Chapter 2

I had been torn apart by countless vicious beastmen. They bit into me, devoured me. My eyes were gouged out and eaten, and my tongue was sliced off. By the time I died, there wasn't a single patch of skin left untouched.

The night before I was sent to the Beast Den, I begged Blair to help me escape. But he went against my orders.

He said, "You're no longer my master. Mr. Roffe already used a secret spell to break our contract. Your life or death has nothing to do with me."

And when I tried to run, he blocked my way. He ignored my desperate pleas and shoved me into the Beast Den himself. His last words to me were, "You're a half-beast. You won't die."

But there was something he didn't know: Justin had ripped away the beast bone that carried my powers as a half-beast and given it to Maisie.

Right now, I was even weaker than a human.

"What's wrong, Claudia? You look so pale," Maisie said gently, but the cold smirk tugging at her lips didn't escape my eyes.

"It's none of your business." I took a deep breath, forcing down the flood of hatred rising inside me.

"Why are you being so rude? We're sisters." She pretended to look hurt, but her tone dripped with calculation.

"If you really see me as your sister, then give back what's mine."

With that, I turned and walked away without a second glance.

Not long after I got back to my room, Justin stormed in and slammed the door open, his face twisted in fury.

"Claudia! Who the hell do you think you are, talking to your sister like that?"

I stared at him coldly. In my previous life, this was the same brother who had thrown me into the Beast Den to save Maisie. And in this life, he was still just as disgusting.

"What? Did I say something wrong? Maisie doesn't even deserve to be my sister."

"You little…" Justin's face turned red. He stepped toward me and raised his hand to strike.

I didn't flinch and looked straight at him, my eyes as sharp as knives.

His hand froze in mid-air. In the end, it never came down.

"You're just like your damned beastman father, so vulgar and savage."

I let out a cold laugh. "Aren't you his child, too?"

I had heard that insult so many times. But even in this second life, being rejected so harshly by my brother still made my heart ache.

Justin got even angrier at my question. "Guards! Lock her up!"

"Why not just kill me? That way, no one would know what you and Maisie have done."

His expression shifted, and his eyes darted away. I'd hit a nerve.

"What are you talking about? I'm just giving you time to reflect!"

"Reflect? What exactly should I reflect on? That I was born to a beastman father? Or that I dared to ask Maisie for what's rightfully mine?"

I stepped toward him, my voice icy.

In a flash, Justin slapped me hard across the face. I was already weak, and the force of it knocked me to the floor.

Dusty had been napping on the bed. Hearing the noise, he jumped down and tried to bite Justin's hand.

But how could a small fox take on a grown man? With one blow, Justin sent him flying across the room. Dusty hit the floor hard and let out a weak cry.

"Dusty!"

My heart dropped. He was still so fragile; there was no way he could take a hit like that.

Justin stepped on my hand as I tried to crawl toward Dusty. Looking down at me with cold disdain, he spat, "As long as you behave, I'll let you and that thing live. But if you ever upset Maisie again, I'll kill him myself."