Lillian gave a small smile, thinking that Rosalyn was only saying that to comfort her.

However, when they showed up at the underground fighting arena, she indeed caught the attention of many males around her.

Rosalyn located their seats, guided Lillian over, and sat down with her. The fight was already underway, a brutal scene with fists flying and legs kicking, the audience watching with excitement.

At first, Lillian felt no real interest in what was happening. That changed when a werewolf was hauled onto the platform in chains. His gray ears were alert, and his eyes glowed with a dull, reddish hue. Lillian's focus locked onto him immediately.

The werewolf was in rut.

The emcee's voice rang out with excitement. "Here we have a slave who has been stuck in rut for a long time, rejected by every female, deprived of food for an entire week, and left without even a drop of water. Whoever manages to take him down will earn a hundred high-grade beast cores!"

One after another, fighters stepped up to the fight, but every single one was violently overpowered and thrown off the stage by the uncontrollable werewolf.

As the rounds went on, his wounds increased. One of his claws was broken. He remained crouched on the stage, blood spilling from his mouth as he coughed, yet he refused to make a sound, enduring the pain in silence.

When the final horn echoed through the arena, he raised his head. By chance, his bloodshot eyes met Lillian's gaze. The mix of fury and despair in his look made her press her lips together.

Rosalyn inhaled deeply and said with a trace of pity, "He's said to be from the Rogue Planet. He has been kept here for quite some time. I remember seeing him here last time; he's got a criminal past and no family, just scraping by on his own. Honestly, this could be the last time he steps into the ring alive."

It was common knowledge that a male left too long without a female soothing him would eventually lose control and destroy himself.

Lillian's expression grew somber. Something about his loneliness struck a familiar chord in her.

In the end, the werewolf gathered what little strength he had left, defeated his final opponent, and then collapsed, looking as though he might die at any moment.

Seeing that, Lillian suddenly asked, "How do I buy him?"

Rosalyn stared at her in shock. "What? You want to buy him?"

Lillian tilted her head slightly. "Just for fun. That's allowed, isn't it?"

Rosalyn tried to talk Lillian out of it but eventually failed. She knew the arena's owner and brought Lillian to meet him and explained her intention to buy the werewolf.

The owner looked taken aback. "You mean you want to buy Samuel? I was already planning to get rid of him. My lady, if you take him, you'll spend an enormous amount trying to treat him; it's simply not worth it."

Ignoring that, Lillian crouched down in front of Samuel Burton, who had reverted to his human form due to extreme exhaustion. Even in that state, he was strikingly handsome, with an intimidating presence. A pair of soft, furry ears still remained visible. Lillian reached out and gently stroked them.

Samuel flinched. Startled, he abruptly sat up and was about to attack the person before him.

But the moment he recognized Lillian as the striking, gentle-looking female he had noticed earlier in the crowd, his raised claw stopped mid-swing. The hostility and lethal intent in his eyes faded. He couldn't bring himself to hurt an innocent female. So, he lowered his head and curled into himself, silently refusing her touch.

Lillian chose not to bother him anymore. She had always moved on her own or occasionally teamed up with low-tier hunting groups, traveling to the outer edges of the Aberrant Thicket to hunt small aberrant beasts and collect herbs just to get by. Still, the earnings were barely enough, and the low-grade beast cores she absorbed had no real effect on improving her spiritual power.

She began to consider that this werewolf could help her venture deeper into the Aberrant Thicket, where she might find quality herbs and stronger beast cores to elevate her spiritual power.

At the very least, it seemed like a feasible plan.

Lillian spoke calmly. "I'll pay one million."

She turned her attention to the owner and said firmly, "That's a fair deal for you, isn't it? Even if he recovers, the cost of suppressants alone is extremely high. And without a female to soothe him, he won't be able to return to the arena anyway."

She wasn't wrong. At this point, Samuel was a rogue werewolf with no real value. After a moment of consideration, the owner accepted her offer.

After taking Samuel out of the underground arena, Lillian noticed her communicator buzzing nonstop with missed calls and messages. She opened one of the video messages.

Jaycob appeared on the screen, his face flushed with anger as he shouted, "Lillian, we've been waiting for you at the Notary Hall forever! Don't test our patience! You already took the money and signed the separation agreement. Are you trying to go back on your word now?"

Without the domina's approval, it was impossible for the males to end the bonds on their own.

In her rush to buy Samuel, Lillian had completely forgotten about the matter with Jaycob and Waylon.

She quickly turned to Rosalyn. "Please take Samuel back to my place. There are medical supplies stored there. Use whatever you need and make sure he pulls through."

"Sure, leave it to me," Rosalyn replied with confidence.

By the time Lillian arrived at the Notary Hall, Waylon and Jaycob were already standing beside Justine.

Walking up to them, Lillian said, "Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Waylon and Jaycob stared at her, startled, as though they didn't recognize her right away.

"Li-Lillian?" Jaycob's eyes scanned her from head to toe. She did look more attractive than before, but when he noticed she was wearing a white dress just like Justine, he let out a mocking laugh, assuming she was trying to imitate Justine to win sympathy and avoid the separation.

Waylon seemed to reach the same conclusion. Disdainfully, he said, "There's no need for you to copy Justine. What we care about isn't just her looks; it's her kindness. Don't waste your time doing something useless."

Justine offered a soft smile, putting on a fragile and apologetic front as she spoke to Lillian. "Lillian, I truly didn't mean to ruin your bonds or take your mates away from you. Please don't hold it against me, okay?"

In her mind, Lillian was deeply attached to these two males. Seeing Lillian dressed like her today only reinforced her belief that she had come here to plead for reconciliation.

However...

"Sure."

Lillian gave a short nod. She barely spared Justine a glance before heading straight for the registration desk. Instead of wasting time on pleasantries, she went straight to the point and asked the staff to stamp the documents.

Without delay, a staff member processed everything and placed three separation certificates in her hands. A polite smile stayed on his face as he spoke. "Now that you're registered as a single female, Yggdrasil will match you with new males. You can check your email tomorrow for the results."

After acknowledging him with a nod, she turned back and flicked her wrist, throwing two certificates toward Waylon and Jaycob. "It's done. From this point on, the two of you are Justine's fated mates."

Shock spread across Justine's face as she went stiff for a moment. "Lillian, you actually broke the bonds with them? So that's it? You don't love them anymore?"

A cold laugh slipped from Lillian as she shook her head. "Love? There was never anything like that between us. It was nothing more than an obligation that tied me to them. Since you're willing to pick up what I threw away, go ahead."

Waylon's anger flared at that. "Lillian, watch your mouth! You think you can talk about us like that? We refused to serve you because of Justine. She's the one we truly love."

Lillian didn't even bother responding. Arguing with them wasn't worth her time.

So, she left and made her way home before the sky turned dark.

Earlier, Rosalyn had sent a message to her. She said she had given Samuel an injection that kept him alive, but his condition hadn't improved. His mind was unstable, and he needed a suppressant or a female to soothe him as soon as possible.

The moment Lillian arrived home, she found Samuel in the guest room. His body was hunched over on the carpet as he knelt there, and he was struggling through waves of pain. A strained sound escaped him while one of his hands had already shifted into a claw, about to hurt himself.

Lillian's expression hardened at the sight. She rushed forward without hesitation and caught his wrist to stop him.

At the sight of her, Samuel went still for a second. His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as his voice came out rough. "You shouldn't get close to me. I might lose control and hurt you."

"I'm not leaving you like this." Carefully, Lillian reached up and held his head between her hands. She tried to soothe him, letting her spiritual power flow through him in an effort to calm the storm inside him.

Even so, the strain on Samuel's face didn't ease. Pain tore through him without pause. It felt like his bones were being forced apart, then crushed back together again. Something unseen seemed to press along his spine, breaking it piece by piece. The agony dragged him closer to the edge with every passing second.

"Thank you for helping me." Samuel realized Lillian's ability wasn't enough to soothe him, gritting his teeth and reaching out to push her away gently. "I'll just face my destruction."

A flicker of anxiety crossed Lillian's face. Regulations made it impossible to use suppressants on someone with a criminal record. Without a female willing to soothe him, there was no way to pull him back from this.

She had already tried soothing him through touch, yet it hadn't been enough. That left only one option—mating.

It was typically reserved for a female's fated mates.

She had never done something like that before. Neither in her previous life nor in this one had she ever given herself to anyone.

Still, watching Samuel struggle right in front of her, Lillian hesitated only for a brief second before making up her mind. She leaned in, steadied his head in her hands, and pressed her lips against his in a firm gesture.

A flicker of shock crossed Samuel's eyes the moment her lips met his. Something within him shifted in a way he couldn't explain. He had never felt anything like this before.

For the first time, he experienced what it felt like to be soothed by a female.

Tension drained from his body without warning. The violent strain in his muscles eased, and the sharp pain tearing through his bones faded as if it had been pulled away by an unseen force. A tremor ran through him as relief settled in. Driven by instinct, his arms moved on their own. He circled Lillian's waist and pulled her closer, holding her tightly against him. The need for comfort from her took over as he deepened the kiss instinctively.

Caught off guard, Lillian lost her balance and ended up seated on his lap. Her tongue was entwined with Samuel's, continuously licked and sucked, occasionally grazed by his sharp teeth, causing her to shiver.

A strange sensation spread through her, leaving her mind unsteady. Not only was there a physical change in her, but spiritually, she also felt something unusual.

Her previously depleted spiritual power suddenly swelled like a sponge absorbing water, pulling in everything that poured from him. The wild energy surrounding him flowed into her, and she turned it into her spiritual power, using it to soothe him.

Time slipped by without her noticing. By the time the kiss finally broke, her spiritual power had been completely drained. Her body gave in, and she slumped against Samuel, her consciousness fading as exhaustion took over.

For Samuel, the torment hadn't fully disappeared, but the storm inside him had calmed enough for him to think clearly again.

Carefully, he carried Lillian and laid her down on the bed. His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he chose not to lie beside her. Instead, he lowered himself to the floor and stayed there, watching her quietly. Complex emotions lingered in his eyes.

He couldn't understand why someone like her would go so far just to save him.

Nor could he figure out what he had ever done to deserve her help.

In his eyes, she was perfect.

When Lillian finally woke, a full day and night had already passed. Warmth surrounded her, and she noticed her hand was still being held firmly.

A slight turn of her head revealed Samuel lying on the cold floor beside the bed, fast asleep.

The small movement didn't go unnoticed. He stirred almost at once, pushing himself upright as his blue eyes locked onto her.

There was something intense in the way he looked at her. His gaze didn't pull back, and combined with his rugged yet striking features, it made her heart skip a beat.

Lillian paused for a moment before reaching out. Her fingers brushed through his messy hair, then touched his ear. "Samuel, why did you sleep on the floor?" she asked in a soft voice.

A low sound slipped from Samuel at the touch. Since he was a werewolf, his ears and tail were highly sensitive. "I'm used to it. And... thank you for saving me and letting me stay here."

That answer wasn't the truth. He hadn't grown used to sleeping on the floor. But he had watched too many others like him get taken away by females who treated them like passing interests. They would leave with females smiling, only to return later with wounds covering their bodies.

Some of those females, backed by their status, didn't hesitate to cross the line and treat their slaves as nothing more than tools for their own desires.

After seeing enough of that, Samuel had come to understand one thing. If he wanted to survive, he had to endure whatever came his way and be compliant.

But...

"Don't say things like that. You should be sleeping on the bed."

Lillian pushed the covers aside and got out of bed, reaching for him as she pulled him to his feet. Only then did she realize just how tall he was. Standing close to him, she barely reached his chest, which forced her to tilt her head up to meet his eyes.

A trace of shyness slipped into her expression before she spoke again. "After what happened last night... are you feeling better now?"

Samuel was stunned for a moment before answering, "I am. You got me through the rut safely."

The memory of that kiss lingered in his mind, and his gaze drifted to her lips without him realizing it. He swallowed instinctively.

He realized that the rumors on Rogue Planet were true. Once a male experienced a deep level of soothing from a female, the feeling would stay with him, pulling him back toward it again and again. He could already feel that pull.

"Wait... you really made it through because of me?" Excitement lit up Lillian's face. "So what I did actually worked?"

When Samuel confirmed it, everything clicked for her. The way her spiritual power worked wasn't the same as that of other females.

Beast cores had never improved her spiritual power, no matter how many she had used. All those years of fighting aberrant beasts hadn't changed anything. Now, she finally understood why. Her spiritual power didn't grow that way at all.

And what had happened last night went beyond simple contact. It was a deeper connection that had allowed her to draw in far more energy than before, upgrading her spiritual power.

Without thinking, Lillian wrapped her arms around Samuel, unable to hide her joy. "Thank you, Samuel!"

The sudden embrace caught Samuel off guard. A faint heat crept across his face, and he didn't know how to react. Every instinct told him to stay wary of her, yet he was unable to do that.

He forced himself to pull away, steadying his thoughts before speaking. "You shouldn't treat me this well. I'm not someone worth your kindness. I've got a criminal record, and I'm marked as a slave from Rogue Planet. If people find out what you did for me, they'll laugh at you."

"No," Lillian responded as she held his hand, her smile unwavering. "Bringing you home was the best choice I've ever made. You're my lucky charm!"

She looked at him. "Stay with me, Samuel. Maybe you're the only one who will."

Samuel stood still as shock took hold of him, and his heartbeat slammed against his chest. He never thought he would hear something like that.

Instead of being used or mistreated by Lillian, he found himself in a position he couldn't even begin to process. She didn't treat him like an object. She regarded him as the only male for her.

Did that really mean he was the only one she chose?

That moved him more than anything else ever had. It sounded almost too good to be real. Still, doubt lingered in his mind, because he knew better than to trust a female easily.

However, at this moment, all he could do was comply.

"I understand," he replied as he lowered himself and pressed a soft kiss against her hand.

Without wasting time, Lillian ordered a set of clothes for Samuel online. After that, she told him to head into the bathroom and wash up. She planned to deal with his injuries once he was done.

While he stayed in the shower, she moved around the kitchen, putting together something to eat while also checking her emails.

She received a list showing the new males assigned to her. This time, the number caught her off guard. There were three.

"Name: Erik Harvey. Species: Succubine. Level: Unknown."

"Name: Nikolas Dixon. Species: Merman. Level: Unknown."

"Name: Darren Lloyd. Species: Vampire. Level: Unknown."

Lillian's brows pulled together as she read through it again. Something didn't add up. Based on what she knew, each bonded male should have a visible level. Yet none of these entries showed one. On top of that, their species were far from ordinary.

She studied the names more closely, and one of them made her pause.

Nikolas Dixon. That name wasn't unfamiliar. It was the name of the heir to B32 Planet, the son of Leviathan.

Lillian's eyes widened as the realization hit, though she quickly tried to dismiss it. The male probably just had the same name as Leviathan's son.

No matter how she looked at it, the situation made no sense to her. With her weak spiritual power and her barely useful F-level esper ability, she had always depended on raw strength to kill aberrant beasts. Someone like her shouldn't even be considered for a bond with Leviathan's son.

There was no way the Yggdrasil assigned someone like that as her fated mate, right?

A heavy weight settled over Lillian as the thought sank in. If "unknown" meant their level had already surpassed S-level and the system had locked it, then dealing with any of the three males would be far beyond what she could handle.

After thinking about the matter for a while, she finally reached out to the bonding center. She explained her situation clearly, stating that her weak ability and F-level spiritual power made it impossible for her to properly soothe any male. She requested that the bonds this time be canceled.

However, her request was denied.

"Yggdrasil's decisions are final when it comes to bond assignments, and there is no reversing them. You have already canceled your bonds once. If you wish to apply again, you'll have to wait three months. Until then, you are expected to get along with any males assigned to you. Who knows, things might work in your favor."

Letting out a quiet sigh, Lillian tried to steady herself and look at the situation from a different angle. If those men truly came from such powerful backgrounds, then they probably wouldn't take any interest in her at all.

There was a chance they would request to cancel the bonds themselves, and that would solve everything for her.

At that same time, the system's allocation reached the males.

In the depths of Ember Planet, an endless stretch of darkness swallowed everything within Rapture City. Chaos ruled the underground as Succubine factions clashed, leaving the streets soaked in blood.

Seated on his throne, Erik, the King of Succubine, found himself surrounded as the uprising unfolded. The rebellion had been set in motion long before, leaving him with no chance to arrange his guards to fight back. Before he could react, Alice Campbell's attack struck, driving a weapon straight into his heart.

With his guards holding the line behind him, Erik forced open a tear in space and threw himself through it, escaping into the vast emptiness beyond.

He eventually landed in the Aberrant Thicket on Azure Planet. Blood soaked through his body, and his silver hair clung to him in tangled strands, streaked with dirt. It took effort just to move, and he had to brace himself against a tree to stay upright while he struggled to steady his breathing. His strength had been drained, and his body reacted by slipping into rut. At that exact moment, Yggdrasil's bond assignment reached him.

He opened his communicator and glanced at the screen, and the haze in his eyes cleared at once.

"Bond with a domina?"

Being the King of Succubine, he had never once needed anyone to soothe him, so this sudden arrangement made no sense to him.

A cough tore from his throat as he tried to gather his power, yet nothing responded the way it should. No matter how he pushed, he couldn't control his own energy.

The attack he had taken earlier wasn't ordinary. Alice had struck him with a Soulreaper Bolt, a weapon meant to drain life force, and it was designed to work against the Succubine bloodline. The wound wouldn't kill him outright, but it would continue to consume his life force, just like a slow and steady bleed.

At this rate, he wouldn't last longer than three months, unless he found a way to replenish his strength with a strong external source.

His eyes dropped back to the communicator as he read the details again. "Bonded Domina: Lillian Clark. Spiritual Power Level: F. Esper Ability Level: F. Residence: No. 17 Rosary Lane, District 3, Azure Planet."

F-level?

Erik went still for a moment before a harsh laugh broke out of him. The sound came low and dry, edged with anger.

"Yggdrasil," he called out, lifting his gaze toward the broken canopy above, "are you trying to help me, or is this some kind of joke?"

He was the King of Succubine. His kind excelled at wielding the power of enticement and using it to bend wills. He could command an army with his spiritual power, but now, he had to rely on an F-level female to soothe him?

Could she even manage that?

No matter how he looked at it, the situation sounded ridiculous.

Even so, the truth remained unchanged. He didn't have the option to refuse. If he wanted to survive, he would have to go find Lillian.

Far away, in Leviathan's Deep on B32 Planet.

Nikolas sat on a throne carved from crystal. A rare diamond spun between his fingers as his eyes drifted toward the figure kneeling before him.

"A domina? I'm being assigned to a domina?" he said.

Kneeling with one knee pressed to the floor, his subordinate could feel the surface beneath him cracking under the pressure in the air. Even so, he forced himself to respond.

"Yes. Yggdrasil has paired you with a domina from Azure Planet."

At the mention of that place, something in Nikolas shifted. His gaze sharpened, and a name slipped from his lips without thought. "Is it Justine Clark?"

If it turned out to be that S-level female, then the matter would be somewhat acceptable.

The subordinate hesitated for a moment before answering, his unease growing, "No, that's not the case. Based on what we found, your domina only has an F-level spiritual power. She's Ms. Justine Clark's older sister. Her name is Lillian Clark."

Nikolas tightened his grip ever so slightly at that. The pink diamond between his fingers shattered into dust in an instant.

"How could that be? Yggdrasil is giving me a useless domina?" Anger flashed across Nikolas' face as his expression darkened.

Silence spread through the hall, thick and suffocating. No one dared to respond. They all understood Nikolas' temper, especially when it came to females. Over the years, the only one he had ever tolerated near him was Justine.

Lucas Hampton, Nikolas' advisor, was the only one who stepped forward, breaking the silence. "Mr. Dixon, I know your preference lies with Ms. Justine Clark, but Yggdrasil's decisions aren't something we can ignore. You'll have to make a trip to Azure Planet and meet the domina assigned to you."

A cold edge crept into Nikolas' voice as he responded, "And if I choose not to?"

Carefully choosing his words, Lucas replied, "Your esper ability has just advanced, and that has pushed you into rut. You need someone to soothe you. An F-level female won't be able to handle that. You could approach Justine directly. Offer Lillian a sufficient amount of beast cores and convince her to give up the bond on her own. That would settle everything."

Nikolas fell quiet for a brief moment before speaking again. "You think she'd actually agree to sever the bond with me?"

From his perspective, females at that level usually reacted the same way. Once they learned who he was, they would cling to the bond Yggdrasil had given them and refuse to let go.

Confidence showed in Lucas' tone. "I've already looked into her situation. Lillian doesn't hold any real standing in her family. Even as a female, she lives under poor conditions. If you present the right offer, she won't hesitate to accept."

If possible, he would prefer to simply bring Lillian here for negotiation. But in this era, females were too rare, and Yggdrasil ensured their protection. No male had the authority to force anything on them. Their status stood above all.

A faint chill settled in Nikolas' tone as he made his decision. "Then she'd better accept. If she refuses, I'll find another way around Yggdrasil and force her to sever the bond."

He wasn't planning to kill her or anything. Instead, he would push her further into hardship, tightening the pressure until she had no choice but to give in and end the bond.