Soul-swapping:Imperial concubine rebirth - Chapter 24

In the second year of the apocalypse, Du Yue died alone, killed by apathy and exposure to extreme weather. Somehow, she opened her eyes to find herself not only alive, but also back when it was three months before the apocalypse. Despite the surprise, she thought about the upcoming disasters and upheavals. First, it was the fog that carried a virus that stayed for a month.

Then, global temperatures rose to over 120 degrees, evaporating most of the world’s water and melting all the icebergs. After that were level-10 earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, permanent eclipse, and avid rain… and that was not all, because after global warming, came global freezing. As temperatures dropped to below negative fifty, the savagery humans displayed was far worse than any imagined horrors like zombies! Knowing what was coming, Du Yue sold off her family property and used the pocket dimension her mother left her to hoard as many resources as possible, so that she could survive the apocalypse. Meat? Grain? Oil? Spices? Weather gear?

She bought everything! Steaks, French fries, spaghetti, and canned food must all be stocked up! To He Xing, the male lead, she was a god and the key to surviving the apocalypse! Having thought of the apocalypse, Du Yue sold off her family property and used the pocket dimension her mother left her to hoard as many resources as possible, so that she could survive the apocalypse. Meat? Grain? Oil? Spices? Weather gear? She bought everything! Steaks, french fries, spaghetti and canned food must all be stocked up! To He Xing, the male lead, she is a god and the key to surviving the apocalypse!

Five years ago, she was the biggest joke in Haishi! Seven months into her pregnancy, she discovered that the man from their passionate night was not her husband-to-be.The man she deeply loved was already having an affair with her sister...Five years later, she returned for revenge with her adorable genius child.To her surprise, the father of the child turned out to be the most powerful man!From then on, she became the most envied woman in the world!Tycoon Qi declared arrogantly: “You hired me for a hundred thousand, now I'm yours for life!”Princess Tian Tian clung to her leg: “Mommy, you've avoided me for five years, but you're finally back to take responsibility!”Prince Momo showers his mom with affection: “Mommy, here's my bank card, spend it as you like”Genius Yuan Bao complained pitifully: “Beauty Ling, you're not favoring only me anymore!”

Isabella was supposed to be sipping champagne at a luxury spa, not waking up in the middle of a forest. Worse, a SYSTEM had attached itself to her like some clingy ex, spouting nonsense about survival, quests, and—oh, hell no—manual labor.“System, I was NOT built for the wilderness! My ideal ‘roughing it’ experience involves a five-star hotel with bad WiFi!”Now, instead of lounging in silk robes, she’s being ordered to farm? To hunt?“A farming quest? You want me—a city girl—to grow food? System, I once killed a cactus by overwatering it. This is NOT my calling!”And don’t even get her started on the hygiene situation.“You want me to bathe in a cold river? Darling, I require warm water, scented oils, and an ambience! What do I look like—some barbarian?!”Unfortunately, the locals—big, muscular beastmen—don’t seem to understand the concept of self-care. The women? Neglecting their skin like it’s a crime to be radiant. The men? Walking hygiene disasters.“Ladies, if your man can smell you before he sees you, we have a problem.”“You see this? This is lotion. It exists so you don’t look like a dried-up leaf. Use it.”“A beard should be majestic, not tragic. Let me fix it.”And the beastmen? They don’t just stare at her like she’s an oddity. No, they hover. They smirk. They lean in too close, fangs flashing with amusement.“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she huffed, crossing her arms.The panther grinned, his tail flicking. “Because you’re fascinating when you’re annoyed.”No, absolutely not. She was not here for this nonsense.“If you have time to stare, you have time to moisturize.”She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t ask to be their savior. But if she has to suffer through this world, she’s making everyone around her suffer less—through skincare, style, and some serious attitude.“If I hear one more ‘We don’t season our food here,’ I’m launching a war.”“If you have time to gossip, you have time to do squats.”“You want to impress a woman? Start with not smelling like the battlefield.”Survival isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about looking good while doing it. So what if the System keeps throwing impossible quests her way?“What do you mean ‘you can’t skip quests’?! Since when?! Where is the skip button?! I demand a skip button!”But somewhere between dodging ridiculous quests and fixing these people’s tragic grooming habits, Isabella found herself in situations. Uncomfortable, heart-racing situations.Like being trapped against a tree by the red python, his red eyes half-lidded as he murmured, “You talk too much, little star. Should I silence you?”Like waking up with the lion lord’s fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, his deep voice gruff, “You shiver in your sleep. I’ll fix that.”Like the phoenix watching her every move, his burning gaze searing into her skin as he mused,“You cause chaos wherever you go, but I find that I don’t mind.”Oh, hell. No. She was not about to fall for four beastmen. She was too pretty for this much stress.“If you insult me again, I’ll make sure your soul needs a beauty upgrade.”“I refuse to be disrespected by anyone who dresses like an unwashed tree branch.”And yet, when a rival tribe came to challenge her, when danger lurked too close, those same beastmen stood beside her—smirking, taunting, fighting for her.“A beastman growled at me today. I growled back. He ran. I am the alpha now.”Isabella isn’t just surviving. She’s thriving. And this world better keep up.

Zev prowled towards her, all shining, brutal beauty, his chin low and those incredible, piercing eyes fixed on her. He didn’t stop until they were toe-to-toe and he blocked her view of every other male in the circle.

His eyes dipped to her mouth as he leaned in, his whisper playing on her skin.

“You. Are. Mine.”

His deep voice twanged in her belly as the howls of the wolf pack rose from behind him to echo across the mountains of Thana, while the other Chimera protested his claim.

Fighting the urge to stroke his broad, bare chest with her shaking hands, Sasha forced herself to tilt her head and raise an eyebrow. “So bold for a pup who just found his fangs.”

The other males roared with laughter.

Ignoring their taunts, Zev’s eyes sparked and he leaned even closer, the scruff on his jaw tickling her cheek as he smiled. “So bold for a human who already knows the pleasure of gasping my name.”

She shivered when his teeth grazed her ear.

*****

Just days after Sasha gave herself to her childhood love, he disappeared. Five years later, on a dark city street, Zev came back—with danger on his tail.

Zev is Chimera: Half-human, half-wolf. Made in a secure research lab, his existence is a secret. But when the powerful men who created him try to kill the only woman who ever made his heart sing, Zev snaps their leash and steals her away to the brutal, hidden world of the Chimera clans.

Torn between the magnetic draw of her first love and the painful betrayal of his disappearance, Sasha tries to keep Zev at arms-length. But when they reach this mysterious world, Zev discovers that in his absence the humans took control and stole almost all the females. The Chimera are dying—and Zev isn’t Alpha anymore.

Now, Zev must fight his own people to win the right to mate his only love. Can he prove to her that his long-ago promise to protect her heart, as well as her body, was true? Or will the humans cross worlds to hunt the wolf and tear the lovers apart forever?

[Mature content, no sexual assault]