The return of villainess

Lisa felt a shiver down her spine as she sensed all eyes on her.

"What do you mean by that? I'm not going to pair with a female that isn't a rabbit" said Teo.

Alec sighed. "That's not why I brought her. I don't intend for her to be a mate for any of us. I know very well that each of us here has someone important to return to. I assure you, this female is the key to us returning stronger."

Teo gave Lisa a skeptical look. "She doesn't seem like much to me."

Lisa grimaced. 

Thanks, dude.

She gave him the middle finger, but all she got in return was a confused look from the man.

What? Were there no rude gestures in the beasts' world?

Alec smiled, finally stepping down from the trunk he had been standing on. "Trust me, I have a plan" he said, casting Lisa a glance before turning back to the beast man in front of him. "I'll explain the details later."

Teo narrowed his eyes at him. "I hope, for all our sakes, that you're right."

With that, the crowd began to disperse, but Lisa herself was still full of questions.

How exactly would she be useful? If these males didn't want her, what was her purpose here? What had they been planning in this village before Alec's attention turned to her? It seemed like they wanted something from the lion man, but what? Lisa's mind was buzzing with questions, and she had no answers. If only she had her voice now, she could express herself, ask some questions, and extract some information from someone. Unfortunately, she was powerless to do any of those things at the moment.

To survive, she needed answers. One thing, however, became clear. Lisa looked at Alec.

She was still not safe.

Alec slowly turned to her, meeting Lisa's cold gaze in response. The only reason she had stayed calm so far was that, well... she didn't have another choice. Alec had promised her he'd get her out of all the confusion and the beast men's trade, and he had done that. But he wasn't very trustworthy either. After all, hadn't he just admitted to everyone that he had "captured" her? She needed a plan if she wanted to regain her independence and safety.

"So, female..." he began with a fake smile. "You seem a little angry."

Lisa kept staring at him with her most piercing look. Disheveled and dirty as she was, she was sure she had a pretty scary glare.

"I promised I'd find males willing to take you, and that's what I'm going to do."

Lisa tilted her head questioningly. Hadn't he just said none of the males in this camp would take her?

"Don't give me that look. I'll explain everything to you later."

He stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and started pulling her in a random direction.

Lisa instinctively resisted. Where was he taking her now?

"You're so stubborn, you know that?" he grumbled. "I just want to take you to a river. Don't you feel dirty?"

Lisa nodded. She couldn't stand this grime for another minute.

The two walked for a few minutes before Lisa finally heard the sound of running water. It didn't take long for the forest passage to open up to a river.

The current was weak, and the river wasn't very wide, but for Lisa, it was enough. She ran to the edge.

"Wait a second!" Alec shouted after her.

Lisa didn't listen. She rushed and dove into the water fully clothed.

Finally.

Lisa shuddered with delight before submerging herself. The filth was almost killing her. There was nothing worse than stinking. Her hair was stiff and poorly cut, her face had several scratches, and she was covered in mud. Her own skin gave her the creeps, and there was nothing she wanted more than to be clean.

She submerged herself a second time with a groan. Just the sensation of washing away the day's sweat was incredible. The sun had mostly set by now, and the water was a bit cold, but Lisa didn't care about any of that. The freshness and the feeling of cleanliness were good enough to almost make her cry.

"Wow, you really like water."

Lisa looked up, surprised. Sitting on the edge with his chin in his hand was Alec. She had almost forgotten his presence.

She paused for a moment. Should she feel embarrassed by his presence? On second thought, Lisa decided not to. He had already made it clear that he wasn't interested in her that way. Besides... She looked down at her own clothes soaked with mud. She was still dressed.

She grimaced at the dirt and pulled off her top over her head. It was drenched. Leather wasn't exactly made for water. The skirt was next. Holding both pieces, she twirled them in her hand and then tossed them toward the shore.

Alec looked surprised as the clothes landed on his chest. Then he slowly raised his eyes to her.

Lisa stared back at him, feeling unbothered by his crimson gaze. If he intended to hurt her, he would have done so already.

She didn't hide her breasts either, which floated slightly above the water.

Alec looked down, his face red. Had he never seen a naked woman before? Lisa knew that females were very rare in the safe cities where the protagonist and villainess had lived in the story she read, with at least 20 men for every woman. In a lawless place like this? Maybe the ratio was even more absurd.

He had said he was already in love. If he was, she wouldn't interfere, but if not... he seemed to be the strongest male among them. If she had him as a mate, maybe Lisa could finally be safe.

She looked at him, waiting for a reaction, but he didn't look at her again.

Lisa submerged herself once more, smiling. She still had plenty of time.