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‘If he hadn’t scented you first, you would’ve been mine.’

She froze and blinked.

She twisted back to face him, brows lifting in disbelief at the raw audacity of his words.

With a tilt of her head, she parsed his tone. It was not flirtatious or cruel.

Instead, it was a simple, honest declaration, almost as if he were stating a law of gravity, a dangerous, timeless truth.

For one shaky breath, she imagined being his and letting that wild spectral energy claim her. It stirred a primal and untamed emotion deep in her belly.

With an inhale, she shook it off, spine straightening.

‘Well, he claimed me first, and I love him.’

Bone’s eyes narrowed on her, then a slight curve appeared on his mouth, accompanied by a nod. Not one of defeat, but approval.

‘Good. Tis serendipity and the way it should be. I shall hunt another to mark.’

His voice held no bitterness, twas only a timbred, hoarse resolution.

Still, the air snapped and charged around him, his words crackling with unspoken intent.

She exhaled, lips curving in amused disbelief. ‘You do that.’

With that, she turned on her heel and strolled out, still reeling, a little unsettled, and somewhat flattered.

She headed for the loading dock, where theÚltima Xwaited, and made tracks into the armory alongside the bay.

The scent of weapon polish and clean steel inside the vault greeted her.

Each member of the strong guard was already suited or prepping, quiet and focused.

Fortified lockers lined the walls, labeled with Signet crew names etched in metallic cursive. She walked to Xander’s and keyed in his access code.

The locker hissed open to reveal her full Sable Mk VIII armor: deep matte black trimmed with midnight violet, a rare customization gifted to her by Xander.

Lightweight but reinforced with ion-threaded memory mesh, the suit self-adjusted to her heat signatures and pulse fluctuations, like a second skin.

She stepped into the exo-suit piece by piece.

The chest plate latched into place with a subtle click.

The spinal shield slid along her back and merged at the collar.

She rotated her arms and flexed her hands as the gauntlets synced with her neural commands. Her helmet remained in her hand, for now.

Miral emerged from a side chamber, suited in chrome-and-smoke Sable armor. Her eyes gleamed behind her iridescent visor.

Her regenerated form gave off light, the metanoids swirling under her skin like stars behind stormglass.

Kaal stood nearby, his larger bulk encased in an armored suit with added shoulder ballast, meant for close-quarters combat.

He checked his pulse blades, flipped his shield, and nodded at Savvine.

‘You prepped?’ he asked.

‘I’m more than ready.’