Lisa had never imagined that adulthood would feel this… empty.
Every day was the same: wake up half-asleep, drag herself into the office, drown in spreadsheets, reply to emails, eat the same miserable canteen lunch, listen to her manager complain, and return home to a silent apartment where she would microwave dinner and watch other people live more exciting lives on social media.
She was twenty-three.
Young, healthy, decently pretty, and… painfully single.
No drama. No romance. No passion.
No men.
Her entire life felt like a blank page nobody wanted to write on.
And she was tired of it.
So when the weekend arrived, she made a decision she'd been postponing for years.
"I'm going on a trek," she declared to her empty apartment, stuffing clothes and snacks into a backpack. "I deserve at least one exciting memory before I die of boredom."
The mountains weren't too far from her city, and the early morning breeze felt like freedom. As she walked along the narrow forest trail, sunlight dripping through the leaves, she felt her lungs expand in a way they hadn't in months.
"This," she breathed deeply, "was a good idea."
For hours she climbed uphill, listening to the rustle of trees, the chirping of birds, and the occasional crunch of stones under her boots. Civilization felt like a distant dream. Up here, she wasn't Lisa-the-Office-Worker. She was just… Lisa.
A woman discovering herself.
When she reached the grassy plateau halfway up the mountain, she flopped onto the ground with a groan. "My legs are dying… But my soul feels alive."
That was when she noticed movement near a cluster of rocks.
Curious, she crawled closer—and froze.
Two rabbits were hidden partly in a burrow, their small bodies pressed together, clearly enjoying a very intimate moment of nature's romance.
Lisa blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Oh come on—even rabbits are having more fun than me?" she muttered. "Is the universe mocking me?"
The rabbits continued their blissful business as if to answer: Yes, Lisa. They are very happy. You are not.
She leaned back on her elbows and stared at the sky.
"Why… is my life so boring?"
She cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed into the mountains:
"Why the hell is my life so boring?! Please give me some excitement in my life!!"
Her voice echoed back, taunting her.
While she was still sulking, her phone buzzed.
A new message.
From Sissy—her childhood friend and resident chaos queen.
Lisaaa look! My bf list is getting longer 💕
A barrage of photos followed—her friend posing with not one, not two, but multiple boyfriends like trophies.
And then came the voice message:
> "Lisa, see my list of boyfriends and try to improve your looks. Otherwise you'll always remain a single dog your entire life."
Lisa's eye twitched.
She clicked the voice-call button immediately.
"Sissy!! Do not worry," she snapped the moment the call connected. "I can make dozens of men fall crazy over me if I want!"
On the other end, her friend burst out laughing.
Actually laughing. Loudly.
"Oh please," Sissy said between giggles, "only beasts would fall for that face of yours."
And then—she hung up.
Lisa stood there, seething.
The rabbits were now staring at her too, as if judging.
She stomped her foot into the mountain soil.
"You know what? FINE!" she shouted at the sky again. "I command the universe—make all men my simp! Even a beast is fine!! Just give me something!! Someone!!"
As if on cue, the wind shifted.
A deep rumble trembled beneath her feet.
"…huh?"
The ground cracked.
Pebbles rolled.
Birds screeched above the trees.
"Wait—wait—WAIT—"
The earth gave way under her.
A landslide roared down the slope, dragging mud, stones, and Lisa along with it.
"NOOO—THIS IS NOT THE EXCITEMENT I ASKED FOR—!"
She plunged down the cliffs, tumbling, spinning, crashing, everything blurring into violent chaos—
Then darkness swallowed her whole.
—
A cold drip on her forehead woke her.
Lisa groaned, hand instinctively rising to touch the wet spot.
Her fingers met… fur.
"W-what…?"
She tried to sit up, wincing as her head throbbed. The air smelled different—damp, earthy, ancient. The ground beneath her was not smooth like forest soil, but uneven stone.
Blinking slowly, she realized she was lying inside a cave.
"Uhh… hello?" she whispered.
Her voice echoed softly.
She wasn't dead.
At least… she didn't think she was.
When she pushed herself upright, her hand brushed against something fluffy near her head.
Something that twitched.
Lisa froze.
Very slowly, very cautiously, she lifted her hand to the side of her head.
Her fingertips touched—
An ear.
A soft, triangular, twitchy ear.
Not human.
Furry.
Attached to her.
"Okay…" Lisa whispered, panic rising in her chest. "Okay okay okay what… is… this?"
Her trembling hands ran along the top of her head.
Another ear twitched on the other side.
Her heartbeat thundered.
"What happened to me…? Did I—did I grow cat ears?!"
She scrambled to her feet, nearly slipping on the damp cave floor. Her hands roamed her body, checking for broken bones—and found none. Instead, she felt other strange changes.
Her nails looked sharper.
Her hearing felt sharper.
Her entire body felt… lighter, faster, more sensitive.
Her breath hitched.
"Did I… seriously transmigrate to another world?!"
Her voice echoed against the cave walls.
She staggered back, shocked, confused, and trembling with a mix of fear and curiosity.
A faint glow flickered deeper in the cave.
And then—
A pair of glowing amber eyes appeared in the dark.
Lisa's breath stopped.
Something—or someone—stepped into the faint light.
A tall silhouette. Broad shoulders. Muscular frame. Wild hair. A beast-like aura radiated off him. His pupils were narrow and sharp, animalistic, but the rest of his face was strangely… beautiful.
A beastman.
A real beastman.
Lisa's heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest.
She had asked the universe for excitement.
She had screamed for adventure.
She had joked about beasts falling for her.
And now—
A living, breathing beastman male stood only a few feet away, staring at her with an expression halfway between curiosity and hunger.
Not the dangerous kind.
But the… possessive kind.
Her new cat ears flattened instinctively, and she gulped.
"T-that's… a big man," she whispered.
The beastman stepped closer, sniffing the air lightly.
His voice was deep, rough, yet oddly gentle when he spoke:
"...A female?"
Lisa stiffened.
His eyes widened slightly, as if he had discovered something rare. Something precious.
"A female beastkin," he murmured, stepping closer still. "In my cave… out of nowhere."
His tail flicked behind him like an excited predator.
Lisa's throat tightened.
"I—um—I'm not— I mean—this is a misunderstanding— I didn't mean to trespass—"
Her back hit the cave wall.
The beastman stopped only a breath away from her.
She could feel the heat of his body.
His scent—wild, warm, intoxicating—washed over her.
Her new ears twitched without permission.
His gaze dropped to them.
"You've only just awakened, haven't you?" he asked softly, his voice almost tender.
"A-awakened… what…?" Lisa whispered.
He reached up slowly, deliberately, giving her time to flinch away if she wanted.
She didn't.
His fingertips brushed her new ears.
A shiver ran down her entire spine.
Her knees almost buckled.
"What… did you do…?" she gasped.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Testing. You're real. Not an illusion."
Lisa's face burned. Her heart raced. Her entire body felt different, like every sense had been enhanced.
"Who—who are you…?" she stammered.
The beastman stepped back slightly, allowing her to breathe.
"My name is Rylan," he said. "Alpha of the mountain clans."
"Alpha…?"
He nodded.
"And you… little one… are the first female beastkin I've seen in my entire life."
Lisa blinked.
"…what do you mean the first?"
He studied her for a long moment. His eyes softened, but his posture remained alert, predatory.
"In this world," he said slowly, "female beastkin are nearly extinct. Tribes fight. Kingdoms fall. Males roam far and wide hoping to find a mate. But none exist."
He took a step closer.
"But today… a female appeared in my territory. In my cave."
Lisa felt chills run down her arms.
"And what… does that mean?" she whispered.
Rylan's voice dropped to a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through her bones.
"It means," he said, "every beastman who learns of your existence will want you."
Lisa's breath caught.
"And it also means…"
He reached out, tilting her chin up gently.
"...I found you first."
Her heart pounded in her chest, loud enough she was sure he could hear it.
"W-wait—hold on— I just woke up! I don't even know how I got here! I— I'm just an office girl from another—"
Rylan blinked.
"Another… world?"
She nodded frantically.
"Yes! I think I transmigrated! I'm not supposed to be here— I don't know anything about this world— I just want to go home—"
Her breath hitched. Tears pricked her eyes as confusion and fear overwhelmed her.
Rylan stepped closer again, but slower this time, more cautious, more gentle.
"Don't cry," he murmured.
His large hand—calloused, warm—rested lightly on her shoulder.
"You're safe here."
Lisa swallowed hard.
"But… why would you help me?"
Rylan leaned in, his breath brushing her ear.
"Because fate has given you to me," he whispered.
Her cheeks burned. Her new ears twitched uncontrollably.
"And because a female beastkin… even a newly awakened one like you… is cherished. Protected. Desired."
Her heart stuttered.
Rylan pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
"And if others find you," he said, voice dropping even lower, "they will fight over you. Kill for you. Claim you."
Lisa gaped.
"I—I didn't ask for this! I just wanted some excitement, not— not some tribal war over me!"
Rylan's lips twitched, almost amused.
"Then stay by my side," he said simply. "Let me protect you."
Lisa opened her mouth to protest—
but the ground trembled again.
The cave entrance shook.
Rylan stiffened.
His eyes narrowed.
"They're close," he muttered.
"Who's close?" Lisa gasped.
"A scouting party from the wolf clan," he said. "If they scent you, they will take you."
Lisa's stomach dropped.
He grabbed her hand.
"Come."
"W-what—where—?"
"Deeper into the mountains," he said. "Somewhere only I can find. Somewhere safe."
Lisa hesitated only a moment.
Outside the cave, vicious growls echoed.
She squeezed Rylan's hand.
"Okay," she whispered. "Let's go."
He pulled her into the shadows, the warmth of his hand anchoring her trembling body.
As they fled deeper into the darkness, Lisa's mind spun.
She had cat ears.
She was in another world.
Beastmen existed.
And they were after her.
Her old life—her boring office job, her empty apartment, her friend teasing her—felt like a distant dream.
A new life had begun.
A wild, dangerous, exhilarating life.
One where men—beastmen—might actually fall for her.
One where she might be more than a lonely girl screaming at a mountain.
One where she might become… something greater.
As she ran beside Rylan, her heart thudding with fear and excitement, one thought whispered through her mind.
Be careful what you wish for, Lisa.
Because now the universe was listening.
And it was giving her everything she asked for.
Even the beaSTS