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Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

Sera lived a long unfortunate life.

'Unlucky' is a tame word for her. From her birth, she was born premature and weak. As she grew up she couldn't play with the others because of how weak she is. She was oftentimes excluded or ignored by others. She became a target of bullies. She couldn't defend herself. As she became an adult. Her coworkers would give her a lot of work. Her ideas are stolen. Her boss would abuse her. Her salary is often delayed and lacking or missing half the promised rate. She can't pay her bills on time. Her landlord hates her and has been trying to kick her out.

and now, she got robbed and stabbed.

As the pain dulled and her vision blurred, Sera felt something unexpected, relief. Perhaps this is mercy, she thought. Perhaps the universe has finally let me go. If ever she get's reborn, she wished she can have a strong body. Maybe then, she'd be confident to fight back and defend herself.

But God had other plans for her.

Light pierced the darkness. Sera opened her eyes to a world unlike any she'd known, towering figures, primal garments, and a language she couldn't understand. Her body felt different. Smaller. Helpless. Reborn.

" A female is born! the Beast God has blessed us!"

The old shaman said. Everyone howled in excitement. Their tribe that seems to be inching to extinction now sees a glimmer of hope. This world is a world of beasts. With constant fighting, wars, epidemics, plagues and poor hygiene, the population continuously drops. Thus tribes of different species are slowly dying and going extinct. Their tribe is no exception, and so every female is treated like treasure. 

"She will be named Phoebe, she is our light!" 

The old shaman said and everyone bursts in excitement.

Sera feeling overwhelmed tried to speak and complain, but instead a loud cry erupted from her mouth which made everyone silent. 

---

18 years later.

Sera had spent eighteen years observing this primitive world. No electronics. No farming. No trade. No concept of cooking, only raw meat roasted over fire. Hygiene was abysmal. Disagreements were settled through brute force.

Relationships were strange. Courting existed, but there were no labels. If a female liked you, you became part of her harem. Sera found it repulsive. She preferred to be alone.

As females are rare, Sera rarely comes out, she was mostly hidden or trapped in a room. She was no different from prisoner. Whenever she gets a chance to escape, she would run very far away to the deepest parts of the jungle and bath, play and chill on a river or falls.

Today, she escaped again and she ran straight to her hidden falls. Because beast men rarely bath, most of them smells. Sera refused to be like them. Whenever she gets a chance she bathes and relax.

From afar, a pair of amber eyes has been watching her.

Aiden, a tiger beast man, left his tribe after fighting with his father. He refused to become one of the mates of Myra. Myra, is a daughter of a chief of Lion tribe. She was indeed a beauty, but Aiden detests the sight of females with multiple mates. Though he understood it was for the survival of the tribe, Aiden couldn't accept it.

For years, Aiden wandered from place to place, living a solitary life. He had never been captivated by anyone, nor had he ever considered settling down, until today.

It was supposed to be just another ordinary day. He had come to bathe at his usual spot, but someone had arrived before him. A small female stood by the water, her presence unexpected. He turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of her face, and froze.

She was unlike any female he had ever seen. So small. So delicate. In his world, females were typically large and strong, trained from a young age to survive the wild. Even the most pampered among them had a certain sturdiness. But this one, she looked as though the wind could carry her away.

"Her face is too small. Such small female could die in the wild"

Aiden mumbled to himself.

Whatever her race is, she must be neglected. 'How can any beast men starve their females' 

Aiden thought.

Curious, he carefully sneaked to look at her more. Unbeknownst to him, he was starting to get closer and closer.

Sera heard his footsteps and quickly turned at Aiden's direction. When she saw him close she let out a deafening scream.

"Aaaahhhhh!"

Her voice echoed through the forest. Alarmed, he took a step back afraid he might frighten the small female.

"I mean no harm." Aiden said, trying to calm Sera down.

Sera being wary took a few steps back and she looked at Aiden from head to toe. 'He looks charming, but looks can be deceiving. What kind of man peeks on a bathing woman?'

 Sera thought.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, clutching her arms. "Can't you see I'm bathing?" Sera asked. Her eyes are filled with disgust as she looked at him sharply.

"This is where I take a bath too. I live nearby." Aiden said calmly.

As Aiden got closer, he finally saw Sera's face closely. He has never seen such beauty. For a moment, he thought about wanting her as a mate. But then, he thought to himself 'Does she have a mate? how many does she have?'

The thought of her having multiple mates made his mood sour.

"Whether you live nearby or not doesn't give you right to intrude and peek at someone bathing." Sera spat out each word in despise. Feeling ashamed and exposed, Sera turned and quickly swam away. Before she could even get further, Aiden quickly grabbed her arm.

"W-wait! where is your mate?!" Aiden asked absentmindedly.

"Mate? I have none! I'm too young for that!" Sera said.

Sera's answer made Aiden smile. 

Well, whether she had mate or not, Aiden was determined to make her his.

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