Chapter 3 Where Is This Hostility Coming From

"Let's get moving," Haley ordered.

Dylan lifted his head, his golden-brown eyes as cold and lifeless as ever. "I see. Please file the paperwork to dissolve our bond, then."

Haley tilted her head, examining him with interest. Her crimson lips curved into a dazzling smile beneath the sunlight. "You want to break off our bond? What's wrong? I'm penniless, and now that I've angered the new princess, you're eager to abandon me too to save your own ass?"

Dylan looked genuinely bewildered. "You're penniless? You have eight mates. The Bonding Service Center should provide you with a household allowance. If they haven't paid you, I can lodge a formal complaint for you."

Haley stared at him and blinked.

Was he deliberately missing the point, or was he really this clueless?

"I haven't received a single coin from them, so go ahead and complain if you want. But for now, I'm leaving the city to hunt aberrant beasts, and you're coming along."

Dylan pushed himself up and rolled his sleeves higher. "I'm staying here."

Haley inhaled slowly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you actually refusing to obey me?"

Instead of answering, Dylan stretched out on the ground beside the entrance, making himself comfortable right there. "My spiritual power is only two points away from collapsing and going completely berserk. If that happens, nobody in Veritia will be strong enough to restrain me. Innocent people could lose their lives."

By then, Haley had opened the door and spotted the storage device Erika had left outside. She picked it up, examined what was inside, and gave a contemptuous snort.

Dylan's brows drew together at the sound.

Before his spiritual power had deteriorated, he had served as the Empire's Supreme Commander.

His foremost responsibility had always been protecting ordinary werecreature citizens. Even if he was to lose control and die any moment, he would rather find an isolated wasteland far from civilization than endanger a single innocent soul.

Yet his new domina appeared completely unconcerned about the danger he posed or the principle he stood by.

"I know I'm practically useless in my current condition, and I can tell you despise me," Dylan stated plainly. "There's no point dragging this out. Let's terminate the bond tight now. I have two hundred thousand star coins in my account. Take every last one as compensation."

Haley's eyebrows shot up. "Two hundred thousand star coins? You're an imperial commander, and that's your entire fortune? A single Level 5 aberrant beast can fetch more than a hundred thousand coins!"

Dylan felt his temper fraying with every word she uttered. At this rate, he would soon be one point away from a complete rampage.

His jaw tightened. "If you think I'm that worthless, why don't you simply let me go?"

Haley tossed the storage device into his hands. "We'll dissolve the bond when the three-month trial period is over. But now, sell everything inside on the Star Net. Surely handling such a simple errand won't push you into a rampage?"

With a gloomy expression, Dylan rose and walked into the living room.

Haley remained in the yard, releasing a quiet sigh.

What a miserable situation she was stuck in! Her new life had barely begun, and she was already saddled with a walking disaster.

With her abilities reduced to almost nothing, she had somehow ended up with a ticking bomb that could explode into a deadly rampage at any moment. This new world certainly had a peculiar sense of humor in welcoming her.

Still, Haley wasn't about to abandon her plans. Grabbing her little gardening trowel, she headed out to investigate the aberrant beasts beyond the city.

At this point, she could only hope that the other seven mates Erika had so carefully arranged for her wouldn't turn out to be a complete burden.

Haley closed the gate behind her and continued down the street, her fingers wrapped firmly around the trowel.

A wave of murderous intent suddenly washed over her. This time, it wasn't her imagination.

She kept walking without showing the slightest reaction. Only after reaching the far end of the street did she stop and speak in an even tone. "Come out."

A figure with fiery red hair emerged slowly from the shadows around the corner.

"Are you Haley Collins, my domina?" The unfamiliar male's voice was clear and steady, carrying not a trace of nervousness.

His vivid red hair and matching eyes immediately caught her attention. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested neatly on his nose, complementing his handsome, refined features and the air of an intellectual.

Yet his gaze remained strangely unfocused behind the lenses, as though he couldn't see the person standing before him.

"My name is Jordy Taylor. The Bonding Service Center assigned me to you as a mate."

Haley approached cautiously and waved her hand in front of his face, testing his reaction.

Jordy smiled faintly, the corners of his lips lifting with quiet amusement. "I'm blind. Didn't you know that?"

Haley retreated a step. "No, I didn't. If moving around is difficult for you, why didn't you stay home instead of following me?"

Years of surviving brutal battles in the apocalypse had sharpened Haley's instincts to an extraordinary degree. She could recognize hostility long before it became an outright attack. And she was certain that the murderous aura she'd sensed moments earlier had come from this male.

"I... I wasn't sure whether you'd accept someone like me." Jordy's lips pressed together as his composure began to crumble. For the first time, he appeared nervous and uncertain. His unfocused eyes shifted aimlessly through the space around him as he added hastily, "But I can still help you. I promise I won't become a burden."

Haley chuckled softly. "In that case, I'm going out to hunt aberrant beasts. Will you come with me?"

Jordy froze, clearly taken aback by the invitation.

"How could a noble domina like yourself go hunt aberrant beasts alone? Besides, I'm blind. Taking me along would probably only cause trouble."

Haley raised an eyebrow and scrutinized him for a moment. "You just promised that you wouldn't hold me back. Now you're making it awfully difficult for me."

Her voice carried a note of genuine frustration, as though she were struggling to decide what to do with him.

If Jordy had been able to see, however, he would have noticed the cheerful smile spreading across her face. There wasn't the slightest hint of distress in her expression.

Haley then let out a heavy sigh and added in mock empathy, "Never mind. Perhaps we should just end this bond. I'm not good at looking after others, and if something happened to you while you were with me, I'd be held responsible."

Jordy's gentle smile disappeared. His shoulders drooped, and the corners of his mouth fell.

He did want to dissolve the bond, but not yet. There were things he needed to settle first.

"So you don't want me simply because I'm blind?" he murmured.

Haley moved closer, lowering her voice until it became a gentle whisper. "Your blindness isn't the problem here. I'm simply afraid."

Jordy turned his face toward the sound, his expression momentarily blank with confusion.

Haley laughed under her breath before continuing, "I'm afraid you'll wait until I'm fast asleep and then plunge a knife into me. After all, this is the first time we've ever met, isn't it? So where is this hostility coming from?"

Jordy's hands curled into tight fists, his fingers trembling slightly. "You really have no idea what happened?"

Haley stared at him in confusion. She was just about to ask what he meant when her communicator suddenly erupted into a rapid series of beeps.