Beastmen Kings At My Feet [Reverse Harem] - Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Veronica blinked her bright eyes, caught slightly off guard by Leonardo's sudden request to bond.
To her, Leonardo had always been a trustworthy friend, and their interactions had always stayed well within the bounds of friendship, never once crossing the line.
Unlike Chase, Leonardo always kept quiet, never seeming to ask anything of her.
For beastmen, bonding with females was something that would happen eventually. It was an unavoidable fate and a necessary part of their reproduction as a species.
If a beastman didn't bond with a female, then after undergoing primal regression, he would lose all sense of self and become nothing more than a creature driven purely by instinct.
To Veronica, there was no rush to bond with anyone. She wanted her choice to come from genuine feelings, not because of outside pressure.
So when Leonardo suddenly brought it up, it caught her a little off balance. To be fair, she didn't dislike Leonardo, and if bonding with him could help him, she felt it would genuinely make her happy.
Leonardo's gaze was filled with determination and hope as he said, "Mistress, I want to be closer to you. I want to become stronger and be able to protect you."
Hearing those words, Veronica felt a gentle warmth stir inside her. She knew Leonardo's request didn't come from selfishness, but from the care and protection he felt toward her.
"Okay," she heard herself say.
Leonardo's emotions were almost beyond description. He gripped Veronica's hand tightly, as if he could freeze this moment in time and never let it go.
Their psychic powers blended together, and the surge of intimacy was so overwhelming it nearly moved him to tears. He could feel Veronica's psychic power—strong and warm—like it had opened a brand new door for him.
They had bonded at last, and Leonardo felt nothing but joy and peace in his heart. He knew this meant there was now a deeper connection between him and Veronica. They were no longer just friends—they had become essential parts of each other's lives.
The bond not only strengthened their relationship but also brought his special abilities to a level he had never experienced before.
Leonardo stayed by Veronica's side as she fell asleep, watching her peaceful face, and all he felt was happiness.
Early the next morning, Matthew rushed in. After finishing matters with the Fraser family, the very first thing he did was come to check on Veronica.
But when he found out that Leonardo and Veronica had already bonded, a flicker of something complicated crossed his face.
"What gives you the right to bond with her?" Matthew said, his tone edged with provocation and discontent.
Veronica looked at him in surprise. She didn't understand why Matthew would say something like that. After all, he had always held a clear bias against females—bordering on disdain.
Matthew couldn't quite explain why he reacted that way. He just knew he didn't want to see any other beastman get close to Veronica, like she was some kind of treasure that belonged to him alone.
He looked at Leonardo, a glint of provocation flashing in his eyes. "You've got nothing. If it weren't for you and Chase, Veronica wouldn't have fallen ill. If you really care about her, go earn some military merit."
Leonardo felt a stab in his chest at those words. He knew Matthew was right. He really had nothing to offer—he couldn't give Veronica a better life or protect her the way she deserved.
He was just a lowly semi-beastman. But from the day Veronica gave him a name, he had sworn to himself that he would do whatever it took to become someone who could stand by her side.
He drew in a deep breath, clenched his fists, and looked straight at Matthew. "I'll earn that merit. I'll make sure Veronica has the life she deserves."
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Matthew's mouth. Clearly, he was satisfied with the answer. Without hesitation, he opened the holo-interface right in front of Leonardo.
"Gabriel, are you short on hands over there?" Matthew cut straight to the point, his voice firm and unquestionable.
Before long, Gabriel's voice came through on the other end of the holo-interface, lively and upbeat. "Hey, Matthew, what's up? Of course we're short on people. Enlistment's been dropping fast.
"Honestly, it's probably time we run a full sweep of Snakehaven to see how much untapped potential we've still got—"
Matthew listened to Gabriel's nonstop chatter, and his brows knit together slightly. He hadn't called to hear Gabriel complain—once that guy started talking, there was no stopping him.
So he quickly cut in, "I've got someone for you. Put him through some real training. The tougher, the better. I want him pushed hard."
Gabriel wanted to ask who it was, but since Matthew clearly wasn't offering more, he dropped the question and agreed right away.
Matthew then shot a provocative glance at Leonardo, trying to pressure him into backing down. But to his surprise, Leonardo didn't show the slightest trace of resistance or unease.
He simply stood there, calm and composed, his gaze steady and resolute. "For Mistress, I'm willing to do anything," he said softly, his voice carrying a loyalty that left no room for doubt.
Matthew looked at him, and something stirred faintly in his chest. He knew, deep down, that Leonardo was someone he could trust. But that didn't really matter to him.
What mattered was that he'd found the right person to send to Gabriel for training—and in the end, that was a good thing for all of them.
This morning, Matthew had just told Gabriel he was sending someone over for training, and by the afternoon, he had Leonardo pack up and head out.
Meanwhile, Chase was burning with rage. The fire inside him blazed hot, fueled by what he saw as a complete betrayal from Leonardo.
They had agreed to stay on guard against Joshua and Matthew first, and yet Leonardo had gone behind his back and bonded with Veronica in secret.
Chase felt wronged to his core. He was the one who had met Veronica first, and he couldn't understand why Joshua and Leonardo had both bonded with her one after the other, while he still hadn't gotten his chance.
He started to wonder if Veronica hated him, if that was why she refused to bond with him. The thought filled him with such sorrow and disappointment, it felt like his whole world was falling apart.
He stumbled back to his room in a daze and sat alone on the edge of his bed, silently cursing Leonardo. 'I hate Leonardo,' he thought bitterly. 'I'm never trusting anyone again.'
Lately, Veronica had noticed something was off about Chase. He no longer clung to her like he used to, didn't try to act cute anymore, and every time Leonardo's name came up, he would just let out a cold snort.
Finally, after a week of this strange behavior, she couldn't hold back any longer. She asked, "Chase, what's going on? Did you get into a fight with Leonardo?"
Chase couldn't hold it in anymore. He threw himself into Veronica's arms, crying as he asked, "Mistress, do you hate me?"
"No, of course not. Why would you think that?" Veronica said, surprised. 'So that's why he's been acting weird lately?' she wondered.