Chapter 65 - Bad Representatives

Chapter 65: 65 - Bad Representatives

(Yaya’s POV)

Lila’s chest heaved. Her pupils contracted to vertical lines, distinctly fox-like. She took another step forward, bare feet pressing into damp earth, completely disregarding Moyu’s attempt to shield me.

"The Beast Kingdom does not tolerate cold-blooded filth in its territory," she hissed. Her fox tail, previously curled elegantly behind her, now bristled and lashed back and forth like a whip. "That snake should have been executed the moment he was discovered!"

She raised her hand, and the males who had been lounging in the water immediately began moving toward shore. They formed a loose semi-circle behind her, to intimidate Moyu into submission. Their collective presence pressed against his front, making his shoulders tense.

One of them, a particularly large male with bear features, growled deep in his chest. "Our female is right, Elite. Cold-blooded prey on our females. Everyone knows this. Why would you protect one?"

Moyu turned slightly, positioning himself between the growing crowd and me. "This situation is different. The female has chosen him. They are mates. The bond has been recognized."

Lila pointed her finger in my direction. "Look at her! She’s terrified! He’s probably threatened her into accepting him."

I lowered my head further, letting my hood shadow my face completely. For a respected elite patrol member, I had expected better treatment toward Moyu. It was a little insulting for a male of his rank to be treated like this, but his response showed he was used to it.

At the end of the day, he was still a disposable male who could be replaced. A female was much more valuable than any male, unless the male was of Royal rank, which Moyu wasn’t.

Lower-rank males were treated even worse, barely above cattle status.

"We are leaving." Vick grabbed my arm and pulled me up from the ground. His grip was harsh, fingers digging into my flesh.

I tripped, but his strength kept me from falling. He yanked me to my feet and began dragging me away from the confrontation, away from Moyu and Lila’s group.

"It’s not your responsibility, Precious. The world doesn’t need your help, nor does it deserve it." He pulled me along the edge of the clearing.

Moyu stayed back to explain the situation. I overheard him saying it was a misunderstanding, and that it was another coldblooded who had scarred my face, not Noodle. He also assured them that I was safe and protected. He would personally oversee my safety, to make sure I didn’t come to harm from the snake beastman.

"She can’t be left alone even for a moment." Moyu caught up to us after shaking off the prying eyes. "She attracts trouble wherever she goes."

"No trouble for me," I argued as I ’tripped’ again, ’unable’ to catch up with their speed. "But for you, yeah."

Vick lifted me by my waist and put me on his shoulder. He continued walking without a word. My stomach pressed against his shoulder blade, and I found myself staring at his muscular back, wishing I could stab it, but I continued to act the role of a weak, scared female.

Noodle came out of the water, confused by the whole situation. "Did that female bully mate? Should I go back and bite her?"

"No need." Vick tossed me into the water, ordering, "Take Moyu and Precious to the cave, and stay there with her until I come back."

A splash and a gasp left my lips as the cold water engulfed me. Noodle’s grip tightened on my wrist, pulling me deeper together with Moyu. He guided us through the rocky underwater tunnel to, according to Vick, a hidden cave.

The tunnel twisted and turned, its walls narrowing then expanding again. After what felt like an eternity, light appeared ahead. We emerged into a vast cavern, where sunlight filtered through a natural crevice above and glowing moss grew on the walls.

Noodle dragged us out of the water. He pulled us to the side of the cave, where a sandy beach stretched, and plopped us onto it.

Once we were away from the crowd, I burst out laughing. Moyu, on the other hand, was not amused. He was rubbing his temples, trying to get rid of the headache I gave him.

"Is something funny to you?" he asked. "I almost had to fight all of them because of your lies!"

A patrol’s word was valued above all others, and I basically made them question Moyu’s honesty. I didn’t want them to be a first example of a working relationship between a coldblooded and a warmblooded. Noodle and Moyu were bad representatives.

"They wanted to kill Kurus." Moyu grimaced when he no longer refered to Noodle as coldblooded, "Your mate is in danger, and you are laughing?"

"I wanted to know how fast it is to change people’s minds about someone. Now I know. They don’t care about the truth. All they care about is what they think is right. And what they think is right is not letting me stay with him."

Better test the theory on a smaller scale first, rather than risk the whole Beast Kingdom turning against him. I was his mate, and I had every right to drag his reputation down the dirt if it meant keeping him safe.

"..." Moyu pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly. "Are you going to cause trouble every time we are in public?"

I shrugged, not bothering to wipe the smile off my face. "You are the one who insists on following me. I didn’t ask for it. In fact, I told you not to. You made your choice. Live with it."

He sighed, his eyes fixed on Noodle, who returned to soak in the cave lake. His tail flicked back and forth in contentment. "Shouldn’t you be reprimanding her? She spoke ill of you."

"Let mate have her fun," Noodle replied, his eyes closed as he floated on his back. "It’s rare to hear her laugh. I like it. She doesn’t laugh enough."