Chapter 4: The Battle of the Queens

Li Wei woke up to the sounds of growling, snarling, and something heavy smashing into a tree. He blinked groggily, still half-dreaming that he was back home, curled up with his favorite webnovel. But the sight of a clawed paw inches from his face quickly snapped him back to reality.

"What the—?!" Li Wei yelped, scrambling to his feet.

Before him was chaos incarnate: Charlotte, Diana, and Victoria were locked in a ferocious brawl, their claws, tails, and muscles in full display. Trees shook as Diana slammed Charlotte into one with a roar, while Victoria darted between them, her serpentine agility making her a blur of motion.

"Enough!" Diana growled, her lioness mane bristling as she pinned Charlotte to the ground. "I caught him first. He's mine."

Charlotte snarled, baring her sharp teeth as she bucked Diana off with surprising strength. "Dream on, kitty-cat. He's my prey, and I don't share."

Victoria hissed, coiling her tail around a nearby branch as she glared at both of them. "You're both delusional if you think I'll let you have him. I marked him first with my scent!"

Li Wei's jaw dropped. "Hold on—what scent?! I didn't agree to any marking!"

His outburst went completely ignored.

Diana turned to Victoria with a snarl. "Scent or not, he's not a trinket you can claim. I'm the strongest, and by our laws, that makes him mine."

"Oh, please," Victoria shot back, her forked tongue flicking out. "Your brute strength means nothing without cunning. Which you clearly lack."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Enough with the speeches. Let's settle this the old-fashioned way: fight to the finish. Winner gets the human."

"Excuse me?!" Li Wei exclaimed, waving his arms frantically. "I'm standing right here! Maybe ask me what I think?"

All three beast-women turned to him, their eyes gleaming with predatory intensity.

Diana smirked. "Fine. What do you think, human?"

Li Wei froze. This was not how he'd imagined being surrounded by beautiful women. "Uh… I think… maybe… you don't have to fight? Sharing is caring?"

Charlotte let out a bark of laughter. "Cute. But no."

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "If you want peace, you'd better choose one of us now."

Li Wei backed away, hands raised. "Choose? Oh no. That's a trap. I've read enough novels to know how that ends. I pick one, and the others rip me apart. Pass."

Diana growled, stepping closer. "Then stay out of it and let us handle this. One mate, no compromises."

Before Li Wei could protest, the battle resumed with even more intensity. Charlotte lunged at Victoria, who dodged effortlessly and wrapped her tail around Diana's legs, pulling her off balance. Diana roared in fury, breaking free and swiping at both of them with her massive claws.

"STOP!" Li Wei shouted, his voice cracking with panic.

To his surprise, they froze mid-fight, all three turning to look at him.

"What now?" Charlotte asked, exasperated.

Li Wei took a deep breath, trying to channel every ounce of courage he had left. "You're all amazing, okay? Strong, beautiful, terrifying—really, top-notch predators. But this… this is ridiculous! You can't just beat each other to a pulp over me. I'm not some prize!"

Diana crossed her arms, her tail swishing. "That's exactly what you are."

Victoria nodded. "He's not wrong. But it's tradition."

"Well, maybe your tradition needs a little tweaking!" Li Wei snapped, surprising even himself. "Because at this rate, you'll end up killing each other, and then where will I be? Alone in the wilderness, probably eaten by something even scarier!"

The three women exchanged glances, their competitive fire momentarily dimmed by his outburst.

Charlotte sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "He's got a point. If we all kill each other, no one wins."

Diana grumbled under her breath, but nodded. "Fine. We'll find another way to decide."

Victoria's eyes gleamed. "How about a contest? Something… creative."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"How about cooking?" Victoria suggested with a smirk. "The human eats our dishes, and whoever pleases him the most wins."

Diana groaned. "I don't cook."

"Then you lose," Victoria said smugly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Li Wei interjected. "I didn't agree to be a judge in this 'Mate Olympics.' Can we—"

But it was too late. The three women were already debating the rules of their new contest, their claws momentarily sheathed as they brainstormed ideas.

Li Wei sighed, slumping onto a fallen log. "This is my life now," he muttered. "From webnovel addict to reality show host. Fantastic."

Later That Day

The "contest" turned out to be a disaster.

Diana, true to her word, didn't cook. Instead, she brought Li Wei a hunk of raw meat and dropped it in front of him with a triumphant smirk.

"Here," she said. "Venison. The freshest you'll ever eat."

Li Wei stared at the bloody slab, his stomach turning. "Uh… thanks?"

Victoria's dish was more elaborate: a strange concoction of herbs, fruits, and what looked like roasted lizard.

"It's a delicacy," she said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Li Wei took one hesitant bite and immediately regretted it. The taste was somewhere between dirt and regret.

Finally, Charlotte presented him with a surprisingly normal-looking stew. Li Wei perked up, hopeful.

"Wow, this actually smells good!" he said, taking a spoonful.

Charlotte beamed. "See? I told you I'm the best."

Unfortunately, the stew was so spicy it felt like a dragon was breathing fire in his mouth. Li Wei coughed and wheezed, tears streaming down his face.

By the end of the ordeal, all three women were glaring at him, their competitive spirits reignited.

"So?" Diana demanded. "Who's the winner?"

Li Wei threw up his hands in defeat. "No one! You're all winners! Can we please just call it a tie and move on?"

The beast-women grumbled but reluctantly agreed, each secretly vowing to outdo the others next time.

As Li Wei lay down that night, utterly exhausted, he couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

"Well," he muttered, staring up at the starry sky. "At least I'm not bored."