This was everything Edric had come to understand about Emma after spending the past few days with her. He gave her almost all of himself. The small part he kept hidden was reserved for the things she could never know—the things she would never approve of, like poisoning Laura and her mates. He was afraid it would upset her. His loyalty to Emma was absolute, unwavering, one hundred percent. … After leaving the villa, Edric dropped his obedient facade. His eyes lowered, lashes casting a dim shadow as the dark violet in his gaze swirled with a feverish, bloodthirsty madness. The Empire's housing for females provided only basic protection. They couldn't stop a Rank 9 powerhouse like him.He slipped into Laura's home without a sound. She happened to be watching a video by Evie. "How can Evie lie like that? Emma was the one saved by the Divine Flame. I saw it myself." Laura stared at the video, furious. She knew Evie was doing this to get to the Central Planet and secure a better life. That life should have been Emma's. "No. I won't let Evie steal the honor and future that belong to Emma. I'm telling the truth before this gets worse." Emma already lived a tough life alone. She finally had a few matches, though none of them were reliable. A move to the Central Planet would change everything. The Empire would give her the best housing, top-tier resources, and the strongest males. Her life would finally improve. Laura went to activate her lightcore's video recorder to get proof for Emma, but the device froze before she could even start. At that moment, one of her mates noticed Edric standing silently in the doorway. He eyed Edric cautiously. "You… You're Ms. Emma Tibarn's match? How did you get in here?" Edric looked terrifying in person. The villa door had stayed shut the whole time. No one had opened it for him. "How I came in isn't important." Edric lifted his head. His dark violet gaze settled on Laura. "I'm here to ask Ms. Jones for a favor." "You—" Her mate started to rebuke him but froze mid-sentence, unable to move. Everyone in the villa—except Laura and Edric—had gone rigid. She noticed her mates' strange state and frowned. "What are you planning? Does Emma know you're here?" Emma couldn't have sent him. She would never allow her match to do this to her. "That isn't important." Edric pulled out ten vials of nutrient fluid. Each one carried his venom. He set them on the table. "Each of you will drink one. Do that and I won't kill you." There were nine males in the villa—the same nine who had gone into the forest with her. "What is this?" Laura asked. "What are you trying to do?" No one would believe these were ordinary nutrient fluids—not when someone had dared to target her mates. Edric hadn't planned on explaining anything, but since she had spoken up for Emma earlier, he offered her a rare bit of clarity. "The Divine Flame cannot be tied to Emma. All of you need to forget it." She understood instantly. … The Violet Obsidian reportedly possessed an ability to erase selected memories. She just didn't understand why Edric didn't want Emma linked to the Divine Flame. A future on the Central Planet would be good for her.Questions swirled in Laura's mind, yet the madness in Edric's bloodshot eyes stopped her from asking a single one. "I can drink it. You need to swear to the Beast God you won't harm me, my mates, or Emma." "Fine," Edric vowed seriously. "I swear I will never harm my own female, and I will not harm Ms. Jones or her mates this time." Laura accepted the nutrient fluids, fed all nine mates, and drank the last one herself. … Once everyone collapsed, Edric stepped forward. His ability sank in, using the venom as a medium to rewrite their memories. His men carried them back to their rooms afterward. When they woke, they would remember only what Evie claimed in her video. …Deep in the forest, Kael had been searching nonstop for Emma ever since the explosion's shockwave hurled him away. He had already pulled her file and learned she was the one who saved him that night. He also discovered she was the female the Beastmate System had matched to him days earlier. Regret tore through him. He finally realized how foolish he had been—he had actually turned down the chance to become her mate.