Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands

Chapter 465 --465

"There," he said, pointing toward a dark gap in the cliffside. "Cave. Narrow entrance. They can’t swarm us all at once."Kaya followed his gaze. The opening was small, jagged, barely visible in the shadows. It wasn’t much. But it was better than open ground.

"Go," she said.

They ran.

Kaya’s boots pounded against stone, her soaked clothes clinging to her skin, making every movement heavier. Cutie kept pace beside her, his legs built for speed even in panic. Veer moved ahead despite his injury, blood trailing behind him like breadcrumbs.

Behind them, the first howl broke into a chorus.

Kaya risked a glance back.

Wolves.

Dozens of them, pouring out from the tree line like a flood of fur and fangs. Their eyes glowed in the dark—gold, green, feral. They moved with terrifying coordination, fanning out to cut off escape routes, closing in fast.

"Faster!" Veer shouted.

They hit the cave entrance at a dead sprint. Veer dove in first, Cutie right behind him. Kaya was last—she turned at the threshold, gun raised even though it was useless, just to see—

The lead wolf lunged.

Massive. Gray. Snarling.

Kaya threw herself backward into the cave.

The wolf’s jaws snapped shut inches from her face, close enough she could smell blood and rot on its breath. It slammed into the entrance, too big to fit, claws scrabbling at stone as it snarled and snapped.

Kaya scrambled back, heart in her throat.

More wolves piled up behind the first, a writhing mass of fur and teeth. They couldn’t get in—not easily—but they weren’t leaving either.

"Back!" Veer barked. "Deeper!"

Kaya didn’t argue. She turned and ran, following the faint silhouette of Veer’s broad shoulders as they moved farther into the cave. The walls closed in around them, the air growing colder, damper. The sounds of snarling wolves echoed behind them, distorted and amplified in the stone tunnel.

After what felt like an eternity, the passage opened up.

They stumbled into a small cavern—rough, uneven, lit only by faint cracks in the ceiling where moonlight bled through. It wasn’t much, but it was defensible.

Veer collapsed against the wall, breathing hard. Blood dripped from his shoulder onto the stone floor.

Cutie dropped to his knees, gasping, his whole body trembling.

Kaya stood in the center, chest heaving, her mind racing.

"They’re not leaving," she said quietly.

"No," Veer agreed. "They’re being paid too well."

"By who?"

He shook his head. "Could be anyone. Snakes, wolves, sky hunters—someone coordinated this. Someone with resources."

Kaya’s jaw clenched. "You think it’s the snake tribe?"

"Maybe." Veer grimaced, pressing harder against his wound. "Or someone worse. Someone who knows what you are."

That word again.

*What* you are.

Kaya’s hand tightened into a fist.

"I don’t even know what I am," she muttered.

"Doesn’t matter," Veer said. His amber eyes locked onto hers. "Whatever you are, someone wants you. Dead or alive."

Cutie looked between them, his voice small. "So what do we do?"

For a long moment, no one answered.

The only sound was the distant howling of wolves and the drip of water somewhere deep in the cave.

Kaya closed her eyes, forced herself to think.

Her gun was useless. They were outnumbered. Trapped. Veer was injured. Cutie was terrified. And somewhere out there, thirty snakes, a wolf pack, and gods knew what else were hunting them.

But she wasn’t dead yet.

And as long as she was breathing, she wasn’t done.

She opened her eyes.

"We wait," she said. "Let them think we’re cornered. Let them get comfortable." Her gaze hardened. "Then we make them regret it."

Veer stared at her for a long moment.

Then, slowly, he smiled—sharp and bloody.

"I like the way you think."

The cave was cold, damp, and smelled faintly of moss and old stone. But to Kaya, right now, it was the closest thing to safety they had.

She leaned against the rough wall, catching her breath. Her clothes were still soaked, clinging to her skin. Her gun sat heavy in her hand, useless. Water-damaged. She’d have to dry it out completely before it could fire again.

Veer was slumped against the opposite wall, one hand pressed tight against his shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers, dark and slow. His amber eyes were half-closed, his breathing shallow but controlled. He was trying not to show how much pain he was in.

Cutie sat near the entrance, ears twitching constantly, listening for any sound from outside. His whole body was tense, coiled like a spring.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Kaya broke the silence.

"How bad is it?" she asked, nodding toward Veer’s shoulder.

He glanced at her, then at the wound. "I’ve had worse."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’ll heal," he said flatly. "Beastmen don’t die from scratches."

"That’s not a scratch."

Veer’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he shifted slightly, wincing as the movement pulled at torn muscle. "I just need time. And food. My body will handle the rest."[1]

Kaya studied him for a moment, then nodded. She didn’t like it, but she believed him. She’d seen enough injuries to know when someone was lying about their condition—and when they weren’t.

"What about those sky hunters?" she asked. "Will they follow us in here?"

Veer shook his head. "Not likely. They hunt in open spaces. Caves make them nervous—too many blind corners." He paused, then added grimly, "But the wolves? They’ll wait. They’re patient."

"Great," Kaya muttered, rubbing her temples. "So we’re trapped."

"For now."

Cutie turned slightly from his post near the entrance. "There’s another way out," he said quietly. "I can smell air coming from deeper in. This cave might have a back exit."

Kaya perked up at that. "You’re sure?"

He nodded. "It’s faint, but it’s there."

Veer grunted. "Then we move. Soon. Before they decide to smoke us out or collapse the entrance."

Kaya looked between them both. Veer was injured. Cutie was exhausted. And she? She was running on fumes, adrenaline, and sheer stubborn refusal to die in a cave surrounded by predators.

But they were still alive.

And that was something.

She pushed off the wall and crouched down in the center of the small cavern, her mind already working through options.

"Alright," she said. "Here’s what we do."

Both beastmen turned to look at her.

"Veer, you rest. Recover what you can. Cutie, keep listening—if anything changes outside, you tell us immediately." Her gaze hardened. "I’m going to check that back passage. If there’s a way out, we take it. If not..." She paused, then smiled—sharp, cold. "...then we make one."

Veer stared at her for a long moment, then huffed a quiet laugh. "You’re insane."

"Probably," Kaya agreed. "But I’m also not dying here."

Cutie looked at her, worry flickering in his red eyes. "Kaya... what if there’s something back there?"

She met his gaze. "Then I’ll deal with it."

Before either of them could protest, she stood and started moving deeper into the cave.

The passage narrowed quickly, forcing her to turn sideways in places. The air grew colder, damper. She could hear water dripping somewhere ahead—slow, rhythmic, echoing.

Her hand brushed against the wet stone walls as she moved, her other hand resting on her knife. The gun was useless for now, but the blade? That would work just fine.