The Villainess Wants a Divorce:Beast Husbands Regret It to Tears-Chapter 186: It’s Not Your Decision
The wooden spoon in the hand was clenched tight, with knuckles slightly pale.
No one had proactively brought up bonding before because everyone understood where the boundaries lay.
Seraphina Caldwell was unwilling to bind with anyone easily.
This was a consensus reached after multiple conflicts.
Now, Gideon Larkin had torn open this baseline with just one sentence.
Isaac Vaughn felt a sense of offended discomfort.
Although he knew Gideon meant no harm.
His bigger worry was the pressure Seraphina might feel because of this.
In the corner, Kaelan Hawthorne raised his head, a fleeting wave in his eyes.
He immediately lowered his eyelids, quietly continuing to drink the soup.
But in fact, the tip of his ear twitched slightly.
He didn’t have strong opinions about bonding itself.
But he was very clear that once this matter was brought to the table, it meant the balance would be broken.
And once the balance was disrupted, subsequent problems would follow.
His choice to remain silent did not mean he didn’t care.
He just thought the atmosphere wasn’t suitable for expressing opinions right now.
Especially when involved parties are still in a state of shock.
The most off-kilter was Wyatt Yardley.
Earlier, he had been lazily leaning against the stone wall, a slight smile on his face.
In the blink of an eye, his expression turned cold.
It seemed as if there was more oppression in the air.
He didn’t speak immediately but locked eyes on Gideon.
Did Gideon actually understand what he was saying?
The complexity of Seraphina’s rutting period required more than just a show of strength.
Emotional ties, mental links, life-sharing... These are the consequences brought by bonding.
No one can decide for her whether to bear these or not.
Seraphina has been relying on drugs and other means during her rutting period precisely because she is unwilling to bond.
Everyone is cautious to avoid this minefield; who would dare bring it up lightly?
Yet here he is, first reaction after leveling up is to consider bonding with Seraphina?
She once clearly said that bonding must be founded on absolute trust and willingness.
No matter how long they’ve been together, they can’t skip this premise.
Though drugs are damaging, they at least offer her some personal control.
If a contract is hastily forged, and should the relationship fall apart, both parties would suffer grave repercussions.
This isn’t child’s play nor a way to repay anything.
She is an independent entity, not an item needing to be assigned responsibility.
This isn’t repayment; it’s practically jumping into a fire pit!
On the surface, Gideon appears to be offering help, but in reality, he’s pushing her into a more passive position.
Other Beast Husbands might have the ability to share the burden.
But they haven’t spoken, showing respect for her decision.
He might not have realized, but his words already made the atmosphere awkward and tense.
Wyatt’s voice was cold as if pulled from an ice pit.
"Gideon, whether or not to bond, it’s not up to you. It only counts if Seraphina agrees. If you want to help her relieve the pressure, you shouldn’t use this matter as an excuse."
Rules cannot be easily broken, especially when it involves Seraphina.
His gaze swept across, weighing down on everyone.
"It’s not that we’re unwilling to bond, you just got the focus wrong, understood?"
His voice raised slightly to ensure everyone heard.
Bonding or not, the decision can only be made by Seraphina herself.
No matter how great the care for her, one cannot overstep this boundary.
Gideon’s neck shrunk, and his voice shrank instantly.
"I...I didn’t mean to force her! I just thought... Since I have the ability now, it might be nice to share some of the burden..."
He truly didn’t intend for such consequences.
Only upon reaching Green Rank, his first thought was to contribute more to the team.
But now he realized his expression was too blunt.
He sneaked a glance at Wyatt’s grim face, then looked at the dazed Seraphina, stammering to amend.
"If you truly can’t bear it, you can come to me too. Isaac and I are both Green Rank, and... if you think he’s hard to talk to, consider me first..."
"Hah."
Wyatt chuckled coldly, unwilling even to raise the corner of his mouth.
"Both Green Rank? And you’re worthy of being her first choice? Let’s see how many moves you can stand against me?"
Gideon immediately shut up.
Even he wasn’t foolish enough not to know, despite Wyatt being only slightly higher in rank.
His actual combat experience far surpassed Gideon’s.
The opponent follows the Poison Element path, his skills inherently oppressive.
If fighting did break out, in less than three rounds, he’d be thoroughly suppressed, with no chance to counter.
Previous records in the training field clearly show he had never won against Wyatt.
Even facing Isaac from Blue Rank, Wyatt might not lose.
Her combat style is fierce and decisive, adept at seizing and exploding upon opponent’s flaws.
Once she enters her groove, hardly anyone can withstand her combos.
He reluctantly moved half a step back, his heel lightly grazing the ground.
"Fight...fight then, who’s afraid of who..."
He was already sliding to the corner of the wall, with his shoulder closely against the stone.
Trying his best to increase the distance from Wyatt, afraid she might lose it and really lunge.
Fortunately, Wyatt wasn’t truly planning to act on a few foolish words.
She merely swept her gaze across Gideon, her gaze cold.
Seeing him finally quiet down, the tension in the cave began to ease up.
That taut oppressive feeling in the air gradually faded.
Others started to relax their bodies and sit down again.
Seraphina breathed a sigh of relief, immediately bowing her head to scoop soup, wanting to brush off the matter.
The soup steamed, and she drank it in small sips, trying to use food to comfort her nerves.
But after just a couple of sips, her brows furrowed.
The soup was terribly bland, lacking any salty taste, with only a trace of the raw flavors of the ingredients, unable to stir her appetite.
She glanced towards Kaelan, gently asking, "Kaelan, do we have any more salt? Today’s soup seems completely flavorless."
Kaelan was sipping soup himself, hand paused upon hearing the question, spoon stopping at the edge of the bowl, fingertips slightly tense.
"It’s gone. Used up the last bit yesterday."
Seraphina’s heart sank.
Isaac’s previous salt was made by slowly boiling seawater brought back from the coast.
Times were tough then, and the production process was time-consuming and laborious.
Eating hurriedly along the way, supplies had nearly run out in recent days.
Unexpectedly, it’s truly gone.
She turned to Isaac with a hint of hope in her eyes.
"Isaac, can you make some more salt? Without salt, eating would be uncomfortable later on."
Isaac put down his bowl, the porcelain bowl making a subtle sound on the stone ground.
"Salt has to be extracted from boiling seawater, the previous batch came from the sea. Now we’re deep in the mountains, haven’t seen a trace of the sea, I can’t conjure salt from thin air."
Seraphina’s heart immediately felt half frozen.
Without salt, meals tasted bland, and over time, people would start feeling weak.
Next, they needed to travel through mountains and forests to reach the Fox Clan’s territory, with steep and slippery paths.
Weakened legs and feet would make traversing impossible.
She had no stock in her personal space either.
Salt was always managed by Kaelan since she often cooked.
Seraphina had never secretly kept a portion, only taking as much as needed each time.
Once used up, she’d return it, never hoarding any extra.
Even if she had tucked some away earlier, it would have been consumed by now.
After all, the handful of salt Isaac once produced was only palm-sized.
A gust of wind could disperse it, making it never last long under frequent use.
Wyatt saw Seraphina’s face looked troubled, and immediately suggested, "Why don’t we make a detour? Half a day’s journey and we can reach the Wolf Clan’s place, borrowing some salt shouldn’t be difficult."
