"Some of them are my mates too," Nina said, her tone firm as she warned him. "You’re not allowed to hurt them. Do you hear me?"

Idir’s expression darkened with frustration. More mates? How many did she even have?

As Kith and the others tried to approach, Idir immediately shifted into an attacking stance.

Nina pressed a hand against him, her gaze sharp with warning.

Idir slipped an arm around her waist instead, pulling her close as he cast a cold, hostile look at the others.

"Don’t come any closer," Nina told Kith quickly.

Right now, Idir was like a lit fuse—any male who got near her would set him off. His possessiveness was overwhelming. She was honestly afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold him back if things escalated.

"Nina, what’s going on?" Kith asked, worried.

Their gazes met Idir’s, and the air seemed to crackle with tension.

Why wouldn’t Nina let them near her? Was it because of this damned snake?

Had he somehow risen above them? Had Nina started favoring him—so much so that she wouldn’t even let the others come close?

The mates’ thoughts spiraled, jealousy flaring uncontrollably.

"Nina, snake hands are cold. Hold mine instead," Kith added, extending his hand.

Idir’s gaze dropped to it, a dangerous glint flashing through his eyes. He very nearly wanted to cut it off.

Instead, he pulled Nina’s other hand into his grasp, holding both of them tightly. Then, without a word, he channeled his power—warming his palms.

Nina could only hold his hands. And he wasn’t cold at all.

Kith’s eyes sharpened. This snake was provoking him.

"Nina, it’s getting late. Let’s go home and eat," Aviel said, stepping forward, reaching for her hand.

The moment he moved, a violent aura surged from Idir.

Nina quickly pulled him away. "Okay, let’s go home now."

Please don’t let them start fighting.

Aviel’s expression dimmed, hurt flickering in his eyes as he looked at her.

She had avoided him...

Had he already fallen out of favor?

He shot Idir a resentful glare. This had to be that snake’s doing—what had he done to confuse her like this?

Sensing their misunderstanding, Nina hurried to explain, "It’s not what you think. I’ll explain everything when we get back—something’s wrong with Idir."

Idir squeezed her hand in dissatisfaction. There was nothing wrong with him.

Without warning, he swept her into his arms. "I’ll carry you home."

Nina patted his shoulder. "Put me down. I can walk."

He refused outright. "Which way?"

Nina pointed, resigned. Fine—let him have his way.

Idir glanced at the child cradled in Aviel’s arms, then carried Nina off toward their residence.

Behind them, the others fumed.

Odian, who had followed, gave them a slight shake of his head before trailing after Nina.

The rest of her mates followed as well.

Along the way, Idir monopolized Nina completely, not allowing a single male to get close.

Behind them, the others ground their teeth in frustration.

Viann leaned closer to Ridan and whispered, "What happened to Idir? He went into the City Lord’s residence and came out like a different person. He’s... formidable now. Even our king couldn’t compete."

Ridan nodded. "He used to keep such a low profile. Now he’s openly claiming Lady Nina—this doesn’t bode well for the others."

Even their high priest hadn’t managed to outmaneuver him.

"Silent dogs bite the hardest," another one muttered.

Viann and the others nodded in agreement.

Only Pado remained quiet, a faint crease in his brow. Something about this felt off.

Ming and the others watched Idir’s back thoughtfully, deep in contemplation.

When they reached the residence, Dian was the first to rush forward. "Sister Nina!"

Lex followed close behind—they had stayed back to guard and assist.

Idir ignored them completely. He chose the best room—the one most saturated with Nina’s scent—carried her inside, and shut the door firmly behind them.

He laid her gently on the bed, then leaned down, wrapping her in his arms.

"Nina," he murmured, his voice low and insistent, "can you send all those males away?"

For some reason, the presence of those males unsettled him deeply. A violent urge stirred within him—he wanted to kill them all.

But Nina wouldn’t allow it.

"No," she said firmly. "They’re all my mates. You have to get along with them."

"I don’t want to," Idir muttered, his voice sullen.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer.

Nina was his. He didn’t want any other male near her.

Nina tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling in frustration. How on earth was she supposed to bring him back to normal?

Outside the door, Dian paced restlessly, both annoyed and confused. The moment he saw Odian and the others, he hurried over.

"What’s going on with Idir? Why did you let him carry Sister Nina back like that?"

Odian glanced at the tightly shut door. "Let’s talk in my room."

The mates shot resentful looks at the closed door before following him inside.

"Odian, what’s with that snake?" Aviel demanded, clearly displeased. "Why is he clinging to Nina and refusing to let go?"

Odian’s brows drew together. "I think his curse has erupted... but something about it doesn’t quite match. Have any of you heard of the Teng snake clan’s curse?"

The others stiffened.

"I’ve heard of it," Kith said. "Some members of the Teng snake clan are afflicted by a curse. When it erupts, they lose control and become beasts driven purely by slaughter."

"I’ve also heard that along with losing control, some of them gain terrifying strength," Mino added.

Odian nodded slowly. "The markings at the corner of his eyes should be the curse sigil. But his behavior doesn’t entirely match what we know... so I’m not certain."

He looked at them. "Do you think he seems like it?"

"Not really," Finch said.

There was killing intent, yes—but only directed at them, Nina’s other mates.

That damned snake had clearly been coveting Nina all along.

"I don’t think so either," Kith agreed. "What kind of curse makes someone cling to a female like that?"

"Then has it actually erupted or not?" Mino asked, puzzled.

"We’ll need to observe more," Odian said, narrowing his eyes. "His condition is nothing like the legends—but he has grown much stronger. Based on the power he showed earlier, none of us are a match for him... maybe not even Nina."

Judging by how cautious Nina had been, she likely couldn’t defeat him either.

"So that’s why she wouldn’t let us get close to her?" Aviel said.

At least it wasn’t because she had fallen out of favor with them.

"Yes," Odian confirmed. "She’s protecting us. Idir has intense killing intent toward any male who approaches her."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Finch snapped. "We can’t just let that snake monopolize her."

"And we definitely can’t let Nina endure this for our sake," he added, his jaw tightening. "We’re the males—we shouldn’t be the ones making her suffer."

"Exactly."

The others clenched their fists in agreement.

Dian’s expression turned worried. "If his curse really has erupted... will Sister Nina be in danger?"

"I’m worried too," Sal said quietly. "Right now, Idir is a threat."

"That’s my concern as well," Odian admitted. "But for now, she should be safe. He seems... deeply attached to her."

He pressed his lips together. "We can’t be certain yet, but we need to stay vigilant. We can’t afford to let our guard down—we have to ensure Nina’s safety at all times."

The others nodded solemnly.

"Is there any way to confirm whether his curse has truly erupted?" Sal asked.

Odian fell into thought. "For now, avoid provoking him. We need to figure out how to deal with him first."

"Agreed."

Though reluctant, they all knew acting rashly would only make things worse.

"I’ll ask my father about the curse," Mino said.

"I will too," Finch added.

"We’ll figure something out together," Sal said. "And we need to bring Nina back."

"Right."

The determination in their eyes hardened.