Chapter 3

Vivian and I were twins.

When Mom had me, she suffered severe hemorrhaging. Blaming me for it, she dumped me with Grandma, while keeping Vivian pampered by her side.

Grandma was short-tempered and hit me constantly.

Seeing how pathetic I was, Vivian eventually begged our parents to bring me home.

Later, I regretted listening to Vivian countless times.

Because in that house, I was practically her personal maid.

I had to dress her, feed her, and wait on her hand and foot.

The moment she was unhappy, my parents screamed at me and starved me.

If I scored higher than her on an exam, she threw a massive tantrum.

So, I had to deliberately fail, reducing myself to her stepping stone.

Every friend I ever made drifted away once Vivian showed up.

Even the boyfriend I had in college was deliberately seduced away by Vivian when she visited during the break.

"Joy, don't be mad. I just wanted to test him to see if he truly loved you. Look, I exposed him, didn't I? You really ought to thank me."

I had only offered her a grateful smile back then: "Yeah. Thank you, Vivian."

Vivian smirked, triumphant. "Don't mention it. What are sisters for?"

I had sneered inwardly.

The word "sister" was completely ruined by people like her.

She may have shown me a sliver of pity once, but I owed her nothing anymore.

Least of all after she took my life in the world before this.

The bonding ritual concluded smoothly.

The chieftain beamed at everyone. "Good! Now that the bonds are sealed, you may all return to your dwellings."

"The rest of you males, do not lose heart. If you can win the favor of these two sacred healers, you may still earn a place as their consorts."

Hearing the chieftain's words, the rest of the beastmen visibly relaxed, their eyes igniting once more as they stared hungrily between Vivian and me.

Lance's gaze turned instantly lethal. He stepped forward, shielding me completely behind his massive frame, and growled at the crowd: "She is mine. I will not share her with anyone!"

"Anyone who dares lay a finger on my healer will be torn to shreds."

Hearing Lance make his claim, the other males looked away in dejected defeat.

Everyone knew the priest's terrifying combat prowess. Trying to steal a healer from Lance was practically a death wish.

Taking one from the wolf, however, was another story entirely.

In a heartbeat, all eyes shifted onto Vivian, while the glances darted at the wolf shifter were dripping with murderous intent.

In this world, strength was everything for a male. That wolf couldn't even crack the top hundred strongest fighters in the tribe—what right did he have to hoard such a precious healer to himself?

They could accept a priest claiming sole possession because Lance was the undisputed apex predator here.

But a low-tier wolf?

He wasn't worthy.

Vivian, watching the men posture and seethe with jealousy over her, wore a proud, satisfied smirk.

As if this intoxicating attention was her birthright.

She had no idea that once you stepped into a wolf's den, walking back out wasn't so simple.

I glanced at her impassively, then turned toward Lance. "I'm exhausted. I want to go back and rest."

An immediate look of worry washed over Lance's stern features.

In the next breath, arms thicker than my thighs scooped me effortlessly off the ground.

"I'll take you back to sleep right now."

Cradling me securely against his chest, he sprinted toward his private stone dwelling.