Soft, sinking warmth.
That was the first thing Amaya felt before consciousness dragged her up from the dark. Her lashes fluttered, a dull ache pulsing behind her eyes. Her body felt like it had been tossed, caught, thrown again, and remade out of smoke.
For a few breaths she didn't move.
Not because she didn't want to
But because she was afraid of what she'd see.
The last thing she remembered…
Leo's arms around her.
His voice rumbling so low it vibrated through her bones.
His eyes glowing with something wild and possessive.
His words
"You're mine."
Her stomach twisted.
Slowly, she pushed herself upright.
The blankets slid off her like silk, pooling around her waist. She blinked, needing a full minute to understand where she was.
The room wasn't just beautiful.
It wasn't just large.
It was… royal.
Massive carved pillars framed walls of white stone streaked with silver veins, glowing softly with reflected moonlight. High windows draped with sheer curtains swayed in a breeze she couldn't feel. A huge circular bed dominated the center of the room made of furs and velvet, too luxurious for any normal person to even imagine.
And the scent
God.
A deep, warm, masculine scent that wrapped around her chest and tugged at her heartbeat.
Leo.
Heat flashed under her skin.
She shook her head sharply, trying to shove the feeling away.
Where was he?
And why had she been left alone?
Before she could stand, the massive double doors at the far end creaked open.
A woman stepped inside.
Tall.
Graceful.
Deadly beautiful.
Her skin glowed like polished bronze, her long white hair braided with silver beads that chimed softly as she moved. Her eyes were feline slitted, icy, assessing. A long white tail moved lazily behind her, swaying like a serpent.
She looked like a queen.
But her smile…
That smile was wrong.
Calm.
Knowing.
And pleased.
"Good," the woman said softly. "You're awake."
She dipped her head slightly. Almost formal.
"Welcome home, my queen."
Amaya's heartbeat stuttered.
"…Excuse me?"
The woman stepped closer.
Not hastily.
Not threateningly.
But with the confidence of someone who believed she owned the room and everyone inside it.
"You must be confused," she murmured. "The transition between worlds is rarely gentle. Your body will feel foreign for a time, but it will settle."
"Transition?" Amaya echoed. "Worlds?"
The woman's lips curved even higher.
She studied Amaya the way someone might study a rare gem.
Or prey.
"Yes," the woman said. "You've crossed from the human realm into the Beast Kingdom. You were… summoned."
Amaya's breath caught.
Summoned.
Like a character.
Like a heroine.
Like
Like the novel she had been reading in class.
Her chest tightened.
This wasn't possible.
She swallowed hard. "Who are you?"
The woman placed a hand lightly on her chest, bowing her head.
"I am Lysandra. High Consort to the White Tiger King. And now… your attendant."
Attendant?
To her?
"No," Amaya whispered. "There's a misunderstanding. I shouldn't be here. Leo"
The woman's expression flickered.
Quick. Sharp. Dangerous.
Then it smoothed back into perfect calm.
"His Majesty is occupied with council matters," Lysandra said. "He asked that you remain here until he returns."
Her stomach dropped.
"Returns?" she repeated. "From where?"
Lysandra didn't blink. "From deciding your fate."
A chill ran down Amaya's spine.
"My fate?"
"The moment he sensed your bond," Lysandra said calmly, "the king summoned the elders. You are not just a mate. You are… something else."
Her throat closed.
"That bond," the woman continued, circling slowly like a predator, "is ancient. Forbidden. And very, very powerful."
The air suddenly felt too thin.
Amaya curled her fingers into the sheets.
"Forbidden?"
"Yes."
Lysandra's voice was soft.
Too soft.
"You see… if you truly are the destined mate of the White Tiger King, then you are not merely a guest." Her eyes gleamed. "You are a threat."
Amaya's pulse pounded.
This woman didn't like her.
Didn't want her here.
Didn't want her alive.
She moved back instinctively, but the bed swallowed her knees and she sank down again.
Lysandra finally stopped in front of her.
"Do not fear," she murmured, though her eyes said the opposite. "I am here to prepare you."
"For what?"
"For your claiming."
Amaya froze.
"My… what?"
Lysandra tilted her head. "When the king binds you."
Her smile deepened.
"It is tradition. If he accepts you as mate, your souls will merge. Your life will become his."
Soul merge.
Life becoming his.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
Lysandra leaned close too close her cool breath brushing Amaya's cheek.
"You may not be ready," she whispered. "Humans rarely survive their first night with a Beast King."
Blood drained from Amaya's face.
Lysandra straightened and sighed dramatically.
"Such a shame. You are lovely. If you die, it will be a waste."
Amaya stared at her.
She wasn't threatening her outright.
But every word dripped with warning.
Then the woman turned toward the door.
"I will prepare a cleansing bath," she said smoothly. "His Majesty will return soon."
The door shut behind her.
Silence crashed into the room.
Amaya's hands shook.
She pressed them against her chest, breathing hard.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't a novel.
This wasn't something she could laugh off or ignore.
Leo the terrifying, gorgeous, dominating king had claimed she was his mate.
But the people around him?
They didn't want a queen.
They wanted her gone.
She slipped off the bed, feet hitting the cold polished stone floor. She swayed, caught herself on a column, and forced her breathing steady.
She needed to think.
She needed a plan.
And she needed to know
Where was Leo?
And what did he tell the elders about her?
She crossed the room to the balcony, gripping the rail as she stared out at the vast shining city below. Moonlit towers stretched like silver claws toward the sky. Beastmen and women moved along glowing pathways, their silhouettes graceful, powerful, inhuman.
This world was stunning.
And dangerous.
She swallowed.
Then she heard it
A faint, distant rumble.
So low it was almost inaudible.
Then another.
Then another.
Her heart jumped.
That sound
She'd heard it once already.
Leo. Snarling.
The air trembled.
The ground beneath her feet vibrated.
Roars erupted from somewhere deep in the palace.
Multiple voices.
Furious.
Aggressive.
Something was happening.
Something big.
She pressed closer to the railing and saw a flash of white fur racing across a distant rooftop.
Her breath caught.
Leo.
He moved like lightning fast, fluid, his form shifting between humanoid and beast as he bounded across stone and steel.
He wasn't alone.
Behind him, a dozen armored tigers followed.
Guards? Warriors?
She couldn't tell.
But Leo's movements weren't calm.
They were angry.
Violent. Hunting.
Her pulse hammered.
"What is going on…?"
A sharp knock slammed against the chamber door.
Amaya whipped around just as a deep voice barked
"Open!"
Her stomach plummeted.
She knew that voice.
Leo.
The door burst open so violently the hinges screeched.
He stalked inside half in human form, half in beast, his white hair spilling wild around his shoulders, eyes glowing with icy fire.
His chest heaved like he'd been running for miles.
His claws were out.
Blood stained his knuckles.
He looked
Not like a king.
Not like a guardian.
He looked like a storm made of teeth and fury.
And his gaze locked onto her instantly.
"Amaya."
Her breath caught.
He crossed the entire room in three strides.
Before she could step back, before she could breathe, he grabbed her waist and pulled her against his chest.
Not gently. Not softly.
With desperate, animal possession that stole the air from her lungs.
He buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply, like he needed proof she was real.
Her hands trembled where they rested against him.
"Leo…?"
His voice came out rougher than she'd ever heard.
"They tried to take you."
Her heart stopped.
"Who?"
He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
And what she saw there
Rage.
Fear.
And something even more dangerous
Claim.
"The Elders," he said, voice shaking with fury. "They want you dead."
Her breath hitched.
Before she could respond
A shadow moved behind Leo.
Another presence in the doorway.
Cold. Watching. Waiting.
Lysandra.
Her smile razor-thin.
"Your Majesty," she purred. "You return sooner than expected."
Leo didn't look at her.
His claws tightened on Amaya's waist.
And in a voice so lethal it made the air freeze
"Anyone who touches her dies."
Lysandra's smile didn't fade.
But her eyes narrowed.
A heartbeat. Two.
Then
A second roar ripped through the palace.
This one deeper. Older.
The walls trembled.
Leo stiffened, turning toward the balcony.
His expression changed.
From fury
To dread.
He whispered one word:
"Father."
Amaya's blood ran cold.
The White Tiger King was dangerous enough.
But the former king, the ancient Beastlord?
The one known in the novel as the most feared ruler in Beast history?
He was here.
And he was coming.
Leo grabbed her hand.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
But she didn't get the chance.
The balcony exploded inward.
Stone shattered. Moonlight blasted across the room.
A giant shadow landed on the balcony railing, massive claws curling into the crushed stone.
And glowing golden eyes pinned Amaya in place.
The ancient White Tiger Beastlord.
The king before Leo.
He inhaled slowly—
And growled one word that shook the world:
"Mate."
Amaya's heart stopped.
Not once. Not twice. Twice.
But three times.
Because the Beastlord wasn't looking at Leo.
He wasn't calling to Leo.
He was staring directly…
At her.
As if she was his destined mate.
Leo snarled, stepping in front of her, teeth bared.
The Beastlord growled back, powerful enough to shake the palace walls
And they spoke at the same time:
Leo: "She's mine."
Beastlord: "She belongs to me."
Amaya couldn't breathe.
Couldn't even move for that minute.
Because fate, the bond, the world
Had just broken.
And chosen two mates for her.
Next is where both of them will falling in love with each other.
To be continued....
Please kindly forgive me for I have made a mistake, so I'm rewriting the whole chapter thank you.