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

---- Chapter 31 A Life for a Life The witch doctor was ready to speak when Quincy's icy glare stopped him. "Zephyr brought this himself. Iris, you are exiled from the tribe." "What?!" Both Iris and the witch doctor stared at him in disbelief. Exile? Impossible. "Lam the tribe's witch doctor," the witch doctor declared rigidly. "And my daughter is a noble female. Are you sure you want to exile us?" Quincy's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to threaten me?" The witch doctor's face tightened, then he muttered he wouldn't dare. "Good," Quincy replied calmly.

"If you want to leave with her, | won't stop you." For years, the witch doctor had basked in respect, but now shame scorched his pride. Fury contorted his features as he seized Iris, ready to storm out, only to be halted by Ardenia standing firm in their path. "What do you want now?!" Iris snapped. "Nothing," Ardenia then looked at Quincy. "Father, you must not let them leave." Quincy looked into her eyes and immediately understood. He changed his order. "Lock everyone in the dungeon. During the next hunt, expel ---- them from the tribe." Iris's tenacity was matched only by her father's sway.

Left unchecked, they would return, baring their teeth and thirsting for vengeance against the tribe. Ardenia's well of mercy had dried up long ago. Asecond chance? That door was closed forever. She had said it herself-she protected only her own. The males were insignificant. The original Ardenia had endured years of cruelty and whispers. Had she not arrived, the poison inside would have devoured her whole. Alife traded for a life-justice, plain and simple As for the witch doctor, Ardenia still needed him because there was something she wanted to test.

When Quincy's guards drew near, Ardenia nonchalantly let a strand of her hair drift onto the witch doctor's cloak. Should he plot against her, every hidden move would travel that thread, rebounding a hundredfold onto what he cherished most: Iris. Even if Ardenia's technique had faded, it still carried enough force to shadow Iris's destiny. ---- Once the father and daughter were taken away, Quincy went to Ardenia with a look filled with guilt. "I'm sorry. | let you down. | wasn't aware you were being bullied." Ardenia gave a gentle smile. "Father, | don't blame you.

I'm okay." She believed that both the original Ardenia and her father had their flaws. Blaming them now wouldn't change what had happened. still, the thought of Ardenia's old habits made her shiver. When the crowd finally dispersed, her mates gathered around her. With a wide grin, Deria caught the shift in mood and silently slipped away. "ardenia, that was incredible," Niall remarked as he moved closer. He took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles.

"You truly managed to catch the person who drugged you." Halden caught on at once, sweeping her into his arms with a possessive grip and unwavering resolve. Calder stood close by, appearing pitiful as he softly called out, "Ardenia, "just remembered something urgent! | have to run!" she blurted, dashing away and leaving the trio bewildered in her wake. ---- She truly had no time to waste. The bonfire in the central square already blazed, signaling the Moon Tide Festival's imminent start. Tobias was missing, and Vesper's Beast Core still rested in her hands.

She recalled the hesitation in his eyes as he handed it over, compelling. her to seek him out and give it back. Vesper was in a bad mood, wondering, Did | not make myself clear? | knew I'd been wrong, so | gave my Beast Core right away. No hesitation. Yet, when Calder did the same, she kissed him in gratitude. When it was me, she did nothing. Even the fish she bought got something. | didn't. The longer he stewed, the more his anger simmered. He plunged his head beneath the river's surface, desperate to chill his frustration. The bonfire already blazed.

That foolish female is probably plotting to dissolve our bond. Seething, Vesper struck the water, sending ripples across the river's surface. Then, Ardenia's voice called out from the shore. "So you're here." His heart lurched. Is she really this stubborn? Does she track me down here just to dissolve the bond? "What do you want?" His voice was icy as he turned his back to her, showing only his shoulders. ---- So, he really despises me. Just like before, the silver wolf's words are laced with venom. She sighed before pulling out his Beast Core. "I'm leaving your Beast Core here.

Don't forget to take it." Vesper froze, fists tightly clenched beneath the water. So she truly means it? Hmph! She might accept everyone else-but not me. As her footsteps grew farther away, something inside him broke. He quickly turned around and shouted, "Ardenia, do you really hate me that much?"