Chapter 2

After my brother pushed me off the cliff, I was reborn.

Reborn to the exact day in my previous life when we had first transmigrated to the primitive beast-shifter tribe.

The moment I opened my eyes, the White Tiger tribe's Chief's ancient voice echoed in my ears.

"All the unmated females of our White Tiger tribe are here. You two precious males, choose whoever you like."

In my past life, when we first arrived, we were pretty confused.

But somehow, miraculously, we could understand what these shifters were saying.

Back in our world, Trevor was a total playboy, always chasing thrills.

As soon as he understood the Chief's words, he practically leaped to choose the beautiful, elegant Snake-shifter as his mate.

"Heh, this is gonna be interesting," he whispered excitedly to me after making his choice.

For him, this shifter tribe was practically paradise.

He then scanned the line of shifters and suggested to me, "Alex, you're too quiet. If you pick someone too pretty and she gets snatched by another guy, you'd be screwed. I think those few who look 'steady' would be good."

The ones he pointed to were all powerful and imposing shifters in their human forms.

But I still took his advice.

Not because I was genuinely afraid of my mate being poached, but because among the shifters he pointed out, there was a Wolf-shifter.

It was said that Wolf-shifters were fiercely loyal to their mates, taking only one for life.

If I chose her, I wouldn't have to worry about Trevor trying to steal her away.

And sure enough, in my last life, that Wolf-shifter proved utterly devoted to me. No matter how Trevor tried to poach her, she remained unmoved.

Trevor was incredibly frustrated by this.

He'd sneer sarcastically, "Alex, your Wolf-shifter mate is too stubbornly devoted, isn't she? So foolish, she can't even tell good from bad."

I just offered a faint smile, noncommittal.

I agreed that the Wolf-shifter was single-minded when it came to her mate.

But to call her foolish? That was a massive misconception.

If she were truly foolish, she wouldn't have cleverly leveraged my presence to secure her own standing, making one achievement after another, ultimately maneuvering her way into the Chief's position.

However, the Wolf-shifter kept me under strict watch, so Trevor remained completely ignorant of all this.

This time, the Chief's words had barely finished when Trevor, without hesitation, pointed at the Wolf-shifter and declared, "I want her as my mate."

Hearing his words, the Wolf-shifter's eyes instantly gleamed with surprise and joy.

In the White Tiger tribe, Wolf-shifters were, at best, of middle-to-lower strength.

Typically, males wouldn't even consider a Wolf-shifter.

The other shifters, seeing Trevor choose the Wolf-shifter, looked on with visible resentment.

"Noble male, how could she, a low-ranking Wolf-shifter, be worthy of you?" A large Bear-shifter thumped his muscular chest, indignantly.

The Wolf-shifter's expression immediately became tense, tinged with a hint of insecurity.

But Trevor just smiled faintly, walking straight towards the Wolf-shifter. "I want her. I believe the female I choose will be the best."

Before leaving, he quickly leaned in and whispered to me, "Alex, this time, I'm going to be the Chief's consort."

I just said nothing, watching him actively take the Wolf-shifter's hand.

The Wolf-shifter gazed at him, deeply moved, then let out an excited howl directed at the sky.

Seeing this, the other shifters glared enviously and jealously at the lucky Wolf-shifter, then turned their eager gazes towards me.

I slowly scanned over them, finally letting my eyes settle on the Snake-shifter.

Trevor, noticing my gaze, shifted his eyes and said, "Alex, the Snake-shifter is incredibly skilled in... that area. You're inexperienced, so why not choose her? It might spare you some discomfort in bed."

Hearing Trevor's suggestion, I politely declined with a faint smile.

"No, thanks. You know I don't like spineless creatures."

Then, I pointed to the tall, agile White Tiger Priestess standing beside the Snake-shifter.

"I choose her."

At my words, a hint of joy appeared on the faces of both the White Tiger Priestess and Chief Kaelen.

Trevor, however, couldn't help but show a look of schadenfreude.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

The White Tiger Priestess I chose was not only the tribe's Priestess but also Chief Kaelen's daughter.

Under normal circumstances, she was destined to inherit leadership of the White Tiger tribe.

But in my past life, the Lion-shifter tribe had ambushed her with all their able-bodied females while she was hunting. The fierce and formidable White Tiger Priestess was severely wounded, developed an infection, and died.

It was only because of this that I had the opportunity to strategize and secure the Chief's position for the Wolf-shifter.

This time, however, I wouldn't let the White Tiger Priestess meet such a tragic end.

I wanted her to be the sharpest blade in my hand.

What was so great about the Chief's consort position Trevor cared so much about?

Since this primitive tribe revered males, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for me to become a beast-shifter emperor in this world?

This life, I only wanted to control my own destiny.