Somehow I've Stolen the Heroine's Men in the Beast World??

A Familiar White Tiger

Recap: The three soon set off on their journey again, getting closer and closer to the Beast City.

As the trio reached a point where they were a few days away from the Beast City, Mei noticed that there seemed to be a path created specifically to lead to the Beast City. After the three of them discussed the pros and cons, they decided to take advantage of the path and its effective route rather than weaving in and out of the forest for more cover.

As the sun began to set and the colors of the sky marked the ending of the day, Curtis' eyes squint, honing in on a group of Beast-men coming in from a side path. Curtis quickly nudges Milo, who takes his eyes off of Mei to examine if the group looks to be a threat.

Upon closer inspection, the group appeared to be made up of five females being carried by beast-men in their animal forms, and more beast-men surrounding them as guardians of sort. Leading the pack was a beast that caught Mei's eyes, a large white tiger, with a scar over one of its eyes yet it moved with such confidence that she questioned her own vision.

"Why do those females look like they're in such bad condition?" She asks Curtis, whispering the question into his ear.

"Considering that they're being led by that beast-man, they were probably recently rescued."

"What do you mean by 'that' beast-man?" Mei asks, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"That's Winston, a quadruple marked beast-man, although he's a laughingstock for always being rejected by females for his scar and temper, even though he saved them. One could say he's a bit of a celebrity, even us ferals know about him," Milo chimes in.

"That seems pretty vain, rejecting someone that saved your life because he's got a scar." She mutters to herself with a frown.

The trio converse a bit more before quieting down as they converge with Winston's group.

Judgmental and fearful eyes are cast towards Curtis and Milo as both the males and females of Winston's group recognize the two as penta-marked ferals. The hesitant smile Mei casts toward them in greeting only seems to incite more whispers within the group, causing her smile to quickly vanish. She turns her head, feeling a gaze that had been directed toward her since the two groups had drawn close; and meets the striking gaze of the Siberian tiger she'd been inquiring about earlier.

Mei swallows the saliva that's suddenly gathered in her mouth, caught in place by his silver-eyed stare.

The tiger begins to approach, edging closer with slow steps, as if inching up on prey. Winston's group watches him with bated breath, wondering how he'll take on this pair of ferals that are clearly stronger than he is.

Curtis is quick to pull Mei into his embrace at the sight of Winston's approach, his fangs gleaming under whatever fading light remains. Milo mimics his action, his own fangs out in a show of intimidation.

Just before things get out of hand, Mei wriggles around in Curtis' grasp, trying to get free but ultimately failing. Her hands spread out to either side as her muffled words break the tense silence.

"Hold on! I think you guys have the wrong idea!!" She exclaims, her voice nervous in the presence of possible conflict between her males and a much larger group of beast-men.

All eyes instantly turn to the female, who had been overlooked earlier as all eyes turned to the ferals who had clearly taken her captive.

"I'm with these two of my own volition! They treat me well and I'm glad to have them as my males. I think you all have the wrong idea about our relationship just because they used to be feral, but I promise that with me, they no longer are." She says, her face still somewhat obscured in Curtis' arms.

Silence fills the air for a few moments before the tiger's stony stare narrows, and the familiar sound of bones crunching and rearranging themselves fill the space where silence once resided.

A long, white haired beast-man soon emerges from the spot the tiger used to be. His eyes, identical to his tiger form's eyes are what catches her attention first, and then the scar that mars his face. Finally, his stark nakedness is what catches her attention and she quickly looks away in embarrassment.

But as he speaks, her gaze goes back to the tiger's face as his low gravelly tone sounds for the first time.

"Female, are you telling the truth? Although those fera-, ahem, beast-men are strong, my group and I can still defeat them, you do not need to be intimidated by their power," he quickly corrects himself as he begins to say the world ferals, knowing that Mei had referred to them as changed.

Mei grasps Curtis' arm, signaling for him to let her down, which he complies with, albeit reluctantly.

Winston and his group finally get a good glance at the female, to which surprised gasps and exclamations immediately resound through the now-night air. Winston's pupils narrow for a moment, taking her in, and he seems distracted before coughs slightly and speaks.

"Although their marks rest upon your heart, I would feel more assured if we could see some proof of the way they treat you. How about you travel with us until you reach the Beast City? Then if your males prove to be as you said, we'll simply part ways there,"

Mei exchanges glances with Milo and then Curtis, and the three talk amongst themselves for a few moments before Curtis and Milo each raise a hand out to Winston, who takes their hands firmly and shakes them, sealing their agreement.

The newly formed group of Mei and her males, plus Winston and his group make their way silently to a flat clearing in the forest where they begin to set up camp. And as the apprehension of having two 'ferals' in the group fades, lively conversation begins again in Winston's group. The males trying to flirt with the females as they hand them food, they would've approached Mei had she not had Curtis and Milo there, glaring at any males who got too close.

But as the liveliness of the group infects even Mei as she talks enthusiastically to her males about what they'll do once they reach the city, she notices that Winston is sitting off to the side, away from all of the commotion. He looks toward the festivities for a moment before looking away with a wry smile.

A frown creeps onto Mei's face as she notices, and she turns to her males.

"Are you guys okay if I go talk to Winston? I don't know if I want to make him my male or anything to that extent, but right now I just want to make sure he doesn't feel alone,"

Curtis sighs but Milo smiles in a joking way, saying, "We should've known she'd have a thing for pitiful males after she accepted us," this statement earns him a pout from Mei, "I didn't pity you guys! The reason I chose you two as my males was because I both liked you and trusted that you would treat me well,"

"But I have to admit that seeing him there, separated from everyone else does make me want to help him. You guys wouldn't be upset if I took him as a male after getting to know him more, would you? With his consent of course!"

Now it's Milo's turn to sigh, "darling, you're too kind for your own good. But yes, Curtis and I have discussed this and we've agreed that as long as the male is of good character, we won't mess with him...well...not that much," he finishes with a cheeky wink.

A beaming smile fills her face as she bounces in excitement, "you two are amazing!!" After quickly kissing both of them on the cheek, she dashes past her males towards Winston, a bone-in hunk of meat in her hands as a present/ice breaker.

Her males shoot each other a wry glance before settling down, making sure to sit so they can keep an eye on their female and her new prospective mate.

AN: this is where this chapter will end! A bit of a cliff-hanger I know, but surprise! I'm doing a double update today since I've been gone for so long. Honestly, time passed by so fast that I forgot how long it had been since I had updated. I'll try to not leave you guys waiting so long again!! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed her meeting with Winston, and have fun reading more about them next chapter!!