Becoming a Monster

Chapter 531 - 530: The Fate of Their Kind

To Noah’s summons, Dog responded without hesitation.

The large canine immediately rose to his feet and started forward, his tail held high behind him and his steps steady.

He did not pause to wonder why Noah had called him. He did not glance toward the others for reassurance, nor did he look back at the pack to see what they thought.

To Dog, the matter was simple.

If Noah wanted him, then there was a reason.

Alexandria, however, froze the moment Arachne relayed the message.

Her ears rose sharply while countless thoughts immediately began moving through her mind. It wasn’t fear exactly, but the worries she had been trying to suppress earlier were quickly growing into doubt.

Why would Noah suddenly call for both of them specifically?

Her thoughts instinctively drifted toward the atmosphere that had settled among the cats and dogs after Dog explained what happened. The unease. The insecurity. The quiet fear that perhaps Noah truly viewed them differently from the others.

The longer Alexandria stood there, the heavier those thoughts became.

Had Noah finally grown dissatisfied with them?

The felines had not contributed nearly as much as Dog and his group. The dogs hunted more aggressively. They patrolled more willingly. They threw themselves into danger with less hesitation.

Meanwhile, the felines were still cautious and independent by nature.

Those were useful traits under normal circumstances, but what if Noah no longer wanted normal? What if caution looked like weakness now? What if independence looked like reluctance to obey?

Before Alexandria could sink any deeper into those thoughts, Dog had already begun walking away without her.

Alexandria blinked. Then she forced herself to inhale slowly.

’Calm down.’

Her gaze instinctively shifted toward Arachne, who still stood silently on the side.

The spider queen still hadn’t moved, simply watched, waiting for both of them to go.

That detached stare alone made Alexandria’s chest tighten slightly. Arachne’s gaze did not feel curious. It did not feel impatient either.

It felt like something colder than both, as if she were silently measuring how long Alexandria would take before deciding whether that hesitation meant something.

Alexandria’s claws lightly pressed against the ground before she quickly moved in place.

Only after both she and Dog began walking did Arachne disappear again, returning to her original position near Noah as though she had never left.

The instant Arachne’s presence vanished from nearby, a subtle wave of relief spread through the gathered beasts.

Neither the dogs nor the felines fully relaxed around her.

To them, Arachne was a cold queen.

It was not merely because of her expressionless face or the way her voice rarely carried warmth. It was the way her eyes seemed to fixate on every tiny movement around her.

Anyone standing before her felt as if she were watching for the smallest flaw, the faintest sign of disobedience, the slightest proof that they were not worth keeping.

That feeling had only worsened after they learned what she had done to one of her own.

None of them had seen it personally, but they had heard enough.

The dogs remained silent afterward, but eventually, one of the felines could no longer contain his worry.

The thick-furred Maine Coon lowered his ears slightly as he watched Alexandria’s retreating figure.

”What do you think Noah wants with them?” he asked quietly.

His voice was directed toward everyone and no one at the same time.

Then his gaze tightened further.

”Will Alexandria the Third be alright?”

Even outside her presence, the felines still used her full name.

Some of it came from habit. Some of it came from pride. But beneath that pride was respect, and beneath that respect was fear that the one holding them together might be walking toward something none of them could stop.

The question left the dogs quiet as well.

Some of them looked toward Dog with confidence. Others looked toward Alexandria with uncertainty. A few other ones glanced between the two groups, unsure whether this was supposed to be a good thing.

Eventually, all eyes shifted toward Dobby.

The blind cat remained seated where he was, his half-closed cloudy eyes fixed on Dog and Alexandria as they moved toward Noah. His expression was unusually somber, though not afraid.

For several seconds, he said nothing. The silence stretched long enough for the Maine Coon’s tail to twitch anxiously.

Then Dobby’s head lightly tilted up towards the sky.