Surrounded by Five Beast Lords novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Clive asked that question because he wanted to hear, from Dora herself, exactly what Elmer was to her.

At the same time, Elmer reacted like someone had stepped on his tail. He whipped around and moved half a step in front of

Dora

He was about the same height as Clive, but his presence was clearly weaker. Even so, he forced his back straight and glared at Clive with fearless eyes.

His voice rose with emotion. “And who are you? Why are you setting up a tent next to Dora’s? What are you up to?”

Clive didn’t even look up. Elmer’s challenge seemed to mean nothing to Clive.

Clive looked straight at Dora, who stood behind Elmer with a complicated expression. His voice was clear and cold, each word anding with a chilly vibe. “Me?”

He formed a cold, mocking smile as his dark eyes locked on Dora. “I’m Dora’s legal beast mate, the rightful owner of this land you’re standing on.”

“You’re her beast mate?” Elmer looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He turned sharply toward Dora, his light–brown eyes full of shock, hurt, and disbelief.

“Dora? Is that true? Y–You matched with him? When?” Elmer pointed at Clive, his fingers trembling.

Dora opened her mouth, but her throat felt dry.

She thought, ‘My legal beast mate? He agreed? Why is he even here?

Before Dora could answer, Elmer turned back to Clive. He puffed out his chest and said, “I’m her future beast mate.”

At that, Lioren also lifted his head from Dora’s arms. His amber eyes swept coldly over Clive and Elmer.

He felt Dora’s body suddenly stiffen and her heartbeat speed up. His tail flicked in irritation.

On one side stood Clive, claiming to be Dora’s legal beast mate, carrying a powerful and oppressive presence.

On the other stood Elmer, calling himself Dora’s future beast mate, his eyes stubborn and hurt.

And in the middle stood Dora, holding a mysterious kitten. She was broke and just barely starting to survive.

Dora looked at Clive’s cold face on the left, then at Elmer’s red–rimmed eyes on the right. Finally, she lowered her gaze to the kitten in her arms, whose expression looked anything but friendly. She only felt a headache.

Yesterday, she had still been worrying about having no beast mate to protect her, about how she would survive, and about whether her homestead would be taken back. Now, the surprise was a bit overwhelming.

Under the setting sun, the standoff sharpened instantly because of Clive’s cold, direct claim that he was Dora’s legal beast

male.

Elmer’s shock became almost tangible. His eyes went wide as he looked at Clive, then snapped back to Dora. His lips moved as if he wanted to question her, but for the moment, he seemed to realize he didn’t really have the right.

Clive, meanwhile, stood like a sealed wall, shutting out every surge of Elmer’s emotion. Only his eyes grew darker as they stayed fixed on Dora, waiting for her explanation.

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Chapter 18

silence where one wrong move could set everything off, two pairs of eyes were drawn almost at the same me to the kitten in Dora’s arms.

That dirty, gray little thing had been half–hidden by Dora’s arms and sleeves earlier, and the heated argument had swallowed up its presence.

Perhaps because the air had gone too still, or perhaps because it was suddenly pinned by the pressure of two powerful male gazes. the kitten shifted uneasily and lifted its head from Dora’s arm.

Lioren had actually been watching in silence for quite awhile.

The cold, powerful air around Clive set off every danger instinct Lioren had.

As for Elmer, his presence was much weaker, but the open possessiveness and dependence he showed toward Dora annoyed Lioren just as much.

At first, Lioren had planned to keep playing dead and see how things played out. He even wanted the two troublesome males to fight each other.

But now, he had been noticed.

Worse, both males were staring straight at him with a mix of suspicion, scrutiny, and some strange hostility.

Lioren stared back with his cold eyes. There was no fear in them at all, only a fierce warning that said stop staring.

His body was weak, but that look alone was enough to tell anyone with a brain that he was no ordinary pet.

“Who is that?” Clive and Elmer spoke almost at the same time, breaking the brief silence.

Their tones carried the same shock, displeasure, and demand for an answer.

Dora flinched at their question, and her arms tightened around Lioren by instinct.

She looked down at the hostile kitten in her arms, then up at the two very different men in front of her. Her heart ached, and she even felt suffocated.

She screamed inwardly, ‘Geeze! What kind of deadly mess is this?

“He… He’s my…” She licked her dry lips, not even sure why she felt guilty “He’s a homeless kitten I found in the training

zone.”

“A homeless kitten?” Clive repeated. His voice revealed nothing, but his gaze turned colder and sharper.

He had obviously realized this was no ordinary animal. Those eyes and presence were different. Clive scoffed, “Dora, you really do still like picking things up, huh?”

He deliberately stressed the word “homeless“, as if reminding her of the time she had taken him home years ago. The sarcasm in his voice was heavy.

Elmer, on the other hand, focused more on the fact that Lioren was a male beastfolk.

Elmer moved a little closer and studied Lioren carefully with his eyes. His nose twitched slightly. Then his expression turned serious, and he spoke to Dora with even more urgency, “Dora! He’s not a cat.

“At least he’s not a normal cat. He’s a male beastfolk. How can you take some random male beastfolk home? And you’re even holding him.”

Chapter 18

is one was full of worry and disapproval, as if Dora had done something terribly dangerous.

Lioren looked up and met Elmer’s startled gaze. A flash of impatience crossed his eyes, as if he were calling Elmer an idiot.

Then he let out an unhappy grumble, turned his head away, and faced the two males with the back of his head instead. That made the atmosphere even stranger-

At first, it had been a standoff between Clive and Elmer. Now, a third male beastfolk had suddenly joined in, identity unknown but clearly close to Dora.

Three males, each in a different form and position, surrounded Dora in the middle as hostility filled the air.

Dora felt dizzy. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

To her, the most urgent thing now was to deal with Clive, the most troublesome one and her so–called legal beast mate.

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