Chapter 2

My words rang out clear and steady.

The noisy ceremonial hall went dead silent.

Alden’s expression turned utterly sour. He clearly hadn't expected me to speak with such backbone.

Damian glared at me with cold fury. "Freya, you should consider my favor your greatest honor!"

"It’s only an honor if I want it," I fired back. "You showered Seraphina with affection yesterday, and today you claim love at first sight with me? Who would buy that lie? Seraphina outshines me in every way. If you don't even value her, how could you possibly value me?"

I glanced back at Seraphina.

In our previous life, we rarely spoke. She had dropped subtle warnings telling me to stay away from Damian, but back then, I thought she was just jealous. I ignored every word she said.

"Chief Alden, Freya has a point," Seraphina suddenly spoke up, her voice ringing across the hall. "She may be adopted, but she still bears our clan’s name. Letting the dragon royals walk all over her would drag the Phoenix Clan's reputation through the dirt."

She was backing me up.

A massive weight lifted off my chest.

Alden didn't particularly dote on Seraphina, but her bloodline talent was undeniable. She was the clan's best shot at producing a supreme heir, so Alden couldn't dismiss her easily.

Damian realized the tide was turning against him. He couldn't force me, and his pride wouldn't let him crawl back to Seraphina.

"Fine," Alden said coldly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I have another daughter. Perhaps you would like to meet her?"

I stayed quiet, ready to enjoy the drama.

Damian looked furious, but he couldn't afford an open war with our clan. He gave a reluctant nod.

Alden gave a signal, and guards soon escorted Kendra inside.

She was stunning, radiating a bright, sacred glow. But she wasn't a phoenix. Her bloodline had degraded into a peacock shifter.

"Are you mocking me?" Damian sneered the moment he saw her feathers.

I almost laughed out loud. "Your Highness, if you can settle for a common pheasant like me, why look down on the chief’s own flesh and blood?"

I was going to push him into taking someone else. It was the only way Seraphina and I would stay safe.

Kendra’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Damian.

She turned and shot me a venomous glare. "Freya, stop flattering yourself. You’re just a dirty barnyard pheasant. Why would the dragon prince ever want trash like you?"

Of course she would say that.

Kendra was desperate to elevate her degraded bloodline. She assumed mating with the dragon prince would solve all her problems, completely blind to the fact that Damian was nothing more than an empty shell.

Not that I cared.

She had bullied and beaten me for years just because she was Alden’s biological daughter. I had endured it then. Today, she could have him.

"A pheasant? You truly are beneath me," Damian sneered, desperately scrambling to save face.

He was reborn too. He knew damn well what I was. He just needed an easy exit, and Kendra handed him one on a silver platter.

He reached out his hand toward Kendra. "Will you be my mate?"