<Episode 82>

Bang!

Eveline pulled the trigger, but the bear remained unscathed.

Her vision was already blurry from the dizziness, and the falling snow made it even harder to see. Fortunately, the bear was startled by the loud gunshot and the bullet embedding itself in a nearby tree, and it ran off.

“Ha…”

Eveline let out a sigh of relief as she watched the bear retreat, then collapsed to the ground. The recoil from firing the gun had been overwhelming.

In the past, it wouldn’t have felt this intense, but now her body was too worn out to handle it.

“Damn…”

She passed out again, her strength drained further by the injury on her head.

* * *

When Eveline opened her eyes again, she was back in the cave she had come from.

By her side, the Crown Prince Ferite was busying himself with something.

“What are you doing, Your Highness?”

“I found this up there.”

“Nahan fruits,” she muttered, recognizing them.

As she pondered where he could have found them, her hand brushed against something crudely wrapped around her head.

“Your head started bleeding again.”

“You shouldn’t waste cloth like this. Especially since your clothes are already thin, Your Highness.”

Eveline realized that the material wrapped around her head was part of his black cloak. Its torn edge confirmed it.

“The fur cloak is warm enough. What about you, Eveline? Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Ferite handed her a peeled nahan fruit.

“Your Highness, this is overcooked.”

“Apologies. It was the best I could find.”

“No, thank you. I appreciate the effort.”

Eveline examined the two nahan fruits he had brought. They were almost like rum in fruit form, capable of warming one’s body.

But now, in the presence of a Royal Alpha, the situation felt different. If she had been with Elkais, she wouldn’t have hesitated to eat it, but now…

“We’ve eaten these together before.”

“Yes, but back then, I didn’t realize you truly wanted to imprint with me.”

“I was always sincere. Only by imprinting with a Royal Omega can I become emperor.”

Ferite’s need for the Wilden family’s power and a Royal Omega for his lineage was no secret.

Eveline couldn’t fathom how he could still calculate his path to the throne even in this dire situation, and her wariness of him returned.

“If I had any bad intentions, I would’ve tied you up and bitten your neck while you slept.”

“…That’s true.”

Eveline nodded, taking the nahan fruit he offered.

“Thank you for saving me earlier, Lady Wilden. I never realized how terrifying bears could be.”

Although he smiled as he said this, it didn’t seem genuine. Eveline wondered if he was masking his fear behind formality.

“When will your magic return?”

“I don’t know. It seems it won’t come back easily after overexerting it back then.”

Eveline felt guilty, realizing that his magic had likely been depleted because of her stubbornness.

“Lady Wilden.”

“Yes?”

Eveline bit into the nahan fruit. The strong scent of rum stung her nose.

“There’s a significant secret about imprinting.”

“What is it?”

Eveline was aware of the general concept of imprinting between Alphas and Omegas.

During their union, an Alpha biting an Omega’s neck would create a mutual imprint. She had never heard of imprinting occurring elsewhere, so she had assumed it was fine when Elkais bit her in a place other than her neck.

“Imprinting requires a form of consent. That’s why physical intimacy is usually necessary.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that consent alone can lead to imprinting without physical intimacy?”

“Yes. However, it requires fully accepting the other person as your destined mate.”

Now that she thought about it, Eveline had been bitten several times since coming here. Despite that, she could still sense the pheromones of Alphas and had not been imprinted.

She had assumed it was because she hadn’t been physically intimate.

“But what I’ve heard is…”

“An Alpha cannot imprint on an Omega without their consent. Simply biting does nothing.”

“How do you know this, Your Highness?”

“I once accidentally bit an Omega.”

Eveline, not wanting to hear about Ferite’s sordid past with an Omega, took another bite of the nahan fruit in her hand. The tart flesh, infused with high alcohol content, burned as it slid down her throat.

“That Omega had feelings for someone else. That’s why the imprint didn’t happen. I realized it then.”

“Then why did that Omega have a relationship with you, Your Highness?”

“They were forced by their family to be with me.”

“And you knew that, but still went through with it?”

“Yes.”

Eveline had no interest in who that Omega was. She simply found the conversation both useful and exhausting, wishing to move on to another topic.

“You seem to have no plans for life after leaving this island,” Ferite said, shifting the subject.

“When I leave this island, I intend to go abroad.”

“Why?”

Eveline couldn’t discern why he was asking, but she despised being an Omega and knew that returning to her family would mean being treated like a breeding horse.

She had once envied Abellard for being a young duke and an Omega, able to live freely. But she hadn’t realized then that, as an Omega, Abellard too had likely been treated like a commodity.

It wasn’t until Eveline became an Omega herself that she could begin to understand his plight.

If she returned to the Wilden family, she knew it wouldn’t be long before Ferite’s word would strip the choker from her neck and send her straight into his bedchamber.

She loathed the thought.

The only reason Abellard hadn’t suffered the same fate was because he was a unique Royal Omega. Now, as a Royal Alpha, returning to the empire would likely secure his position as duke without difficulty.

But Eveline? She would remain a pawn in the imperial family’s games.

“I need someone who sees me as Eveline, not as an Omega.”

Her words made her chuckle bitterly. It sounded like something Elkais would say.

For the first time, she thought she might understand what Elkais had been longing for.

“Imprinting ensures that you only see each other. Regardless of your natural inclinations, you’ll accept each other as destined partners. Isn’t that enough?” Ferite asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t trust a love that comes from imprinting. There’s a difference between imprinting after genuine feelings have developed and feelings that come as a result of imprinting.”

Ferite nodded, acknowledging her point.

“You’re honest, Lady Wilden.”

“Yes. I don’t want to spend my life doubting whether my imprinted partner’s feelings were genuine. I want to imprint only when my feelings are already certain.”

At her response, Ferite quietly ate his share of the nahan fruit. Though they finished all they had, neither of them felt significantly less hungry.

“Once the alcohol wears off, let’s hunt again and continue searching for your brother.”

“Agreed.”

Eveline leaned back, closing her eyes briefly, waiting for the faint buzz from the nahan fruit to fade.

* * *

When Eveline felt clear-headed enough, she grabbed her gun and stepped outside. She examined the animal tracks in the snow.

“These aren’t worth following. They’re wolf tracks,” she said.

“I see that,” Ferite agreed.

Eveline had no intention of hunting wolves. Wolves tended to travel in packs, and killing one would likely provoke the others into retaliating.

Instead, she examined another set of tracks nearby.

“What about these?”

“The prints are large. Probably a snow leopard.”

Eveline decided the snow leopard was a safer option.

They followed the tracks through the snow until they heard a low growl.

“How long has it been following us?” Eveline muttered, looking toward the source of the sound.

On a tree branch above them, the snow leopard crouched, ready to pounce.

“Is your magic back?” Eveline asked, glancing at Ferite as he raised his hand, attempting to summon his abilities. Nothing happened.

“No.”

Eveline’s vision wavered, and her aim felt unsteady. Once, her shooting had been precise, but now, even keeping her eyes on the target was difficult. Her injury had clearly affected her abilities.

“Rawr!”

The snow leopard leapt, but not at Eveline—it targeted Ferite.

“Your Highness!”

Ferite stepped back, but not before the leopard’s claws tore through the side of his fur cloak, ripping it off.

Bang!

Eveline fired, but her shot missed.

“Lady Wilden!” Ferite called as the leopard redirected its attack toward her. Eveline stayed calm and fired again.

Bang!

Another miss.

“Ugh!” Eveline flinched as the snow leopard grazed her side, tearing her clothes and drawing blood.

“Be careful!” Ferite shouted, grabbing a rock and hurling it at the snow leopard as it prepared to pounce again.

“Hiss!”

The leopard dodged the rock and lunged toward Eveline.

“Ha…”

Bang!

Eveline’s shot went wide again.

But before the leopard could strike, it froze mid-air and fell lifelessly to the ground.

“So loud… Here you are,” a voice said.

Standing there, with the snow leopard split cleanly in two, was Elkais. His expression was one of palpable irritation.

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