Chapter 1

My sister and I transmigrated together into an icy post-apocalyptic wasteland, where we both awakened rare healing powers.

In a frozen apocalypse, healers were extraordinarily precious.

We were given first pick of the beastmen warriors in the tribe to take as husbands.

In our past life, my sister blushed and eagerly chose a snake shifter known for his legendary bedroom skills.

I chose a loyal wolf shifter.

Later, while the snake was in winter hibernation, my sister cheated on him with multiple beastmen, even throwing wild orgies right in their den.

Furious upon waking, the snake locked her in an underground cellar, forcing himself on her every single day to make her hatch his offspring.

Meanwhile, my wolf shifter loved me fiercely.

We fought side by side, and in the end, he inherited leadership of the entire tribe.

On the day of the succession ceremony, my sister—consumed by jealous rage—shoved a blade straight through my heart.

When I opened my eyes again, we were back to the day of choosing our mates.

This time, my sister was quick to point at the wolf shifter.

"Dear sister, this time around, I'm the one who gets to be pampered by the wolf."

"And the chieftain's title will be mine, and mine alone."

I smiled faintly and pointed toward the white tiger priest. "I choose him."

What was so great about being the chieftain's wife anyway?

In a frozen wasteland, healers held the highest standing.

Would it really be too much to aim for Empress of the Beastmen instead?

After having a blade run through my heart by my sister, I was reborn.

I woke up right back in the frozen apocalypse, on the exact day our tribe took us in.

A massive brazier burned with beast fat inside the stone hall, while a blinding blizzard raged outside, cold enough to crack granite. The aging chieftain of the White Tiger Tribe sat high upon his stone seat, his raspy voice cutting through the wind:

"Precious healers, every unmated male in our White Tiger Tribe stands before you. Whichever ones you like, take your pick."

My twin sister, Vivian, and I had slipped into this brutal, frozen world while out hiking. Strangely, both of us awakened potent healing magic upon arrival—we could mend frostbite, suppress winter plagues, and literally drag dying beastmen back from death's door.

In this frozen apocalypse, beastman tribes lacked two critical things above all else: food and healers.

Healers were more sacred than fire itself.

So even though the two of us were scrawny, trembling like newly weaned snow rabbits, the unmated males in the hall stared at us with burning, hungry gazes.

In our past life, both of us had been utterly bewildered when we first arrived.

Vivian, however, had adapted fast. Back home, she prided herself on being a dating expert who lived for thrill and novelty. The moment she grasped the chieftain's offer, she wasted no time. Pointing at a slender, long-legged snake shifter with dangerously alluring eyes, she declared, "I want him."

After picking him, she leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "I hear snakes have two. You think I can't handle that?"

Then she glanced across the line of beastmen and offered me some advice: "Joy, you've always been slow. If you pick someone too handsome, other females will steal him away. Those plain, honest-looking ones over there look fine for you."

The ones she pointed to were average-looking men once shifted into human form.

Yet, I took her advice back then.

Because among them stood a wolf shifter.

Wolves were famous for their unyielding loyalty; they bonded with only one mate for life. Choosing him meant I wouldn't have to constantly worry about Vivian seducing him away from me.

And he truly had been faithful to me. No matter how shamelessly Vivian threw herself at him later on, he never once wavered.

Bitter, Vivian used to sneer behind his back, "Joy, that wolf of yours is so boring and stupid. He doesn't even know how to enjoy life."

I only ever smiled.

I agreed that the wolf was devoted.

Calling him stupid, though, was a massive mistake.

If he were truly an idiot, he wouldn't have used my healing powers and counsel to rack up military feats, step by step, until he claimed the chieftain's seat for himself.

It was just that he kept me under strict lock and key inside our home—something Vivian never knew.

This time, the instant the chieftain finished speaking, Vivian pointed straight at the wolf shifter without a second's hesitation:

"I choose him to be my husband."

A flash of stunned delight erupted in the wolf's eyes.

Within the White Tiger Tribe, a wolf shifter's strength ranked lower-middle at best. No high-status healer would ever normally look twice at him.

Seeing Vivian pick the wolf, the other beastmen grew vocal with discontent.

"Honored healer! He is merely a low-ranking wolf. How could he possibly be worthy of you?" A massive black bear shifter pounded his muscular chest, thoroughly displeased.

The wolf tense up, an edge of deep-seated inferiority showing in his posture.

Vivian merely smiled and stepped directly toward the wolf. "I want him. I believe the male I choose will become the greatest among you."

Before stepping away, she leaned close and whispered to me in a rush, "Joy, this time around, I'm the one who gets to be pampered by the wolf. The tribe will be mine, and mine alone."

I said nothing, quietly watching her slip her hand into his.

Moved to the core, the wolf threw his head back and let out a triumphant howl.

The other males glared at the wolf with venomous envy, then immediately turned their burning, desperate gazes toward me.

I looked over every single one of them, finally pausing on the snake shifter.

Noticing my gaze, Vivian's eyes flickered, and she called out, "Joy, snake shifters are incredible in bed. You have zero experience, so you should pick him. That way you can actually find out what good sex feels like."

I offered a cool smile and politely declined. "No thanks. You know I can't stand boneless creatures."

With that, I pointed past the snake to the towering, heavily muscled white tiger priest standing right beside him.

"I choose him."

The moment my words fell, genuine joy washed over the faces of both the white tiger priest and the aging chieftain.

Vivian, on the other hand, couldn't suppress a smirk of pure schadenfreude.

I knew exactly what was running through her head.

The priest I had picked, Lance, was not only the tribe's spiritual guide—he was the chieftain's direct son. Under normal circumstances, he was the rightful heir to the entire tribe.

In our past life, however, during a harsh winter when Lance ventured out alone to gather rare herbs, the rival Snow Lion Tribe ambushed him with their strongest warriors. The valiant white tiger priest was grievously wounded, caught an infection, and died shortly after.

It was his tragic death that created the power vacuum, allowing me to plot and scheme for my wolf husband until he seized the chieftain's mantle.

This time, though, I had no intention of letting Lance die like that.

I was going to forge him into the sharpest blade in my arsenal.

What was the point of obsessing over being a mere chieftain's wife?

In this frozen apocalypse, healers commanded supreme respect.

So if I decided to become the Empress of the Beastmen instead, who could possibly stop me?

In this life, I would hold my fate in my own two hands.