The Villainess Wants a Divorce:Beast Husbands Regret It to Tears-Chapter 142: Relentless Pursuit

She wrapped her arms around her knees, her gaze fixed on the water’s surface.

"If only we could reach the Beast Realm sooner and meet The Beast King..."

Not just Isaac Vaughn and the others, perhaps she could also find out about her father’s whereabouts.

That father who had been missing for so long, is he still alive?

Is he also waiting for her somewhere?

Kaelan Hawthorne spoke suddenly.

"Do you... want to take a bath? I’ll keep watch nearby, so you don’t have to worry about wild beasts approaching."

Seraphina Caldwell turned her head, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, then waved her hand dismissively.

"Let’s not delay, we don’t have the leisure for that now. This is not the time to be concerned with such things. Finish eating and let’s get moving; reaching the Beast Realm sooner is the priority."

She lowered her head, her gaze tightly fixed on the flickering flames before her.

Kaelan Hawthorne silently withdrew his gaze, steadying the skewer once more.

Seeing Seraphina Caldwell in this state made Kaelan feel uneasy inside.

Was she truly worried about those Beast Husbands captured by Silas Shaw?

Or was there... another motive?

Could it be... he had misunderstood her from the start?

But just as this thought emerged, he ruthlessly extinguished it.

He couldn’t forget that scene.

How could she suddenly become so gentle overnight?

She knew that with her father gone, there was no one to protect her anymore.

If the time came and she lost control in a frenzy, and no one was willing to approach her, she feared she would become the clan’s laughingstock.

Thinking of this, Kaelan’s throat tightened.

Just then, there was an abrupt sound above.

Seraphina had just lifted her head when her pupils constricted suddenly. A massive, dark brown wing had already swept over the treetops.

An Eagle Clan male hovered in the air, his gaze fixed intently on the riverbank.

Seraphina’s entire body went rigid, her back tightening instantly.

She remembered clearly that even the lowest rank males of the Eagle Clan were Green Rank warriors.

The strongest among them was none other than Kaelan Hawthorne, merely a Yellow Rank Beastfolk.

If discovered... the consequences were unimaginable.

Kaelan’s reaction was astonishingly swift.

As Seraphina had just caught sight of the shadow, his hand was already reaching out.

Immediately, he grasped her wrist.

"Don’t breathe!"

He pulled her abruptly, sending her tumbling towards the riverbank.

They collided heavily with the floating duckweed on the water’s surface and crashed into the river with a splash.

The river was not deep, just barely covering their chests.

The water was ice-cold, sending a tremor through Seraphina’s entire body as Kaelan covered her mouth.

His other hand pressed firmly on her shoulder, pushing her downward.

The layered duckweed conveniently formed a green canopy above them.

A long shriek from the Eagle Clan male came from overhead, giant wings beating, stirring up a strong wind.

Seraphina could distinctly feel that gaze sweeping inch by inch along the riverbank.

She gritted her teeth tightly, desperately holding her breath.

Using her last bit of strength, she glanced sideways and saw Kaelan’s profile.

His body remained staunchly before her, not moving an inch.

The Eagle Clan male paced back and forth along the riverbank twice. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He finally stopped, landing at the spot where they had been resting. He stepped into the embers of the extinguished fire.

Then he crouched down, casually stirred the still-warm ashes with his fingers.

"The fire hasn’t gone out completely; they can’t have run far."

He slowly stood up, his gaze swept across the riverbank, stepping step by step toward the water’s edge.

His soles kicked a few pebbles; they rolled into the water, splashing up a circle of ripples.

His eyes searched inch by inch in the dimness, scrutinizing every disturbance on the water’s surface.

He distinctly smelled a hint of a female scent.

Yet now, the air carried only the cold, wet water mist.

Under the water, Seraphina’s vision was starting to blur from holding her breath too long, her head dizzy.

Her legs kicked uncontrollably.

If this continued, she would indeed suffocate and die.

It was Kaelan’s firm grasp that kept her from slipping into the muddy depths.

Kaelan sensed her nearing collapse.

He knew if he delayed any longer, she was sure to perish.

But the Eagle Clan male was still patrolling the banks; should they surface, the next moment would bring deadly talons.

At the crucial moment, he suddenly raised his hand, his palm clutching her nape.

His other arm encircled her waist, locking her securely in his embrace.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

That breath of air abruptly pulled Seraphina from the brink of suffocation.

Seraphina’s body stiffened instantly, her mind going blank.

She instinctively opened her mouth, frantically absorbing that bit of oxygen.

The tight ache in her chest ebbed away, her senses slowly regaining clarity.

She obediently curled up in Kaelan’s arms, her head buried in his shoulder.

The Eagle Clan male continued to circle the bank three times.

He finally bent down, moved to the large tree behind which they hid, and pulled out the old Beast Skin Bag, shaking it open and inspecting it closely.

Inside was empty.

He dropped the bag, crouched, pressed his nose close to the moist soil, and sniffed hard.

Unfortunately, the damp air from the river had washed away all traces.

He straightened up, lifting his gaze toward the dense forest across the river.

"Strange... could they have run upstream?"

He raised his head to glance at the deep forest.

Then his wings suddenly flared, lifting him up above the layered treetops, disappearing in an instant.

Only when the Eagle Clan’s presence dissipated did Kaelan finally release the hand clenched on Seraphina’s nape.

He did not speak immediately, only gently tugged Seraphina’s wrist, guiding her to stand slowly from the water.

As soon as both of their heads emerged, they inhaled deeply at the same time.

Seraphina’s face was still flushed.

She couldn’t help but recall the earlier kiss.

With her mind in a flurry, she subconsciously edged away half a step, her feet catching on the slippery riverbed, nearly tripping.

She hastily steadied herself, keeping her head down, not daring to glance at Kaelan.

Kaelan remained silent, without glancing back at the Eagle Clan’s departure direction.

"Let’s go; they could return at any time."

With those words, he stepped toward the riverbank.

But his right hand, hanging by his side, had long been clenched into a tight fist, and the tip of his ear had unknowingly turned a hint of red.

A sudden shift of his form; the fox shadow appeared.

He lowered his head, his amber eyes looking at Seraphina.

Seraphina didn’t hesitate, reaching out to grasp the fur behind his neck, using it to climb onto his back.

Her knees gently hugged his waist, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Just as she settled down, Kaelan leaped forward.

He chose paths densely lined with branches, avoiding all soft muddy grounds.

Seraphina lay on his back, her gaze sweeping over the ground.

This fellow’s ability to evade tracking is truly remarkable, almost as if he were born to live in the shadows.

After running for a while and confirming that no one followed, Kaelan finally slowed his pace.

"There’s roasted meat in the bag; have some."

He said softly.

Only then did Seraphina realize she was starving.

She had rushed out in the morning, not even having a bite of coarse grain.

Not to mention holding her breath underwater for so long, nearly exhausting her strength.

Upon hearing "roasted meat," her stomach knotted with pain.

She hurriedly fished out a skewer of roasted meat from the Beast Skin Bag at her waist.

It was the dry ration Kaelan had prepared before they set off.

She devoured it voraciously, till warmth filled her stomach, finally letting out a long breath.

Wait! She suddenly remembered that Kaelan hadn’t eaten a bite today.

After the long sprint earlier, males expending more energy than females.

Moreover, he carried her and kept an eye on the terrain the entire time.

After all this, he must be starving too.

But now wasn’t the time to rest; time was tight, every second could bring danger.