Tasha’s eyes widened as she saw the Sapphire Sonic. "Is that... is that what I think it is?"

Jayden sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I should have been more specific when I said ’hide’."

The girls immediately rushed over to the storefront, huddling closer together and keeping a cautious distance.

Jessica looked wary. "Should we be getting this close?" She asked. "Isn’t it going to attack us?"

"No," Tasha breathed, utterly mesmerized. "It’s a Sapphire Sonic. They’re super nice, and very peaceful unless provoked. I mean, look at it... it’s just watching us. It looks almost shy."

Cassandra let out a breathless chuckle. "I think it’s a girl. Look at her face... she’s actually kind of cute."

Tasha took a brave half-step forward and began making soft, clicking noises, using the universal baby-talk voice reserved for kittens. Skye merely blinked at her, refusing to leave the shadow of the mannequin.

Jayden sighed and walked over. "It’s okay, Skye," he called out gently. "You can come out." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Slowly, the massive, muscle-bound apex predator padded out into the open light. She looked up at Jayden, projecting her telepathic voice into his mind.

Sorry, master. I didn’t know where else to go. I didn’t want to leave you all alone in this place.

Jayden smiled softly. "It’s fine. I’m not mad."

The girls whipped their heads around, staring at Jayden in sheer disbelief. Did he just use a name? And did the beast just respond to him?

Jessica’s jaw dropped. "Wait. Hold on... she’s your pet?!"

Jayden looked at their stunned faces. "Yeah. Something like that," he replied with a chuckle.

Cassandra shook her head. "But you said you couldn’t control beasts," she exclaimed, her mind struggling to process the reality before her.

"I couldn’t," Jayden admitted. "But as of yesterday, I could." Then he stepped back and gestured to the Sonic. "Everyone, meet Skye."

Hesitantly, the three of them waved.

"Hi, Skye..."

Skye tilted her head, analyzing them. Master knows these people? she asked.

Yes, Jayden replied mentally. They’re my family. Go say hi.

Skye hesitated for a fraction of a second before trotting over to the girls. Within moments, the terrifying A-Rank beast was entirely at their mercy. Tasha, Jessica, and Cassandra dropped to their knees, absolutely melting as they buried their hands in her thick, white fur, dispensing endless scratches behind her ears.

Tasha looked up at Jayden, her eyes shining with tears of pure wonder. "How on earth did you manage to find a Sapphire Sonic? They’ve been considered extinct for decades."

"She kind of found me," Jayden said honestly, leaning against a pillar. "But I don’t really know why she chose to stick around with me."

"I do," Cassandra chuckled, scratching Skye’s chin. "Your charms are so extraordinary they even work on beasts."

Jayden chuckled, though he wondered if there was a grain of truth to it. Did his high Charm stat naturally draw her to him initially? What that why she was so attracted to him the first time they met?

After a few minutes, Jayden unequipped his tactical suit, swapping back to his casual clothes. "We need to go. The EVA response teams are going to be swarming this place any minute."

The girls nodded, their playful demeanor sobering instantly. They slipped out through the ruined loading docks, sticking strictly to the shadowy back-alleys and secluded side streets of Emerald City to ensure no late-night wanderers spotted a beast trotting alongside them.

When they finally arrived home, the tension in the house was palpable. Jacob and Harleen were pacing the living room, sick with worry. Jayden quickly delivered a heavily sanitized version of the night’s events—focusing on the Black Cobra attack and how the "masked vigilante" had intervened and secured the hostages. He completely omitted his secret identity and his lethal duel with Tazer.

Jacob stood quiet for a long moment, his sharp eyes studying Jayden’s bruised and exhausted face. He gave Jayden a single, firm nod of understanding. Jayden returned it.

Exhausted to the bone, the girls headed upstairs to their rooms, with Cassandra following alongside them since Penelope was currently off-world. She’d been staying with the Smiths for two days now.

"Goodnight, Jayden," Tasha whispered at the end of the hall. "Say goodnight to Skye for us."

Jayden smiled tiredly. "I will."

He slipped into his room, locking the door behind him. Skye was already in the room, currently sprawled out on his mattress, taking up an unforgivable amount of space, her chest rising and falling in a deep, rhythmic slumber. Earlier, Jayden had her enter his room through the balcony window while he and the girls entered through the front door.

Jayden quickly changed into sweatpants and collapsed onto the remaining sliver of the bed. He pulled up the System interface and navigated straight to the Bonded Beasts tab. Without hesitation, he selected the Acquire Ability option under Skye’s info.

[Confirm Acquisition of Bonded Beast: Sapphire Sonic’s, ability?]

[Yes / No]

Jayden selected yes. A warm, vibrating energy began to slowly hum through his veins, entirely different from the violent, instant rush of consuming a crystal.

[Ability Acquisition: 2%]

Jayden exhaled. The process was going to take some time.

He closed his eyes, his body aching from the night’s lightning burns. Tazer had been a terrifying opponent. The pioneer had pushed him to the absolute brink, forcing him to rely on tactics rather than raw strength. It was exhilarating in a way; to be pushed to the absolute brink, but Jayden shook the thought away.

Miss Kate’s advice was actually working; fighting human opponents was sharpening his self-control and curbing his feral Lycan lust for battle. He no longer fought for the thrill of the fight; he fought with precision and calculation.

As he drifted off, he remembered Jacob’s warning about how killing corrupted the soul. But lying in the dark, Jayden didn’t feel corrupted. He felt an icy, resolute focus. He was on a path of vengeance. The EVA had to fall, and he would be the one to tear it down. That was why dismantling the Black Cobra syndicate was so crucial to him. If he could systematically eradicate an organization as powerful as Black Cobra... if he could successfully pull it off, then he would be ready to wage an open war on the EVA.

Jayden fell asleep, dreaming of what it would feel like to finally be free of it all. Free of the grief. Free of the vengeance. Free of the pain.

.......

The next morning, Jayden was pulled from sleep by the sound of vibrating, rumbling purrs and a chorus of soft giggling.

He opened his eyes, squinting against the bright morning sunlight pouring through his window. It took a moment for his brain to process the completely absurd scene unfolding on his bedroom floor.

Tasha, Jessica, and Cassandra were sitting in a circle, still in their pajamas, giving Skye, a Legendary, A-Rank apex predator a full-blown makeover.

Tasha was carefully tying a delicate blue ribbon around a tuft of Skye’s head fur. Jessica was meticulously painting the beast’s massive, flesh-tearing claws with a bottle of pink nail polish. Cassandra was positioned squarely in front of her, dispensing aggressive belly rubs that had the beast completely immobilized in bliss.

Jayden let out a raspy laugh, pushing himself up against the headboard.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Tasha beamed, not looking up from her ribbon tying. "Did you sleep well?"

Good morning, Master! Skye’s voice chimed brightly in his mind.

Morning, Skye, he replied warmly. Then he looked at the girls. "I see you guys are making yourselves comfortable with Skye."

"Why shouldn’t we?" Cassandra smiled brightly. "We love spending time with her."

Tasha adjusted the bow, looking remarkably satisfied with her work. "Besides, a girl needs to look good." She added.

Jayden snorted, shaking his head. "Look good for who? The local wildlife?" he chuckled. "Guys, she’s a wild beast. And she’s just a child."

Jessica paused her painting, holding the brush in the air. "A child? What do you mean?"

"Skye thinks and acts like a toddler," Jayden explained, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "She’s maybe three months old. And I know she looks all grown up, but she still just a cub."

All three girls froze, staring at the massive, muscle-bound cheetah that was larger than a motorcycle.

"But... she looks so mature." Tasha said, bewildered.

Jayden sighed. "Apparently Sapphire Sonics go through rapid growth spurts. Even more rapid than normal beasts," he stated. "She’s actually gotten even taller since the last time I saw her."

The girls immediately melted, their perspective of the terrifying beast shifting instantly. They began speaking in high-pitched baby voices, tickling her sides and cooing over her. Skye ate it up, letting out a series of happy, chirping sounds, projecting a wave of joy into Jayden’s mind.

Hahaha! Skye likes them, Master!

Jayden smiled warmly and headed into the bathroom to wash up. He turned on the faucet, splashing cold water over his face. The bruises from the lightning strikes had already faded to a dull yellow thanks to his regeneration.

As he reached for a towel, a familiar, rapid series of chimes echoed in his ears.

[Subpack Member (Wolverine Stalker) killed...]

[Subpack Member (Howler) killed...]

[.....]

[Total Exp Received: +2,100]

[Exp: 3100/7500]

Jayden gripped the edges of the sink, a massive grin spreading across his face. His tamed army was putting in incredible work in the forest. With this level of passive income, he wouldn’t need to hunt for levels manually. He could focus his entire, undivided attention on taking down Black Cobra. The next Pioneer on his hit list was Frost, but he wasn’t going to hunt her today. Today, he was going to take a much-needed break and check on his tamed beasts.

Just as he dried his face, a final, notification flashed in the center of his vision.

[Ability Acquisition: 100%]

[Acquisition Complete]

[You have acquired the Ability: Super Speed]

Jayden looked at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes glowed faintly in the morning light. He flexed his hands, and for a fraction of a second, the water droplets falling from the faucet seemed to freeze completely in mid-air.

His smirk widened into a feral grin.

"This is going to be fun."