The Villainess Winning Back Her Beast Husbands-Chapter 86: The Show-off Fox Spirit

With that, Thorne turned and left, his back a sharp silhouette against the curtain of rain.

Skyla couldn’t help but take a couple of steps after him, her voice trembling softly as she spoke with great difficulty, "Brother Thorne... are you still angry with me?"

Thorne raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Although the Beast-mother said I should form a Contract with you, I never agreed. So, I can understand why you all acted the way you did after my Star Pattern shattered."

"There are no grudges between us, Skyla. You don’t need to dwell on it."

"I need to get back. My female is waiting for me."

Skyla stood frozen, watching Thorne’s retreating figure.

His steps were lighter and quicker than usual, possessing a boyish energy she had never seen in him before.

’A female? So after Evangeline, he found another female.’

Skyla looked down at the crescent-shaped marks her nails had dug into her palm, a bitter smile touching her lips.

Just then, an elderly female approached and stood beside Skyla. Gazing after Thorne’s retreating figure, she pressed a bony, withered hand down hard on Skyla’s shoulder, her nails nearly digging into the younger female’s flesh.

"Skyla, now that Thorne has recovered, you must seize this opportunity!"

"He’s a Warrior with a Six-star Thunder Beast Crystal! He’s immensely powerful. With his protection, our Stannar Tribe can leave that godforsaken place, find a more suitable territory, and rebuild our tribe!"

"Elias Moretti is the leader now. He won’t let us seek refuge with the Grymdale Tribe over and over again!"

The painful grip made Skyla wince, her face paling. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She whispered, "Brother Thorne already has a female. He’s never liked me."

The old female was furious and gave her a sharp pinch. "Fool! He hasn’t formed a Contract, so what does it matter who he’s with?"

"His Beast-mother is your aunt! With that connection alone, no other female can compare!"

"Thorne is a loyal man. As long as you can bear his cub, he’ll be completely devoted to you!"

"Skyla, you are a member of the Stannar Tribe! You must put our tribe first in everything you do!"

Skyla bit her lip hard, not daring to argue.

’Back when Brother Thorne lost his Beast Crystal, his Star Pattern shattered, and another female forced him into a Contract, I turned a blind eye to his suffering. I was even worried he would show up at the Stannar Tribe and ask me to take him in.’

’The tribe didn’t take him in at his lowest point. How dare they say something like this now?’

*

Thorne hurried back, quickly reaching his dwelling.

Before he even stepped inside, a delicious aroma wafted out to greet him.

Thorne paused. As he wondered what it was, his vision suddenly went dark. A soft beast skin of some unidentifiable material had been draped over his head, catching the raindrops from his hair.

Then, a pair of slender, soft hands reached under the beast skin and began to gently towel-dry his soaking hair.

The moment the beast skin was lifted away, Thorne saw Evangeline looking at him with her brows furrowed.

Her slender eyes held a hint of reproach, her red lips pursed. Her fingertips were still slightly damp.

"Is the umbrella by the door just for decoration?" she said, sounding displeased. Her fingers, however, gently brushed the ends of his hair where it was still wet. "Going out and getting soaked like this... Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?"

Thorne chuckled, his dark green eyes filled with mirth, and bent down to press a kiss to her red lips.

Evangeline narrowed her eyes, studying Thorne thoughtfully. "What’s got you so happy? The Stannar Tribe is full of your old acquaintances. Don’t tell me you ran into a female you used to like?"

This wasn’t a baseless accusation. After all, Thorne hadn’t liked Evangeline in the past. Even with their forced Contract, it was possible he liked another female—just like Lachlan had his childhood sweetheart, didn’t he?

’She didn’t actually care about that sort of thing. But she hadn’t conceived a cub yet, and the mission couldn’t afford any unexpected complications.’

At her words, Thorne’s eyebrow shot up. A smile played on his handsome, chiseled face as he pulled Evangeline into his arms and declared boldly, "Don’t you accuse me wrongly. The only female I like is right here in front of me!"

As he spoke, the damp tips of his hair brushed against Evangeline’s cheek. They carried his scent, which was like a clinging venom, imbuing even his clever retort with a damp, bewitching allure.

Just then, Caden Albright suddenly cut in, yanking Evangeline out of Thorne’s embrace.

He shot Thorne an icy glare, his gaze full of warning.

When he looked down at Evangeline, however, his voice instantly softened. "The food is getting cold."

As if by accident, the pads of his fingers brushed over the side of Evangeline’s waist where Thorne had held her, as though trying to wipe away a stain.

Thorne didn’t miss the disdainful gesture. His dark green eyes narrowed, and a dangerous rumble sounded in his throat.

"All right, let’s eat." Evangeline let Caden Albright pull her down to a seat at the stone table, then waved Thorne over.

Thorne stepped forward, but when he saw the delicate dishes on the table, he was taken aback and hesitated for a moment, which was rare for him.

He had never seen anything like it. A creamy white broth filled a translucent bowl that looked as if it were carved from bone. Perfectly uniform chunks of meat were coated in a honey-colored glaze and drizzled with sauce, looking utterly tempting.

The Beastmen were used to eating rough cuts of game; such a refined meal was completely alien to him.

Caden Albright shot him a sidelong glance, then unhurriedly ladled a spoonful of soup and brought it to Evangeline’s lips.

Only after Evangeline had taken a sip from the spoon he held did Caden Albright withdraw his hand, satisfied.

He then picked up a pair of chopsticks and, with an elegant, practiced grace, used the bamboo utensils to deftly pick up a piece of amber-colored braised pork.

Then, his foxy eyes narrowed as he glanced provocatively at Thorne, the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye seeming to dance with his smile. "Know what this is?"

He waved the morsel in a small arc in front of Thorne’s eyes before popping it between his own crimson lips.

Caden Albright chewed slowly, a satisfied sigh escaping as his Adam’s apple bobbed. "Eva made it herself... Braised pork. Heh, it tastes amazing. A pity... some people only know how to wolf down raw meat."

The corner of Evangeline’s mouth twitched. ’What a show-off, this fox!’

’Still, foxes really are clever creatures. She hadn’t even taught him how to use chopsticks, but Caden Albright had only watched her a few times and already handled them like a natural. He’d even perfectly mimicked the little way she habitually twirled them.’

Thorne’s expression darkened instantly. He picked up the chopsticks in front of him, his movements as stiff as a puppet’s. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t manage to pick up a single piece of meat. A violent darkness swirled in his dark green eyes.

Just then, Caden Albright toyed with his chopsticks, twirling them in an elegant flourish between his long fingers. He picked up another piece of meat and placed it in Evangeline’s bowl, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a sly grin. "Eat up, Eva."

Thorne’s knuckles tightened abruptly, his joints letting out a sickening CRACK.

’This damned fox is such a show-off! I ought to knock his teeth out!’

Suddenly, there was a crisp SNAP.

Caden Albright’s eyes flicked up as he immediately tattled, "Eva! Thorne broke the chopsticks! You brought these out especially for us, and he’s so careless! We should just kick him from the table!"

A vein throbbed on Thorne’s temple. He glared at Caden Albright’s smug, instigating expression, wishing he could tear the damned fox to shreds right then and there.

"Eva, Caden Albright is picking on me! I obviously didn’t break the chopsticks!" As he spoke, Thorne revealed the perfectly intact chopsticks with a flick of his fingers.

He shot Caden Albright a defiant look. "I just broke a twig. Are you blind, fox? These are the chopsticks my female gave me... Of course I’m going to learn how to use them properly."

Caden Albright’s beautiful, foxy eyes narrowed. His fox tail slipped out and began to swish dangerously behind him.

Evangeline felt a headache coming on. ’This was not going to be a peaceful meal.’