The Villainess Winning Back Her Beast Husbands-Chapter 82: Actually, I’ve Died Once

Elias Moretti scrambled to catch the cub tossed at him.

He ignored Evangeline’s heart-stabbing words, his thin lips pressed into a tight line. He lifted the cub by the scruff of its neck. As his scarlet eyes swept over it, a hint of disappointment flickered within them. It was a male cub.

He turned and handed the cub to the Beastman behind him, whose eyes were already red with excitement.

The male Beastman took the cub with trembling hands, carefully pressing it against his cheek. His eyes welled up with moisture, and a pair of gray wolf ears suddenly popped out from the top of his head.

Clearly, the three cubs in Cecilia West’s belly belonged to this Wolf Beastman.

Caden Albright strode forward, his long fingers closing around Evangeline’s wrist without a word.

He didn’t even spare Cecilia West a glance. His gaze fell, focusing on the slight furrow of Evangeline’s brow. "Tired?"

The lingering note in Caden Albright’s voice was thick with undiluted tenderness. The pad of his thumb caressed her wrist gently. "Shall we go back?"

Evangeline gave a slight nod, packed up her medicine box, and let Caden Albright lead her out.

As she passed Elias Moretti, she heard his slightly hoarse voice. "Thank you."

Evangeline didn’t pause. The moment she stepped out of the cave, a downpour rushed to meet her.

Thorne, who had at some point opened an oil-paper umbrella, tilted it just so, perfectly creating a small, rain-free space for her.

Caden Albright swept an arm around her and lifted her into his arms.

Evangeline settled into his embrace with a leisurely, languid air.

Thorne followed closely, holding the umbrella so its edge remained steadily over her head.

The three of them passed through the hazy curtain of rain, treading through murky puddles on their way back to their cave.

Elias Moretti stood at the mouth of the cave, oblivious as rain streamed down the contours of his face.

His scarlet eyes stared intently at the trio fading into the rain, a group that seemed impossible for anyone to tear apart. His knuckles were white from clenching his fists, the veins on his hands bulging.

Gable stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, clearly feeling the tension in Elias Moretti’s muscles.

He too looked out into the rain, then shook his head and sighed softly. "Lana needs to see you. You should go."

The rain grew heavier, blurring the last trace of the figures in the distance.

Elias Moretti finally withdrew his gaze. As he turned, icy rainwater dripped from the ends of his hair.

He spoke flatly, as if he hadn’t seen the look in Gable’s eyes. "I know."

*

"All done?" Evangeline looked at the massive log placed across the cave entrance. The gaps were packed with mud and sand to keep the pooling water from seeping in. The two of them had been quite efficient.

Thorne methodically collapsed the umbrella, its ribs tracing a chilling arc as he twirled it in his hand.

He shot Evangeline a glance, his voice laced with a cool edge. "It’s done, yes. But we came back to find you gone. A certain heartless someone nearly forced Caden Albright to reveal he’s a Fallen Beastman."

A flash of lightning illuminated his clenched jawline.

Evangeline faltered. She glanced at Caden Albright; he was staring straight ahead without a word, clearly still simmering with anger.

Her long eyes darted slightly as she gently cradled her stomach. "Saving a life is the highest virtue. I was doing a good deed. Besides, Cecilia West had three cubs in her belly. That’s four lives in total!" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

She toyed with a lock of Caden Albright’s silver hair and said with a serious expression, "I’m going to be a mother now. If for no other reason, I have to build up some good karma for the cub in my belly, to earn The Beast God’s blessing, right?"

The umbrella in Thorne’s hand paused its motion. He turned to look at Evangeline, his dark green eyes deepening in color.

He suddenly let out a soft laugh. "So, our Eva is only being good to us for *that* reason?"

A smile played on Thorne’s lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Those who have been deeply hurt are always exceptionally sensitive, like wounded wild beasts, able to scent danger in the slightest change of tone.

His knuckles turned white, the umbrella’s frame nearly shattering in his grip. Veins faintly pulsed on the back of his hand.

Evangeline’s words—"build up some good karma," "earn The Beast God’s blessing"—were like a thorn that precisely pierced the one secret sorrow he didn’t want touched. It was as if everything she did was only for that, and had nothing to do with them.

Outside, the sound of the rain grew more urgent. Drops striking the stone wall sounded like a silent accusation.

Evangeline paused and turned to look at Thorne. His entire aura had turned grim and sinister, a darkness swirling in his eyes.

Caden Albright, however, showed no particular reaction, other than his eyelashes being lowered, his stunningly beautiful features looking a little pale.

As they moved deeper into the cave, a wave of warmth washed over them.

Caden Albright gently set Evangeline down on the stone bed and asked softly, "Are you hungry?"

With that, he turned to prepare their kill. Thorne, meanwhile, crouched silently by the fire pit. The dry twigs in his hand made sharp SNAPPING sounds as he broke them, and the embers CRACKLED, illuminating the tight line of his lips.

The two worked with a clear division of labor, but no one spoke another word, as if an invisible barrier now separated them from Evangeline.

The firelight flickered within the cave, casting their three silent figures in shifting shadows.

Evangeline watched their silhouettes outlined by the flames, her red lips pursed. She felt a headache coming on.

She knew very well that some wounds couldn’t be healed with a few hollow words of explanation.

’The cruelest thing in this world is when the person who personally pushed you into hell then gently pulls you up to heaven. The irony is, you can’t leave them. You even fall in love with them.’

Evangeline sat on the bed, pulling the fluffy cotton quilt around herself. Her red lips parted. "Actually," she began, "I’ve died once before. I’m not really Evangeline anymore."

Caden Albright’s hands, busy with the kill, suddenly stilled. The bone knife flashed with a cold light in the fire’s glow.

Thorne’s movements as he fed the fire also paused. He applied pressure with his fingertips, and a dry twig was instantly crushed to dust.

Both men looked up at Evangeline, their backs simultaneously tensing at her words.

Evangeline slowly drew her knees up, resting her chin on them. The fire cast fragmented shadows beneath her eyelashes. Her enchanting voice was as soft as a wisp of smoke. "The day the Oasis Tribe was destroyed..."

"...my skull was smashed. By the time Danton took me away, I had already stopped breathing."

Thorne and Caden Albright went rigid, their faces pale.

"I don’t remember how I came back to life." She tilted her head, the dancing flames reflected in her pupils, her voice very soft. "When I woke up, I had become a Witch. I think... The Beast God brought me back to atone for my past mistakes."

Evangeline’s voice was like a sharp blade scraping against bone, each word carving into their hearts.

"You don’t understand until you’ve died once. When you do something wrong, you have to own up to it."

"Being good to you... it isn’t to build up some good karma. It’s atonement."

"I just want to find you all again, to make things go back to how they were before I ever hurt you."

As her words faded, a clap of thunder boomed outside. The torrential downpour swallowed all sound.

Caden Albright’s pupils contracted violently. His chest felt as if it were being crushed by a boulder, his breathing hitched.

He stared at Evangeline’s pale face. The arrogant, beautiful face from his memories was already a blur. The person before him now was as fragile as a dry twig, as if she would shatter with the slightest touch.

His Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty. He strode forward and pulled her into his arms.

Evangeline’s cheek was pressed against his heaving chest, and she could hear his heart pounding like a drum.

His voice, usually a low and lingering murmur, was now impossibly hoarse, but his knuckles were gentle as they combed through her loose hair. "You foolish girl. Who asked you to atone?"

Thorne sat frozen by the fire pit, the flames distorting his shadow, pulling it into fragmented pieces.

He slowly raised his hands. His long fingers twitched in the flickering light as if stained with blood.

Memories of the chaotic Oasis Tribe tore at his nerves like venomous snakes—the roars, the cries, the glint of blades. He saw himself, hair a mess, dark green eyes tinged with scarlet, holding a rock high above Evangeline’s terrified, pale face.

"It was me..." His voice trembled, the words seeming to be squeezed from between his teeth. "I was the one who killed you."

A sudden burst of flame erupted from the fire pit, illuminating the scarlet and the moisture at the corners of his eyes.

Caden Albright’s embrace tightened abruptly, as if he too felt a surge of fear.

Thorne’s body trembled slightly, the dull thud of a rock smashing a skull seeming to echo in his ears.

Evangeline pulled back from Caden Albright’s embrace, got off the stone bed, and walked over to Thorne. She gently took his trembling wrist, her voice very soft. "It wasn’t your fault. If it weren’t for you, I might never have seen how despicable I was."

Thorne’s head snapped up, his dark green pupils constricting into a thin line.

In the firelight, her eyes were crystal clear, holding no trace of the ruthless Virago he once knew.

The warmth of her palm spread through him, so hot it made him tremble.

Only then did he understand. The most painful punishment wasn’t revenge. It was that when his eyes were clouded by hatred, he had personally pushed away the very hands that were holding onto him.

He had even killed her.