Reborn As A Beast Queen with Too Many Husbands to Pet novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24 The Rabbit Who Couldn’t Hide Anymore

“Ah… ah!”

Adrian’s whole body shuddered.

This was bad. Really bad.

He spun around so fast his rabbit eyes darted like glass marbles.

Think, you idiot. Think. There has to be another excuse to stay.

Was this foul–tempered female really tired of him already?

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“N–No… I’m a shifter who keeps his word. I said I’d return what’s yours, so I have to give it back before I leave!”

Hudson added, “If that’s the case, you might not get to leave at all. Once the heavy snow hits, the mountain will be sealed off for the whole winter.”

Adrian’s heart soared.

He opened his mouth to say that was perfectly fine–he’d stay as long as it took.

But Annelise brought two fingers together, gathered her spirit energy, and brushed a line across his forehead.

In an instant, the scent marking him as a matriarch’s male vanished.

Hudson and Rokky could no longer smell it.

The bond was broken.

“You…”

Annelise clasped her hands behind her back. “I don’t need you to return anything. You can’t repay it. You’ll always eat too much, and I’d lose even more keeping you here. So we’re sending you down the mountain right now.”

Adrian’s eyes went wide.

Tears gathered, drifting down so slowly it was as if time itself had stopped.

Then the dam burst.

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19:55 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 24 The Rabbit Who Couldn’t Hide Anymore

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“I’m not leaving! Even… Even if I go back to my tribe, I’ll never find another matriarch. I don’t want to go back!”

He grabbed her hand with both of his, clinging so hard it almost dragged her down with him.

Good grief. She finally understood how strong this oversized rabbit was–he could pull her half off balance.

“No matriarch wants me. They all hate that I eat too much and I’m too strong. They all say I’m a freak. They… They…”

He finally spilled the truth.

Even in his own tribe, he was the odd one out–big appetite, big strength.

Rabbit shifters were supposed to be gentle, petite, and pretty.

They weren’t hunters; they were weavers and homemakers, the ones who handled the tribe’s logistics.

Adrian only matched the “pretty” part. Everything else? Completely wrong.

“When I try to weave, I break the loom. Every single time. I don’t even know how.

“I panicked. I was scared no one would want me once I turned twenty–five. So I forced myself to eat less, acted obedient, and managed to catch the attention of that outsider–the female who came to buy hay from us.

“I didn’t mean to mess up. I was starving. I couldn’t help it. I ate too much in front of her, and she found out.”

He sobbed harder, bawling into Annelise’s sleeve until the fabric went soaking wet.

“Annelise… you’re the only one who’s ever wanted me.”

But Annelise had caught the keywords.

“Very strong? I didn’t see it. Unless… you were hiding it.”

“O–Of course I was hiding it…” He hiccuped between sniffles.

“Then show me.”

“No. If I show you, you’ll send me back tonight. I’m not that dumb.”

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19:55 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 24 The Rabbit Who Couldn’t Hide Anymore

Annelise had to admit–rabbits were one of the sneakier species in the shifter world.

They knew how to mask themselves. But their schemes didn’t run deep.

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“You’ve already slipped up. If you want me to trust you, you might as well be honest. Who would keep a liar around? Especially as my mate.”

Adrian froze, his tear–filled rabbit eyes blinking fast. “Oh… that does make sense.”

He went quiet for a moment. His rabbit ears twitched twice.

“Then… if I show you, will you let me stay? I don’t want to end up like Rokky. I don’t want to become a monster. And I can’t wait fifteen years for another matriarch.”

Annelise thought, How much strength could he possibly have? He’s acting like it’s earth–shattering.

“Just show me.”

Hudson chimed in, “If you don’t show us, you won’t even have a chance.”

Adrian had no choice.

He got to his feet, grabbed a handful of wild greens, and chewed them anxiously.

Then he walked to a fruit tree in the woods, planted his feet wide, and lowered into a stance.

“Hey… Ha!”

He gripped a tree thicker than his waist, braced himself, and pushed.

His long rabbit ears pumped back and forth, and even his small tail spun in a tight circle like he was trying to power himself up.

“God… I want to touch it so bad.”

Hudson’s jaw dropped. “Ms. Crawford, stop staring at his tail and look! He’s lifting the whole tree!”

Annelise gasped. “Holy, he’s uprooting a tree with his bare hands!”

She never expected the gentle–looking shifter to have such raw brute strength.

Even Rokky said, “Ms. Crawford, that… that strength is impossible for an herbivore. I can only kill with my claws. I don’t have that kind of raw power.”

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19:55 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 24 The Rabbit Who Couldn’t Hide Anymore

Adrian rubbed his nose and sniffled. “That’s it. I’m done.”

“Are you tired?” Annelise asked.

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“Not really. I think I could knock over a tiger and carry a few more trees. I’m not sure. I usually stay home without moving much. My mom and dad told me never to show it. If I did, it would ruin me. They were scared I’d never find a matriarch and would die right after turning twenty- five.”