Trapped in Beast World: My Husbands Are All Animals! Novel

---- Chapter 101 A False Alarm Iris' body resembled a tiny mound. Stephan glared at it with contempt and kicked it aside. "Did you clean the latrine already? What are you staring at, you hideous thing? You can't even move this little pile of firewood?" he snapped. His eyes flicked toward a few half-formed therians. Iris shrank back, trying to hide in Julia's embrace, but Julia shoved her forward. "I can't protect you!" Julia said sharply. She barely had enough strength to defend herself. In the full light of day, those half-formed therians dragged Iris into the tall weeds.

Moments later, the air filled with her screams, mingled with the savage howls of half-formed therians in heat. Julia didn't dare look. Her hatred for them burned deep, but there was nowhere to run. She longed to slit the throat of Ardenia, yet Stephan kept her under constant watch; he had even disfigured her face just to ---- show Ardenia where his allegiance lay. So that was her plan all along. She first forced Stephan into submission, then cast me aside-because | am her mother, she had others torment me in her place. That b*tch Ardenia is truly vicious to the core!

Meanwhile, Colin, having narrowly avoided attacks from Halden and Vesper, readied his serpent tail-but then caught a glimpse of Ardenia from the corner of his eye. A jolt of excitement shot through him. He had been observing her from a distance for the past two days. Now, with her this close, his attention locked onto her automatically. She looked slightly more beautiful. Niall's eyes widened. Following Colin's intense stare, he realized Colin was fixated on Ardenia. His body tensed.

Nine tails whipped through the air, wrapping around Colin's neck; forepaws yanked at him, hind legs lashed-and he was hurled over the shoulder with ---- force. Colin had not expected it. His throat burned with the choke, and blood spilled freely. Ardenia walked forward with effortless grace, smiling just as she had that night. A soft green light shimmered around her. She stepped over debris and broken branches, approaching. him deliberately, one serene step at a time. Colin's eyes gleamed. He knew it. A male of his power and ability wouldn't go unnoticed by her.

Her three mates had some skill, but they were no match for him. What the hell? Vesper and Halden exchanged glances, seeing identical confusion mirrored in each other. Is Ardenia attracted to this black, long worm? Vesper's chest tightened. Halden shook his head, silently warning caution. Niall's nine tails flicked with lethal intent, radiating danger. "You're here? You came? They hurt me. Are you here to heal ---- me?" Colin's hope shone brightly. He believed he was leagues ahead of her other mates. "Yes. | came for you," Ardenia replied, smiling like a blooming flower.

She pressed both hands to a plant, kept her gentle smile, settled on a broken tree trunk nearby, and beckoned Colin over. His pride flared. As a Level 10 therian from the divine realm, he should have had her throwing herself at him-his display ought to have been more than enough. Still, she was smiling directly at him. And in front of her mates. That thought melted his irritation. He shifted to human form and strode confidently toward Ardenia. Halden's wind powers were ready to strike; Vesper's were poised as well. Niall's fox eyes narrowed, calculating.

One wrong move from Colin, and the three could tear him to pieces. "You were the little snake that night, right?" Ardenia asked. ---- Colin smirked. "That's me." Receiving the answer she sought, Ardenia rose and tilted her head with a smile that carried a biting chill. "You seem quite pleased with yourself," she commented. Colin chuckled. "D*mn right. Little female, come with me. I'm far stronger than your mates. Look-three against one, and they barely scratched me. And you helped too." His words pierced straight through her heart. She should have ended him that very night.

"I've got two, and even alone, | can make you feel something real," he added, eyes fixed hungrily on Ardenia. Oblivious to the vines creeping at his feet-growing like snakes from the earth, rooting and sprouting instantly-he didn't notice their silent approach. Vesper's claws carried poison. After refining her wood-based technique thanks to Vesper, her vines now held traces of that toxin. Not enough to kill, but enough to numb. ---- Perfect for healing. Perfect for killing. Colin's shameless bragging left Halden, Vesper, and Niall icy with fury and tension.

Yet when they noticed the vines coiling around Colin's feet, realization hit. Ardenia hadn't been interested in Colin at all. Only then did they realize their fear had been unnecessary. Not that it was entirely surprising-they had to admit, Colin was formidable and Level 10. In the Beastworld, strength often drew admiration.