The Villainess Will Live a Good Life

41. Marriage Interview

Nana slept in the next day and cuddled with her big bear. There was finally a nice chill in the air and Dakotah no longer felt like a hot oven. She was all set to waste away several more hours like that, but her boys kicked up a ruckus.

"What it?" Aden excitedly shouted.

"It big!" Tashi yelled.

Nana then listened to Zen explaining to the cubs what a gorilla was. She needed to convey to a certain male that she was not an early riser. Nana grumbled to herself and begrudgingly got up.

While Nana was getting ready, Karan loomed in the doorway while staring down the gorilla male who just shifted. His eyes narrowed pointedly. He thought that leaving his scent on Nana would help discourage males from approaching her. It seemed he failed.

While he wanted Nana to have a strong family, he also wanted less competition. It was difficult for him to balance these conflicting feelings, but he was trying. He continued to glare at the male who did not back down. It seemed he would have to teach the male his place.

The sounds of battle only irritated Nana more. Feeling woefully unprepared for this, Nana made her way out the door. She found Karan and Bantu fighting. Watching the giant snake and gorilla fight reminded Nana of certain movies. She didn't let herself enjoy this battle though.

"That's enough," Nana said loudly.

Unfortunately, Nana was ignored. Nana had two options: threaten them or send someone else in to do that for her. Since no one in her family was Karan's equal when it came to strength, Nana had to do it. She ignored Troy's hopeful look and stepped up to the plate.

"If you two don't stop it... Bantu, you will cease courting me. Karan, you won't sleep in the main bedroom for the rest of the season." Nana's threats were heard and abided by immediately.

Karan sped back to her side and shifted. He fed her a sorrowful expression, but Nana didn't pay him mind. She was aggravated. Bantu shifted and picked up his shredded skirt. Nana caught sight of a round behind and immediately placed her sight above his head.

Dakotah stumbled out of the house half-shifted, and Zen shook his head. Troy wore a crestfallen look and went back to splitting wood. Nana did note that his wounds looked almost totally better already. Nana felt almost motivated to try for a power mark herself since the increased healing abilities would be nice to have, but she had something else to do right now.

Nana steeled herself and explained to the rest of her family that Bantu was allowed to court her. Nana understood that challenges were normal between males, but this wasn't the way she would let it happen. If they want to beat each other up, they had to do it in a way that neither would accidentally kill the other. And she would rather them not fight at all if they could help it.

Bantu did not directly challenge the snake male again, but he wanted to. With the difference in their power, Bantu was sure to lose. That didn't stop him from feeling that way. They needed to establish the hierarchy eventually, but he could wait until Nana accepted him. He had lived 51 years. And while his patience wasn't vast, he had more of it than most younger males.

Nana went back to doing her normal morning routine. Bantu handed over the fruits he gathered as a courting gift and Nana accepted. Amil's absence was noticeable, but he wouldn't have left alone to hunt. He must be at the stall. 'Good job Amil,' Nana praised the absent male. There should be plenty of males who wanted to impress their new mates with gifts and Nana was happy to take advantage of that.

Nana's sour mood improved dramatically with the thought of her shop's sales, allowing her to face Bantu with a much more friendly expression than the one she had worn earlier. She sent Karan away since he kept giving the male the stink eye. Once Karan mellowed out, Nana was going to see if the two males could communicate without the use of violence. After all, Nana would not accept a male that stirred up their family.