Reborn As A Beast Queen with Too Many Husbands to Pet novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 The Strike That Shattered Pride

“How dare you hit me?”

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Clara, the chief’s daughter–and the next chief in line–had never been struck by another female in her life.

Annelise didn’t back down for a second.

“So what if I hit you? I don’t feel the slightest bit sorry. Weren’t you the one who said the chief wanted me eaten alive?”

Clara’s mates saw their matriarch standing there with blood all over her face and charged forward, ready to tear Annelise apart.

Rokky moved before anyone else. He threw himself over Annelise, shielding her with his whole body.

“It’s okay… Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you… I’ll protect you…”

He braced himself, refusing to move, covering every inch of her from the blows.

Clara’s mates pounded him like a hailstorm.

Annelise snapped, “Move! You’re strong–why aren’t you fighting back?”

“I can’t… I can’t do that. If I fight, I’ll never be allowed to stay in this tribe…”

The mates kept shouting as they swung at him.

“How dare you hit our matriarch! You’re nothing but a drunk, skinny excuse for a female!”

“Exactly! You think our matriarch is your mate, someone you can hit and yell at whenever you want?”

Rokky didn’t move, not even a twitch, holding tight to her.

That was when Annelise yanked several wooden spikes from her sleeve. She twisted, forcing herself to roll face–up, and jabbed each needle straight into their pressure points.

“Ahhh!”

“My hand!”

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Chapter 18 The Strike That Shattered Pride

“My leg!”

Clara’s mates jerked back, shaking their arms and legs wildly.

Hmph. I can’t overpower you, she thought, but I can outsmart you.

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Shifters still had human bodies–if they had bodies, they had pressure points. That was why she wasn’t afraid.

She scrambled up and rushed to Rokky. His lip was split, his face bruised, his arms dark with welts beneath the flimsy sleeve.

“You fool. When someone hits you, you hit back. You didn’t hurt them before–there’s no reason to feel guilty now!”

Rokky pulled his arm behind him and shook his head.

Annelise was ready to turn around and jab Clara when she heard a familiar voice. The fox was calling out to her.

“Ms. Crawford, are you okay? Ms. Crawford! I brought some of the tribe’s females and males to help!”

Only then did she tuck the spikes away. She grabbed Rokky and shouldered past Clara, heading out.

“Little fox, I’m fine!”

Outside stood not only Hudson but also the rabbit.

Apparently, Adrian had woken and found her gone. Worried sick, he told Hudson she’d into the mountains alone.

gone

Hudson wanted to run to her immediately, but feared getting lost and becoming a burden. So the two gathered the bravest males and females they could find and came together.

The moment they saw Annelise unharmed, everyone exhaled in relief.

Then Hudson’s heart clenched again–his matriarch was soaked through, streaked with mud. She must have suffered.

Annelise rushed to him first, throwing herself into his arms.

“It’s so good to see you.”

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Chapter 18 The Strike That Shattered Pride

Hudson’s voice wavered with tears.

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“Ms. Crawford, you scared me half to death. You should’ve called for me. Males are supposed to handle hunting. You’re not even twenty–five yet–you don’t have a beast form. What would we do if something happened to you?”

Everyone stared at Hudson and Annelise. They got along this well? Even after all the beatings? Had Annelise actually changed?

Off to the side, Adrian fidgeted. He wanted a hug, too. Not that he cared. And she was covered in mud anyway. Dirty. Not worth hugging.

Annelise glanced back at him. “Bunny.”

“Hey! Don’t say that! I never said I wanted a hug–I didn’t! You imagined it!”

Hudson and Annelise fell silent, staring at him in disbelief.

Then Annelise said, “I didn’t say anything. So you did want a hug?”

“You didn’t? Ahem… You must’ve heard wrong. Anyway, don’t worry about Evan. He told us to focus on you first. He knew he’d just slow us down with his leg.”

Annelise pulled Rokky–who was trying to shrink into nothing–closer.

“This is the monster everyone keeps talking about. He’s bonded with me. Now we’re all going to see the chief, and I’m going to clear this up.”

The entire group froze.

They looked around for Clara but couldn’t find her.

Annelise figured she’d either run ahead to tattle or was too embarrassed to show her bruised self after being smacked with a rock.

When they reached the chief’s house, it was clearly the former.

Clara was already standing beside the chief, her face washed clean, head neatly bandaged.

She sobbed first, loud and pitiful.

“Mom, this monster is still dangerous. Look–he hit me here. A male who hurts others after bonding–especially a female–cannot be allowed to stay!”