Chapter 5 New Mission

Ares's fury told Elena he was back to his senses.

Who flips out the moment they regain their mind? Elena thought.

Her mission was complete. She didn't fear him anymore. A female's mental power could soothe a male, not fight-but the mark she had left ensured he could not harm her.

The marking meant he was now bonded to her as her mate. Once bonded, any male who attacked his Matriarch would suffer double the damage, whether physical or ability-based.

Elena sat up carefully, wrapping the shredded remnants of her clothes around herself.

"You went into heat suddenly," she explained. "If I hadn't marked you, you would've lost control. You could have killed me or yourself. This saves both of us."

She spoke casually, as if discussing the weather, but her words slapped Ares hard.

"Break the bond." Ares commanded coldly.

"No..." a hoarse voice pleaded in his mind. "I like her scent. I want her to stay..."

"Kael!" Ares roared at his wolf internally. "Get a grip!"

"She was gentle..." Kael's voice filled with yearning. "I want to have many cubs with her... want to protect her..."

Ares knew Kael had already accepted this woman as their mate because of the marking.

"She just took advantage when we lost control!" Ares argued furiously. "Just like every other female who's been chasing us!"

In this world, females were rare, and one female could claim several mates. Pack law was clear-if an Alpha male bonded with a chosen mate first, he couldn't ditch her for his fated mate later. Rejecting her could kill her.

Alphas could only sense their fated mate before being marked. Ares had waited years for his fated mate, turned down every other female, and now? Some stranger marked him while he was out of his mind. His chance at finding his fated mate? Gone.

"But she saved us..." Kael whined.

"She ruined us!" Ares snarled. "Now I'll never find my fated mate!"

Right then, Elena accidentally brushed his sensitive wolf tail. The moan that escaped him was absolutely mortifying.

"Mmm..."

Did I just-

Ares yanked his tail away like it was on fire. This was all the mark's fault.

Once I break the bond, I'll be back to normal.

Ares thought grimly.

"I will do it," Elena said, standing up. "But we'll have to wait until we're back in the Imperial Capital."

Breaking the bond wasn't risk-free. Even if the female broke the bond gently, the male's power level would drop.

Worse, if he had another mental breakdown later, there was a good chance he'd reject any other female's mental power. Which meant death by uncontrolled rage.

Elena knew the rules inside and out. If Ares wanted to risk it, that was his funeral. But they were stuck in the middle of nowhere right now. Even with reduced abilities, he could still squash her like a bug after the mate bond was broken. She wasn't stupid.

Ares caught on immediately-she was using the mate bond as insurance. His fists clenched. The mate bond was locked in place. Years of waiting, all for nothing.

That's when they heard noise from the cave entrance.

A magpie beastman swooped in and shifted into a woman.

"General Ares!" Vera's voice was pure sugar. "Her Majesty sensed your mental power stabilizing, so I rushed right over!"

"You look even more gorgeous now that you're sane again."

Vera kept gushing until she noticed the other female in the cave. Her face went stiff.

"Why aren't you dead?"

Elena gave her a cold glance.

"I completed the mental comfort mission and saved his life. Problem?"

Vera's face darkened. She had planned to offer tender care while Ares was vulnerable and mark him in the process. Now someone had beaten her to it.

When she spotted the leopard-cat mark on Ares's neck, she nearly had a stroke.

"How dare you mark General Ares?!"

Vera shifted to her bird form and dive-bombed Elena, wings flapping like she wanted to shred her alive.

Elena saw it coming a mile away. She swiftly shifted to her leopard-cat form, dodged the attack, and swatted the annoying magpie out of the air with one paw.

Vera hit the ground hard, shrieking as she shifted back to human form with several deep claw marks across her face.

Pathetic.

Elena thought then turned to Ares.

"I didn't know you had feelings for her. Don't worry. I won't play the third party. The mate bond will be broken."

Ares was puzzled. To him, Vera and Elena were both females seeking him. Yet Elena was rational, restrained, even offering to break the bond.

In this female-dominated world, most females were spoiled rotten and had males falling over themselves to please them.

Apologizing? Some would torture their marked males' minds just for kicks, breaking them for fun.

But this woman was different. Everything she did had a purpose.

"I'll do it as promised," Elena said, not looking at Vera. "Before then, I suggest you consider the consequences carefully."

Hearing about this, Vera perked up like someone had offered her a winning lottery ticket.

Perfect! When Ares needs mental comfort later, I can handle it.

Vera calculated silently.

Once a marked male broke the bond, his power would drop. If Ares fell to 3S, he would be the same rank as her. Surely then he wouldn't look down on her.

As for the risks of switching Matriarch? She didn't care. Ares was a handsome 4S general. That was enough.

"Ares, we can finally be together," Vera said softly, eyes full of longing. "Even if you've been marked before, I'm still willing to give you the position of first mate."

Ares looked at her with disgust.

"You think I don't know what you're planning?" he said coldly. "When I lost control, the Empire sent females for mental comfort. You weren't among them."

"You knew my level was too high. Anyone attempting mental comfort might die. So you stayed far away."

"Now that I'm stable, you rush over pretending devotion? Even dreaming of becoming my mate after she breaks the bond?"

He let out a short, mocking laugh.

"How ridiculous."

Compared with the risks of losing power and suffering another mental collapse, keeping Elena as his Matriarch was the better choice.

Besides, Kael clearly favored her.

She couldn't possibly be his fated mate. Later, he would draft an agreement-paying Elena for mental comfort, nothing more.

Ares turned to Elena.

"Don't break the bond. I have no relationship with Vera. You will continue as my Matriarch."

Elena quietly let out a breath. At least she wouldn't be the other woman.

Vera's eyes instantly reddened with rage.

"Ares, you'd choose her over me?" she snapped.

"My fertility rating is B-class! With me, you'd have a chance at offspring! She has no fertility value at all!"

In this interstellar world, even advanced technology couldn't improve fertility. Cubs were becoming rarer every year.

"You think I'd want cubs with a female who ran away when I needed her most?" Ares sneered. "I'd rather have none than take a coward who profits from someone else's misfortune."

Just then, the low hum of a hover vehicle sounded outside the cave, followed by approaching footsteps.

Elena glanced toward the entrance.

A silver-haired man stepped inside first, dressed in a long black coat trimmed with gold at the collar and cuffs. His deep, magnetic voice echoed through the cave.

"Welcome back, Ares."

At that moment, the system's voice rang in Elena's mind.

[New mission target detected. Preparing to issue new mission.]