Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands

Chapter 507 --507

"Then you already believe in one of our core principles," Kaya said. "That strength doesn’t determine worth. That all beings deserve respect and freedom.""I believe it," Dorn said. "But believing and practicing are different things. What happens when your Free Clans grow larger? When you have real power? Will you stick to these principles, or will you become just another faction fighting for dominance?"

It was a fair question. A necessary question.

"I don’t know," Kaya said honestly. "I can’t promise we won’t make mistakes, that we won’t face moral dilemmas, that we won’t sometimes compromise our ideals for survival. But I can promise we’ll try. And I can promise that if we start betraying these principles, I’ll be the first to call it out and fight to correct it."

Dorn studied her for a long moment. Then he turned to Serra. "You believe in this? In her?"

"I do," Serra said without hesitation. "I’ve seen her turn down easier paths because they would have compromised her values. I’ve seen her risk herself to protect others. She’s not perfect, but she’s genuine."

"And you?" Dorn looked at Cutie.

Cutie swallowed nervously but met the bear’s gaze. "I was scared all the time in my old tribe. Scared of predators, scared of making mistakes, scared of being nothing more than prey. With the Free Clans, I’m still scared sometimes, but I’m also valued. I matter. That’s worth everything to me."

Dorn nodded slowly, processing their words.

Then he stood, his massive frame casting a shadow over them.

"I need time to think," he said. "This isn’t a decision to make lightly. If I join you, I’m committing to something that could get me killed. I need to be sure."

"That’s fair," Kaya said, standing as well. "How much time do you need?"

"Come back in three days," Dorn said. "Same time, same place. I’ll have an answer then."

"Three days," Kaya agreed. She hesitated, then added, "For what it’s worth, I hope you join us. We could use someone with your strength and your principles."

Dorn’s expression softened slightly. "For what it’s worth, I hope your idealism survives long enough to mean something. The world needs more dreamers willing to fight for their dreams."

They left him there, standing outside his cave, watching them depart.

The journey back was quieter than the journey out, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, as they neared their own valley, Cutie spoke. "Do you think he’ll join us?"

"I don’t know," Kaya admitted. "But we did what we came to do. We offered him a choice. Now we wait and see what he chooses."

"He’s cautious," Serra observed. "That’s good. We don’t want people who join impulsively without thinking through the consequences."

"But he’s also interested," Kaya said. "He didn’t dismiss us out of hand. He’s genuinely considering it."

They climbed the final approach to their cave, pushing through the vine curtain that concealed the entrance.

Veer looked up from where he’d been sharpening a knife, relief evident on his face. "You’re back. How did it go?"

"We’ll know in three days," Kaya said. She explained what had happened, Dorn’s questions, his request for time to think.

When she finished, Veer nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like he’s exactly the kind of person we need. Principled, cautious, but willing to consider new possibilities."

"That’s what I thought too," Kaya agreed.

She moved to the fire and sat down, suddenly exhausted. The day’s tension catching up with her.

"Three days," she said quietly. "Then we find out if the Free Clans can actually recruit, or if we’re destined to stay small forever."

"Even if he says no," Serra said, settling beside her, "there are others. The fox I mentioned. The lynx. More outcasts exist—we just have to find them."

"I know," Kaya said. "But Dorn would be a significant addition. Bears are respected, feared even. Having one of them vouching for us would give the Free Clans credibility."

"We’ll see," Veer said. "For now, we wait."

And so they did.

Three days.

Three days that felt like an eternity.

Three days that would determine whether their dream of building something new could actually succeed.

Or whether they’d remain just four isolated individuals hiding in a mountain cave, pretending their idealism mattered in a world that seemed determined to crush it.

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Well, the good news is Kaya finally got some new group members. Sure, they only came here to kill her, but details, details! The main point is she got new members. Who cares if they end up six feet under or above ground?

Kaya had been busy inspecting the food they had collected. Cutie wasn’t back yet, so she was waiting alone in the cave, sorting through their supplies.

Suddenly, she felt it.

In a split second, she jumped back. No matter how much she acted like a dumb ape sometimes, she was still a trained soldier. Beyond that, she had received so many death threats lately that she was permanently on high alert. The moment she dodged, the ambush was sprung. Within seconds, Kaya found herself entirely surrounded by seven men.

She glanced at each of them, let out a helpless smile, and asked, "Are there more of you, or is it just you guys?"

A sleazy smile crept across one of their faces. They hadn’t even bothered to wear masks. Kaya just leaned back, wondering exactly how weak they actually thought she was. The sleazy guy was clearly a hyena beastman—in fact, most of them were hyenas. Kaya knew that when people needed dirty work done, they usually hired hyena packs. Typical.

The lead hyena sneered. Kaya looked right back at him and challenged, "So, what do you guys want?"

Hearing that, the leader replied, "If you come with us quietly, we’ll try to be gentle. If not, things are gonna get rough."

Kaya literally cracked her knuckles. "Come with you? Go fuck your father, you fucking morons."

With a surge of adrenaline, she raised a defiant middle finger, threw the first punch, and the brawl began.

In the past, Kaya hadn’t been used to fighting beastmen, but she was now. She was even incorporating her new "flying" power. She usually avoided using it because she barely understood it, but right now, she channeled it to enhance her agility. Whenever she leapt, the power launched her incredibly high, giving her the upper hand.

But as she was beating down one thug, another suddenly grabbed her from behind, pressing a cold knife against her throat.

"Pretty lady, just stop and stay silent," he hissed.

In response, she simply raised her leg and stomped brutally down onto his foot. The beastman howled in agony. These thugs were so careless they either fought barefoot or wore flimsy straw sandals. Kaya, on the other hand, was wearing solid leather shoes. She could easily guess just how bone-crushing that stomp felt.

Seizing his moment of pain, she grabbed his knife-wielding hand and twisted it in a swift, violent motion. The knife slipped from his grip and clattered to the ground. It barely took ten seconds to completely beat him down. Kaya then scooped up the fallen knife, inspected the blade, and readied herself for the rest of them.

Damn it all, she was ready.