Reborn in the Frozen Apocalypse, I'm the Beast Empress Now

My sister and I transmigrated together into an icy post-apocalyptic wasteland, where we both awakened rare healing powers. In a frozen apocalypse, healers were extraordinarily precious. We were given first pick of the beastmen warriors in the tribe to take as husbands. In our past life, my sister blushed and eagerly chose a snake shifter known for his legendary bedroom skills. I chose a loyal wolf shifter. Later, while the snake was in winter hibernation, my sister cheated on him with multiple beastmen, even throwing wild orgies right in their den. Furious upon waking, the snake locked her in an underground cellar, forcing himself on her every single day to make her hatch his offspring. Meanwhile, my wolf shifter loved me fiercely. We fought side by side, and in the end, he inherited leadership of the entire tribe. On the day of the succession ceremony, my sister—consumed by jealous rage—shoved a blade straight through my heart. When I opened my eyes again, we were back to the day of choosing our mates. This time, my sister was quick to point at the wolf shifter. "Dear sister, this time around, I'm the one who gets to be pampered by the wolf." "And the chieftain's title will be mine, and mine alone." I smiled faintly and pointed toward the white tiger priest. "I choose him." What was so great about being the chieftain's wife anyway? In a frozen wasteland, healers held the highest standing. Would it really be too much to aim for Empress of the Beastmen instead? After having a blade run through my heart by my sister, I was reborn. I woke up right back in the frozen apocalypse, on the exact day our tribe took us in. A massive brazier burned with beast fat inside the stone hall, while a blinding blizzard raged outside, cold enough to crack granite. The aging chieftain of the White Tiger Tribe sat high upon his stone seat, his raspy voice cutting through the wind: "Precious healers, every unmated male in our White Tiger Tribe stands before you. Whichever ones you like, take your pick." My twin sister, Vivian, and I had slipped into this brutal, frozen world while out hiking. Strangely, both of us awakened potent healing magic upon arrival—we could mend frostbite, suppress winter plagues, and literally drag dying beastmen back from death's door. In this frozen apocalypse, beastman tribes lacked two critical things above all else: food and healers. Healers were more sacred than fire itself. So even though the two of us were scrawny, trembling like newly weaned snow rabbits, the unmated males in the hall stared at us with burning, hungry gazes. In our past life, both of us had been utterly bewildered when we first arrived. Vivian, however, had adapted fast. Back home, she prided herself on being a dating expert who lived for thrill and novelty. The moment she grasped the chieftain's offer, she wasted no time. Pointing at a slender, long-legged snake shifter with dangerously alluring eyes, she declared, "I want him." After picking him, she leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "I hear snakes have two. You think I can't handle that?" Then she glanced across the line of beastmen and offered me some advice: "Joy, you've always been slow. If you pick someone too handsome, other females will steal him away. Those plain, honest-looking ones over there look fine for you." The ones she pointed to were average-looking men once shifted into human form. Yet, I took her advice back then. Because among them stood a wolf shifter. Wolves were famous for their unyielding loyalty; they bonded with only one mate for life. Choosing him meant I wouldn't have to constantly worry about Vivian seducing him away from me. And he truly had been faithful to me. No matter how shamelessly Vivian threw herself at him later on, he never once wavered. Bitter, Vivian used to sneer behind his back, "Joy, that wolf of yours is so boring and stupid. He doesn't even know how to enjoy life." I only ever smiled. I agreed that the wolf was devoted. Calling him stupid, though, was a massive mistake. If he were truly an idiot, he wouldn't have used my healing powers and counsel to rack up military feats, step by step, until he claimed the chieftain's seat for himself. It was just that he kept me under strict lock and key inside our home—something Vivian never knew. This time, the instant the chieftain finished speaking, Vivian pointed straight at the wolf shifter without a second's hesitation: "I choose him to be my husband." A flash of stunned delight erupted in the wolf's eyes. Within the White Tiger Tribe, a wolf shifter's strength ranked lower-middle at best. No high-status healer would ever normally look twice at him. Seeing Vivian pick the wolf, the other beastmen grew vocal with discontent. "Honored healer! He is merely a low-ranking wolf. How could he possibly be worthy of you?" A massive black bear shifter pounded his muscular chest, thoroughly displeased. The wolf tense up, an edge of deep-seated inferiority showing in his posture. Vivian merely smiled and stepped directly toward the wolf. "I want him. I believe the male I choose will become the greatest among you." Before stepping away, she leaned close and whispered to me in a rush, "Joy, this time around, I'm the one who gets to be pampered by the wolf. The tribe will be mine, and mine alone." I said nothing, quietly watching her slip her hand into his. Moved to the core, the wolf threw his head back and let out a triumphant howl. The other males glared at the wolf with venomous envy, then immediately turned their burning, desperate gazes toward me. I looked over every single one of them, finally pausing on the snake shifter. Noticing my gaze, Vivian's eyes flickered, and she called out, "Joy, snake shifters are incredible in bed. You have zero experience, so you should pick him. That way you can actually find out what good sex feels like." I offered a cool smile and politely declined. "No thanks. You know I can't stand boneless creatures." With that, I pointed past the snake to the towering, heavily muscled white tiger priest standing right beside him. "I choose him." The moment my words fell, genuine joy washed over the faces of both the white tiger priest and the aging chieftain. Vivian, on the other hand, couldn't suppress a smirk of pure schadenfreude. I knew exactly what was running through her head. The priest I had picked, Lance, was not only the tribe's spiritual guide—he was the chieftain's direct son. Under normal circumstances, he was the rightful heir to the entire tribe. In our past life, however, during a harsh winter when Lance ventured out alone to gather rare herbs, the rival Snow Lion Tribe ambushed him with their strongest warriors. The valiant white tiger priest was grievously wounded, caught an infection, and died shortly after. It was his tragic death that created the power vacuum, allowing me to plot and scheme for my wolf husband until he seized the chieftain's mantle. This time, though, I had no intention of letting Lance die like that. I was going to forge him into the sharpest blade in my arsenal. What was the point of obsessing over being a mere chieftain's wife? In this frozen apocalypse, healers commanded supreme respect. So if I decided to become the Empress of the Beastmen instead, who could possibly stop me? In this life, I would hold my fate in my own two hands.Once Vivian and I settled on our choices, the bonding ritual began right there in front of the entire White Tiger Tribe. In this frozen world, females were scarce, and healers were allowed to take multiple male consorts if they wished. However, only the male who established a primary bond was permitted to live under the same roof with her. Secondary consorts were somewhat like recognized side partners, openly acknowledged by the clan. Even so, if a consort fell out of favor, being cast aside was a common occurrence. In our previous life, Vivian relied on this exact tradition. Knowing full well that her snake mate was intensely possessive and obsessive, she still brazenly seduced other beastmen while he was deep in winter hibernation. Her plan had been simple: play around until she got bored, then ditch them with some casual excuse. She never anticipated the horrifying fallout. Females were already desperately rare in this realm; once those males tasted the chance to become consorts to a sacred healer, how could they ever let go so easily? The moment the snake emerged from his hibernation den, he was surrounded by every single male Vivian had slept with, all demanding an explanation. Vivian had rejected them by claiming her snake husband strictly forbade her from taking consorts. Enraged to discover that his mate had slept with an entire pack while he slept, the snake went ballistic. After a bloody, vicious brawl with her lovers, he dragged Vivian back to his cavern with a thunderous face. He locked her in the cold cellar and took her relentlessly, finding every way imaginable to torment her until she was swollen with his brood. Vivian was forced to lay clutch after clutch of snake eggs. She had desperately tried to call for help, but the snake never gave her a single chance to step foot outside. It wasn't until my wolf was about to succeed as chieftain and the grand ceremony demanded every member of the tribe—young, old, and weak—to be present that Vivian finally stepped into the sunlight, trailing her snake brood behind her. Because the succession required an offering to the heavens, it was held at the edge of a high cliff behind the settlement. Seeing me, someone she had always looked down upon, standing tall as the chieftain's lady, Vivian went completely insane with jealousy. While the entire tribe knelt in reverence toward the sky, she lunged forward, slamming a sharpened bone dagger straight through my heart. "Joy! You've been beneath me your whole damn life! What makes you think you deserve a better life than mine?! Go die!"Vivian and I were twins. When Mom had me, she suffered severe hemorrhaging. Blaming me for it, she dumped me with Grandma, while keeping Vivian pampered by her side. Grandma was short-tempered and hit me constantly. Seeing how pathetic I was, Vivian eventually begged our parents to bring me home. Later, I regretted listening to Vivian countless times. Because in that house, I was practically her personal maid. I had to dress her, feed her, and wait on her hand and foot. The moment she was unhappy, my parents screamed at me and starved me. If I scored higher than her on an exam, she threw a massive tantrum. So, I had to deliberately fail, reducing myself to her stepping stone. Every friend I ever made drifted away once Vivian showed up. Even the boyfriend I had in college was deliberately seduced away by Vivian when she visited during the break. "Joy, don't be mad. I just wanted to test him to see if he truly loved you. Look, I exposed him, didn't I? You really ought to thank me." I had only offered her a grateful smile back then: "Yeah. Thank you, Vivian." Vivian smirked, triumphant. "Don't mention it. What are sisters for?" I had sneered inwardly. The word "sister" was completely ruined by people like her. She may have shown me a sliver of pity once, but I owed her nothing anymore. Least of all after she took my life in the world before this. The bonding ritual concluded smoothly. The chieftain beamed at everyone. "Good! Now that the bonds are sealed, you may all return to your dwellings." "The rest of you males, do not lose heart. If you can win the favor of these two sacred healers, you may still earn a place as their consorts." Hearing the chieftain's words, the rest of the beastmen visibly relaxed, their eyes igniting once more as they stared hungrily between Vivian and me. Lance's gaze turned instantly lethal. He stepped forward, shielding me completely behind his massive frame, and growled at the crowd: "She is mine. I will not share her with anyone!" "Anyone who dares lay a finger on my healer will be torn to shreds." Hearing Lance make his claim, the other males looked away in dejected defeat. Everyone knew the priest's terrifying combat prowess. Trying to steal a healer from Lance was practically a death wish. Taking one from the wolf, however, was another story entirely. In a heartbeat, all eyes shifted onto Vivian, while the glances darted at the wolf shifter were dripping with murderous intent. In this world, strength was everything for a male. That wolf couldn't even crack the top hundred strongest fighters in the tribe—what right did he have to hoard such a precious healer to himself? They could accept a priest claiming sole possession because Lance was the undisputed apex predator here. But a low-tier wolf? He wasn't worthy. Vivian, watching the men posture and seethe with jealousy over her, wore a proud, satisfied smirk. As if this intoxicating attention was her birthright. She had no idea that once you stepped into a wolf's den, walking back out wasn't so simple. I glanced at her impassively, then turned toward Lance. "I'm exhausted. I want to go back and rest." An immediate look of worry washed over Lance's stern features. In the next breath, arms thicker than my thighs scooped me effortlessly off the ground. "I'll take you back to sleep right now." Cradling me securely against his chest, he sprinted toward his private stone dwelling.The priest actually held a higher status in the tribe than the chieftain himself. Not only was the priest responsible for rituals, divinations, and tribal heritage, but he was also tasked with healing injured warriors. In this frozen apocalypse where medicine was practically nonexistent, whether a wounded warrior lived or died rested entirely on the sole individual who inherited the tribe's medical lore: the priest. Once Lance brought me into his stone house, he set me down with immense care onto a stone platform bed layered with animal pelts. His brilliant golden eyes never left my face. "Sit here for a moment. I'll get another fur blanket for you." I nodded. He quickly pulled a massive fur pelt from a wooden chest. To my surprise, instead of throwing it over me, he began smoothing it carefully over the bed beneath me. After tucking it neatly into place, his eyes locked onto my exposed skin. "Your skin looks so delicate. I'm laying an extra layer down so the stone doesn't bruise you." It wasn't as if females in the tribe had never approached him with offers of intimacy. He had simply never felt any attraction toward them. Today, laying eyes on me, he finally realized he favored soft, petite females. More than that, the scent radiating from my body was intoxicating, leaving him so entranced he could hardly bear to step away. I hadn't expected this fierce, imposing white tiger priest to be so remarkably attentive. "Thank you. By the way, what's your name? I'm Joy." "I am Lance. If there is ever anything you need, just tell me." I nodded again. "Alright. I think I'll sleep for a bit." Vivian and I had stumbled into this undocumented, freezing dimension during an ordinary hiking trip. Before the White Tiger Tribe discovered us, we had been trekking through deep snow for nearly two hours, shivering and completely drained. Seeing me lie down, Lance lowered his deep voice. "I won't disturb your rest then. I'll go fetch some food for you. What would you like to eat tonight?" Recalling the brutal dietary habits of this world, a shudder ran through me, and I blurted out, "Some wild berries, and maybe some hot meat broth. Please slice the meat very thin, or I won't be able to chew it." Beastmen could switch between beast and human forms at will. While they ate raw kills in their beast forms, they rarely ate raw meat in human form; they usually boiled it into soup or roasted it over fire. However, because beastmen were enormous, they chopped meat into gigantic chunks for convenience. A single bone from their meals was often longer than my entire forearm. Gnawing on massive bones was effortless for them, but a nightmare for human teeth. Furthermore, game in this frozen climate was tough, lean, and fibrous; even after boiling, it remained stubbornly hard to chew. In my past life, unable to stomach the food, I had survived almost exclusively on sparse berries. That malnutrition led to me falling violently ill during a blizzard, nearly costing me my life. Thankfully, Lance possessed genuine skill as a priest back then, curing me with water mixed from a strange black medicinal paste. Hearing my request, Lance studied my face intently for a moment before nodding solemnly. "Understood. Get some sleep." "Okay." I closed my eyes. Overcome by sheer exhaustion, I drifted into a deep sleep almost immediately. When I woke again, darkness had fallen outside. I sat up abruptly on the stone bed. "Joy, you're awake? You must be starving. Come eat." Lance's deep, resonant voice echoed beside me. I pressed a hand to my hollow stomach and slipped out of bed. Two stone bowls were neatly arranged on the crude wooden table. One held hot meat broth, the other an assortment of unknown wild berries. "Have you eaten yet?" I asked, sitting down. Lance gave a low hum, his golden eyes fixed on my face, the raw desire in them undisguised and scorching. "I've already eaten. Go on, eat while it's hot." "Alright." I gripped the wooden spoon tightly, knowing full well he wouldn't let me off easily tonight. I took small sips of the broth. Lance was indeed leagues ahead of that wolf. With just a single mention from me, he had shredded the meat into tender, delicate strips and simmered them until they practically melted. Though seasoned only with coarse salt, the broth tasted rich and savory. Before I knew it, I had polished off half the bowl. Still, the portion was colossal, and I simply couldn't finish the rest. "I'm full," I said, setting the spoon down. Lance glanced down at my stomach, as if double-checking that I was genuinely satisfied. Then, his gaze locked onto mine with fierce heat, his voice turning rough. "I'll clear the bowls. There's a natural hot spring piped into the adjoining stone chamber. You can go wash up." My eyes widened in genuine delight. A natural hot spring inside his house? That meant I would never have to worry about freezing while bathing. Most beastmen lived rough, jumping straight into half-frozen rivers to wash, something I could never survive. Once Lance stepped out with the stone bowls, I followed the faint steam in the dim light. Watching the warm vapor rise, I stripped off my clothes and sank into the water. Before I could even finish washing, Lance stepped into the chamber holding a blazing torch. Mounting the torch into a wall bracket, he advanced toward me, step by step. The burning intensity in his gaze felt hot enough to melt my skin off. My body began to tremble involuntarily. The wolf shifter's build had been nowhere near as massive as Lance's, yet in my past life, that wolf had nearly broken me in half every night. With Lance... wouldn't I literally die in bed?