My initial life was a warning in the words of silk, lace, and dumbfounding stupidity.
My name was Evelina Vane. I was the daughter of a Marquess, the only child, with perfect honey-blond hair, an awe-inspiring trust fund, and the social status of a minor deity. And yet I perished smothered in a blanket of my own ignorance, poisoned by those whom I cared for most.
That was the day it all began. It was my Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
It's the day every noblewoman gets to choose her Pet Shifter—a lifelong friend, guardian, and magical bond. They are the ultimate status symbol, the beautiful, powerful beasts of our world.
I faced the great, caged Shifters, my heart a frantic hummingbird in my chest, and selected the fox.
Caspian.
He was entrancing. All golden coat, quick tongue, and smile so bright it could sell snow to the Snow Queen. The most popular Shifter in the capital.
The type of man who would feature on the cover of a magazine—or, as it transpired, in my bed, speaking sweet venoms while conspiring against me with my stepsister, Seraphina.
I loved him.
He loved her.
I succumbed to a humiliating, torturous demise, losing my title, my wealth, and my pride.
My dying recollection? Caspian's gorgeous fox-eyes regarding me, utterly icy, utterly free of remorse.
And now, the cosmos—which clearly has an evil sense of film irony—threw the rewind switch.
One minute I was a cold, hard ghost, observing Seraphina cry crocodile tears at my immaculate, hollow grave. Next, my awareness was yanked back into my sixteen-year-old body.
I gasped, sitting upright in my four-poster bed. The room is filled with the scent of rosewater and high-stakes fear.
The day before my Coming-of-Age Ceremony was the date printed on the bedside calendar.
A cold, metallic voice—much more critical than my old "System" —grew in the recesses of my mind.
[ FATES TRACKER v.2.0 ]
Host: Evelina Vane
Status: Reincarnated
Primary Mission: Break the Fox's Pride and Destroy the Stepsister's Life.
Time Until Ceremony: 23:58:12.
"Fates Tracker? A bit melodramatic, but I like the sentiment," I grumbled, kicking my legs off the side of the bed.
I instantly jerked back. "Ugh, these are my sixteen-year-old silk pajamas. The lace is completely off."
I was back.
And this time, I wasn't falling for the perfectly modeled jawline and the flattering lighting.
I strolled over to the floor-length mirror and took stock. Same face, same fortune, same chance. But now I have a diamond-hard core of spite.
"Caspian, my handsome, treasonous lapdog," I breathed into my reflection, working on the contemptuous tone I'd require. "You want Seraphina? You can have her. But you won't have me. And you certainly won't have the power that goes along with me."
The Fates Tracker chimed once more, with a faintly exasperated tone.
[ MINI-QUEST: PREPARATION ]
Task: Determine the Shifter with the maximum potential for destruction and minimal emotional investment in the Vane bloodline.
Reward: 100 Vengeance Points (VP).
Failure Penalty: Recurrence of the Stupidly In Love debuff.
"Stupidly in Love debuff? Oh, hell no. I am not going to be a simp in this life."
The next day, the Grand Hall was a dazzling display of chandeliers, silks, and high-strung tension of a hundred aristocratic households.
At its center, caged for public exhibition, were the Shifters.
They were magnificent. Spotted lions, proud wolves, snowy leopards. And, nestled among them, exuding confidence, was Caspian, the Golden Fox.
His shifter form was stunning, his eyes scanning the crowd, surely looking for my eyes, ready to seal the deal he had thought was in the bag.
Seraphina, sitting next to me, was a picture of feigned humility, her eyes darting back at the Fox constantly. She was already thinking about her future, where she'd steal him, my inheritance, and my title.
Not this time.
As my name was announced, "Lady Evelina Vane," I strode forward with the practiced poise of a woman who had walked a thousand catwalks and died one very bad death.
Caspian's gaze met mine, his fox self bestowing a proprietary nod, a smug swing of his tail. He was awaiting me to come to his cage, to present him with the binding collar, to deliver him the keys to my downfall.
I strode directly past him.
Caspian's golden eyes grew wide. The whole hall gasped. Seraphina's jaw dropped so low she likely got a draft.
I tuned out the commotion. I tuned out the Fates Tracker yelling at the top of its virtual lungs in my ear.
[WARNING! WARNING! DEVIATION FROM ORIGINAL PATH! STUPIDLY IN LOVE DEBUFF AVERTED, BUT NEW DANGER IMMINENT!]
I came to a halt before the last cage.
It stood in the blackest of corners, shrouded in darkness. The cage wasn't lined with velvet pillows; it was cold metal. The Shifter within was the kind of thing polite society nightmares were made of.
A Snake Shifter.
He was enormous, wrapped around a massive stone pillar. When he Shifted, he was not a charming, tractable pet; he was a raw, black threat. His skin, even in his human form, glowed with a fine coating of black scales. His eyes were cold, slitted gold, completely cold, completely lacking in warmth.
He was the one unwanted Shifter. Too deadly, too quiet, too ugly for the noble women.
He was the epitome of the star model for an underground, high-fashion horror shoot. And he reeked of ozone, risk, and still, old power.
He raised his head, slowly, his cold, gold eyes focusing on mine. There was no charm in them, just hard evaluation.
I smiled, a thin, flawless, vengeful smile.
I held out my hand, holding the bonding collar—not to a golden vixen, but to a dark, deadly hunter.
"You," I declared, my voice echoing with finality, "will belong to me."
The Snake Shifter, Silas, merely stared back at me, his face a mask. But in the cold, reptilian depths of his eyes, I saw something that Caspian's eyes never contained: uncomplicated, unadulterated savagery.
He didn't crave my fortune.
He didn't desire my title.
He merely craved a little anarchy. And I was willing to provide him with the world.
From down the hall, the thud of Caspian's shocked, pleading growl was like music to my ears.
My reckoning had started. And this time, I was going to do it looking great.