What Time Period Is 'As Meat Loves Salt' Set In?

Astrid’s life ended in blood and betrayal. Her second chance begins in the pages of a book she once read—Blood and Moonlight, a world where ancient vampires and fierce werewolves wage a war older than the moon itself.Reborn in the body of a doomed noble girl whose death will ignite the coming carnage, Astrid must outwit fate itself to survive. Every whispered promise hides a blade, every stolen glance could be a trap, and the line between love and danger is razor-thin.But the deeper she steps into the game of predators, the more she realizes someone here knows the truth about her past life—someone who might be the very killer who ended it.Survival means rewriting the story.Love might mean losing her soul.And in a world ruled by fangs and claws, Astrid will have to decide—Will she be prey… or predator?

In a modern city governed by ancient bloodlines, an uneasy peace holds between vampires and nekos—two species bound by centuries of rivalry, betrayal, and war. Though the violence has quieted, resentment festers beneath the surface, and whispers of rebellion begin to circulate among the vampire clans who believe their power was unjustly stripped away. Maverick Delacroix, the disciplined heir to one of the most influential vampire families, has been raised to value control above all else. Loyalty to his lineage is not a choice but a duty etched into his very existence. Across the divide stands Odessa Kingsleigh, a sharp-witted neko diplomat trained to protect her people at any cost. Burdened by history and responsibility, she knows that trusting a vampire—especially a Delacroix—could unravel everything she has worked to preserve. When rising tensions force secret negotiations between the two factions, Maverick and Odessa are drawn into reluctant cooperation. What begins as a strategic alliance quickly deepens into something far more dangerous. As they navigate political intrigue, veiled threats, and the weight of ancestral hatred, their connection grows—challenging everything they have been taught to believe about enemies, loyalty, and destiny. But love in a divided city is never private. As extremist forces on both sides push for war and long-buried prophecies resurface, Maverick and Odessa find themselves at the center of a conflict that could destroy the fragile balance holding their world together. Choosing each other means defying their families, their cultures, and the expectations carved into their blood. With rebellion looming and trust in short supply, they must decide whether history will repeat itself in bloodshed—or whether their forbidden bond can forge a future neither species dared to imagine.

Even though I knew cows were sacred to the Indorians, I still supported their biological daughter in her plan to serve beef at the dinner table of Indoria's wealthiest man. In my previous life, the wealthiest man in Indoria had held a nationwide contest to choose a wife. My sister had fought her way to the final round and planned to make a beef and veggie stew for the ultimate cooking challenge. I rushed to stop her, warning that in Indoria's religion, cows were considered holy, and eating beef could have serious legal consequences. However, my sister thought I was deliberately humiliating her for being "uncultured." In a fit of anger, she ran out, only to be struck and killed by a car. My adoptive parents tried to console me, telling me it was not my fault, that it was simply bad luck. Later, thanks to my exceptional cooking skills, I became the wife of Indoria's wealthiest man. Yet on the very day of my wedding, my adoptive parents sold me to the slums. That night, as eight men assaulted me one after another, I cried and demanded to know why. They kicked me viciously and spat: "If you hadn't made things difficult for Janet, she wouldn't have died. You owe her this!" By the end of that night, I had bled to death. Meanwhile, my adoptive parents used the money given by Indoria's wealthiest man to build a lavish tomb for their biological daughter. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my sister was about to serve her beef and veggie stew to Indoria's wealthiest man.

My father died of esophageal cancer. For the final two years of his life, he could barely swallow anything. By the time he passed, he was nothing but skin and bones. The first New Year after his death, he came to my mother in a dream. "I'm starving," he said. "I just want to taste the thick-cut steak you used to make." My mother believed it without question. That very day, she pan-seared a large platter of steak and carried it to his grave. The next morning, she suffered a sudden heart attack and died on the spot. Devastated, I handled my mother's funeral together with my husband. That same night, my husband dreamed of my father as well. "Chester," he said, "I haven't eaten in so long. I want your pâté, served with some strong liquor." When my husband woke up, he bought the finest liver pâté, opened a bottle of single-malt whiskey, and went straight to the grave. However, not long after returning home, he collapsed from acute liver failure. He was rushed to the ICU and died three days later. I was on the brink of collapse myself. I left my daughter in the care of a close friend while I tried to handle the endless wave of tragedy. That evening, my daughter never came home from school. I searched everywhere, and finally, on the road to the cemetery, I found her. She was clutching a bowl of spicy stew, several grilled sausages floating in the broth. "Mom," she said, "Grandpa and I used to eat this all the time. I dreamed he said he was hungry." I finally lost it. I knocked the bowl from her hands and carried her home. That night, my father appeared in my dream once more. "I suffered so much while alive," he said. "Have some pity on me. "New Year's is coming. I want to come home for a meal. Make sure you cook fish." I woke in terror. Holding my daughter, I sat before the three framed portraits for two full days without eating or drinking. On New Year's morning, I realized she was no longer breathing. Clutched tightly in her hand was a packet of spicy dried salmon. I could not believe it. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my mother, her eyes red with worry, said she was going out to buy steak.

Chase Olympus: Her name was Lucy Roshid. Or Salt, as she was popularly known as, at Davenport. The brothel she worked at. She was never meant to matter. Just another transaction. Another body. Until my father touched her and something in me snapped. The Olia cult marked her for death. So I took her instead. Claimed her. Hid her. Now she’s mine. My kitten. I expected obedience. She demanded her freedom. What I got is obsession. She’s a risk I shouldn’t take. A line I shouldn’t cross. But walking away from her means losing more than control. It means losing the only thing that’s ever felt like mine. In my world, that choice starts a war. And I’ve already made mine. I keep Lucy. Or I die trying.

Cammy has spent her life hiding a dangerous secret—she is not just a werewolf but a rare and deadly hybrid, part vampire and part wolf. As her 18th birthday approaches, she yearns for a normal life, but fate has other plans. The moment she meets Kai, the cocky and infuriating future Alpha King, their mate bond ignites with fiery passion. He’s a notorious playboy, unaccustomed to true commitment, but Cammy’s presence shakes his world. Their connection is undeniable, but Kai’s pack harbors dark secrets—secrets that threaten everything Cammy holds dear. When she discovers their true nature, her own hidden bloodline pulses with fury. As she and Kai navigate their dangerous attraction, outside forces conspire to tear them apart, threatening not only their love but their very lives.