Chapter 1 — Giao Giao’s Covenant

The day my sister was reborn, the very first thing she did was not to hunt down the lover she had lost in her previous life, nor was it to rush out and buy lottery tickets. She staggered straight into my house, collapsed into my arms, and wept like a small, inconsolable child.

Giao Giao! You must stop loving Van Tu!

I was gripped so tightly I nearly choked. Sister, have you lost your mind? She lifted her head, her eyes rimmed with angry red from all the crying.

In that other life... just because you saw Van Tu smile at someone else, you stormed out of the house in a fit of rage, only to run straight into a stampede of wild beasts. By the time we found you, you were already...

She choked on her words, unable to continue. Hearing this left a sour, vinegar-like sting in my heart. A smile for someone else? From Van Tu? The same Van Tu who had been my bonded partner for three long years, who had never even deigned to offer me a single curl of his lip?

One

That evening, Van Tu returned home. He stood in the courtyard, the moonlight casting a shimmering, silken glow over his silver-grey fur. His jet-black pupils flickered with a faint, cold light in the shadows, his face as impassive and expressionless as ever.

I must patrol the territory tonight.

That sentence again. Over the past three years, he had repeated those words countless times. Patrolling, cultivating, tribal affairs, meetings... There was always something more important than me. Had it been the girl I was before, I would have cried, made a scene, and gripped his hem to keep him from leaving. But today, I simply nodded with a calm indifference. Very well. Van Tu’s foot, mid-step, suddenly faltered. He turned to look at me, a flicker of bewilderment flashing across his gaze. I remained seated, neither chasing after him nor throwing the usual tantrum; not even a muscle in my face shifted. He stood there, stunned for a heartbeat, then turned away. The sound of his footsteps faded into the distance. I could faintly hear him pause for a long time, lingering at the edge of the clearing before truly taking his leave.

Two

The next day, my sister brought home two male beast-folk.

These are the beast-folk partners I have chosen for you.

My sister smiled with a knowing glint in her eyes. The first to lunge forward was a young man from the Wolf tribe. He stood a head taller than me, his chest straining against the fabric from the sheer strength of his muscles; he had broad shoulders, a lean waist, and long, powerful legs. The moment he caught sight of me, his tail began to wag with frenzied delight, and he nearly tackled me to the ground in his excitement.

Master! The scent on you is intoxicating!

He buried his nose into the hollow of my neck, inhaling deeply before stepping back, his eyes burning with devotion as he stared at me.

My name is Phong Diem! I am of the Wolf tribe! From this day forward, I belong to you!

His tail whipped back and forth so rapidly it made my head spin.

Wait, I said, raising a hand to block his chest. When did I agree to take you in?

Phong Diem tilted his head, his logic disarmingly innocent. Your sister said she wanted to find you a beast-folk partner, and I was the first to sign up! I had to defeat seventeen other rivals just to earn this chance! He leaned in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear: In truth, I have admired you from afar for a long time. At the tribal assembly last year, you stood on the high platform, the wind catching your hair... That was when I realized, this is the woman I am destined to protect. As he spoke, his face flushed a deep crimson, yet his tail wagged even faster.

The second man was far more composed. He surfaced slowly from the pond, moving as if he carried no weight at all. His long, dark-blue hair was plastered against his shoulders, and his eyes held the deep, mesmerizing hue of the ocean. He held out a glowing pearl toward me.

The night is dark; take this. A pearl formed from the tears of a Mermaid can light the darkness.

The moment he spoke, my ears burned. His voice was as clear and cold as a mountain spring. It was not just what he said, but the sheer quality of his voice that made my heart hammer against my ribs. I accepted it, the pearl emitting a warm, blue-white glow in my palm. He did not speak as much as Phong Diem; he simply looked at me once before sinking back into the water, leaving only a gentle ripple in his wake.

Phong Diem, sitting beside me, could no longer contain himself. Master! I have a gift too! He rummaged through his belongings for a long time, revealing the deep dimples at the small of his back. Finally, he plucked a strand of red-gold fur from his tail and presented it to me.

This is the longest, shiniest hair from my tail! It is yours!

He held the hair up, his ears turning bright red.

Among my people, giving a strand of tail hair means... means... He stammered, unable to finish the sentence, his ears now a deep, bruised crimson.

My sister stood by the doorway, translating for him: It means that in this life and all to come, I recognize only you.

Phong Diem looked as if he wanted to find a hole in the ground to vanish into. I looked at the two of them—one with reddened ears holding a single strand of wolf fur, the other drifting silently on the water, watching the pearl in my hand. I turned to my sister, who was leaning against the doorframe, grinning like a fox that had just made off with a plump hen.

Sister, I said, exactly how much money did you spend on this?

She waved a dismissive hand. Don't worry about the money. Just tell me—do you like them?