Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes, I was standing on the Fate Platform again.

Moonlight covered the ancient altar of beast bones, and the endless forest stretched beneath us.

Beside me, Selene’s breathing changed.

She remembered too.

The Beast God’s wolf-shaped shadow rose above the platform.

“In the Beast Realm, you may choose one of two paths. A Warrior Female will gain strength, claws, speed, and the power to hunt. A Blessed Female will gain rare fertility and a scent that attracts powerful males.”

Before the Beast God could say more, Selene stepped forward.

“I choose Blessed Female.”

Her voice was almost eager.

“And I want Theron, Darius, and Lucan as my mates.”

The Beast God lowered its golden eyes.

“Once fate is carved, it cannot be undone.”

“I won’t regret it.”

Selene turned to me with a smile I knew too well.

“Sister, this time, the Queen Consort’s seat belongs to me.”

Then she pointed toward the other side of the platform.

Three males waited beneath the moonlight.

Ronan, a one-eyed wolf.

Kael, a hawk with an injured wing.

And Ash, a young feline shifter small enough that most beasts dismissed him at first glance.

“Those unwanted ones can go with you,” Selene said. “Take them to Frostbrook Clan and survive there if you can.”

Ronan. Kael. Ash.

In our last life, they had been given to Selene.

She had seen only Ronan’s missing eye, Kael’s damaged wing, and Ash’s small body. When war reached the northern border, she abandoned all three to save herself.

She never learned what they could have become.

Ronan could hear movement through a blizzard. Kael could strike faster than most healthy warriors even with one damaged wing. And Ash was not a common cat shifter at all, but a rare lynx whose strength would terrify far larger beasts once he fully matured.

Selene saw three useless burdens.

I saw three warriors who had never been given the chance to survive.

Golden light wrapped around her and carved the Blessed Female fate into her body.

A soft scent spread through the air.

Theron, the white tiger, looked at her first. Darius, the black lion, followed. Above them, Lucan folded his eagle wings and watched her closely.

Selene stood in the center of their attention as though the crown were already on her head.

When she passed me, she lowered her voice.

“Try to stay alive long enough to watch me rise.”

I almost smiled.

She had no idea how many times I had wished someone would take that life from me.

I walked toward the Beast God.

“I choose Warrior Female.”

The golden eyes settled on me.

“This path gives you strength, speed, and the power to survive by your own claws. No clan will value you for your fertility. No powerful male will be drawn to protect you by instinct.”

“I know.”

That was exactly why I wanted it.

In my last life, protection had become locked doors. Love had become control. By the time I understood the difference, even leaving my own room required permission.

I would never live like that again.

The Beast God touched my forehead.

Power rushed through me.

The wind sharpened. I could smell snow far to the north, hear movement deep beneath the trees, and feel strength settle into muscles that had once been too weak to defend themselves.

White claws slid from my fingertips.

For the first time since entering the Beast Realm, my life belonged to me.

The clouds opened beneath the platform.

Selene descended toward Sunspire Clan with Theron, Darius, and Lucan, toward the life she had fought so hard to steal.

I fell toward the frozen north.

Ronan, Kael, and Ash followed.

She thought she had taken my crown.

She had taken my cage.

And without realizing it, she had handed me the three males who would help me build something far greater.