Elena didn't know how long she sat there pretending to listen. Her mind had already left the room the moment the system dropped that nonsense on her.
Mate with the wolf tonight?!
Her fingers tightened under the table as she forced a small smile, but inside her, she was forming in anger. "Madness…" she muttered. Before anyone could notice her drifting expression, she stood up abruptly. "I need some air."
No one stopped her… or dared to. In fact, they looked more relieved than anything.
Of course. The "villainous daughter" leaving the room was probably a blessing to them. It would give them fresh air!
As she stepped out, the maids immediately moved to follow her, but Elena raised her hand without even turning back.
"Don't."
Her tone wasn't loud, but it carried enough weight to freeze them in place. "I want to be alone," she added, and they didn't dare argue with her.
" Good." Elena scoffed.
'" What happened to her highness?"
" I'm surprised too, because she can't do without us" another maid whispered.
The moment she stepped out of the cave-like structure, a soft breeze brushed against her skin, carrying a fresh scent that instantly made her pause.
Her brows lifted in disbelief. "What?"
This place... it was… beautiful. so, so beautiful...
Not in a grand, luxurious way like the room she woke up in, but in a way that felt alive and fresh.
The forest stretched endlessly, filled with blooming flowers of different colours, their petals swaying gently as if they were dancing with the wind. The trees stood tall and proud, their branches heavy with fruits that looked too fresh and too perfect to be real.
Elena blinked happily and inhaled the breeze. "Is this paradise or what?"
For a moment, she forgot all her problems, especially the system and the mating nonsense… or the headache waiting for her later that night.
Her eyes landed on a cluster of grapes hanging low from a nearby branch.
She froze. "Grapes?"
Her voice dropped into a whisper, like she didn't want to scare it away, because back in her past life… fruits were a luxury. Something you looked at… not something you ate freely.
Without thinking twice, she rushed toward it, leaving Cece's dignity aside. She plucked a bunch and popped one into her mouth immediately.
The sweetness exploded in her mouth, and her eyes widened. "Damn." Another one. Then another. "This is life!!!" Before she knew it, she was already halfway through the bunch, standing there like someone who had just discovered happiness for the first time.
"I'm not leaving this place…" she mumbled, chewing happily. "Whoever owns this forest, I'm ready to negotiate. Ohh, I forgot my father! Yeah, my father owns this territory!"
A soft laughter echoed nearby. Elena turned her head slightly and froze again.
" Little cubs?"
They were running around freely, their tiny tails swaying as they chased each other, their giggles filling the air in a way that felt pure and cute.
Some stumbled, some even rolled on the grass. Some tried to pounce on each other and failed miserably.
"So cute…" Elena whispered, her expression softening without her realising it.
For that moment, everything felt more peaceful than her previous life in the apocalypse! She didn't know whether to thank the system for choosing her or not… but she still wouldn't forgive it for making her second life a villain. Her brows pulled together as something clicked in her mind.
"But… wait."
Her gaze swept across the area again. The cubs… and the adults passing by… something felt off.
"Where are the famous cubs?" she muttered quietly. She had read enough beast novels to know one thing. Different beasts' cubs usually lived together or at least appeared in the same regions.
But here, there were no fox cubs, tiger cubs, or wolves… that might be normal for wolves because they preferred staying in their packs, but at least tiger beasts and fox beasts were always common.
Since other beast cubs were playing without the famous ones… "Don't tell me…"
[Exactly host, your mates are the last person in their bloodline]
" ohh... You mean... no other tiger beast?"
[Yes, host, except Alpha Damon who has a lot of wolves around him, but his is the last Alpha blood]
" ohhh.. " That realisation didn't sit well with her. Because if that was true… then her situation just got worse.
Much worse!
She wasn't just dealing with three arrogant men. She was dealing with three powerful men from different territories. Different authorities. Different problems.
Elena sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead. "And I have to mate with him tonight."
She paused.
Then looked up at the sky like she was questioning her entire existence.
"Out of everything…" She nodded. "THIS is my mission??" she fake cried. The wind brushed past her again, and she knew no matter how beautiful this place looked… the reality was still waiting for her.
And she must mate with that arrogant man tonight to save his entire generation. " But, how am I supposed to confuse him or make it happen?"