Chapter 1

On Thanksgiving, at the dinner table, my beastfolk husband's new lover picked up a piece of food and placed it in my plate.

I covered my mouth, nausea rising, then set down my fork. "I'm full. Enjoy."

The next second, the entire table was flipped over. I fell to the ground in shock.

Shattered porcelain sliced into my wrist. Blood poured out, impossible to stop.

Every time I'd been hurt before, Gabriel Larsen would drop everything to treat me.

But this time, he didn't move. He held his lover in his arms, softly comforting her.

His lover burst into tears. "Holly didn't even take a bite. That's my favorite dish. She's discriminating against me!"

Gabriel shot me a cold look. "Aren't you always preaching equality? Discrimination is a crime. Report yourself to the beast court for judgment."

My heart went cold. In this world, no one entered the beast court and walked out unscathed.

*****

The beast court was built to resemble the Roman Colosseum.

I was tossed into the center, and only a handful of those standing in the circle around me were human.

The rest were half beastfolk, their animal features on full display. Some were baring fangs, others brandishing sharp claws. They were all staring at me with bloodthirsty eyes.

It felt like I was already their doomed prey.

I couldn't stop myself from trembling, casting a pleading look at the only one seated in the entire arena.

He was pureblood beastfolk I'd been married to for six years, Gabriel.

"Gabriel, I don't like it here. Can we go home and talk about this instead?" I pleaded.

Gabriel waved his hand coldly, and a beam of light shot straight at my face.

Gabriel said, "Holly, you said your world has courts to judge people for their wrongdoings. I followed your advice, so the beast court is open.

"Isn't this the fairness and justice you always wanted?

"And now you say you don't like it?"

I froze, my thoughts flashing back to ten years ago, when my dad shipped me off to another world.

The first person I came across was Gabriel, beaten and bloodied, locked up in a cage, barely recognizable as a person.

His eyes were empty, devoid of hope. The moment we locked eyes, I didn't even hesitate. I spent everything I had to get him out of there.

As I applied medicine to his wounds, I kept grumbling, "Is there no justice in this world? How could they treat a kid like this?"

Seeing all those wounds made my eyes sting with tears and rage. I found myself cursing the people who did this to him, wishing there was a place in this world that could make them pay for what they did.

Years later, Gabriel was welcomed back into the Larsen family, which was the most powerful clan in this world, but he never forgot what I once said.

What I never imagined was that a throwaway line from back then would, after all these years, come back like a blade and make my life a living hell.

A voice said, "Human Holly Cameron, you are accused by the half beastfolk, Katlyn Dyer, of the crime of discrimination. Do you plead guilty?"

The gavel came down with a sharp crack, snapping me out of my thoughts.

The judge adjusted his glasses, his golden, owl-like eyes fixed on me.

I suddenly came to my senses and shouted, "I'm not guilty. Just because we're different species with different places in the food chain doesn't mean it's discrimination."

Just then, Katlyn walked up to the witness stand, carrying a tray.

Her pale face looked vulnerable as she spoke in a pitiful tone. "Holly has always looked down on me because I'm a half beastfolk. I don't even dared to appear before her.

"To celebrate the human New Year, I made my favorite dish especially for her. I personally served it to her, but she didn't take a single bite.

"She completely disregarded my feelings. That's discrimination."

As Katlyn sobbed, the feathers by her ears trembled, whipping the surrounding half beastfolk into a frenzy. They all raised their fists and shouted, "Holly is guilty."

Here, sharing food with someone was a big deal. It could mean showing goodwill, admitting weakness, or even expressing love.

It was the highest form of sincerity.

But back in my world, not eating something just meant I didn't want it, nothing more.

The way people acted here was so different from what I was used to, that I had no idea how to explain it.

I couldn't help but go over to Gabriel, hoping he'd speak up for me. After all, we'd spent ten years together.

He understood my eating habits better than anyone. To accommodate me, he even gave up his beastfolk craving for raw food, choosing instead to share human meals with me.

Gabriel stood up, and as he moved, my eyes landed on the wedding ring on his left hand.

Underneath the ring was a scar, one he got when he was learning to cut potatoes into thin strips.

The wound was so deep one could see the bone, and the blood wouldn't stop. While I was stitching up his wound, I lost my temper for the first time and told him he was banned from the kitchen.

But the next morning, when I woke up, there was a bowl of oatmeal and some dishes waiting for me on the table.

He rubbed his nose and said, "I was worried you wouldn't get used to the way things are here. I simply wanted you to eat well."

He used to care for me so much, it almost hurt. Now, he acted like I didn't even exist.

He walked right past me to Katlyn, tenderly wiping her tears away.

I stood there, my cry for help caught in my throat, my eyes stinging with tears I couldn't let out.