My Ex Got a Slap, I Got a Shifter

Why is it so Big?!

Before Helena could even press the power button again, a massive shadow lunged from the darkness directly toward them, its glowing yellow eyes locked dead onto hers.

“Look out!” Helena shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut and throwing her arms up.

Instead of a regular wolf, the thing that burst through the brush was a massive, terrifying tiger. Its fur was standing completely on end, and thick, dark veins bulged horribly around its bloodshot eyes. A sickly, sweet-smelling smoke seemed to drift off its coat, and its jaw was dripping with wild, rabid foam.

Cain reacted instantly. With a sharp grunt, he shifted Helena securely to one arm while his free hand whipped forward to block the beast's colossal claw. The impact created a heavy wave of wind that whipped Helena's hair across her face.

What in the actual hell is that thing?!

Helena thought, panic clawing at her throat as she tried to shove herself further away from the jaws snapping inches from her skin.

The tiger let out a deranged, deafening roar that shook the trees, thrashing around wildly. It wasn't acting like a normal predator at all—it was completely out of its mind, tearing up the earth with mindless rage.

Inside Cain's arms, Helena's phone suddenly vibrated again, the screen flashing a bright, warning blue in her palm. A synthesized voice spoke straight from the speaker, clear as day, yet the furious tiger and Cain didn't seem to react to the sound at all. It was as if only she could hear it.

Warning. Target is infected with Thorsia Grass toxin. Subject is in a berserk state due to botanical poisoning.

Helena blinked hard amidst the chaos. Thorsia Grass? What kind of weed makes a giant tiger go completely mental?

Cain wanted to unleash his full strength and rip the beast apart in a single second, but he couldn't. With Helena clutched tightly against his chest, he had to hold back half his power just to shield her from the flying debris, the razor-sharp claws, and the suffocating pressure of his own aura. He was terrified that if he moved too fast or too violently, he would accidentally scare the living daylights out of his newly found mate.

“Hold still, my Luna. Just keep your eyes closed,” Cain gritted out through his teeth, his voice a tense mix of strain and worry.

Because Helena was still panicking and twisting around in his arms to get a better look at the monster, she didn't notice a sharp, jagged tree branch whipping backward from the commotion. Right as Cain threw a hard, backhanded punch that sent the berserk tiger crashing backward into the dirt, the stray branch sliced sharply across Helena's forearm.

“Ow!” Helena gasped, wincing as a bright red bead of blood welled up on her skin.

Before she could even press her thumb against the scratch, a single drop of her blood slipped off her arm and directly onto her smartphone screen.

The moment the blood touched the glass, the phone vanished into thin air right before her eyes.

Helena froze, blinking down at her empty hand. Wait. Where did my phone go? Did it just dissolve into my skin?

The entire battle lasted barely ten seconds. With the tiger dazed from Cain's punch and foaming heavily at the mouth from the Thorsia Grass poisoning, Cain delivered one final, crushing blow to its skull, knocking the beast unconscious into the underbrush with a heavy thud. He didn't even notice Helena's phone disappearing because his entire focus was instantly locked back onto her, checking her over for any injuries.

“Are you hurt? Did that thing touch you?” Cain asked urgently, his golden eyes scanning her body with deep anxiety.

“My... my phone just disappeared,” Helena mumbled, completely ignoring his question as her mind raced a million miles an hour.

While Cain was staring at her with worried eyes, Helena's consciousness suddenly jerked inward. Inside her head, floating in the back of her mind like a strange holographic screen, was her smartphone.

A flood of massive data and text started scrolling rapidly through her brain, explaining everything she needed to know in a cold, computerized flash. This wasn't some primitive beast world with cavemen and wild animals. This was an ancient beast world—a sprawling, highly structured realm ruled by kingdoms, grand empires, and rigid territorial politics.

And the man standing right in front of her, holding her so carefully? Cain Allard wasn't just some random forest guy. He was the Alpha of the Allard Empire, the absolute leader of the entire beast world, and the single most feared and powerful entity across all the kingdoms.

Helena stood there, her jaw slightly slack as she tried to process the fact that she had just been claimed by the most dangerous warlord in an entirely different dimension, all while her personal smartphone was literally living inside her brain.

Before she could even open her mouth to process the madness, Cain noticed the tiny scratch on her arm where a drop of blood had welled up. His expression softened instantly, his chest rumbling with gentle concern as he pulled her close, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead to soothe her frayed nerves.

“You are safe now, my Luna. Don't let that frighten you,” Cain murmured softly, checking her over one last time to make sure she was unharmed.

Before Helena could even form a coherent sentence to argue back, Cain moved. The ground beneath his boots vanished in a blur of motion, the surrounding trees turning into a chaotic blur of green and brown as he tore through the forest faster than the human eye could track. The air roared past her ears like a hurricane, pressure building heavily against her chest as they cut through miles of wilderness in the span of a single breath.

Before she could even catch her breath or scream from the speed of it all, the violent motion stopped abruptly.

The heavy scent of burning pine and polished stone hit her nose. Helena blinked away the wind-tears in her eyes and found herself standing inside a massive, towering structure lined with grand marble pillars and glittering chandeliers. Massive wooden double doors stood wide open at the far end of the grand hall.

Hundreds of people—men and women dressed in elaborate, regal garments—were already standing in neat rows inside the Hall of Bregon, located deep within the Allard Palace. The moment Cain stepped through the threshold carrying her in his arms, the entire crowd bowed deeply in unison, a chorus of voices echoing through the vaulted ceiling to welcome their new ruler.

“Welcome home, Alpha Cain. Welcome to our Luna!”

Helena stood frozen in his arms, her brain entirely short-circuiting as she stared out at the sea of bowing strangers. Just this morning, she was screaming at her cheating ex-husband in a tiny office building, getting hit by a car, and now she was standing in the middle of an ancient castle hallway,

dressed in a casual dress, officially trapped in a royal wedding she never agreed to.

Her mind went completely blank as she contemplated every single terrible life decision that had led her to this exact, absurd moment.