Apocalypse Villainess Transmigrates Into The Beastworld With Debt

Chapter 145: His new family

The silence that settled over the cabin was absolute, broken only by the low, exhausted breathing of the snow leopard against Hana’s neck.

Hana’s thighs were sore, her belly was heavy, and her energy was entirely drained. She would rest and then think about the rest when she woke up.

​Ren stirred with a soft, content grunt, his long, black-striped tail giving a lazy flick against the furs before he slowly lifted his head.

His icy blue eyes were still glazed with lingering pleasure, completely devoid of the captain persona he usually wore before his tribe. He looked down at her, his gaze fixing on the dark, elegant striped mark raised over her right breast, right over her heart.

​"Hana..." he murmured hoarsely, his rough tongue tracing his bottom lip as he carefully slid his limp cock out of her body, making her twitch slightly from the sudden emptiness inside her. "Are you... are you alright?"

​"Yes," Hana muttered, her voice dropping into a tired, flat tone as she pulled the heavy white winter pelts up to cover her chest. "But I am completely spent. I need to sleep now."

​Ren let out a soft, boyish smile, his heart swelling with a strange, deep pull toward the small female. "Sleep, my female. I’ll handle the rest."

​Hana didn’t respond. The moment her eyelids fluttered shut, her mind drifted instantly into a deep, heavy slumber, her body surrendering entirely to the exhaustion of the day.

​Seeing her fall asleep so quickly, Ren quietly slid off the winter pelts, entirely naked.

He didn’t dress himself right away. Instead, he walked over to the wooden basin in the corner of the room, dipped a clean cloth into the water, and walked back to the bed.

Moving with extreme care, his large hands were incredibly gentle as he wiped the sweat and the traces of their mating from her inner thighs and her skin, ensuring she would be perfectly comfortable while she rested.

​Once she was clean, he covered her back up with the thick pelts, pulled on his discarded leather skirt, and turned toward the heavy leather curtain of the hut.

​It was time to face the storm outside.

​The moment Ren pulled back the leather curtain and stepped into the freezing mountain night, three pairs of eyes locked onto him with absolute, suffocating pressure.

​Caspian stood a few paces away, his massive arms still crossed tightly over his chest. His golden eyes were bloodshot, fixated entirely on the fresh scent of Hana’s arousal clinging to the snow leopard.

​Raiden stood right beside him, his nine pink tails lashing violently behind him, slicing through the mountain wind like whips. His handsome face was entirely devoid of its usual mocking smirk, his green eyes flashing with a dangerous, lethal light.

​Kulu leaned against a nearby pine tree, his arms crossed, but his steeled crimson wings were flared outward, his feathers standing completely on end with a fierce, jealous ache.

​Ren looked at the three terrifying Alphas, but he didn’t back down. The nervous hesitation from before was gone, replaced by the calm, steady grounding of a leader who knew his people—and his new family.

He didn’t carry the explosive pride of the dragon or the manipulative arrogance of the fox. He also didn’t carry the desperate air to please and be useful like the Falcon. He had a sensible heart, and he knew exactly what his role had to be.

​"She is fast asleep," Ren said quietly, his voice low and steady so it wouldn’t carry back into the hut. "The marking was successful but she is completely exhausted. Let us not wake her."

​Caspian took a heavy, menacing step forward, a thick plume of black smoke escaping his fangs. "You think because you marked her, you stand on equal ground with us, cat? You are the fourth. Do not forget your place."

​"I know exactly where I stand," Ren replied smoothly, his expression entirely calm and unbothered by the dragon’s threat. He looked between the three of them, recognizing the raw, protective possessiveness burning in their eyes. "Look, I know you all wanted to tear me apart while you were standing out here. I don’t blame you. But I’m not here to steal her away from you, or to rewrite the rules you’ve already established."

​Raiden let out a sharp, irritated hiss, his green eyes narrowing. "Oh? And what exactly are you here for, then?"

​"To stand by her side and protect her. Just like you," Ren said plainly. He gestured toward the vast, frozen mountain peaks around them. "My sister is safe because of her. I belong to her now, and my loyalty is absolute. You three have been with her longer, and I respect that hierarchy. I have no intention of breaking it."

​Kulu’s steeled feathers slowly began to flatten against his back, his amber eyes tracking the honest, unpretentious posture of the snow leopard. "He isn’t lying, Caspian. His eyes do not waver so he seems to know his place."

​Ren saw the tension soften just a fraction, and a small, sensible smile touched his lips. He reached down to his waist, pulling a small wooden flask of strong, fermented mountain liquor from his belt—a traditional reserve kept by the vanguard captains for freezing nights.

​He held it out toward Caspian. "The mountain air is biting tonight. Let’s have a shot. We’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on so let’s get along."

​Raiden stared at the flask, then let out a low, defeated sigh, the lashing of his nine tails finally slowing down to a gentle sway.

"A mediator," the fox muttered, a faint, amused glint returning to his eyes. "How utterly boring. Though, I suppose a sensible heart is better than another hot-headed lizard."

​Caspian glared at the flask for three long seconds, the smoke clearing from his nostrils. Finally, he snatched the wooden flask from Ren’s hand, popped the cork with his teeth, and took a long, burning swallow of the harsh liquor before passing it directly to Raiden.

​"If you ever make her cry out like that again when we are stuck outside," Caspian hoarsely rumbled, his golden eyes narrowing one last time, "hierarchy or not, I will burn your tail off."

​Ren let out a low, breathy chuckle, bowing his head slightly in acceptance. "Understood, Fire king."

​Inside the hut, completely insulated from the cold and the quiet truce of her protectors, Hana slept on in perfect, undisturbed peace.

But as she drifted deeper into sleep, she had a dream. Nor a dream of the apocalypse this time but a rather peculiar one.

In the dream, she stood in the center of four doors. And on those four doors were marks, the same marks on her body. One was black, having the folded dragon wings that were intricately etched on her neck. The second was pink, having the nine tails swaying beautifully as it was on her back. The third had crimson winds, just as they were on her thighs. And the last was white, having a dark striped tail, just like the one etched on the top of her right breast.

"What is this?" She asked, and her voice echoed.