Chapter 2

After leaving Kyle's camp, I picked up my pace and headed for the lion clan's territory—the Sun Throne.

I had been too close to that black panther in rut. His aggressive top-Alpha pheromones had completely stirred the instinct buried inside me. As a pureblood lioness, my body was being forced into heat.

My muscles began to spasm uncontrollably. Golden lion fur flickered beneath my skin, struggling to break through the surface. I bit through my lip, using the sharp pain to hold on to the last shred of consciousness, and rushed into the medical wing.

I searched through the freezer and grabbed the deep-blue injector containing the high-grade suppressant.

I knew exactly how terrifying the side effects of that drug were. It could forcibly shut down the physical urges of a high-ranking shifter in heat, but the price was a complete freeze in beast-core activity. If I used it, I would be unable to take on my Platinum Lion King form for a full three years. In a world of shifters that worshipped strength, being unable to shift was the same as becoming half-useless.

But if it meant cutting ties with trash like Kyle for good, what did three years without shifting matter?

Without hesitation, I drove the injector into my vein. A piercing, icy pain shot through me, and at last the burning heat began to fade. I collapsed against the cold lab bench, feeling the silence settle over the beast core inside me.

I was free.

Just as I had expected, without me there to calm him, Kyle completely lost control.

Early the next morning, a shrill alarm rang through all of Crown Fortress.

The headlines and Alliance bulletins were filled with reports that the black panther chief had gone berserk. In a full frenzy, Kyle had not only torn off half the arm of Vera—who had tried to get close and "help"—but had also shifted into a massive black panther and destroyed half of the royal city's central plaza before the Alliance riot squad finally brought him down with high-voltage nets.

That same afternoon, the elders of the Beastworld Alliance Supreme Council, furious beyond measure, urgently summoned me to the domed council chamber in Alliance Tower.

Bang!

Thorne, the Alliance's chief elder, slammed his heavy metal staff against the floor and pointed at me in outrage. "Aria! As the lion clan's highest-born princess, how could you stand by and do nothing? Chief Kyle's beast core is already on the verge of collapse. Only your lion royal bloodline can soothe him! He needs you now!"

I stood in the center of the chamber without so much as a frown.

"My apologies, Elder Thorne." I smoothed my cuff. "I'm unwell. I'm in the middle of a severe allergic reaction, and at the moment I can't go near any male in rut. If I do, it could trigger the collapse of my own beast core as well."

"You—" The elders exchanged looks, trembling with rage.

At that moment, the doors opened.

Kyle entered, supported by two medics. His face was pale as paper, and dried blood stained his dark shirt.

His gaze moved past everyone else and landed directly on me. The moment he realized the warm, powerful spiritual aura that had always surrounded me was completely gone—and that there wasn't even the faintest trace of pheromones on me—shock and something more complicated flashed across his face.

"Aria..." His voice held an almost disbelieving scrutiny. "What happened to you? Where did your power go?"

I avoided the look in his eyes entirely, gave the elders' bench a slight nod in farewell, and walked out without looking back.

The moment I returned to the lion estate, Karen, the lion clan's high elder, impatiently summoned me to the secure chamber.

This uncle of mine, who was usually kind and indulgent toward me, now looked dark enough to storm.

"Have you lost your mind, Aria?"

"You actually used a heavy isolation suppressant? Do you have any idea how badly the Alliance needs a union between you and the black panther clan to secure our political territory? Taking a self-destructive drug like that is nothing but running from your responsibility!"

I looked at him coldly. "High Elder, I was under the impression that my body and my marriage were my own decision."

"Ridiculous!" Karen slammed his hand against the table. "You are the lion clan's noble princess. You've enjoyed this family's resources, and at a time like this, you should be willing to marry for the clan and make sacrifices for its benefit. That is your fate!"

"I'm under no obligation to sacrifice myself for anyone, not even for the so-called interests of the family."

"That's selfish!" Elder Karen jabbed a finger toward my face and snapped, "What does a little personal suffering matter when it's for the future of the whole clan? Look at Vera. She's nothing but a lowly wolf priestess, and even she was willing to risk her life to help calm Kyle during his rut. And you? All you know how to do is hide at home and pump yourself full of suppressants!"

Hearing that, I couldn't stop the cold laugh rising inside me.

What a noble sense of the bigger picture.

In my previous life, I had been brainwashed by the same empty talk—family honor, Alliance duty—and willingly offered up everything I had. And what did it get me? When I was pregnant and neglected by the Kyle they all held above everyone else, not a single person in the family spoke up for me. When I was torn apart and devoured by beasts, they only thought I had failed to keep the Beast King's heart and was a useless disappointment.

In the eyes of every one of them, I had never truly been a princess they were proud of. Even if I gave up my life, all I got in return was "stupid" from Kyle and "breeding tool" from my family.

"If you think Vera is so admirable, then by all means recognize her as the lion clan's daughter and send her off to marry Kyle."

With that, I turned and walked out.