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With the tribe now brimming with able–bodied warriors, Kaelan issued a bold new
directive: it was time to build a city.
Under his leadership, construction began in earnest. Walls were raised, roads were paved, and defenses were fortified. By the time winter started to creep in, Kaelan led a caravan of warriors to a distant city, nearly a thousand miles away, to trade.
They sold dried vegetables, pickled foods, and even some of the tribe’s sacred medicinal salve, returning with an enormous haul of supplies–more than enough to ensure the tribe’s survival through the harshest of winters.
That winter, nearly five hundred cubs were born in the White Tiger Tribe.
Only three, who were especially frail, didn’t make it. This survival rate was unheard of,
and for the beastmen, it felt like a miracle.
By the time spring arrived, the beastmen who had sworn allegiance to the tribe certain of one thing: this was the happiest and most prosperous winter they had ever experienced.
And they knew exactly who to thank.
Me.
As their so–called “Priestess,” I was credited with bringing these blessings to the tribe. Their reverence for me grew stronger with each passing day.
But, as Kaelan had predicted, the goods we sold to other tribes inevitably attracted
unwanted attention.
The White Tiger Tribe’s success had become the envy of larger, more powerful beastmant
tribes.
However, the White Tiger Tribe wasn’t an easy target anymore.
The newly integrated beastmen–grateful for the lives they had gained–refused to let anyone threaten the prosperity they had worked so hard to achieve. Under Kaelan’s
However, the White Tiger Tribe wasn’t an easy target anymore.
The newly integrated beastmen–grateful for the lives they had gained–refused to let anyone threaten the prosperity they had worked so hard to achieve. Under Kaelan’s command, they fought back fiercely.
I wasn’t much of a warrior, but I did know a thing or two about strategy.
While I couldn’t fight on the battlefield, I spent the winter teaching Kaelan the basics of tactics and strategy.
Of course, my knowledge was purely theoretical-“armchair general” would be putting it kindly.
But Kaelan? He was a natural.
I heard rumors that he used my strategies to outwit enemy forces, leading them in circles
and dismantling their armies piece by piece.
It didn’t even take him a month to achieve a decisive victory.
When Kaelan and his warriors returned home, victorious and unscathed, the entire tribe gathered to celebrate.
Amid the cheers and celebrations, Kaelan did something completely unexpected.
In front of everyone, he dropped to one knee and looked up at me with an intensity that
made my heart skip a beat.
“Lily,” he said, his voice steady and solemn, “I name you the Queen of the Beastmen.”
The crowd fell silent.
And then, as if on cue, every beastman present knelt, bowing their heads in submission.
I glanced at Kaelan, who was still kneeling before me, his golden eyes filled with unwavering devotion.
22:46 Fri, Jan 10 7 GU.
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It didn’t even take him a month to achieve a decisive victory.
When Kaelan and his warriors returned home victorious and unscathed, the entire tribe
gathered to celebrate.
Amid the cheers and celebrations, Kaelan did something completely unexpected.
In front of everyone, he dropped to one knee and looked up at me with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.
“Lily,” he said, his voice steady and solemn, “I name you the Queen of the Beastmen.”
The crowd fell silent.
And then, as if on cue, every beastman present knelt, bowing their heads in submission.
I glanced at Kaelan, who was still kneeling before me, his golden eyes filled with unwavering devotion.
Smiling, I reached out and gently placed a hand on his arm. “Stand, Kaelan,” I said softly.
Once he rose, I turned to the crowd and made an announcement.
“This life, I will take no other mate. Kaelan is the only one I need.”
Kaelan’s golden eyes shimmered with emotion, his gaze turning slightly red as he fought back tears. “Lily, you don’t have to-”
.
“Shh,” I interrupted, placing a finger on his lips. “Listen to me, Kaelan. You are enough for me. In this life, you are all I need.”
Let’s be honest, though. The thought of taking multiple beastmen as mates? No thanks. I’d have to be out of my mind to willingly put myself through that.
From now on, my future was mine to decide.
And no one–no one–was going to lock me up or turn me into a baby–making machine
ever again.
