Reborn As The Serpent’s Mate Novel by Astra Marlowe _ Novel



Reborn As The Serpent’s Mate Novel by Astra Marlowe _ Novel

Reborn As The Serpent’s Mate Chapter 01

My family lived by one absolute rule: every woman had to marry the beast she raised.
But my werefox, Aaron Drake, hated me with a passion.
He had wanted my older sister, Cordelia, from the start. To him, I was just the obstacle in their way.
He used his charm to play me, clearing the path for Cordelia to take over the family.
In the end, Cordelia’s werewolf tore me to shreds.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the Selection.
Aaron was staring at me, his scarlet eyes full of hunger.
Meeting his expectant gaze, I raised my hand and pointed to the frail white weresnake behind him.
"I'll take that one."
Aaron froze. "Wait—you don't want me?"
……
While I struggled for my life under the werewolf's attack, Aaron Drake watched from a distance, utterly indifferent.
But the second my half-sister, Cordelia Hawthorne, glided over, his expression instantly softened into pure affection as he rubbed his cheek against her palm.
In that moment, I finally understood that he had never cared for me.
He loved Cordelia—the very person who had first rejected him for being physically weak and relying solely on his charm.
Cordelia shot me a dismissive look. At her command, the black-furred werewolf tore through my throat.
***
When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by a a wall of noise—human voices mingling with the roars of werebeasts.
Someone nudged my arm. "Fiona, why are you just staring?"
I snapped to attention. As I looked at the young werebeasts locked in a cage in front of me, the shocking truth dawned on me—I had traveled back in time!
It was Selection Day. My father had brought us to the pits to pick our werebeasts.
Our family followed an unwritten rule—upon coming of age, we each had to personally pick a werebeast to raise as our future mate. Betrayal and abandonment were strictly forbidden.
Because werebeasts aged faster than humans, we only picked from the young ones—kids who looked like twelve-year-old boys—to keep them from holding grudges and attacking us later.
Honestly, I'd never fully wrapped my head around the tradition. Werebeasts and humans weren't equals. Right now, for example, they were locked up in a cage, forced to wait around for us to claim them.
Why would my family enforce a rule like this?
Weren't they terrified the werebeasts would eventually retaliate?
Recalling Aaron's cold indifference from my previous life, I pressed a hand to my chest as a sudden ache hit me.
Inside the massive cage before me sat at least twenty werebeasts.
Due to their naturally aggressive instincts, every single one of them was covered in injuries.
I spotted Aaron right away, huddled in a corner. A bite mark marred his arm, and he didn't even have the energy to hide his fox ears and tail.
When he caught me looking at him, his expression grew eager, and he surprisingly stepped toward me.
"Fiona, which one do you like?" Cordelia asked, walking up behind me with a gentle smile.
She was my dad’s oldest. Her mother died giving birth to her.
Later on, Dad married my mom, and together they had my older brother, Raymond Hawthorne, and me.
Over the years, Cordelia had built up an act like a saint. In public, she was the picture of humility, politeness, elegance, and generosity; at home, she played the part of a kind, caring older sister.
But in reality, she was jealous as hell toward Raymond and me. She was convinced we'd stolen Dad's attention and were scheming to take the inheritance she thought rightfully belonged to her.
Because of this, she had put off choosing her own werebeast mate, waiting until I was old enough so we could pick together—a deliberate plot to set me up.
As I stared at the graceful Cordelia, the pieces fell into place—Aaron had probably already been in love with her at this point in my previous life.
Cordelia noticed Aaron, too. "You've always cared about looks," she remarked. "That fox is quite attractive. He suits you."
I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "He has nothing to offer but his looks. He's useless."
Aaron froze.
In my previous life, Cordelia had been the one to say those exact words, and tears had immediately filled Aaron's eyes.
This time was no different.
He stared at me, his face pale, his eyes wide with utter disbelief.
His dramatic reaction made me suspicious.
Cordelia smiled and said no more, putting all her attention into picking out a werebeast.
Just like in my previous life, she went straight for the muscular black-furred werewolf.
That made me the only one left to choose.
There were only a few werebeasts left in the cage. As I scanned the remaining options, I caught Aaron watching me. He looked practically giddy with expectation.
My attention shifted to the werebeast right behind him—a guy with the lower half of a snake.
If my memory serves me right, nobody had picked him in my previous life.
His name was Damian Cavendish, and he'd risen to become an intimidating force across the city.
Working totally solo, he dismantled the black market and freed countless other werebeasts. He even ended up forcing humans to treat his kind as equals.
I had seen Damian before, so I instantly recognized him by that distinct white tail.
Right now, he could barely hold onto his human form. His tail lay completely limp on the floor, and he looked incredibly fragile.
"Have you decided?" Dad urged.
I nodded. "Yeah."
His eyes fixed on me, Aaron gripped the bars of the cage with obvious excitement.
I raised my hand and pointed right past him—aiming dead center at Damian.
"I want him."
Aaron's face fell. He whipped his head back, staring at the sickly weresnake in utter disbelief.
"Why?
"You don't want me anymore?"

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