Exiled Villainess: They Threw Me Out, Now Every Beastman Wants Me

The day passed in comfortable laziness. Tera tried twice more to help with something, and both times she was gently but firmly redirected back to the leaf mat. By the second attempt, she didn’t even bother arguing. She just sighed and let herself be treated like some royal Queen.

Night fell softly over the clearing. The fire burned low, casting flickering shadows across the trees. The stream murmured its endless song, and the stars were beginning to peek through the canopy, scattered like salt across a darkening sky.

At that moment, despite being relaxed, Tera felt how nice it must be to still sleep under the open sky, and nothing beat the cool air on certain nights. Maybe a lot of the structures would have a see-through ceiling, or an open verandah-like view. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, but she would try.

Tera sat on the leaf mat, wrapped in one of the furs Xavi had brought. Her stomach was full. Her limbs were heavy, and her mind, for the first time in a while, was at peace.

Xavi banked the fire one last time, then turned to her. Without a word, he shifted. His body expanded, bones reshaping, fur rippling across his skin until a massive brown bear stood where the man had been. He lowered himself behind Tera with a rumble, his enormous body curling around her back like a living wall. His warmth seeped through the fur draped over her shoulders and into her skin.

Tera leaned back against him with a contented sigh. His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. One massive paw settled beside her hip, and his head lowered to rest near her shoulder.

She expected Ermin to retreat to his usual spot by the fire. He had been inching closer over the past three days, but he still maintained a careful distance, as if getting too comfortable would mean admitting something he wasn’t ready to admit.

But tonight, he also shifted. His panther form was smaller than Xavi’s bear, sleeker and more graceful. He padded towards them and climbed onto the mat to sprawl himself across her lap.

Tera’s breath caught.

His weight settled across her thighs like a very large, very grumpy blanket. His head rested on his paws, his eyes already closed as if he had simply collapsed there by accident and had no intention of acknowledging what he’d just done. His tail draped over her knees.

Tera fought the urge to smile. She was sandwiched between two predators who could tear her apart but had chosen, instead, to become her furniture.

Xavi’s breathing was deep and steady against her back, the rumble of it travelling through her bones. Ermin’s weight was solid and grounded across her lap, his fur impossibly soft against her skin. The dying firepit crackled, the stream murmured, and the stars spun slowly overhead.

Her hand drifted down without thinking, her fingers brushing through the fur on Ermin’s head. He stiffened for half a second. Then, so quietly she almost missed it, a low, rumbling purr started in his chest.

She smiled, the purrs oddly soothing.

Behind her, Xavi let out a contented huff, and she chuckled, reaching with her other hand to caress Xavi’s fur, which was also very soft.

Tera closed her eyes and let herself drift off.

[Ermin’s Favourability: 30% → 42%]

[Xavi’s Favourability: 60% → 73%]

Just like that, two more days passed, and the final morning came too soon.

Tera stirred to the feeling of being lifted. Her eyes cracked open to see that Xavi was carrying her.

Her body was cradled against his.

”Go back to sleep,” Xavi murmured. ”We are returning to the clan.”

Tera wanted to argue that she could walk, but why not let Xavi carry her since he offered? She needed to learn to accept help rather than try to do everything on her own unnecessarily.

Another thing was that her body felt so relaxed, and she had slept so well and comfortably these past nights.

Tera let her head fall against Xavi’s shoulder and closed her eyes again.

Ermin walked beside them in his panther form, his tail brushing against her dangling foot from time to time, as if checking she was still there.

The walk back was a blur of half-sleep.

When they nearly reached the settlement, the first thing Tera noticed was the frantic chatter, which was not a normal thing unless during construction.

Her curiosity had turned to a slow stillness that wiped the sleep off her face when the noise faded into silence.

Something was wrong.

Tera opened her eyes, and her blood went cold.

Two of the shelters were destroyed.

The silk leaves had been ripped apart and torn off the branches. The thicker sticks she had spent hours positioning were snapped and scattered across the ground like broken bones. The leaf roofs had been torn off entirely, and the careful, deliberate work of days had been reduced to a pile of debris that looked like the aftermath of a tantrum thrown by something massive and furious.

Tera’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Clan members were already moving around the wreckage, their movements frantic. Some were trying to gather the scattered materials. Others were just standing there, staring at the damage with shocked expressions.

One of the cubs was crying.

Tera didn’t remember getting down from Xavi’s arms. One moment she was cradled against his chest, warm and drowsy and safe, and the next she was standing on her own two feet, the sleep evaporating from her body like water thrown onto hot stones.

”What...” Her voice came out hoarse. ”What happened?”

Everyone looked scared.

Xavi looked furious. His nostrils flared, pulling in scents and reading the air for threats. A low rumble started in his chest.

”Who did this?” he growled.

”It—we do not know. Some of us had gone out to hunt yesterday, and a few of us went out to wash, only to return to find this,” one clan member rushed forward, their voice shaking. ”No one saw or heard—”

Tera wasn’t listening anymore.

She walked into the wreckage.

Her body started to shake with rage.

Who did this?!