"Yes, your mistake!" Noya said confidently. "You think you've crushed the White Tiger Clan, and now you'll go fight James and your other brothers to get the girl, and everything will be in your hands. But you're not seeing the future, Chief. You can conquer an empire with swords, but swords alone aren't enough to preserve it."
Noya came a step closer, her voice now like poisoned honey. "An empire, a throne... and most of all, to keep this pride of yours alive, requires an heir. An heir with the ferocious blood of a Black Tiger and the wisdom of a powerful female running through his veins."
Rexon's pupils narrowed slightly. This directly struck at his primal beast nature, for which the future of his race and his clan was paramount.
Seeing her words having an effect, Noya threw her last and most fatal move. "And who do you want as heir? That girl, Genia?"
A sardonic, sarcastic smile crossed Noya's lips. "Sir, has your anger and arrogance blinded you so much that you've forgotten who that girl really is? Genia is just a Rabbit Clan girl! A rabbit! A weak, timid, and fragile female, with no magical powers, no ferocious fire flowing through her veins!"
Rexon remained silent, but his breathing became slightly heavier. In the Beast World, the Rabbit Clan was considered the lowest-ranking and physically weakest.
"Think about it, Chief Rexon," Noya said, her eyes blazing with fire, "a weak girl from the Rabbit Clan... can she withstand the terrifying and violent mating of a Black Tiger? Does her frail womb have the strength to give birth to the future Chief of the Black Tiger Clan? She will die in agony before giving birth to your heir. She may be a plaything for your brothers, but she will never be your queen or the mother of your heir. And the girl for whom you are going to shed the blood of your own brothers—Jmaes, Kevin, and Alex—the girl for whom you are going to set the entire Beast World on fire... she will only give you a corpse or a dead heir!"
The silence in the court was so deep that no one could hear anyone breathing. Neelima's words pierced Rexon's mind like a poisonous arrow.
"So what's your proposal, Noya?" Rexon's voice had changed from a growl to a deep, thoughtful echo.
Noya raised her chin proudly. "My proposal is myself, Chief. Make me your mate."
Rexon eyed her up and down.
"I am one of the most powerful and clever females in the Orange Tiger Clan," Noya began listing her strengths without hesitation. "I possess the fire, the strength, and the wisdom necessary to become the Queen of the Black Tiger Clan. I single-handedly brought down a chieftain like Arthur at your feet. I'm not the weak Genia of the Rabbit Clan who hides in a basement and cries. I can rule the entire Beast World shoulder to shoulder with you. Make me your mate, and I promise... I will bear you a fearsome and invincible heir whose very name will send shivers through the entire Beast World for centuries to come."
Noya had taken over. She had put her beauty, her cruelty, and her cunning mind before Rexon like an open deal.
"You can leave that Genia to your brothers, or kill her... I don't care," Noya whispered in a sultry voice. "But the future of the Black Tiger Clan cannot be entrusted to a weak rabbit. You need a female like me, Rexon. A mate who can nourish your empire with both blood and politics."
Rexon stood there stunned for a long time. He was deeply amazed by this girl's courage and her fierce ambition. In the Beast World, females often sought protection and love, but inside her lay a hunger for power and the boldness of a beast.
A terrifying, resonant laugh suddenly burst from Rexon's lips. His laughter shook the walls of the palace. He extended his large, rough hands and, grasping Noya's slender waist, lifted her into the air in a single stroke.
Noya's feet lifted off the ground, but instead of cowering, she placed her hands on Rexon's broad shoulders and gazed into his red eyes with a triumphant smile.
"You are not a female, Noya... You are a serpent," Rexon growled, but his voice no longer held hatred, but a strange, ferocious allure. "A serpent capable of stinging its own nest. Your words are poisonous, but your argument holds power. A female from the Rabbit Clan truly cannot bear an heir to the Black Tiger."
Rexon lowered her back to the ground, but did not loosen his grip on her waist.
"I accept your proposal," Rexon declared. A powerful glint of triumph flashed in Noya's eyes. "From today on, you are no longer a prisoner of the White Tiger Clan, but the mate of the leader of the Black Tiger Clan. You will accompany me to my camp." Rexon cupped Noya's face in his heavy hands and warned, "But remember...the day I realise your venom is undermining the roots of my own clan, your fate will be even more terrible than Arthur's."
"This is what I accept, my leader," Noya said with a seductive and wicked smile.
Rexon lifted Noya into his arms and walked out of the court.
Noya cast one last, contemptuous glance at Arthur's severed head. Her biggest gamble had worked. Now, hiding behind Rexon's power, she was ready to control the entire Beast World, and her first target was Genia, whom she considered the biggest thorn in her path.
Breaking through the night's darkness, the ferocious army of the Black Tiger Clan returned to its main stronghold. The air still smelled fresh of the White Tiger Clan's blood. The Black Tiger Clan's main palace towered high above the sky like an impenetrable black fortress, its massive stone walls appearing even more terrifying in the yellow light of torches.
As Rexon's carriage stopped in the palace's main courtyard, all the guards, servants, and maids present there knelt in respect and awe. Rexon leapt from his vehicle and gracefully lifted Neelima into his strong arms, lowering her down. The palace servants and courtiers were stunned. They knew full well that their army had gone to behead Arthur, the leader of the White Tiger Clan, but no one had imagined that their fearsome leader would return with Arthur's own mate in his hands, carrying such protection and authority.
Rexon sensed the silence and shocked looks that had spread across the courtyard. His red, predatory eyes scanned the entire court, and then his thunderous voice echoed off the walls of the palace.
"Keep your eyes fixed on the ground!" Rexon's roar sent shivers down the spines of several maids. "This woman standing with me is no ordinary female or a prisoner of a defeated clan. From today on, she is not even a guest of your clan. She is Noya, and she is the future queen of this Black Tiger Clan!"
Rexon's words shook the palace like an earthquake. Everyone was stunned, but no one dared to speak a word against the chieftain's decision.
"From today on, every servant and every maid in the palace will obey his every command just as they obey mine," Rexon warned, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. "There must be no shortage of care for her. She must be given the most luxurious room in the palace and every comfort, from a royal bath to a full bath, must be ensured. If she even has the slightest wrinkle on her face, I will have you all skinned and plastered on the palace walls!"
Noya, who was standing right next to Rexon, felt her chest swell with pride at victory. There was a strange, magical gleam in her eyes. Within hours, she had escaped death and crowned the future queen of the most feared and powerful clan in the entire Beast World. She smiled inwardly at her cunning tactics, which had ensnared even an arrogant chieftain like Rexon.
Noya delicately touched Rexon's arm and looked at him with a sweet, grateful gaze, as if truly overwhelmed by the honour he had bestowed upon her.
Rexon turned to Noya. The stern expression on his face softened momentarily, but the bloodthirsty thirst for war lingered in his eyes.
"You are safe here now, Noya," Rexon said, caressing Noya's cheek with his heavy, rough hand. "You will receive everything I promised you. My maids will dress you like a queen. You will wait for me in my palace."
"Wait?" Noya asked innocently, furrowing her eyebrows. "Where are you going, leaving me here, my chief?"
Rexon's eyes suddenly flared like red embers again. He clenched his fists so hard that the bones of his fingers cracked.
"My work is still unfinished, Noya," Rexon's voice held a deep, terrifying venom. "You promised me an heir, and you also told me that that weak girl from the Rabbit Clan is of no use to me. But... that doesn't mean I'll spare her and my traitorous brother."
Rexon looked out from the courtyard, toward the dense, dark forests stretching toward James's territory. "James has challenged my pride. He stabbed me in the back, being my own blood. And that girl, Genia... she dared to escape from my clutches. She thought that by hiding under James's protection, she would be out of my reach?"
A devilish smile appeared on Rexon's face. "No. I'm going to teach that traitor brother of mine a lesson. I'll shatter James's pride in his own palace. And as for that girl... she may not be worthy of being my queen, but I'll drag her by her hair into this palace. That girl is an addiction for Kevin and Alex, and I'll show them both that anything Rexon sets his sights on will only be a slave to his shoes."
A subtle, wicked smile appeared on Noya's lips. Her move was perfect. Genia was no longer a queen for Rexon, but merely prey and a slave.
"Go away, my chief," Noya said, slyly placing her hand on Rexon's chest. "Remind those traitors of their true place. I am sure that tonight James's palace will tremble in fear of you. I will be here, fully adorned, waiting for my victory and the return of my chieftain."
Rexon gave his consent with a powerful roar. He turned and signalled to his commander.
"Re-form the army! Turn the horses!" Rexon's roar pierced the silence of the night once again. "Our next destination is James's palace! Tonight that traitor will learn the worth of an elder brother and the sharpness of his sword!"
In an instant, the warriors of the Black Tiger Clan, who had just returned from shedding the blood of the White Tiger Clan, once again brimmed with enthusiasm, their weapons drawn. The resounding sound of drums filled the air.
Rexon mounted his massive vehicle and, with his army, marched toward James's territory like a devastating storm.
Standing behind on the palace steps, Noya watched the dust and darkness in which Rexon's army was disappearing. A fearless and terrifying pride now adorned her face. The maids stood behind her, heads bowed, awaiting her orders. Noya turned back to look at her new servants and stepped inside the palace, smiling with the dignity of a queen.