Thorne was stunned for a moment, then his brow furrowed. "A mishap? Then what about Caden Albright and the others?"

He didn’t dare to think back on what happened before he left. In a ferocious Beast Tide, no one could emerge completely unscathed.

Thorne looked down at the sleeping Bunny in his arms. The baby’s eyes were still crusted with tears, his small face flushed red in the warmth. Thorne couldn’t help but tighten his arms, pulling the beast skin around him more snugly, a pang of sadness in his heart.

Evangeline reached out and took Genesis from Thorne’s arms. The little one was fast asleep. As he was moved from the shelter of the Beast Skin Clothes, the cold wind hit him, making him shiver. But the moment he was near Evangeline, warmth enveloped his body.

He smacked his small, red lips, snuggling into the crook of her arm and falling into an even deeper sleep.

"They’re fine." Evangeline’s voice was calm, but an unshakeable shadow lingered on her brow.

"Eva, did you just say they left Norfell?" Danton’s thin lips pressed together. He pondered for a moment before seizing on the key point of her words.

His expression was just as complex. Beyond Norfell lay the treacherous Triangle Sea. Where else could they possibly go?

Thorne finally processed it, his dark green pupils contracting sharply.

"You’re saying they went beyond the Triangle Sea? But that place is teeming with High-level Wild Beasts! The skies are filled with gales that can tear a Beastman’s body to shreds, and the seafloor has devouring whirlpools. Even someone at the Nine-star Extreme Realm would be unable to take a single step. It’s impossible to cross!"

As he spoke, he and Danton exchanged a look, their eyes reflecting a shared, profound dread.

They were both Norfell Beastmen, born and raised. They knew better than anyone what the Triangle Sea represented.

Norfell was small and barren, a land of exile. Over the years, it wasn’t as if no tribes had considered migrating—who wouldn’t desire a more bountiful territory? But every Warrior who had ever attempted to cross the Triangle Sea had met their end there.

Over time, the Triangle Sea had become an unspoken, untouchable taboo for the Norfell Beastmen.

"Why would Caden Albright and Lachlan leave Norfell?" Thorne’s brow furrowed into a knot, his voice thick with unconcealed agitation.

"Their females are still in Norfell; they have no reason to leave. Even if they’d run into trouble and had to flee, they should have told Eva. Besides, who would flee for their lives into a place as treacherous as the Triangle Sea?"

Evangeline pursed her lips and looked toward the dense forest, a murky light flickering in her eyes. "We’ll talk when Loras arrives."

The blizzard raged. In the blink of an eye, the snowdrifts on the coast had reached their calves.

Steam rising from the sea surface swirled with the heavy, goose-down snow, creating a chaotic whiteout. It was so hazy you could barely see your hand in front of your face.

Evangeline deftly pitched a tent, then took out several thick quilts and bundled the young cubs snugly inside. Only after confirming the little ones were all sleeping soundly did she step out.

Thorne and Danton stood in the blizzard, conversing in low tones. Ice crystals clung to the tips of his hair and eyelashes. His handsome, fair face was marred not only by wounds but also by purplish patches of frostbite, making him look as if he’d been brutalized.

The two males’ brows were deeply furrowed, and even the white plumes of their breath seemed heavy with gravity.

"Thorne," Evangeline called out softly.

Her voice was like a secret command, instantly dispelling the gloom from his brow.

When he turned, his usual smile was on his lips as he strode toward her. Arriving at Evangeline’s side, he reached out to touch the tent, a curious look on his face. ’His female could always produce so many strange yet practical things.’

Evangeline reached out, her fingers brushing one of the ghastly wounds on his body. Frowning slightly, she asked, "Does it hurt?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Evangeline pursed her lips, mocking herself.

’What a stupid question.’ The mangled, blackened flesh was laced with ice crystals; how could it possibly not hurt?

But people were strange like that. When you cared for someone but couldn’t share their pain, you always wanted to hear comforting words, as if that alone could ease your own heart.

She just never thought she’d be the one to become flustered by her own concern.

Thorne’s dark green eyes seemed almost black in the falling snow. He suddenly tightened his grip, enveloping Evangeline’s cool fingertips in his palm. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke, his voice a gravelly rasp. "It doesn’t hurt."

Evangeline stared into those dark green depths, then suddenly curled her fingers and mercilessly poked his wound.

"HISS—" Thorne’s muscles instantly seized. His handsome, deep-set features contorted in pain, yet he didn’t flinch away. Not even his fingertips trembled. He only sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

"Hm? It doesn’t hurt?" The corners of Evangeline’s lips lifted in a mocking smile, but her voice was placid.

A scorching anger danced in her long, bewitching, fox-like eyes.

The corner of Thorne’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t dare say a word. He obediently let Evangeline pull him aside, clean his wounds with a warm cloth, and then apply medicine little by little.

His back tensed with pain, and Evangeline’s movements grew even gentler, as if she were handling something as fragile as glass.

Thorne lowered his gaze to her focused profile, and a wave of tenderness rippled through his dark green eyes.

By the time she finished treating his wounds, the coastline was mostly deserted.

The blizzard howled around them. The Marine Beastmen, unable to return to their homes, found their thin, scaly skin offered no protection against the fierce wind and snow. The bone-chilling cold forced them to leave one after another.

The Beastmen of the Mer Clan, wrapped in the thick beast skins Evangeline had handed out, were managing to endure the storm and weren’t suffering quite as much.

Evangeline produced a set of thick clothes for Thorne and personally fastened a beast skin cloak around him. Her fingertips brushed against his purplish, frostbitten skin. Her voice was soft, but every word seared. "The snow season has only just begun. If you get frostbite, the wounds will start to itch. It will be agony. Thorne, I don’t just worry about the cub. I ache for you, too."

Thorne lowered his eyes, his thick lashes casting shadows below them. A searing heat churned in his chest, threatening to burn right through his heart.

He suddenly reached out, cupped the back of Evangeline’s neck, and pressed his lips to hers in a fiercely passionate kiss.

He had never told Evangeline that in the midst of the roiling Beast Tide, he’d thought he was going to die, that he would never see her again.

Their reunion had left him overwhelmed with emotion.

Now, he poured all those emotions into this kiss.

Evangeline’s eyes fluttered shut as she wrapped her arms around his lean waist.

Tiny snowflakes fell, landing in the space between their mingling breaths. They melted against their skin, the faint chill instantly vanquished by the heat radiating between them.

Thorne’s long fingers gently caressed the nape of her neck, a tender, lingering touch.

Just then, the weak whimper of a cub sounded from inside the tent.

Evangeline placed a hand on Thorne’s chest and gave a gentle push. Caught off guard, he stumbled half a step back into the snow, a low, hoarse gasp escaping his throat. The cold wind brushed past, bringing a seductive flush to the corners of his eyes, yet he made no attempt to conceal his fierce desire.

As the cold wind swept by, the stirring silhouette beneath his robes was rather startling.

Evangeline met his gaze, seeing the flicker of hurt in his dark green eyes, but she didn’t waver. Averting her eyes, she lifted the tent flap and disappeared inside.