Chapter 1

"She failed... she failed!"

"Holy crap! The chief's heir can't even shift!"

Everyone in the tribe had once looked at me with reverence and expectation.

Now their eyes held nothing but horror and contempt.

The high priest's hand trembled around his staff as he stared at my neck, where a few dark greenish-black scales had emerged.

They looked like the scales of something... not a serpent.

My fiancé, Kael Mercer, the fiercest warrior in the tribe, strode onto the platform.

He pulled off his cloak and wrapped it tightly around me.

"Don't be scared, Lia. One failed attempt means nothing. You'll always be my fiancée and the heir to this tribe."

The deputy chief and my closest friend, Vivian Hart, followed right behind him. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stepped in front of me and roared at the crowd below.

"Shut your mouths! Anyone who dares mock the heir is making an enemy of me!"

I leaned into Kael's arms, and my racing thoughts finally began to settle.

I still had Kael and Vivian.

My foster father, Rowan Vale, had been in a coma for two weeks. The healer said his life force was fading by the day.

I had to become chief. Only then could I use the tribe's resources to get the medicine that might save him.

Back in my tent, Kael and Vivian stayed by my side.

"Lia, don't overthink it. Just rest. The ceremony probably failed because Rowan's coma has been weighing on you too much." Kael tucked the blanket around me, his voice as gentle as it had been for the past ten years.

Vivian brought over a bowl of calming herbs. "He's right. Drink this. Kael and I will handle everything. Just focus on getting better."

I nodded and drained the bitter medicine in one gulp. Sleep came quickly.

Drifting between waking and dreaming, I thought I heard low voices outside the tent.

My mind was hazy. I couldn't make out the words. I caught only a few fragments.

I struggled to sit up and lifted a corner of the tent flap.

In the moonlight, Kael and Vivian stood behind a tree not far away.

Vivian sighed and took Kael's hand. "Seeing her stand up there so helpless broke my heart too. But Kael, you're the sharpest blade. You deserve the finest sheath. It hurts me to see you always taking care of her. You need someone who can fight beside you, not someone you have to carry."

Kael's voice was thick with pity. "Lia's body is too fragile right now. Being chief means facing bloodshed and danger. Her failure to shift must be a sign that the Beast God doesn't want her to carry such a heavy burden. If she becomes chief, it'll only get her killed."

He clasped Vivian's hand and sighed. "The tribe needs someone strong enough to lead it. Viv, we both know that. Once we're in control, we can give her a safe, quiet place to live and keep her away from all this danger. That's the best protection we can give her, don't you think?"

Vivian wrapped her arms around Kael. "I'll stand with you. Together, we'll look after Lia."

They smiled at each other in the moonlight, looking exactly like a pair of secret lovers.

My blood ran cold. I lowered the tent flap and retreated into the darkness.

So that was it.

No wonder Vivian had been urging me to rest lately. No wonder Kael had been stepping in for me at every turn.

In their eyes, I was already a useless figurehead they could replace whenever they pleased.

I closed my eyes, feeling the dull sting in my palm where my nails had broken the skin.

What a joke. Only moments ago, I'd been grateful to have them.

It didn't matter anymore.

As far as I was concerned, I no longer had a fiancé or a best friend.

All that mattered was becoming chief and saving Rowan. I could settle everything else later.