Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands-Chapter 291 --.

Now, as he looked at Kaya, her eyes fluttering shut again, her body growing heavier with exhaustion, Veer felt his fear clawing deeper into him. She was slipping further and further away, and he had no idea how to stop it.

Then suddenly—he remembered. The Monkey Tribe.

His mind flashed back to their healer, to the way he had spoken to Kaya, to the pallor that had washed over her face when she heard his words. A gamble, yes... a reckless one. But what choice did he have?

Veer tightened his arms around her limp body, pulling her close, his heart pounding in his chest. "Kaya..." His voice broke, almost a whisper. "Hold on. Please, hold on."

Her lashes didn’t even flicker. She had already slipped into unconsciousness.

Veer lifted her into his arms, her fragile weight pressing against him. He clenched his jaw, wings spreading wide. The Monkey Tribe was nearly two hundred eighty kilometers away—a brutal distance. At her worsening state, they couldn’t afford to walk, couldn’t afford to wait.

The only choice left was to fly.

And so, with Kaya cradled tightly against him, Veer hurled himself into the night sky, his wings beating with desperate strength. He would fly at his fastest speed, no matter the pain that tore through his body. Because losing her was not an option.

....

For a vulture, flying 280 km wasn’t usually a problem. At his top speed, he could have easily covered it in about 4.5 hours, cruising steadily at 65 km per hour.

But tonight was different. His body was already worn from earlier flights. Kaya’s fragile weight pressed against him, and tension coiled in every muscle. He pushed himself harder, determined to get her to safety.

They had just crossed the 150 km mark when it happened. Mid-flight, his wings stiffened, as if suddenly locked by invisible chains. The world tilted beneath him. Gravity pulled him down.

Veer’s claws tightened around Kaya, chest pressed to hers, his teeth gritting as he fought to regain control. The wind tore at his feathers; his balance faltered. Panic flashed in his mind.

Then, without hesitation, he shifted into his full vulture form, Kaya now secure in his claws. It was a dangerous gamble—transforming mid-air strained the body even under normal circumstances. But Veer was beyond caution.

He flapped harder, faster, pushing against fatigue, against the wind, against the weight of his own exhaustion. His wings jerked violently, catching on currents. More than once, he grazed trees, scraped mountain peaks, each collision sending shivers of pain through him. His body ached, feathers ruffled and bloodied, yet he refused to let Kaya go, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

Hours felt like minutes. Each beat of his wings was agony. And then—finally— Monkey Tribe rose below him. Relief surged through him, but his body had already given all it could.

In the last desperate stretch, his wing faltered. The tired, battered limb refused to hold. With a violent, heart-stopping lurch, Veer crashed into the outskirts of the Monkey Tribe, skidding across the ground, dust and debris flying.

Yet even in the wreckage, Kaya was unharmed. Veer’s claws still held her, cradling her like the fragile treasure she was. And in that moment, all that mattered was that she had made it.

"Ughhh... ahhh—" Veer groaned, pain tearing through his body as he shifted, trying to set Kaya securely in his arms. His chest heaved, breath harsh and uneven, huff—huff—huff, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. Slowly, he lifted his heavy gaze to her.

Kaya lay still, her body limp against him. She hadn’t stirred. Her breathing was ragged yet steady, a faint rise and fall against his chest. Veer’s jaw clenched. She didn’t wake up... not even through the fight... not even through this crash.

A sharp sting made him wince. "Ahhh—" he hissed, raising a trembling hand to his head. When his fingers touched the wound, they came away sticky, stained with blood. His vision wavered, but he forced himself upright, swaying as he sat.

"Huff—haah—" his breaths grew heavier, each inhale scraping at his ribs.

That’s when he noticed them.

The Monkey Tribesmen. Dozens of eyes watching him from the shadows of the broken clearing. Their faces unreadable. No growls, no attack, no rush like the last time. They simply stood there—waiting, as if they had known all along he would come crashing here.

Veer’s bloodied hand clenched on the ground.

Veer tightened his hold on Kaya with one arm, steadying her limp body against his chest as he pushed himself upright. His vision swam, but his gaze sharpened the moment it locked onto the Monkey Tribe.

Amber light flickered in his eyes—glowing, fierce, a silent warning. Stay back.

The tribesmen stirred. A few bared their teeth, anger flashing across their simian faces, but none advanced. Their hesitation was broken by the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps.

Tap. Tap.

Veer’s head snapped toward the sound, his body tensing instinctively.

Out of the shadows came the same healer he had seen before. His stride was unhurried, almost leisurely, his calm presence cutting through the tense air like a blade. It was strange—unnerving—that even with Veer and Kaya crashing into their midst in the dead of night, not a single tribesman looked startled. Their stillness, their quiet, their watchful eyes—it all felt... rehearsed.

Veer’s breath hitched. This calmness... it’s tied to him.

The healer stopped before him, his gaze sliding past Veer’s bloodied form and settling on the woman in his arms. His eyes lingered on Kaya, and for the first time, he spoke—softly, as if he already knew the answer.

"So," he said, his tone disturbingly even, "she did not take the medicine, huh?"

As the healer stepped closer, Veer’s chest rumbled.

"Grrrhhhhh..." the low, guttural growl vibrated through his throat, deep and animalistic. His amber eyes narrowed, glowing faintly, sharp and hostile, warning the man to stay back.

Tap tap tap