Early the next morning, the Wolf Pack messengers delivered an entire room full of wedding gowns for me to choose from.
Each dress was a custom design by renowned international masters. The selection sparkled before me like the Milky Way itself.
I could not help but marvel silently—the Alpha certainly had deep pockets.
Even if the Alpha truly was as dark, obsessive, hideous—and even disabled!—as the rumors claimed, at least I would gain wealth and power.
That was the real prize of this bond—pure gold!
Just then, a sickeningly sweet voice suddenly came from behind me.
"Wow, what beautiful wedding gowns! I've never seen anything so luxurious in my entire life.
"Aurelia, are you using these to pressure Nate into bonding with you? I know I'm lowborn and can't compare to you, but I'm already carrying his beast egg.
"Please don't steal my beastchild's father! I'll even kneel before you!"
With that, she moved to kneel at my feet with tears welling up in her eyes.
Nathaniel carefully helped Grace up, his face twisted with disgust as he berated me, "Aurelia! You've gone too far! Grace is pregnant, yet you're still humiliating her! Apologize to her immediately."
I felt utterly bewildered. Grace had been talking to herself the entire time, yet I was somehow the one humiliating her.
This scenario had played out countless times before.
At first, Nathaniel would stand firmly by my side.
It was not until that day by the bridge, when Grace, who was alone with me, smiled and deliberately threw herself into the river.
I instinctively reached out to catch her, but Nathaniel had seen everything and appeared out of nowhere. To him, that became ironclad proof that I had pushed Grace into the water.
After Nathaniel rescued the dripping Grace, she cowered and begged my forgiveness.
"Ms. Sinclair, I'll never anger you again. Please spare me! I can't swim!”
"Aurelia, I never imagined you were this kind of person."
Nathaniel looked at me with complete disappointment. From that moment, his heart turned away from me.
Remembering this, I smiled mockingly. "These were sent to me by my fiance. I have no interest in fighting over a contaminated beastman!"
Nathaniel's chest suddenly tightened. He instinctively ignored the strange sensation in his heart.
He sneered. "Aurelia, stop being so stubborn! I don't like arrogant beast women! You should learn from Grace and become more gentle and kind."
Grace shot me a provocative smile, her gaze falling on the roomful of wedding gowns, greed flickering in her eyes.
She tugged at Nathaniel's sleeve. "Nate, could I try on those wedding gowns?"
Nathaniel lovingly patted her head. "If you like them, take them all."
He immediately ordered the servants at the door to move all the gowns before Grace for her to select from.
Grace's face lit up with excitement as she fluttered between the gowns like a butterfly, trying each one on.
I was furious and shouted at Nathaniel, "Nathaniel! Those dresses are mine!”
Nathaniel signaled to his subordinates, and several immediately pinned me to the ground in a humiliating position.
One of them kicked my knee. As I was about to collapse, Grace's eyes flashed with a cunning look as she kicked a thumbtack in my direction.
The tack pierced my knee, sending searing pain through me. A cold sweat broke out as I gasped soundlessly from the agony.
"Whatever Grace likes belongs to her. Did you really think you could force me to bond with you by wearing these?"
I smiled bitterly. Once, Nathaniel had transformed into his beast form and flown thousands of miles to the north just to bring me back a handful of snow because I had mentioned wanting to see northern snow.
He had not cared about the frostbite on his wings, and his eyes were as bright as the stars when he looked at me and said, "As long as you wanted it, Lia, I'd pluck the stars from the sky for you."
Now he was just the Eagle Clan heir and the father of the beast egg in Grace's belly. The beastman I had loved was long dead.
Grace admired my pain-twisted face and extended her foot. "Pregnancy makes it hard for me to bend over. Aurelia, please help me change my shoes."
This time, before the servants could act, I silently stepped forward to change her shoes. The moment I touched her foot, she threw herself backward.
"Ah! Aurelia, why are you pinching me? My beastchild!"
