My Four Beast King Fathers Chose Her Over Me Chapter 03

My Four Beast King Fathers Chose Her Over Me Chapter 03:The Poison
I don’t know how long the darkness lasted.

When it lifted, I sat up—desperate to find Mother.

Then someone’s hand cracked across my face.

“Selfish bitch! We only had you doing chores at the dens, and the second you see Rowan you throw yourself in the river? You know he almost drowned saving you!”

Third Dad’s voice rang overhead, his face twisted with fury.

Of the four fathers, I’d been closest to him.

The others were too busy ruling their clans, so raising me fell to Third Dad.

He taught me to read scent trails, identify healing herbs, mix remedies.

He was always gentle.

No matter what I did wrong, he never punished me. He only guided me with soft words.

But the day Giselle returned, this male who’d never even bared his fangs at me struck me for the first time.

Giselle touched one of his venomous spirit beasts and got stung.

She swore I was the one who put it on her.

Third Dad’s tails lashed the air.

He struck me across the back so hard my skin split open.

“This is my fault, Elara. I didn’t raise you properly. That’s why you’ve become so rotten, treating lives like toys.”

Later when Giselle was poisoned again, Third Dad fed me a pill that attracted shadow-spiders.

Then he threw me into the Venom Pit.

Thousands of creatures burrowed into my flesh, laid eggs under my skin, burst out in sprays of blood.

Even after Third Dad healed me, I’d lost my left eye.

Seeing my silence now, he took it as admission.

His fury deepened.

He raised his hand to strike again.

Fourth Dad caught his wrist.

“Brother, calm down. Today is Giselle’s Naming Rite. Elara probably can’t handle it. She tried killing herself three times in front of me.”

I glanced at Fourth Dad.

He’d shifted back to human form. His wounds were bandaged.

But his face was deathly pale.

Third Dad snorted.

“You’ve been away from court too long. She’s pulled this stunt dozens of times over four years. Just another grab for attention.”

Fourth Dad paused—then exhaled in relief.

“So that’s what this is.”

Third Dad turned back to me.

“Elara, today is Giselle’s birthday. Throw your tantrum here if you must—but don’t you dare make a scene in front of First Dad and Second Dad. You know how they are…”

Before he finished, I lunged for the medicine chest behind him.

I’d lived with Third Dad long enough to know exactly where he kept his deadliest poisons.

I grabbed the worst one and swallowed it.

Third Dad’s face went white.