Chapter 4Escaping His Lethal Obsession

Through the scrolling texts over the past few weeks, I had pieced together a devastating reality. I was living inside a sci-fi military romance novel.

Rhys was the male lead. The undisputed Captain of the First Imperial Exo-Armor Division. The female lead was a woman named Sloane—the absolute top of this year’s graduating class at the Academy.

Sloane’s resume was flawless. Her one, driving ambition was to join the First Division.

Her interview was supposed to be yesterday. But because I had called Rhys in the middle of a panic attack, he had pushed everything back to today.

And right now, sitting in his sleek, glass-walled office at the base, I was holding Sloane’s resume in my hands.

Clipped to the top right corner were two photos. One was her true form: a sleek, magnificent red fox, her chin tilted up with quiet pride. The other was her human form: a striking girl with fiery red hair pulled into a high, practical ponytail. Her sharp, fox-like eyes looked out from the frame—calm, intelligent, and unyielding.

Right next to my chair was the trash can.

All I had to do was slip the file over the edge. Rhys wouldn't notice. Even if he did, he wouldn't yell at me.

In fact, when I told him I wanted to tag along to his office today, he had specifically handed me this thick stack of recruit dossiers just to keep me entertained. He had kissed the soft crown of my rabbit ears and told me that if I saw anyone whose face I didn't like, I could just throw them out. He didn't care that I knew absolutely nothing about Exo-Armor mechanics.

In a galaxy teeming with prodigies, there was an ocean of talent to choose from. Getting picked was often more about luck than raw skill.

I flipped past Sloane's photo to read her stats.

Reflexes: SSS+

Agility: SSS+

Combat Lethality: SSS+

Where other recruits had a flaw or two, she was practically flawless. And on top of that, she was the only female hybrid in the entire elite applicant pool. Strong. Rational. Driven. Gorgeous.

I didn't need the floating Feed to tell me the truth. If Rhys met her, he would undoubtedly be drawn to her.

"Find something interesting, sweetheart?"

Rhys had just finished signing off on a requisition form. He spun his chair around, his arm naturally wrapping around my waist, pulling me against his side. He cast a bored, indifferent glance at the stack of papers on my lap. "If you don't like her, just toss it."

"No." My voice was a small, tight whisper. "This one... she looks really impressive. You should look at her, Rhys."

I pressed the dossier against his chest.

"You like her?" He leaned in, pressing another lingering kiss to my drooped ear.

Ever since last night, he had become startlingly affectionate. His emotions were closer to the surface. He kept calling me sweetheart. He couldn't seem to stop touching me.

But I knew the truth. Once the male and female leads finally met, all of this would evaporate.

"Yeah," I forced myself to say. "She's amazing. I want to see her."

Rhys called his adjutant and ordered Sloane to be brought in first.

Right before the heavy office door swung open, I panicked. I shifted back into a tiny, white lop-eared rabbit and buried myself entirely inside Rhys's uniform jacket.

[Ahhhh! The main couple is finally meeting! I’m screaming!]

[Look at those two stoic badasses. The eye contact alone is explosive. The chemistry is off the charts! They look so good together!]

[The sister is kind of pitiful though. The bunny is literally crying under his coat.]

[...Well, it’s her fault for not being the main character, right?]