Exiled Villainess: They Threw Me Out, Now Every Beastman Wants Me
Chapter 34: Gossip Under The Treetops II

Chapter 34: Gossip Under The Treetops II

Ermin watched the small group gather around the fox female from his vantage point in the branches, draped in his panther form.

The group consisted of two males and two females. They huddled around Kiri like she was dispensing wisdom instead of petty jealousy.

He had chosen this tree because it was far from the main camp, quiet, and unlikely to be disturbed by anyone who wanted to disturb or talk to him. He had not chosen this tree to eavesdrop on a group of disgruntled clan members speculating about some pesky thing.

His tail gave a single, irritated flick, wishing for them to wander off and leave him to his rest.

But they remained there, chatting about how their tribe leader was carrying someone around like a cub and how he wasn’t acting like himself.

Ermin’s ears stood at alert when he noticed that Tera was actually their topic of discussion.

They were discussing how they felt Tera was manipulating the clan leader, and how she was scheming.

He had thought the same thing. He had been certain of it, in fact. Every kind act, every helpful gesture, every moment of apparent selflessness—he had dismissed it all as a longer game, a more sophisticated manipulation.

But that mate bond had him very confused.

He didn’t like how it was shaking his certainty. Her actions were one thing, but there was no acting such deep emotions like these. No one could fake that kind of sorrow, especially not the selfish, tantrum-throwing female who had ruined his life.

But a part of him felt so angry. Why was she changing after what she had done to him? Could she not have left him out of it, or did getting exiled give her that wakeup call for her to change?

One of their voices drifted up from below. "Do you think she’s with him right now? At the lake? I remember we left her there."

Ermin felt annoyed with himself. He had noticed Tera sitting there and then saw her fall asleep before leaving, thinking she would wake up, wash herself and return to the rest of the clan.

To his surprise, evening had fallen, the other scout males had returned, and Tera had not come back. The others had just left her there, and they had seen her still asleep. Ermin had wanted to go and check on her, but he had forced himself not to go.

What would he even do when he got there?

When finally making the last-minute decision to go, someone had mentioned the tribe leader heading to the lake to wash himself. So, he would carry her back to the clan himself.

"Probably," the jackal said. "She looked exhausted earlier. Maybe the clan leader is just watching over her now."

"Or maybe he is doing more than watching," someone laughed.

Kiri looked offended and smacked their arm. "Do not make such a rubbish joke. It is the same stupid one you made about the shiftless one finding the leader during his heat."

"But—"

Another one laughed. "Don’t be silly. She would have died if leader had laid his hands on her at that time."

"That would have even been better," Kiri grumbled. "We would not have had to deal with that one now."

Ermin’s claws extended slightly, digging into the bark of the branch. He made himself retract them.

Why did he even care?

Whatever nonsense they were saying aside, he felt strange that Tera was alone with the bear beast man.

Ermin immediately shook his mind off it. Xavi could do whatever he wanted with the shiftless female. It was none of Ermin’s business. If the bear wanted to waste his time on a female who had already proven she couldn’t be trusted, that was his problem.

Except...

He remembered when he and Tera had come out of that cave and how the clan leader had his arms wrapped around Tera’s waist. He looked protective and possessive of her, and the whole thing had irritated Ermin at the sight of it.

’That was just the imprint,’ he told himself firmly.

Below him, the group started pacing again.

"We will watch her. Keep track of what she does. If she tries anything—anything at all—we should be ready."

"What exactly do you think she’s going to try? I can’t think of anything yet."

"I don’t know! That’s the point! This one is unpredictable!"

"Maybe one of us should get close to her?"

"That is not a bad idea."

"She should especially not try anything towards the leader. I am concerned for the clan."

"You should spend more time with leader, Kiri. The shiftless female does not deserve his attention. You would be a much better match for him."

Kiri scoffed. "Obviously."

They continued their tirade, leaving Ermin irritable.

The group talked for a few more minutes, making vague plans to watch and report and be ready, none of which sounded particularly competent.

Eventually, they left, having disrupted the panther’s sleep.

He would have loved to return to his slumber, but his mind wouldn’t be quiet.

He kept thinking about what those idiots had said about Tera latching onto Xavi and the two of them being gone for so long. It did not make any sense why this detail should disturb him.

But the bond pulsed faintly, and he remembered their time in the cave, including the way her hands had been gentle.

Ermin’s tail gave a single, sharp lash against the branch.

He should report them. Kiri’s little group was clearly plotting something, but reporting them would mean acknowledging that he had been paying attention to anything involving Tera.

And he had been paying far too much attention to that shiftless female lately.

He did not like that.

But the following morning came with a shocking disruption.

The clan leader had returned later that night with a big, fat wild animal he had hunted down a long distance away, providing them with a lot of meat. And he had gone back again to return with some fruits everyone had had to sort through to find which were edible and put aside the ones that didn’t seem so edible.

Not many people questioned it, but there were some who had wondered why their leader had gone out in the dead of night shortly after he had only returned from scouting and hunting to bring food for the clan.

Almost everyone got their answer when the morning had arrived, with the shiftless female sleeping at the root of a tree with fruits and skinned meat piled beside her.