Nyx and Aria exchanged a glance with one another. Their silver and pink eyes were both wide with shock. Neither could quite believe the language their lover had just used on his little sister. Kaiden was always so laid back, so nonconfrontational—at least when it came to the people he loved. He had no trouble confronting any outsider who did something he didn't like.

But this was the voice of a man who was not only seriously scolding someone he loved but was even willing to sever ties if pushed far enough.

Alice stood frozen in front of him, clutching at her chest in desperation and fear as her tears poured freely.

Kaiden raised his hand slowly.

The movement made Alice flinch hard. Her whole body jerked in reaction as if she expected to be struck. She squeezed her eyes shut while trembling violently, waiting for the punishment she was sure was coming.

His hand came down, slowly, making the girl whimper painedly.

But instead of what she expected, his palm settled gently on her head. His fingers slid through her dark hair, stroking it with a tenderness that made her gasp cutely in surprise. Her eyes flew open, shimmering with tears, staring up at him in disbelief.

He shook his head, amused. "I can't believe that you somehow managed to convince that brain of yours that I'd ever strike you. I just wanted you to be more self-aware."

Alice's legs gave out, and she fell to her knees in front of him. Her strong sobs were shaking her small frame. "I thought my life was about to be over!" she wailed.

Kaiden followed her down, kneeling as well, his hand never leaving her head. He kept patting her gently while the corners of his mouth turned upward. "You're still the drama queen that I know, little sister of mine."

"I'm not!" she whined through her tears. "I can't help it…!"

That earned her a hearty laugh from him. "So am I wrong, or did you just admit to it?"

Alice raised her head just enough to pout at him with puffed cheeks and watery eyes. "You're a big bully, big brother!"

"Yes, yes," Kaiden chuckled, shaking his head at her theatrics.

But then, from one moment ot the next, something changed in the atmosphere.

His hand slid from her hair, and his fingers curled under her chin. He tilted her head up, forcing the girl to meet his eyes. The warmth vanished from his expression, replaced by a cold intensity that made even the Valkyries straighten.

"I need to know one thing."

"Did you learn your lesson, Alice Ashborn?"

The playful pout dropped from her face instantly. Her lips trembled, and her wide eyes filled with dread. She could see it clearly; if she didn't answer properly, if she didn't take him seriously this time, she might really lose him. He would not want to associate with her.

She nodded. Hard. Again and again, her tears splashing onto her hands as she looked up at him with absolute determination.

Kaiden held her gaze for a long moment. Then, at last, his lips curved into a smile, and warmth returned to both his expression and the room itself like the sun after a storm.

"Good."

He rose to his feet and looked over at his girls. His voice carried steady confidence again. "We're healthy. The doctors have cleared us. I say it's time we leave before we get any more visitors, but let's go visit Rae and Riven first, see how they're holding up."

"Don't leave me behind~" Bastet's tail swayed excitedly before she pounced with feline grace. Her slim, tanned arms wrapped around Kaiden's shoulders as she began purring right into his ears.

She climbed his back like a kitten, but her body was anything but small. Her generous, feminine curves pressed firmly against him, her toned, juicy thighs sliding into his palms as though it were the most natural handhold in the world. She gave him a peck on the cheeks before resting her chin on his shoulder as she moved her golden eyes first toward Aria… then Alice.

The yandere Valkyrie's stare turned to cold steel, but she made no moves to yank the felinid off.

Alice, however, didn't even react. She trailed behind timidly, still trembling from Kaiden's scolding. Jealousy had no room in her mind when the fear of losing him still clutched her chest like a vice.

Just as Kaiden reached the door, he stopped abruptly. His gaze swept over his little sister, who was following after him like a duckling. "…Where do you think you're going, Alice?"

She froze mid-step. "I-I… with you?" Her tone was hesitant, almost pleading.

"The deal I made with Mother was clear. No one is supposed to know I'm an Ashborn. If Alice Ashborn walks beside me in public, that's a problem. This was why I just scolded you, Alice…"

Her hands twisted together nervously. "I-I know! I messed up because people were in the room I didn't know about and… But the staff had already cleared the entire floor. I… I told them I was visiting someone important. So it's just us here. Us and the twins…"

The dryness in Kaiden's stare only made her shrink further. Her lips quivered. "Y-you can't punish me for this, too! I already learned my lesson! You already punished me for being reckless about associating with you in public!"

Kaiden let out a long, tired sigh before pushing the door open and entering the room right in front of theirs.

The room was split between order and chaos.

On one side, Riven sat upright at a desk with a bandage wrapped around her head and tools scattered around her workspace. She twisted a wrench, tightened a bolt, muttered to herself, and scribbled notes. The Constructrix made it seem as if she hadn't even been hospitalized.

On the other side… Rae was little more than a mummy. Her entire body was covered in plaster and white casts, suspended in a frame to hold her broken body together. Only the faint rise and fall of her chest proved she was even alive.

That was until she glanced up and her lips curved into a crooked smile. "Well, well. I thought we'd been forgotten."

She instantly winced, having found speaking extremely painful.

"You look like shit," Kaiden replied flatly.

That only made Rae chuckle, unbothered.

Riven didn't even look up from her project. Her fingers were quick and precise as she adjusted a screw while parting her lips. "Whenever Rae fights a strong enemy, she always ends up spending days, if not weeks, in the hospital. It's practically tradition at this point."

Aria's lips pressed together before she stepped forward. "Even so… thank you. Both of you. That explosive enemy likely would've killed us if you hadn't been there."

"It's our duty," Riven said. Her words were cold, but she was sincere. The woman struggled expressing herself properly; there was a reason Rae described her as 'autistic as fuck' during their introduction.

From the bed, Rae gave a muffled chuckle that ended in a pained hiss. "Duty, huh? Don't let her fool you, it was fun. Especially once the monsters joined the fray."

Nyx arched an eyebrow at the bound and broken girl. "You need psychological help."

Rae laughed again, though the sound quickly broke under strain. "Oh, you're not the first to say that. The Association already tried. Gave me multiple psychologists." Her smirk widened. "They all gave up pretty quickly. They decreed I was perfectly normal and moved on."

Kaiden shook his head slowly as an incredulous sigh slipped past his lips. But then he turned more serious. "Is there any news on the identities of the perpetrators?"

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