Reborn As A Beast Queen with Too Many Husbands to Pet novel Chapter 6

They bolted out of the cave, and the fox panicked so badly he ran the wrong way—straight down a narrow, shadowy path.

The deeper they went, the more carcasses appeared along the trail—dead chickens, ducks, boars, even wolves.

Annelise refused to let such a bounty go to waste. She yanked her hand free from the fox, scooped up as many birds as she could carry, and ordered him to take the boar.

"Stop running, little fox. This is food! We haven't had real meat in days. Those sad wild greens can't keep anyone alive. Look at us—skin and bones. This won't do."

Hudson shook so hard his tail almost rattled.

Even standing still, he trembled, whispering as quietly as he could, "Ms. Crawford, please… not now. We have to get out of here. Forget the food. Staying alive is more important."

"Oh, come on. Nothing happened. The snakes are gone. A few extra minutes won't kill you. Pick up the boar. It's huge—we could eat for days."

Hudson couldn't disobey a matriarch's command, so he hoisted the boar despite quaking legs.

Then another roar thundered through the woods—louder than the one before.

Hudson dropped into a squat, holding the boar over his head like a shield. His teeth chattered so violently that his words broke apart. "Ms. Crawford… go… run! Don't worry about me… just go…"

Annelise glanced around. The roaring echoed, but the creature never showed himself. That, more than anything, struck her as odd.

What kind of shifter lived deep in the mountains with no matriarch?

In this world, every male had to be with a matriarch after turning twenty-five. Without a bonded matriarch's protection, a male couldn't survive—plain and simple.

She squinted toward the depths of the forest. Nothing but pitch-black shadows and thick leaves.

Then—two red, glowing eyes flickered to life. And behind a human-shaped silhouette… five swaying tails.

What in the world?

A jolt of fear flashed through her, but she kept her head. She stirred a trace of spirit energy and ordered Hudson, "Stand up. Move your feet. Follow me."

Hudson's weakened legs somehow straightened. "Yes…"

Annelise led the way, arms full of dead birds. Hudson followed behind with the boar.

No matter how loudly the forest roared at their backs, she never once looked over her shoulder.

She didn't feel anything chasing them.

At long last, they reached the foot of the mountain.

Hudson collapsed and dropped the boar, gasping for breath. "We… We really made it…"

"Yes. You were brave."

Relief and joy softened Hudson's eyes as he looked at their haul.

Their matriarch truly wasn't the same anymore.

She cared—actually cared—about her males.

After catching their breath, they hurried home. Dawn was barely breaking when they reached the house.

The rabbit shifter, Adrian, was on the verge of tears.

The moment he saw Annelise, he burst out, "You awful female, you finally came back! The peacock woke up screaming he didn't want to live. He even tried slamming his head into the wall! I've been holding him back all night, and I can't keep doing it. Go look at him—I'm out of ideas!"

Annelise handed the haul over to Hudson and rushed to see Evan.

Evan's long, dark-green hair hung loose around his face. He was ghost-pale.

When he saw her, he managed a bleak, bitter smile.

"Ms. Crawford, one of my legs is broken. Look at me—I'm useless to you now. I can't hunt, I can't gather wild greens, and I'll only drain the food you need for winter. Instead of waiting for you to resent me and torment me, you should end the bond now. I'll find somewhere to die. I won't dirty your land."

He finished speaking, coughed twice, and spat blood.

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