The summer sun beat down on Ash's shoulders as she trudged through the yard for what felt like the hundredth time, calling for the dog her kids had let escape again. Sweat trickled down her back, and irritation simmered beneath her skin. This wasn't the first time she'd had to hunt him down, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
She had asked her husband to help, but he barely looked up from his recliner. "I'm tired," he muttered, thumb tapping away on his phone. It was always the same excuse.
Her kids weren't any better. Both glued to their screens, they shrugged her off with, "Just find him yourself. It's all you're good for anyway."
The words stung, even though she'd heard versions of them for years. Maid, cook, caretaker, baby-maker — that was all her family seemed to see when they looked at her. And maybe, she thought bitterly, she'd let herself fall into this life. A rushed marriage at twenty‑four, pushed by guilt and desperation. A wedding she never wanted, in a church she didn't believe in, arranged by relatives who never really understood her.
She still remembered her aunt insisting on a Baptist church ceremony, even though Ash didn't share their beliefs. No drinking, no dancing, no freedom — and absolutely no room for someone who was bisexual. She loved her family, but she knew they would never accept that part of her. She was just waiting for the older generation to pass before she came out. The guilt of that sat heavy on her chest.
A sharp bark snapped her out of her thoughts. The German Shepherd.
Despite her heavy frame, Ash broke into a jog toward the sound. She rounded the corner just in time to hear a car horn blare. She turned her head—too fast—and slammed straight into a metal light post. Pain exploded behind her eyes, and the world went black.
She woke to the sound of wind rustling leaves.
Ash blinked and found herself lying in a forest clearing surrounded by three women and a delicate-looking young girl. Confusion washed over her.
One woman stood with arms crossed, tattoos winding over her skin like vines. Her red-and-black hair framed a face that looked fierce and beautiful — a gangster girl straight out of a movie.
Another woman was loud, pacing in circles and complaining nonstop. Her beauty was overshadowed by her whining and temper.
The third woman was quiet, cold, and calculating. Her sharp eyes scanned the trees as if assessing every possible threat. She looked mixed — maybe Black and Asian.
The young girl sat on the ground, dazed and trembling. Her big eyes shimmered with tears. She looked so young, so frightened.
Ash pushed herself up and approached her slowly. She knelt down. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
The girl looked up, voice trembling. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," Ash admitted. "Last thing I remember was chasing after my stupid dog and hitting my head on a lamp post."
"Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked gently.
The girl patted herself down. "I'm fine. I fell down a ditch. My name is Bai QingQing. You are?"
Ash froze. That name. She had just read a web novel — and the comic — with that exact character.
"Well… shit," she muttered. "I'm Mrs. S. You can call me Ash. And we should run. Wolves are coming soon."
All eyes snapped to her.
Ash didn't wait. She took off running. She might be a fat girl, but she could run like a linebacker when she needed to.
Footsteps thundered behind her, and a couple of the girls passed her. That was fine. She wasn't planning on sticking close to Bai QingQing anyway. If this really was the world she thought it was, trouble followed that girl like a curse.
She'd read enough transmigration and rebirth stories to know better.
A prickle crawled up the back of her neck. Danger.
She skidded to a stop when she saw it — a massive brown bear standing in the path. Cute, in a terrifying way. And even though she was part of the Cree Nation's Bear Clan, she wasn't about to boop its snoot.
Her fight-or-flight kicked in. Unfortunately, she froze.
"Beast man or beast?" she whispered.
The bear paused, gave her a curious look, and then transformed into a very large, very naked man.
Ash squealed — not in fear, but excitement — and ran straight at him, hugging him like a koala.
The man flushed bright red. "What are you doing out here? Where are your males?"
"My male is no longer with me," she lied smoothly. "Nor my cubs. I'm here with four other unmated females."
She let go and tugged him toward the others, then stopped and stripped off her sweater to wrap around his hips.
They followed the sound of snarls and growls until they reached a chaotic scene: a leopard fighting off a pack of wolves while the other girls clung to a tree.
Ash handed the bear-man her sweater. "I'll take that. Go help them."
He blushed again, shifted back into a bear, and charged into the fight. Between him and the leopard — Parker, if Ash remembered the story right — the wolves didn't stand a chance.
When the bear trotted back to her, Ash couldn't help herself. She buried her hands in his fur and booped his snoot.
"You're such a good boy," she cooed.