Chapter 87: Chapter 87 Contract for Capture

They all had their own thoughts, and Beatrix could sense the shift. She studied the groveling Vance and Jasper, then shot a glance at Thorne brooding in the corner, forcing herself to settle down.

She’d moved too fast before!

These three still held A-class status as beastmen, certified Purifiers of the Valerion Empire. They remained valuable pieces on the board. Getting back into the Sterling family’s inner circle meant she couldn’t burn bridges with them.

Purifiers weren’t exactly common, and their current streak of bad luck wouldn’t last forever.

Beatrix hauled the two men to their feet, her voice honey-sweet. "Sorry about back there. That whole situation was disgusting—I lost my cool."

Tears leaked down her face as she spoke. Thorne hesitated, then crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her.

"We screwed up too," he muttered. "That bitch needs to learn her place!"

Beatrix dissolved against Thorne’s chest, playing up the helpless act. "What’s your plan?" she whispered, voice shaking.

Beatrix wasn’t an idiot. After last night’s disaster, she knew Elara had gotten dangerous. Better to let these three handle the dirty work.

"I’ve got it covered!" Thorne’s voice turned ice-cold, eyes blazing.

"And you, Elara—I’ll be waiting to get my hands on you."

"What about Voidferal Feral Territory? Still happening?" Beatrix asked.

Thorne shook his head, then reconsidered. "We’re out. But someone else is going."

"Then... you’ll forgive me?" Beatrix gazed up at him through wet lashes, curling deeper into his arms like a wounded kitten.

The three men swarmed around her instantly, competing to offer comfort. Whatever Beatrix’s game was, they were all stuck in this mess together now.

Thorne passed Beatrix off to Vance and Jasper, then stalked back to his corner. He pulled out his phone and accessed a buried, encrypted site.

His message was simple: "I want her breathing when you bring her in!"

The response came back: "You’re certain she’s got zero spiritual power?"

Thorne typed back: "Dead certain! Payment on delivery. And I meant what I said—I want her alive!"

After getting confirmation, Thorne posted the contract multiple times across different boards.

He used Beatrix’s phone for the down payment, then pocketed it. Striding forward, he swept Beatrix into his arms. "My lady, let me take care of you..."

——

Elara’s POV

Alistair whipped up breakfast. The guy had serious natural talent in the kitchen—after just a few days of watching me work, he could already pull off decent meals.

Not quite my level, but pretty damn good!

I didn’t make it to breakfast, and the whole ward turned into a glacier. Everyone spent the morning radiating pure misery.

Kaelen stared at the fresh vine bracelet around his wrist, chest tight with longing. "I miss my mate..."

Julian felt the ache just as badly!

He’d dragged himself out of bed extra early, even fussed with his hair until it was perfect. And I was a no-show. Devastated, he sank into his tank and released a stream of heartbroken bubbles.

After breakfast, Dorian slipped on his new vine bracelet and curled up in the beanbag to nap. His lips moved softly, murmuring my name in his sleep, his whole body twitching with dreams...

Barrett skipped eating entirely and hit the second floor to run. After burning through several brutal sets, he collapsed on the floor, soaked in sweat and gasping. But when he looked up, he saw my face reflected in the ceiling...

"Did he think I wouldn’t notice? Alistair obviously cooked this food!"

The realization sent Barrett into a rage. He jumped up and took his fury out on the punching bag.

His mate was way too tempting, constantly drawing unwanted attention. After driving his fist deep into the sandbag, Barrett finally stopped.

"Alistair, just wait until I get out of this place!"

Finnian kept his cool better than the rest. He lounged on the sofa, elegant fingers flying across his device. His eyes stayed locked on the screen, expression soft with affection, lips curved in a subtle smile...

Finnian typed: "I had some of those pastries you love delivered. You awake yet?"

After all the chaos last night, Elara was probably still buried under her covers. One look at the untouched breakfast told him she hadn’t shown up...

"That snake’s really working the charm offensive. Whatever—he’s trapped in there anyway, so I’ll let it slide for now."

My reply came back: "Yeah."

I had serious morning attitude and couldn’t even manage an emoji...

I’d been sitting on my bed staring into space for ages. That totally counted as being awake, right?

My body was up and running, but my brain was still loading...

After texting Finnian back, I finally dragged myself out of bed. Still half-dead to the world, I shuffled out of my room barefoot, wearing yesterday’s wrinkled clothes, hair looking like I’d stuck my finger in an electrical socket, yawning like I was trying to swallow the world.

I wandered around like the walking dead, not giving a damn how I looked.

Rory had been camped out in the sanatorium lobby for ages when he finally spotted me approaching. But... why do I look nothing like he expected?