- 14.
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That winter, the White Tiger Tribe welcomed over thirty new cubs into the world.
Thanks to the abundant food supplies and proper nutrition, every single one of them survived. For the first time in years, no beastman or female succumbed to the harsh winter.
By the time spring arrived, with flowers blooming and green spreading across the mountains, the tribe’s food stores were still half full.
But everyone was sick of eating the same meals of dried vegetables and meat. So, as the snow melted and the mountains turned green again, the females, accompanied by their
young children, went foraging for fresh wild greens.
It was during one of these outings that Nicole, taking advantage of the werewolf’s absence, approached me with a face full of jealousy and resentment.
“Lily,” she spat, her tone venomous, “why is it that no matter which beastman you choose, your life always turns out better than mine?”
“Kaelan was supposed to die this winter,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing. “But here he is,
alive and well. You must have done something, didn’t you?”
ar “You’ve hon
Her voice grew louder, beneath me our entire lives, in every possible way. So why–why–do you get to live better than me?”
Her face twisted with rage as she screamed, “You don’t deserve any of this! Go to hell!”
She lunged at me, her hands outstretched, trying to shove me down the hillside.
But this time, I was ready for her.
In this life, I’d been secretly preparing for moments like this. And perhaps thanks to the mysterious ointments Kaelan had been rubbing on me, my body had undergone a
transformation.
I wasn’t the weak, fragile person I’d been in my past life. My stamina and reflexes were now comparable to those of the tribe’s females.
22:45” Fri, Jan 19
I wasn’t the weak, fragile person I’d been in my past life. My stamina and reflexes were now comparable to those of the tribe’s females
The moment Nicole reached for me, I sidestepped her with ease. She lost her balance. and stumbled, falling flat on her face in the dirt.
The other females, who had witnessed everything, rushed over.
One of them pushed Nicole back roughly, stepping protectively in front of me.
“How dare you disrespect the Priestess?” she snarled, her tone filled with anger.
Nicole froze, her face a mask of confusion.
“Priestess? What priestess?”
She had no idea what was going on. After being confined by the werewolf for months
and spending the winter isolated indoors, she’d been completely cut off from the tribe’s
news.
She didn’t know that Kaelan had declared me the White Tiger Tribe’s sacred Priestess, a
title that commanded immense respect and reverence.
I looked down at Nicole, who was still sitting in the dirt, her face pale with disbelief.
Calmly, I said, “Nicole, do you really believe I’ve been beneath you my entire life?”
“Let’s be honest. You’ve always tried to step on me, not because I’m worse than you, but because putting me down makes you feel superior. Isn’t that right?”
I thought back to our high school years. To escape her constant shadow, I’d applied to a university on the other side of the country, choosing a major I knew she had no interest in.
But she’d found ways to torment me even then.
Nicole’s eyes widened, her face twisting with rage as she lunged for me again.
But before she could reach me, the other beastwomen restrained her, holding her back with ease.
<
22:45 Fri, Jan 10 Gu
When Kaelan and the chieftain learned of Nicole’s attempt to harm me, theywere furious.
The chieftain didn’t even give the werewolf a chance to plead her case. He immediately decreed that Nicole be banished from the tribe.
The werewolf, unwilling to leave Nicole behind, decided to leave the tribe with her, taking their child with them.
Nicole, however, didn’t take the news well.
“You’re just going to stand there and let them do this to me?!” she screamed at him, her voice filled with fury. “If you had even the tiniest bit of backbone, you’d fight for me!”
“If you weren’t such a useless coward, if you’d just become chieftain like I told you to, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
Her voice rose to a shriek as she spat, “You’re pathetic. Choosing you was the biggest mistake of my life!”
The werewolf’s face turned bright red, his embarrassment and shame clear for everyone
to see.
Desperate to avoid further humiliation–and perhaps fearing that Kaelan and the other beastmen might lose their temper and tear him apart–he grabbed Nicole by the arm and dragged her away.
