Beastly Confession

Marcella raised an eyebrow at the system's calculation. She leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers against the edge of the sleek desk, letting the math sink in. Resonating two 2-Star therians with contamination levels hovering between ninety and ninety-five percent had only cost her four percent of her total psionic power. Attempting a massive group cleanse for fifty therians at once, however, would drain her dry. She had no intention of taking a reckless risk like that. Pushing her limits for a large group could leave her vulnerable, and unless a dire emergency forced her hand, she refused to play fast and loose with her energy reserves.

She pulled up the workstation terminal and navigated to the scheduling interface. She punched in the parameters for tomorrow's group resonance sessions. Thirty openings. Target demographic: 2-Star therians with contamination levels between ninety and ninety-five percent.

Therians had clearly been stalking the booking channel since she started working at the Resonance Tower over the past two days. The moment she confirmed the schedule, all thirty slots vanished in a single second.

Marcella whistled under her breath. That speed was insane. She entered five more slots for individual resonances. They disappeared just as fast, snatched up by desperate therians monitoring the network.

She slapped her thigh as a sudden realization hit her.

"Shoot. I forgot to reserve some psionic power to cleanse Cassian."

The system let out a soft sigh in her mind.

"Ms. Vance, there is no need to worry about conserving psionic power. Sleeping with him will reduce his contamination levels to zero."

Marcella rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That is not the point. If I resonate him now, he will feel better. What is his contamination level anyway?"

"Eighty-eight percent."

Confusion spread across her face. She tried to picture Cassian's usual polished appearance.

"Eighty-eight? But he has not transformed anywhere."

The system paused for a moment before answering.

"Cassian has partial beastification. He simply conceals it with his ability. He is probably worried you would dislike it."

Marcella went quiet. It suddenly clicked. Cassian had been hiding his beast traits this whole time out of pure insecurity. He assumed she would be disgusted by them, just like most females in this world were. She loved fluffy things, and he was missing a prime opportunity to win her over.

Before logging off the network, she checked her dashboard.

[Vitality Points: 61]

[Karma Points: 10.3]

She glanced at the backend rewards and blinked in surprise. Every single therian who joined the group resonance had left her a tip. A new tipping leaderboard had popped up on the interface. Roland sat right at the top. The panda therian had tipped a thousand merits and two hundred thousand galactic credits. She stared at the screen, baffled. That leaderboard had not been there yesterday. She shrugged off the massive sum. The tips were just a simple thank-you for her efforts, and that recognition was enough for her.

She grabbed her bag and headed down to the lobby. Cassian was waiting for her near the entrance. He stood tall in his tailored suit, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses as she approached.

Marcella walked straight up to him and tilted her head.

"Cassian, where exactly are you beastified?"

He froze. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes before he answered.

"Tail and ears."

Her eyes brightened instantly.

"Can I touch them?"

Cassian stared at her, stunned. Most females detested his beast form. He had kept it hidden to avoid driving her away. He never expected her to actually like it.

"Go ahead. Touch however you want."

He deactivated the psionic ability concealing the traits on his head. Two soft, pointed fox ears materialized through his hair. They twitched slightly in the cool air of the lobby. He kept his tail hidden beneath his clothes.

Marcella reached up to pinch the fluffy ears.

Cassian stepped forward and scooped her up into his arms. Her feet left the floor, and her body stiffened in surprise. She blinked down at him, her hands instinctively resting on his broad shoulders.

"Ms. Vance, this makes it easier for you to pinch them."

Marcella remained silent. She had only given him a gift at noon, and he was already pushing the boundaries of their physical intimacy. Still, it saved her from craning her neck, and the position was undeniably comfortable. She ran her fingers over the soft fur, gently kneading the pointed tips.

The system cheered in her mind, praising Cassian for his bold move.

Once she had her fill of the fox ears, Cassian set her down on her feet. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with hers. His grip was firm and warm. He led her toward the elevator banks.

The polished metal doors slid open. Sylvia stood inside with her family of six. Sylvia looked pale as a sheet of paper. She leaned heavily against Garrick, who held her up in his arms. The S-tier female looked drained, struggling just to keep her eyes open.

They exchanged brief greetings in the lobby area. Marcella studied Sylvia's pale face and drooping shoulders. The female looked like she had barely five percent of her psionic power left. She had pushed herself to the extreme limit.

"Ms. Rostova, how many therians did you resonate today?" Marcella asked.

Sylvia managed a weak, exhausted smile. She opened her mouth to answer, but Orson, worried about her failing strength, beat her to it.

"One 9-Star therian."

Marcella stared at him in shock. Just one 9-Star therian left an S-tier female this depleted? The massive disparity in effort required for high-ranking therians was staggering.

"How much did you reduce the contamination levels?" Marcella asked.

"Ten percent."

Marcella pressed her lips into a straight line. Only ten percent for all that exhaustion. The toll it took on Sylvia was harsh.

"Ms. Rostova, you are incredible."

Sylvia's mates had already noticed Marcella's shift in attitude that morning, but hearing genuine respect from her still caught them off guard. A soft warmth stirred in Sylvia's chest.

"You too."

Cassian gave Marcella's hand a gentle squeeze, leading her past the group and out toward the main doors. Jared stood near the elevator, watching Cassian and Marcella walk away hand in hand. A sharp flicker of envy burned in his eyes. He remembered his own past. He never had one-on-one time to connect with his female. They had all moved into Sylvia's place at the same time, sharing every moment.

Jared watched their intertwined hands until they disappeared through the sliding glass doors.

"Hope Marcella really has changed."