Chapter 2

Once Vivian and I settled on our choices, the bonding ritual began right there in front of the entire White Tiger Tribe.

In this frozen world, females were scarce, and healers were allowed to take multiple male consorts if they wished. However, only the male who established a primary bond was permitted to live under the same roof with her.

Secondary consorts were somewhat like recognized side partners, openly acknowledged by the clan.

Even so, if a consort fell out of favor, being cast aside was a common occurrence.

In our previous life, Vivian relied on this exact tradition. Knowing full well that her snake mate was intensely possessive and obsessive, she still brazenly seduced other beastmen while he was deep in winter hibernation.

Her plan had been simple: play around until she got bored, then ditch them with some casual excuse.

She never anticipated the horrifying fallout.

Females were already desperately rare in this realm; once those males tasted the chance to become consorts to a sacred healer, how could they ever let go so easily?

The moment the snake emerged from his hibernation den, he was surrounded by every single male Vivian had slept with, all demanding an explanation.

Vivian had rejected them by claiming her snake husband strictly forbade her from taking consorts.

Enraged to discover that his mate had slept with an entire pack while he slept, the snake went ballistic.

After a bloody, vicious brawl with her lovers, he dragged Vivian back to his cavern with a thunderous face. He locked her in the cold cellar and took her relentlessly, finding every way imaginable to torment her until she was swollen with his brood.

Vivian was forced to lay clutch after clutch of snake eggs.

She had desperately tried to call for help, but the snake never gave her a single chance to step foot outside.

It wasn't until my wolf was about to succeed as chieftain and the grand ceremony demanded every member of the tribe—young, old, and weak—to be present that Vivian finally stepped into the sunlight, trailing her snake brood behind her.

Because the succession required an offering to the heavens, it was held at the edge of a high cliff behind the settlement.

Seeing me, someone she had always looked down upon, standing tall as the chieftain's lady, Vivian went completely insane with jealousy.

While the entire tribe knelt in reverence toward the sky, she lunged forward, slamming a sharpened bone dagger straight through my heart.

"Joy! You've been beneath me your whole damn life! What makes you think you deserve a better life than mine?! Go die!"