who had just finished applying the holy medicine to Stella's face, frowned upon hearing this. "Did he drink the potion I gave him?" "He did," Marcus replied. "He was fine a moment ago, and then it hit him all at once." "Understood. I'll be there soon." Alaric ended the call and put away the remaining medicine. He glanced at Stella and asked gently, "How are you feeling now?" "Alaric, the spots you treated feel warm, but other than that, nothing much," Stella said with a small smile. "Alaric, you look more anxious than I do. Don't worry about me—I've been living with this for years. Even if it's incurable, it's fine. Axel and the others don't care about my scars." She looked at her mates nearby. Axel Yule held her hand tenderly. They cared for Stella, not her appearance. Even if the scars never healed, it wouldn't matter to them."I will cure you," Alaric said firmly. Even if she didn't mind, he intended to fix it. He owed her that. Stella couldn't bear to see Alaric blame himself. She urged him, "Alaric, stop worrying. Emma's mate needs you. Go. If anything happens here, I'll let you know." ... When Alaric arrived, Lucien was still retching violently. Nothing was coming up, but the nausea was relentless. Seeing this, Marcus grabbed him into the bathroom. "Quick, check him. Why is he puking so badly?" Alaric approached, his expression serious as he looked at Lucien. "Has he eaten anything?" Marcus shook his head. "Barely anything since morning." Alaric took Lucien's wrist and activated his ability. Slowly, the symptoms eased. The violent heaving stopped. Marcus handed him water to rinse his mouth. "Thanks," Lucien murmured. After rinsing, he pushed himself up, leaning against the wall. Marcus and Alaric moved to help, but he waved them off. "I can manage." He steadied himself and walked out slowly, asking as he went, "How long will this last?" Alaric shook his head. "It's hard to say. Some females experience this kind of sickness until their cubs are born; others recover within days." For Lucien, there was no clear answer. His situation wasn't the same as interstellar females. Marcus asked, "So why did it hit him so suddenly?" Lucien had already taken Alaric's potion. Alaric cast Lucien a sympathetic glance. "If I'm correct, Emma's eating right now, isn't she? For females, the sickness is usually most intense after a meal."