"Oh, look at those creatures locked in the enclosures—are they all genuine?" Rory asked, her curiosity sharpening with each glance as she continued to look around.
"All of them," Jasper replied without hesitation, his hands steady on the Gravicar’s controls as he guided it along the gently winding road.
Outside the viewport, towering structures rose like silent sentinels, their forms half-swallowed by greenery. "Rory," he continued, "the interiors of these towers are built with spatial stone."
He slowed just enough for emphasis.
"You could almost think of each tower as a miniature, self-contained forest," he went on. "The space inside doesn’t follow ordinary proportions. Terrain, waterways, and entire ecosystems are folded inward. Our offices are scattered throughout that ’forest,’ concealed among the landforms and vegetation rather than arranged in simple corridors."
He lifted one hand briefly from the controls and gestured toward the enclosures lining the path. Translucent barriers shimred faintly, separating dense habitats from the roadway beyond.
"The beasts we cultivate here are extraordinarily rare," Jasper said. "Many of them no longer exist in the wild. The energy stored within their cores is purer—far more stable—than almost anything you’d encounter elsewhere in the known systems."
Rory’s eyes widened as she followed his gesture, taking in the silhouettes moving through the foliage and mist. Claws, wings, and gleaming eyes flashed briefly before vanishing back into cover.
"So... we don’t just hunt them?" she asked slowly, the pieces finally clicking into place.
"No," Jasper replied, a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "We study them. ticulously." His tone carried pride now. "Through experintal therian thodologies, we’ve learned how to safely accelerate their breeding cycles without destabilizing their cores. That’s why creatures like these are virtually unheard of outside the Alliance."
Understanding dawned fully on Rory then. No wonder she had never glimpsed such exotic beings before—no matter how far she traveled or how dangerous the contracts she accepted. These creatures had never been part of the wider world.
Her gaze shifted from the enclosures to the ticulously tended greenery stretching between them: layered terraces of luminous leaves, curling vines heavy with fruit, and plants she recognized only from fragnted field manuals.
"And those herbs?" she asked, curiosity sharpening her voice. "They’re cultivated too?"
Jasper shook his head. "Herbs are different. They can’t be replicated artificially." His expression grew more serious. "Even if you force them to grow, even if they look identical, the essence is never the sa. The results will always fall short of the original."
He looked toward the verdant plots beyond the road.
"Here, we grow them primarily for their fruit," he continued. "So of it is distributed as rewards to Alliance personnel. The rest goes out as special commissions from the Central District."
As they drove on, Rory absorbed every detail, astonished by the scale and sophistication of the Hunter Alliance’s operations. "I never imagined they’d manage sothing so vast," she admitted.
"I’ll show you my office next," Jasper said.
When they arrived, Rory was speechless.
The office wasn’t just large—it was monuntal, easily the grandest within the entire Alliance. Rare herbs thrived in cultivated pockets, and a variety of beasts, species Rory couldn’t even na, road freely.
At the center rose a massive timber hall spanning over ten thousand square feet. The wood shimred faintly, emitting an aura of refined luxury she couldn’t identify. A green energy shield enveloped the building, pulsing softly—a far more advanced barrier than the rudintary shield she had seen at her villa earlier.
As their Gravicar approached, the shield automatically parted, forming a narrow slit, admitting them partially into the enclosure.
"This is where I usually reside," Jasper explained. "I do have an estate on A-49, but I understand so females prefer calr environnts. Once you’ve explored here, you may rest at the estate if you wish."
"No, I love it here," Rory said quickly, and she ant it. The place was beyond anything she had ever imagined.
They stepped out, and the mont Rory crossed the threshold, a hyper-realistic smart robot glided toward her.
"Honorable Female Master," it intoned, voice smooth and precise. "A male nad Nix Slade is outside requesting an audience. Would you like to et him?"
"Wait... it’s speaking to ?" Rory asked, turning to Jasper with a mixture of surprise and wonder.
"Yes," he said gently. "I transferred all permissions to you before we arrived. This is your domain now."
Rory’s heart swelled with unexpected emotion. Jasper had always treated her with honesty and openness, never concealing his intentions. Overwheld, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Jasper, you’re incredible," she whispered.
A subtle blush crept across his cheeks. He hesitated for a heartbeat before lowering his head and brushing a gentle kiss against her cheek.
"You’re incredible too, Rory," he murmured. "When I first received the Beastmate System notification, I feared the worst. I thought the Beast God might pair with a female who would look down on a cold-blooded therian like —soone who couldn’t stand my presence. But you... you accepted fully, without hesitation, with kindness. eting you has been the greatest blessing of my life."
He understood her history—how Rory had mostly lived alone, how the closest bond she had known was with Gina, who treated her mate with care and respect. Most females’ behavior was foreign to Rory, yet Jasper’s sincerity filled the void in her heart.
Her eyes lit up like crescent moons, brilliant and warm. He wanted to kiss her again, to feel that joy reflected in her.
"Honorable Female Master," the robot interrupted crisply, "Nix Slade has requested an audience once more. Would you like to et him?"
The mont shattered. Jasper, still flushed, glanced at Rory. "Do you know him?"
Rory blinked, montarily confused. She activated her light-brain, scrolling through her suitor list. Recognition dawned slowly.
"He’s... one of my suitors," she admitted. "Though he did transfer funds to request a dissolution so ti ago."
"Then why is he here now?" Jasper asked, brows knitting in concern.
"I don’t know," Rory confessed. "I’ve only just arrived at the Hunter Alliance. How would he even know I’m here? Don’t tell he’s one of your mbers."
Jasper shook his head. "No. Nix isn’t part of the Alliance. He’s a world-renowned cha master within the Empire, designing every high-end battleship currently deployed by the Empire Army, along with advanced cha and Gravicar models. His genius is unparalleled—a once-in-a-millennium talent. Wherever he appears, the Empire assigns their most formidable Etherians to guard him."
Jasper’s tone darkened, a shadow passing over his face. The calm, controlled environnt of the Hunter Alliance suddenly seed charged with tension.
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