Chapter 276: Princess Carry

"No, of course not... What could they do to me?"

Zoe Pierce had to grab onto Miles Sherman’s and Nathan Lockwood’s hands to keep them from joining Aaron Xavier and Chase Shaw, who were choking the captives so hard they were on the verge of suffocating.

It was certainly difficult to restrain a conscious Zoe Pierce without hurting her.

When Zoe Pierce said this, Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman were the first to understand.

Immediately, Aaron Xavier and Chase Shaw let go as well.

Worry had clouded their judgment.

The moment they entered the spaceship, the pheromones inside had simply gone to their heads.

Then, seeing her disheveled clothes, their minds instantly jumped to the worst conclusions.

That sense of fear and worry spiraled out of control, overwhelming their reason and turning entirely into rage and anxiety.

But once they calmed down, they knew—the suppression patch on the back of Zoe’s neck had been torn by her own hand.

And the Beta men, now bound, were clearly no match for her.

Miles Sherman had already taken out a new suppression patch.

"Head down," he said softly.

Zoe Pierce obediently gathered her hair and lifted it, revealing the suppression patch that was barely hanging on.

Miles Sherman’s breath caught. He tried not to inhale the scent of her pheromones, a scent that was both agonizing and lethally attractive.

His fingers brushed the skin around her slightly raised gland as he quickly applied the new suppression patch to the back of her neck.

"Next time... don’t do it this way."

Miles Sherman’s tone wasn’t severe or critical.

But for some reason, it left Zoe Pierce speechless. When she looked up, she saw that his serious, composed face was filled with worry.

She felt like a good student who’d made a mistake, meekly replying, "Okay."

She hadn’t told them about her plan beforehand; it had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

No wonder she felt a bit guilty now.

After applying the patch, Miles Sherman went to pilot the ship for its descent.

Zoe Pierce was still seated when Nathan Lockwood handed her the Space Button and Mecha she’d been forced to leave behind.

There was no reason to hide anything in front of these Betas anymore.

They were all in the know now.

Watching from the side, the Beta captain finally understood how Nathan Lockwood’s group had been able to track them all this time.

During such a swift and brief escape, no one would have imagined that Zoe Pierce would actually tear off her suppression patch.

The longer she stayed in one place, the more concentrated her pheromones would become.

But since they were all Betas, none of them could smell pheromones.

And the concentration on her person wasn’t high enough to trigger the system’s alerts, so the ship’s sensors didn’t react either.

Their plot hadn’t succeeded in the slightest.

On the contrary, Zoe Pierce had clearly used herself as bait to lure them in.

Realizing the full implications in an instant, the Beta captain’s face immediately darkened.

After using physical ropes from a Space Button to tie up all the Betas, Chase Shaw and Aaron Xavier stopped paying attention to the captives and turned to look at Zoe Pierce.

"How’d you get these?" Though Zoe Pierce had already put her jacket back on, Chase Shaw had still glimpsed the marks on her.

Zoe Pierce looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I just got scraped a minute ago."

"This anesthetic is really strong. My tongue is still numb."

She changed the subject, trying to keep them from focusing on her injuries.

She shouldn’t have said anything. As soon as she mentioned it, Zoe Pierce saw all their brows furrow in unison.

’Great. That’s just another thing for them to worry about.’

After all, they had no idea what those men had injected into Zoe.

"I’ll go see the medic when we get back." An injected substance couldn’t be identified just by looking; it had to be analyzed through a blood test or something similar.

Zoe Pierce saw the grim expressions on their faces and didn’t dare say another word.

They were just too worried about her, that was all.

She knew.

The ship that suddenly flashed its lights and opened its doors to receive a Mecha naturally caught the attention of Colonel Hanson and his men.

Soon, the ship slowed its descent and landed.

Once they identified the Mecha as belonging to Miles Sherman’s group, Instructor Joyce and the others in the welcoming party waited for them in a sheltered area.

Zoe Pierce had intended to walk on her own, but her body was suddenly lifted off the ground.

Aaron Xavier had swept her up into a princess carry with ease.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Instructor Joyce and the others standing at the ship’s entrance.

Her mind went completely blank.

Aaron Xavier, however, clearly wasn’t thinking that far ahead. He strode directly toward Instructor Joyce and the young Alpha Officer sent by Colonel Hanson. "We need a doctor," he stated bluntly.

Zoe Pierce opened her mouth, then promptly shut it.

Not only did she shut her mouth, she even ducked her head slightly.

With everyone’s eyes on her, her toes curled in her shoes from sheer anxiety.

’I can walk...’

’I mean, I don’t have any broken bones, but here I am, being carried for everyone to see.’

’Struggling now would just make it more awkward.’

She completely retreated into herself.

’A part of me wanted to curse Aaron Xavier, but then I looked up and saw beads of sweat in his short hair, dripping down his neck.’

’My heart softened, and I couldn’t bring myself to say a thing.’

She let Aaron Xavier carry her in his frantic search for a doctor.

Fortunately, the military had arranged for a doctor to be on standby ever since she was abducted. Hearing Aaron Xavier, the doctor immediately came forward to take over.

When Aaron Xavier didn’t hear Zoe speak, his voice grew urgent. "Is something else wrong?"

Zoe Pierce’s hand clutched the fabric of his shirt at the shoulder. "No."

Aaron Xavier looked down at her. "Zoe Pierce, you can’t conceal an injury just to avoid treatment. You know that, right?"

Zoe Pierce tilted her face up and, to no one’s surprise, saw the anxiety in his eyes again.

His round, brown eyes were filled with worry, his brow was furrowed, and his breathing was heavy.

She leaned against him gently, catching a glimpse of the people following them out of the corner of her eye. "I know."

Heat flared in Aaron Xavier’s chest.

Her face was like flint; that one simple touch was enough to ignite a fire in his heart.

Aaron Xavier was utterly speechless.

’I want to kiss her.’

’But there are people everywhere.’

Only now did he realize how impulsively he had swept her into his arms.

It wasn’t until he handed Zoe Pierce over to the medic that reason finally suppressed the urge.

Zoe Pierce underwent a thorough examination.

’Lying on the examination table, I feel like I’ve had more check-ups this year than in the last decade combined.’

The blood sample results came back. It was just a rather potent anesthetic.

Normally, the anesthetic shouldn’t have worn off that quickly, but Zoe Pierce’s metabolism was exceptionally fast.

As a result, she metabolized the drug’s effects much faster than a normal person, allowing her to regain her senses sooner.

Once the drug’s effects had completely worn off, she was immediately scheduled for a debriefing.

Zoe Pierce could tell this debriefing was different.

Before, she had always been treated like a criminal under interrogation. This time, however, they came to her bedside to question her.

What’s more, Nathan Lockwood and the others were even allowed to stay by her side.

The treatment was the complete opposite of before.

And, of course, the person questioning her was an old acquaintance.

"Colonel Hanson." The moment the Alpha entered, everyone in Zoe’s room recognized him.

Colonel Hanson walked over, smiling. "The medic says it’s nothing serious, but I still think you should rest for a few days."