Mei Hu huddled in the shadows of the stone palace, clutching the "blanket" around her shoulders like it was a shroud of shame. She hated the texture of it, soft, warm, and smelling faintly of the lavender herbs Xin Yi had insisted everyone use for "aromatherapy."
"Aromatherapy," Mei Hu spat, the word tasting like poison. "Disgusting."
She had known Hei Yan since they were cubs. She was the fastest female in the Shadow Claw tribe, the most lethal, and the most deserving of the Alpha's side. In her mind, they were destined to produce the strongest cubs the forest had ever seen. And then she appeared. A hairless, weak, "Scent Goddess" who couldn't even track a wounded rabbit if it tripped over her feet.
But Mei Hu was patient. She knew the Great Mating Festival was only three days away.
According to tribal law, if an Alpha hadn't marked a female by the festival, any challenger could claim a spot in the trial. She just had to prove that Xin Yi was a liability.
