Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands

Chapter 485: Chapter-485

Kaya stared at him for a long moment, then carefully holstered the weapon. "Do you know," she said slowly, "this is the first time I’ve felt genuine gratitude toward you that I didn’t immediately regret?"

Veer made a face, pressing his hand dramatically to his chest. "Oh really? I’m wounded. After all I’ve done? Flying back into danger, catching you mid-suicide jump, carrying your ’weight’ across miles of forest—"

"Don’t push it," Kaya warned, but there was the ghost of a smile on her lips. "And don’t ever touch my gun again without permission."

"Yes, ma’am," Veer said with mock seriousness. Then his expression shifted, becoming more genuine. "But we should keep moving. We’re still too close to eagle territory. And we need to get back to Cutie and Ryn."

Kaya nodded, pushing herself to her feet despite her protesting muscles. "Let’s go then. How much farther?"

---

They’d been walking for maybe fifteen minutes when Veer suddenly stopped, holding up his hand.

Kaya froze, her hand automatically going to her knife. "What is it?"

"Someone’s ahead. Small. Moving fast." Veer tilted his head, listening. Then his face broke into a relieved smile. "It’s Cutie."

"Really?"

As if in answer, a small brown rabbit burst out of the underbrush, transforming mid-leap into the slight young man with messy brown hair and brilliant blue eyes.

"There you are!" Cutie practically shouted, his voice a mixture of relief and frustration. "Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? You said you’d be back soon and it’s been hours and I heard eagle screeches and—"

"Breathe, Cutie," Kaya said, reaching out to steady him. "We’re fine. We made it."

"Barely," Veer muttered.

Cutie looked between them, taking in their disheveled appearance, the cuts and bruises, the exhaustion written on both their faces. "What happened? Did they hurt you?"

"Nothing we couldn’t handle," Kaya said. "Just..."

"Just what?".

Kaya stared at him for a long second, something unreadable flickering across her face, before she finally slid the gun back into its holster. The sharp click of it locking into place cut clean through the damp silence around them.

"This is the first time I’ve felt like this."

"Like what?" Cutie asked, wringing water from his ears, his nose scrunching slightly as droplets flicked off.

Kaya let out a slow breath, her shoulders still tense despite everything. "Like I want to punch everyone."

Veer made a face, tilting his head with exaggerated sympathy. "Oh really? Little judo?"

Her glare was immediate and flat. "Enough. Let’s go."

They pushed themselves up, muscles protesting, clothes still clinging damply to their skin. The rain had softened into a fine mist, but the forest still smelled heavy—wet bark, mud, something faintly metallic lingering in the air.

For a brief moment, it felt like they had space to breathe.

Then Cutie froze.

Completely.

His ears snapped upright, body going rigid in a way that instantly pulled Kaya’s attention.

She turned sharply. "What?"

He raised a hand and pointed ahead, into a darker patch of trees barely fifteen steps away. "The bus—er..." he corrected himself quickly, "the hut. It’s just up ahead."

Kaya followed his gaze, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the shadows. "And why," she said slowly, "are we so far from each other right now?"

Cutie shifted, visibly embarrassed, one foot scuffing lightly against the damp ground. "Well... I thought it’d be a good distraction. Split their focus if anyone was still tracking us."

There was a pause.

Kaya exhaled, some of the edge leaving her expression. "Okay. Fine." A faint hint of approval slipped through despite herself. "Nice idea."

They started moving again, slower this time, steps quieter, more deliberate.

For a while, no one spoke.

Then Kaya glanced sideways at Veer. "How far is the snake tribe from here?"

The look he gave her was immediate—sharp, incredulous.

"Why the hell would we go to the snake tribe?" he shot back under his breath. "It’s not close."

Kaya shook her head, calm, certain. "Not far. Ten, maybe twenty kilometers at most. I saw the area earlier while scouting."

Cutie tilted his head slightly, curious. "Who?"

"The one I think might actually help us," she said. "Vayu."

Veer’s expression shifted, eyes narrowing just a fraction. "Vayu?"

"Yeah," Kaya replied without hesitation. "Snake tribe leader. After we left Nikala territory, his lands are the closest place that won’t immediately hand us over." She paused, then added quietly, "Trust me."

Veer exhaled through his nose, clearly not convinced, muttering something low and irritated—but he didn’t argue further.

Cutie, on the other hand, simply nodded.

That was enough for him.

—

By the time they reached it, the forest had changed.

The air felt thicker. Quieter. Like the space itself was aware of them.

The snake tribe’s outpost didn’t reveal itself all at once—it emerged slowly, almost reluctantly. A massive ancient tree stood at the center of a mist-covered clearing, its trunk wide enough to swallow a house. Its roots twisted outward across the ground in thick, coiling patterns, overlapping and curving like frozen serpents.

Long vines draped from above, swaying faintly, brushing against one another with soft, whispering sounds.

Torches burned low around the perimeter, their flames steady and controlled, casting narrow pools of light that barely pushed back the shadows.

Kaya stepped forward first.

Veer and Cutie stayed close behind her.

They didn’t make it more than a few steps.

Figures slipped out of the darkness almost instantly.

One. Then three. Then more.

Tall, lean men, their movements unnervingly smooth, as if they hadn’t walked into the light so much as unfolded from it. Pale skin caught the flicker of firelight, dark hair framing sharp, unreadable faces. Their eyes—dark, glossy, reflecting just a little too much—fixed onto the trio without blinking.

Spears crossed in front of Kaya before she could take another step.

A soft hiss broke the silence.

"State your business, outsiders."

The voice was calm. Controlled. But there was no welcome in it.

Kaya slowly raised her hands, palms open, every movement deliberate. "Tell him Kaya’s here," she said, her voice steady despite the tension tightening around them. "From the rabbit tribe."

A brief pause.

"He knows me."

The guards didn’t lower their weapons.

But something shifted.

A glance here. A flicker of recognition—or maybe suspicion—passed silently between them.

One of them turned and slipped away, disappearing into the hollow at the base of the massive tree, swallowed by shadow as if it had simply opened and taken him in.

The rest stayed.

Watching.

Waiting.

The seconds stretched just enough to be uncomfortable.

Then the guard returned.

His expression hadn’t changed.

"Enter," he said.

A beat.

"But one wrong move..." his grip on the spear tightened slightly, "and you’ll be skins."

A low, warning sound rumbled from Veer’s chest, barely audible.

Kaya didn’t even turn her head. "Play nice."

They were led inside.

The interior opened far wider than expected. The tree hollowed into a vast chamber, its walls blending wood and stone so seamlessly it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Faint glowing markings ran along the floor—etched patterns that pulsed softly underfoot.

Hammocks hung between thick branches above, swaying slightly with the movement of air. Shelves lined the curved walls, filled with jars of dried herbs, coiled objects, and things Kaya chose not to look at too closely.

They weren’t alone.