Entwined Fates

Looking at the result of the draw, both my father and I were momentarily dazed.

"Rhea, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? The High Priest is clearly not among your future mates. How could you possibly draw him?"

Hearing my father's words, I was also dumbfounded. I only had three candidates in total: Klaus of the White Tiger Clan, Orion of the Red Fox Clan, and Asher of the Eagle Clan.

Each clan carefully selected them, and they were called the best of this generation. Only such elites deserved me, the Holy Maiden, and the future Beast Lady.

My wedding was three days away, leaving me too little time to pick a fourth candidate who could match them. Otherwise, I would not have resorted to seeking a solution like this when I knew they detested me and wanted to harm me.

I touched the bamboo stick with the High Priest's name—Ares written on it. I felt incredulous as a burst of ecstasy surged from the bottom of my heart.

This was the sacred ground. No Beastfolk could come in except the Holy Maiden and the Beast Lord. Moreover, only my father and I knew the news that I would be drawing lots to choose a mate.

Perhaps, this was the solution that the heavens had given me.

My father said, "Rhea, why don't we draw again? The High Priest is powerful, but he cannot even switch between beast form and human form freely. Even now, we still do not know what clan he is from. If you marry him, it will only upset all the Beastfolk."

My father was deeply worried, but I held onto the stick tightly and refused to let go.

"No, father, have you forgotten? It was he who predicted that I would be the Holy Maiden. All these years, his divination has never been wrong, which proves that he is far more powerful than we imagined.

"Moreover, it does not matter if we do not know his beast form, and that he cannot switch forms. This just proves that his bloodline is pure.

"The bloodline of the Beastfolk is getting increasingly complicated. If I combine with him, I might give birth to offspring with a better bloodline. So, I want to choose him as my mate.

"The origin of this stick is unknown, which just shows that those three candidates are not the ones for me!" My voice was loud and firm, and I had a point.

Although I was the Holy Maiden, my beast form was just a weak mystic cat. Mystic Cat Clan was only chosen as the head of the Beastfolk because of their strong fertility and high probability of transforming into beast form.

My three future mates were from powerful clans. If they wanted to seize the position of Beast Lord, I would not stand a chance.

My father had been Beast Lord for many years, so he understood.

He was deep in thought for a long time before finally nodding. "Alright, just don't spread the news of the mate change. Wait until your wedding three days later. All the Beastfolk will be there. Even if the three clans have any ideas, they cannot change it. We are at fault after all. We failed them."

My father looked guilty, but I just wanted to laugh.

Klaus and the other two enjoyed the benefits of being my future mates, but they fell in love with another Beastfolk and wanted to kill me. All I had for them was hatred. How could I feel guilty?