- 8 hours ago
My S Rank Beast Mate ||New Movie| 🔝
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00:02the chieftain gathered every unmated male and told me and sister to choose male shifters are
00:07ranked s a b or c my sister lyra seized the a rank wolf shifter that should be mine
00:16and through the low level b rank snake shifter that should be hers to me
00:20as a result her fate was tragic while i won everything she bore him five litters every
00:27single one lowly b rank the wolf shifter raged he kicked her hard in the stomach and cursed her for
00:33being useless tore the bond like it was nothing the other males wanted nothing to do with her either
00:39and me i chose a b rank snake shifter one litter ten cubs every single one high quality a rank
00:47the whole clan named me the sacred daughter my mate inherited the chieftain's seat
00:56lyra couldn't stand it she killed all my children and pushed me off the cliff
01:09when i opened my eyes again we were back back to the day of choosing i came back to myself
01:15just as
01:15lyra pressed her body against the snake shifter's side chieftain she said sweetly
01:22i choose boss she said it and then she looked at me one long deliberate look the kind that said
01:30i've already won i understood she'd been reborn too actually my sister and i weren't from this world
01:37but we couldn't find a way back in the end we would just have to adapt to the rules here
01:42but this time i absolutely won't let her control everything
01:47male shifters are born ranked s a b or c the higher the rank the more valuable the male c
01:55rank
01:55males were everywhere b rank was considered a prize a rank was rare enough to cause a stir
02:00as for s rank even the elderly chieftain had never seen one females in the beastlands were fewer than
02:07males their social standing was higher which standing on the children they bore the higher
02:12the rank of your cubs the higher you climbed in our last life lyra had wanted to be the top
02:17female
02:17in the clan she'd gone straight for the only a rake wolf shifter without blinking she told me to choose
02:23boss the snake shifter snakes have two you know she'd said with that conspiratorial smile of hers
02:30but they lay eggs hatching eggs is so much easier than live birth i'd listened i'd chosen vox we bonded
02:38and i fell pregnant quickly one clutch ten cubs every single one a rank this clan had existed for
02:47over a century among clans they'd never had more than five a rank shifters total the chief
02:54declared voss his successor on the spot lyra had conceived around the same time i had she gave birth
03:04to a b rank cub then another five pregnancies total nothing above b nothing below c she decided the
03:13problem was the wolf's bloodline one night she crept into voss's den voss threw her out of bed and called
03:20the entire clan to witness his innocence before dawn the wolf shifter found out his rage was immediate
03:27and absolute he dissolved their bond and drove her out along with her children within a month
03:34lyra's cubs had all starved she'd tried to seduce some of the c-rank males during that time
03:41but this world had no tolerance for betrayal
03:46the males would take what she offered they wouldn't bond with her when lyra was close to starving
03:55i'd brought her back to mine given her meat from my own stores
03:59she repaid me by destroying me even now i could still feel the drop
04:05that weightless stomach larching fall the chieftain nodded at me now signaling it was my turn to choose
04:13i scanned the remaining males then i pointed at the wolf shifter
04:18i'd like to choose i didn't finish the sentence
04:21a crack split the air a hand connected with my face
04:27the female who hit me belonged to drac the black tiger shifter she came at me with all the
04:32the males who'd been eyeing me with interest took a collective step back
04:36the wolf shifter in particular his expression shutted he frowned
04:40i turned to look at lyra in her eyes i saw it clearly calculation satisfaction
04:47then i remembered in my last life she and drac had history a brief affair
04:54it was a trap by her
04:56i didn't do anything with drac and that's not my fur
05:00if no one believes me i'll shift right now so you can all see for yourselves
05:07i shifted i turned in a slow circle showing every angle no bald patches no missing fur anywhere on my
05:14body
05:15except there on my inner thigh a small bear patch i hadn't noticed before
05:21the crowd erupted
05:25what kind of female goes after someone else's male that kind should be thrown out of the clan
05:30the noise belt and built this clan male and female alike had no room for a female who might lure
05:36away bonded males
05:37the chieftain raised his hand i was cast out lyra came to see me off at the border
05:42she was curled against voss's chest when she said goodbye her voice all silk and sympathy
05:47sister being cast out isn't necessarily a bad thing there are plenty of strong males out there in the wild
05:53maybe you'll find your true mate
05:55the wild was full of powerful shifters yes
05:58they were also the ones every clan had already thrown away
06:02half feral dangerous the kind who would take a lone female and break her
06:08i'd saved lyra from them three times in our last life
06:13however she hadn't remembered that at all when she killed me last life
06:19i smiled at her slow and pleasant
06:24i think you can save concern for yourself
06:26voss is vigorous
06:31you'll have your fill of trouble then
06:33vox was a snake shifter as lyra had once told me herself snakes had appetites
06:41he had no interest in hunting
06:44he had every interest in making love
06:47once or twice a day was sport
06:53once or twice without stopping
06:54for days
06:56that was suffering
07:00it hurt terribly every time
07:02if i hadn't satisfied him
07:04he'd gone looking outside the clan
07:06he screwed many female at the same time
07:09without a clan's backing
07:11he was useless
07:14the memory of all of it made my skin crawl
07:18lyra thought she'd won a prize
07:24what she'd actually won
07:25was a rotting thing wearing a decent face
07:31you must be jealous of me
07:32lyra snapped
07:33her sweetness curdling in an instant
07:35what exactly are you smiling about
07:38this life i'm gonna make you watch me
07:40watch me become the sacred daughter of this clan
07:44she and voss disappeared back into their den
07:46their laughter trailing behind them
07:48i stepped outside the clan's boundary
07:50and immediately had company
07:52a leopard shifter
07:53eyes full of hunger and violence
07:55i knew what solitary males like him did to lone females
07:58they played
07:59they broke
08:00every survival instinct i had fired at once
08:03i ran
08:03i ran until a cave mouth appeared in the rock face ahead of me
08:07with nowhere else to go
08:09i dived inside
08:10the leopard stopped at the entrance
08:12he paced
08:13he snarled in my direction
08:14then
08:15when i didn't come out
08:17he cursed twice and left
08:19from the darkness deeper in the cave
08:21came a roar that pinned me to the spot
08:23i looked up
08:25a white lion stood before me
08:27beautiful
08:27enormous
08:28his jaws were wide enough to swallow my head whole
08:33i ran again
08:36two steps
08:37then i stopped
08:39the lion had roared
08:41but he hadn't moved
08:43it was almost like he was trying to frighten me off rather than attack
08:47then i smelled it
08:49rot
08:49the hot sickening smell of infected flesh
08:52i looked at his back legs
08:56the meat there was going necrotic
08:58white with larvae
09:00i steadied myself
09:02hello
09:03you're injured
09:05i know how to heal
09:06will you let me stay
09:10he understood me
09:12he looked at me for a long moment
09:13then he stretched both back legs forward
09:19his wounds were severe
09:20the larvae had spread deep
09:25i forced down the nausea
09:27and cleaned them out
09:28thorough
09:30methodical
09:34then i opened my pack
09:36and found my medicinal powders
09:45before i'd came this world
09:47i'd been trained in herbalism
09:52after arriving in the beastlands
09:54that knowledge had made me a healer for the varmeric clan
09:59when i finished dressing the lion's wounds
10:02he leaned his great head forward
10:05and pressed his face against my sleeve
10:10gratitude for me
10:13then his stomach ground
10:15injured
10:16immobile
10:18unfed
10:21i'll find food
10:22wait here
10:23i moved to leave
10:24he hooked one paw around my ankle
10:26and drew me back
10:28then he dragged his enormous tongue
10:30over my shoulder
10:31and down my arm
10:33i understood
10:35he was marking me with his scent
10:37most predators wouldn't come near me now
10:41i thought of the leopard
10:43at the cave entrance
10:45whatever rank this lion was
10:49it was enough to send others running
10:56i didn't go far
10:58i gathered wild fruit
11:00some edible roots
11:02and came back to the cave
11:04as the sky went dark
11:06i made a fire
11:10the lion's eyes
11:12the lid up
11:14he inched closer to the flames
11:17and that was how i came to live
11:19in his den
11:20days settled into rhythm
11:23mornings i changed his dressings
11:25then went out for water and food
11:28nights he curled around me like a living blanket
11:31his warmth soaking into me while we slept
11:35half a month passed
11:38then one afternoon i returned to the cave
11:42and stopped in the entrance
11:43a man lay where the lion had been
11:49white hair
11:50long and loose
11:51eyes the color of gold
11:53he saw me
11:54two pale ears rose slowly
11:57from the top of his head
11:58you're back
11:59his voice was startling
12:00low and clear
12:02and unexpectedly lovely
12:05you're the white lion?
12:11he nodded
12:15my name is caius
12:17i smiled
12:20hello
12:21i'm sarah
12:22under my care
12:23caius had healed enough to walk
12:30on our first hunt together
12:32he showed me what he was capable of
12:34a wild boar
12:36under a minute
12:38he bit through its neck like it was nothing
12:46that night i finally had meat again
12:48pork fat crackling over the fire
12:50filling the cave with the kind of smell that made your stomach hollow with want
12:54i ate until my face was shiny with grease
12:56and asked him
12:57around a mouthful
13:01are you a rank?
13:02you have to be at least
13:05caius's expression shadowed
13:07no
13:09i don't have a rank
13:10i paused
13:13what?
13:17every male shifter in the beastlands was ranked
13:21that was just the world
13:23caius just shook his head
13:25he'd never had a rank
13:28and because of that
13:30his clan had called him a monster from birth
13:33cast him out young
13:37the memory sat visibly on him as he spoke
13:40his eyes went somewhere far away
13:43cast out as a cub
13:45no family
13:47no kin
13:49no one
13:52i reached over and touched his head
13:55just lightly
13:56it's all right
13:58you have me now
14:00we're friends
14:03caius went red
14:05it was sudden and total
14:07and genuinely charming
14:11another month passed
14:14healed completely
14:19winter was coming
14:24i woke late one morning
14:26to heat radiating from his side of the den
14:28his eyes were red rimmed
14:30his breathing rough
14:38he told me to stay inside
14:40that he needed to step out for a while that i shouldn't worry
14:44he made it two steps
14:45before his legs gave out
14:47when he hit the ground
14:48i understood
14:49every shifter had a fixed heat cycle
14:52during the surge
14:53the animal instinct overwhelmed everything else
14:56he was already past his limit
14:59he was painful
15:01don't be scared
15:02he managed
15:03i won't touch you
15:04i'll handle it myself
15:06he was fighting his own body
15:08every muscle in his neck was stinic
15:10veins visible under his white hair
15:12the sounds coming from his throat
15:14were low and in impolentary
15:15and painful to hear
15:17i looked at him
15:18something in my chest
15:20did something quiet and final
15:22i crossed the distance between us
15:25and crouched down in front of him
15:29i said
15:30do you not want me
15:32no
15:34how
15:34how could you think that
15:36i cupped his face in my hands
15:43and i kissed him
15:46when his hands came up to touch me
15:48i braced
15:50i thought sex was simply about being hurt
15:53he was so strong
15:55it must be hurting a lot
15:57i'd prepared myself
16:00but surprisingly
16:01i felt no pain
16:03caius was gentle
16:05he moved like he was afraid to break something
16:09i felt weightless
16:12i was as comfortable as if i were floating in the sky
16:17when it finally finished
16:19snow had fallen
16:20since then
16:22we have been making love all the day
16:25one sustained glance across the den
16:28and i'd find myself pinned to the sleeping furs a moment later
16:31unlike my last life
16:34i was happy
16:35and no longer felt pain
16:37he was
16:39as it turned out
16:40extraordinarily good at this
16:43and i was pregnant
16:45i was not surprised
16:49really
16:49for three full seconds
16:51he didn't move
16:52then his ears began to tremble
16:55his tail followed
16:56his whole face changed
16:58he pressed one broad rough harm to my stomach
17:02so carefully
17:03you're really carrying my cub
17:05my little lion
17:06he lifted me straight off the ground
17:08i laughed
17:09and he laughed with me
17:10and the sound of it filled the cave
17:12after pregnant
17:13he was at my side constantly
17:14i'd reach for something
17:16and he'd already have it
17:19i'd think about standing up
17:20and he'd be there
17:21lying in the warmth of his arms one evening
17:24i found myself thinking about the previous life
17:26vos was cold-blooded
17:29he hibernated in winter
17:30no warmth to give
17:32i'd been on my own
17:34wading through snow
17:35to find anything edible
17:36then the ten snake cubs had hatched
17:38i was so tired
17:40vos slept through all of it
17:41the cubs had been good
17:43even abrank
17:44they'd never started fights
17:45never made trouble
17:46they'd helped with the den chores
17:48so adorable
17:49my eyes started to sting
17:51i hadn't protected them
17:53caius's chest was warm against my back
17:56he turned me gently
17:59sarah
18:00you're not happy
18:01what is it
18:02i'm fine
18:03i wiped the corner of my eye
18:07just missing home
18:10is it not good here
18:11with me
18:12no
18:14that's not it
18:15i touched his hair
18:20being with you is the best thing i've had
18:23next day
18:27i'd assumed i'd never see lyra again
18:30she appeared at the entrance to our den
18:35lyra was on her knees in the snow
18:37hugely pregnant
18:38shaking
18:38white lion sir
18:39please don't kill me
18:41i looked at her
18:42something that wasn't quite amusement
18:43moved through me
18:44sarah
18:46what are you doing here
18:47do you know her
18:49no
18:51caius's killing intake rose immediately
18:54lyra screamed
18:55no
18:56sister
18:56don't let him kill me
18:57i came to save you
18:59that single word
19:00stopped everything
19:01sister
19:02caius held back
19:03he asked me if there might be some misunderstanding
19:05i exhaled slowly and walked toward her
19:09why did you come
19:10the sweet
19:12plastating smile again
19:13hypocritical
19:15i spoke to the chiefling for you
19:17he'll let you come back
19:18i didn't move
19:20i mean it
19:22sister
19:23we have conflict with another clan
19:26there's going to be war
19:27neither of you belong to either side
19:30you'll be collateral
19:33lyra's words landed
19:35and i remembered
19:36in our previous life
19:38there had been a war
19:39exactly like this
19:40but that war had ended the moment
19:42my ten snake pubs hatched
19:44the simultaneous appearance of ten a-weed shifters
19:47was powerful enough
19:48they'd surrendered without a fight
19:49the two clans had merged
19:51the ultraeth clan had a priest
19:53he'd looked at me afterward
19:55and declared that i was the sacred daughter
19:57given to the clan by the beast gods
19:59but none of that was a reason to go back
20:02caius and i were living well
20:04i would never return that clan again
20:07lyra's eyes moved to my stomach
20:09her voice shifted
20:10softer
20:11more deliberate
20:12sister
20:13you're pregnant
20:15even if you don't care about yourself
20:17you have to think about the child
20:19you can't wander forever
20:21and when your cub is grown
20:24what then
20:25do you want to raise them out here
20:27alone
20:27with no clan behind them
20:30she wasn't wrong
20:31this world was ruthless
20:33caius was the strongest male i'd ever encountered
20:36and he'd nearly died alone in a cave with rotting legs
20:38our cub would arrive small and vulnerable
20:41no matter what rank they carried
20:42a clan meant numbers
20:44numbers meant survival
20:45but caius had been driven out of a clan before
20:48i turned to look at him
20:50he read it immediately
20:51he reached over and took my hand
20:53he said quietly
20:54sarah
20:55let's go back
20:56after i told lyra yes
20:58she sagged with relief
21:00then
21:01almost immediately
21:02do you have any food
21:04she ate like she hadn't seen a proper meal in weeks
21:07given vos's hibernation schedule
21:09she probably hadn't
21:11she was enormous with pregnancy
21:13but her arms and legs were too thin
21:16she'd had a hard stretch of it
21:18when she finished
21:19she settled into the outer part of the cave to rest
21:23caius tucked me into his arms as usual
21:26lyra looked over at us from across the den
21:29the expression on her face was pure naked envy
21:34in the middle of the night i got up
21:36lyra's back was to me
21:38she thought i was still asleep
21:40gods
21:42how is she still getting everything in this life too
21:44what's so great about bonding with something that doesn't even have a rank
21:48mongrel
21:48she pressed a hand to her own swollen stomach
21:53come on little ones
21:55come out soon
21:57then mother won't have to keep swallowing this
22:00i stood in the dark and looked at her
22:03we'd lost our parents in the same accident
22:05grown up in the same grief
22:07all my life
22:08to give her room
22:09warn her leavings
22:11let her choose first
22:13done what our parents had asked me to do
22:15you're the older one
22:17look out for your sister
22:18what i'd meant as love
22:20she'd received as tribute
22:23we returned to the verat clan three days later
22:27by the third day back
22:29i knew exactly why lyra had worked so hard to retrieve me
22:34her due date was close
22:36she was terrified of dying on the birthing floor
22:39in our previous life
22:40all her five pregnancies had been dangerous
22:44and i'd been the one who'd seen her through them
22:46there was also a second reason
22:48she wanted me to watch
22:49she wanted me present when she gave birth to 20 a rank cubs
22:53and rose to become the highest ranked female in the clan
22:56she wanted my face in the crowd
22:58life inside the verat clan was not easy
23:01even with caius beside me
23:03many of the females looked at me with hostility
23:05i'd been labeled a female who went after bonded males
23:09they didn't want me near their maitors
23:11so i kept to the den isolated
23:13lyra meanwhile
23:14told everyone she was the sacred daughter
23:17sent by the beast gods
23:18and that all 20 of her eggs contained a rank shifters
23:22the clan believed her
23:24her status climbed
23:27then the war began
23:29caius went to the front
23:30after the first skirmish
23:32the rest of the clan realized what he was capable of
23:35his bite force surpassed the a rank wolf shifters by a margin
23:38his speed and strength were in a different category entirely
23:41by any logic that made him valuable
23:44worth protecting
23:45worth standing behind
23:46instead the wolf shifter grew jealous
23:48he organized the other males quietly
23:51no rank they said
23:52doesn't belong
23:53and on a day when caius was pushing deep into ultroth clan territory alone
23:57the wolf shifter led the others away and left him surrounded
24:00i found out after caius came home bleeding
24:03i was already moving toward the chieftain's den when caius caught my arm
24:07sarah
24:08it's fine
24:09he sounded almost amused
24:10they still couldn't take me down
24:12i made it back didn't i
24:14i looked at his wounds my eyes stung
24:16i'm sorry i shouldn't have brought you here
24:20this place isn't right for you
24:23we're leaving
24:24back to our own den
24:26no
24:27he caught my hands
24:28something almost panicked moved across his face
24:31sarah if we go back to the den you'll miss home again
24:34i don't want that
24:35stay here
24:37as long as you and the cub are safe
24:38it doesn't matter what they do to me
24:40something cracked open in my chest
24:43i remembered saying once
24:45in passing that i missed home
24:47i'd meant something abstract
24:48grief
24:49a vague ache
24:51he'd taken it as a specific thing
24:53he'd thought i meant the clan
24:55he'd been humiliating himself to keep me close to something he thought i needed
25:00you are my home
25:01you're the only family i have now
25:04let's go back to the den
25:06just the two of us
25:07and live the way we want to live
25:10i just convinced him
25:12we hadn't even started packing
25:14when a female came running
25:16sarah
25:17come quickly
25:18your sister
25:20she's in labor
25:24i heard the screaming from outside the den
25:26inside
25:27blood
25:28more than there should have been
25:29the scene was identical to the worst of lyra's previous life labors
25:33that same desperate quality to the air
25:36that same sense of something gone wrong at the start
25:39it didn't make sense
25:40snake eggs were small
25:41this should have been easy
25:43i understood quickly enough once i started working
25:46i helped her pass 10 eggs
25:48then i reached back in and felt more
25:51i was mid-reach when lyra's body seized
25:54seizure
25:55no one in the den knew the word
25:57i snapped them to find a smooth cloth
25:59get it between her teeth before she bit through her tongue
26:02they scrambled
26:03while they held her
26:04i worked
26:06i cleared the rest of the eggs as fast as i could
26:1120 in total
26:13when it was over
26:15lyra went limp
26:16and unconscious
26:17i brewed a draft and got it down her throat
26:19waiting outside the den
26:22he grabbed my wrist before i could leave
26:24she's your sister
26:25you should stay and care for her
26:27i looked at his hand on my arm
26:30he'd watched a woman nearly die in that den
26:33his mate
26:34and he was already trying to pass the burden to someone else
26:37i pulled my wrist free
26:40she's your female
26:41not mine
26:42i've done what i can
26:44the rest is yours
26:45i stepped out of the den into the night air
26:48exhausted to my marrow
26:50caius was standing there waiting
26:52i started to say something about his wounds
26:55about how he should be resting
26:57he pulled me into him before i could finish
27:00his voice was rough when he spoke
27:02sarah
27:03we're not leaving
27:05i want to stay
27:06i started to ask why
27:08my shoulder went wet
27:10i brought him back to the den and sat with him
27:14when i pressed him
27:15the tears came harder
27:18he'd been outside lyra's den the whole time
27:22he'd heard everything
27:23he hadn't known that was what bearing young looked like for a female
27:27the sounds she'd made
27:29the blood
27:30the way the others had moved
27:33he was terrified
27:36if we left
27:37if we went back to the den alone
27:39and i went into labor
27:40and something went wrong
27:41there would be no one to help me
27:42no one to do what i had just done for lyra
27:45i felt the tears come before i could stop them
27:47caius
27:48i said softly
27:49that was difficult for specific reasons
27:52mine might be nothing like it
27:53i don't care
27:55he held tighter
27:57even one chance in a hundred
27:59i won't let you suffer without help
28:02not for anything
28:03he'd made himself small in this clan
28:06he hunted and shared the meat with everyone
28:09even the ones who'd abandoned him at the front
28:11he smiled at the ones who'd left him to die
28:15swallowed every indignity without complaint
28:17all of it
28:18for me
28:20what had i ever done to deserve a male like this
28:24lyra woke the following day
28:26snake eggs take time to hatch
28:28while they incubated
28:30lyra stationed herself beside them
28:32and invited most of the clam to come and watch
28:35she told anyone who would listen
28:37that all 20 would be a rark
28:39the clan was skeptical
28:41but intrigued
28:43she'd been right before
28:45they came
28:47around the same time
28:49the war finished
28:50largely because of caius
28:51the ultra clan sent delegates to negotiate
28:54their chieftain and their priest
28:56came together to discuss terms
28:57the meeting was still in progress
28:59when someone burst in from outside
29:01chieftain
29:02come quick
29:03the exit boss's den are hatching
29:05the room emptied
29:07even the ultroth delegates went
29:09word had traveled even to their clan
29:11the sacred daughter of the varay clan
29:14had birthed 20 aclar snake shifters
29:16they wanted to see
29:18the den was so crowded
29:19the walls seemed to breathe
29:21the chieftain had to push his way in
29:24he arrived just as the first egg cracked open
29:27a small dark snake emerged
29:31lyra picked it up with trembling hands
29:33and held it out
29:38chieftain tell me
29:39a rank isn't it
29:41the chieftain looked
29:42he considered for a moment
29:44then he said what he saw
29:46c rank
29:51the smile frozen on lyra's face
29:54her eyes went sharp
29:55that can't be right
29:57look again
29:59please
29:59look properly
30:01the chieftain had been judging blood rank
30:03for 60 years
30:04he could do it blindfolded
30:06but he looked again
30:07because she'd asked
30:09c rank
30:11i'm certain
30:14lyra went still
30:17what's happening
30:18i thought they were all a rank
30:2020 is an enormous number
30:24we've only ever had one a rank
30:26in the whole clan
30:27maybe there's a mix
30:29maybe the rest will be higher
30:30that last voice
30:32gave lyra something to grab onto
30:35she straightened
30:36hands on her hips
30:37exactly
30:38that was only the first
30:40i expect at least 10 a rank
30:42out of these 20
30:45three more eggs cracked
30:47everyone looked
30:50all sea rained
30:55the strong ones hatched last
30:57lyra said firmly
31:00crack
31:01crack
31:02crack
31:03five more
31:04one b rank among them
31:06there
31:07lyra said
31:08her voice climbing
31:10see
31:11the better ones come at the end
31:12i told you
31:13but the crowd had stopped believing her
31:16the expressions had shifted
31:18the last eggs opened
31:20final count
31:21one b rank
31:22ten c rank
31:23and several with no rank at all
31:25the chieftain studied the unranked ones briefly
31:27his face said everything his mouth didn't need to
31:31lyra's composure shattered
31:33this isn't possible
31:34where are my a rank cubs
31:36someone tampered with them
31:38someone swept them
31:41her voice rose
31:42cracking
31:43there's no other explanation
31:45a female in the back
31:47had had enough
31:48tampered how
31:49vos is a b rank snake shifter
31:50what exactly were you expecting him to give you
31:52a couple of good weather predictions
31:53and suddenly you're the sacred daughter
31:55the resentment had been building for weeks
31:57it broke open now all at once
31:58voice after voice
31:59peeling back the patience they'd kept
32:01then lyra's eyes found me
32:02she'd been scanning the crowd
32:04now she stopped
32:05she came straight for me and grabbed my arm
32:07you
32:08it was you
32:09you can't stand to see me do well
32:12you switched my eggs
32:13give them back
32:14give them back right now
32:18i pulled my arm from her grip
32:20lyra
32:21my voice came out flat and cold
32:24stop
32:24you accused me of going after a bonded male
32:27now you're accusing me of stealing your cubs
32:30half the clan was in that den with me
32:32ask any of them
32:34they watched everything i did
32:36the females who'd attended the birth
32:38stepped forward one by one
32:40she's right
32:41we were all there
32:42sarah didn't take anything
32:44what would she even want with snake eggs
32:46she's carrying her own
32:47the voices layered over each other
32:49lyra broke entirely
32:50why is everyone suddenly on her side
32:53just die
32:54sarah
32:55you should just die
32:56she threw herself at me
32:59i didn't move fast enough
33:00she put me square and we both went down
33:03kaius shifted
33:04the white lion came down on top of her in one motion
33:07all that weight and fury
33:09and he opened his jaws over her
33:10he didn't close them
33:11because from somewhere behind us
33:13a voice rang out over the chaos
33:14no stop
33:15kaius
33:16get your mate back to the den
33:17she's in labor
33:18the next second i was airborne
33:20lifted clean off the ground
33:21held against a chest that was warm and solid
33:24and moving very fast
33:25kaius ran
33:28in the den he held my hand through all of it
33:32his brow didn't unfurl once
33:34he kept talking
33:36low
33:37steady
33:38you're all right
33:39you're doing so well
33:40i'm right here
33:41while his own hand shook harder than mine
33:44everything went smoothly
33:46less than two hours later
33:48i delivered two white lion cubs
33:51twins
33:54oh
33:54they're beautiful
33:56the attending female breathed
33:59lifting one and cleaning it briskly
34:01strong too
34:02look at them
34:04i'd wager these are a rank at least
34:06let the chieftain have a look
34:08it's fine
34:11i started
34:12we don't need
34:16the chieftain and the ultrath priest
34:18had followed us in
34:19the chieftain reached for the nearest cub
34:22turned it over
34:24and frowned
34:25spirited little thing
34:27but no rank to speak of
34:29i glanced at kaius
34:30his face was careful
34:32he was nervous
34:33i took his hand
34:36it doesn't matter
34:37before i'd finish the sentence
34:39the ultrath priest leaned in
34:41his voice went sharp with something
34:43that sounded almost like outrage
34:46you can't see rank
34:49these cubs
34:50are s rank
34:55s rank
34:56did you just say s rank
34:58i helped birth them and i thought they looked different from other cubs
35:01but i didn't dare
35:02s rank
35:03here from this den
35:04two of them
35:05we have two s rank shifters in this clan
35:08the den erupted
35:10kaius and i looked at each other
35:12the news moved through the clan like fire
35:15lyra had pushed her way back through the crowd and into the den entrance
35:19she saw the cubs
35:21she looked at me
35:22this isn't real
35:23her voice had gone strange
35:25too high
35:26too tight
35:27sarah
35:28how could you possibly produce s rank cubs
35:31who's with him
35:32he doesn't even have a rank
35:34the joy in the den
35:35quiet
35:36it was the thing people had wondered
35:38and hadn't said
35:39before any of it could take hold
35:41the altar priest stepped forward
35:43no rank
35:45who told you
35:46his voice rang off the stone walls
35:49kaius is s rank
35:51he's been s rank this entire time
35:54that's precisely why we yielded
35:56silence
35:59the priest told them what the ultrak clan had seen on the battlefield
36:02abilities that couldn't be explained by any ordinary blood rank
36:05when they'd realized what they were facing
36:07they'd stopped fighting
36:08no one here had ever encountered an s rank shifter before
36:12not even the chieftain
36:13he hadn't known what he was looking at
36:14kaius sat with that for a moment
36:17he'd spent his whole life believing he was broken
36:20cast out
36:21proof of something shameful
36:24and the answer had simply been that everyone around him had lacked the eyes to see him clearly
36:29the priest turned to me next
36:31he studied me with the focused attention
36:35this female's fate line
36:38he said slowly
36:39is unlike anything ordinary
36:42unless i'm mistaken
36:44he looked out at the gathered clan
36:46she is the sacred daughter reborn
36:48if the s-rate announcement had been a shock
36:51this was the stone that broke the surface of still water
36:54everyone went quiet
36:55then they went to their knees
36:57sacred daughter
36:58sacred daughter
37:00sacred daughter
37:00in our previous life
37:02it had happened too
37:03but then
37:04people had been uncertain
37:06willing to believe
37:07but not quite sold
37:09this time
37:10with three s-reek shifters in the same den
37:13no one hesitated
37:16you're all forgetting
37:18she was cast this clan
37:20for going after a bebonded male
37:25what sacred daughter has a history like that
37:29she's been playing all of you
37:30the room had heard enough from her today
37:34but she'd reminded them
37:37the old accusation resurfacing in a few sets of eyes
37:41i stood up straight
37:43and looked across the den at drac
37:44the black tiger shifter
37:46who had been standing very still
37:47and very quiet in the corner
37:49since this all began
37:52drac
37:53are you going to tell the truth now
37:55or not
37:58under the judgment of the whole clan
38:00drac admitted all of it
38:01lila had planned it from the beginning
38:03she'd bribed him with herself
38:05he'd stolen a tuff of my fur
38:07and they'd staged the confrontation together
38:09the one who'd gone after a bonded male
38:12had never been me
38:13boss's face went white
38:15he was a snake
38:17and snakes were possessive creatures
38:19lyra
38:21his voice was very quiet
38:24you betrayed me
38:26her legs buckled
38:27no
38:28boss please
38:29listen to me
38:30they're lying
38:31all of them
38:32don't
38:32he'd already shifted
38:33the great dark snake moved faster than eyes could follow
38:36he caught her by the back of the neck
38:38and then he was gone
38:39a trail in the snow
38:40and nothing else
38:41a few days later
38:43someone found what remained of lyra outside the clan boundary
38:46she was identifiable only by her clothes
38:50word spread fast
38:51the chieftain had no choice
38:55boss was driven out
38:56the cubs lyra had carried were not held accountable for any of it
39:00the females of the clan gathered them all up
39:03and raised them together
39:04the males under caius's lead turned outward
39:09new territory broader boundaries
39:12room to grow
39:14season by season the work accumulated
39:17in the new spring
39:18the clan raised caius to chieftain
39:21i stood beside him
39:22the same position i had held in another life
39:25through a different path
39:26with different scars
39:27but here
39:28now
39:29with someone who had wept outside a den
39:31because he was afraid of losing me
39:32our two white lion cubs rolled in the grass nearby
39:36already stocky and ridiculous
39:37and impossibly strong
39:38i watched caius tilt his face toward the sun
39:41eyes half closed
39:42ears twitting
39:43i had lived two lives in this world
39:45i didn't need a third
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