Cassian's cool voice murmured beside me.
"Aveline, I know you chose me out of spite. But I promise you, the Viperian Clan's wealth is more than enough for you to live any life you desire."
Hearing his voice, I turned instinctively and accidentally bumped into his chest.
A strange yet pleasant scent of fir and stone washed over me.
I looked up at him, enunciating each word clearly. "Cassian, I chose you willingly."
A flicker of an unreadable emotion crossed Cassian's golden, slitted pupils. "…Alright, Aveline."
Three days later, the bonding ceremony took place as scheduled.
Both weddings were held in different ballrooms of the same luxury hotel.
The werewolf Pack's celebration was even more extravagant than in my past life. They even invited the reclusive Fae royalty to perform, and all the major North American Packs and supernatural families were in attendance.
In contrast, the Viperian Clan's celebration was much more low-key and mysterious. There were no distinguished guests, but the clan members were filled with sincere joy. After all, this was their first time bonding with a human—a sign that they might finally have a chance to integrate into mainstream society.
After the ceremony, I ran into Corinne. She deliberately lifted her chin so I could see the hickey on her neck.
"Aveline, I never knew an Alpha had so much stamina. At this rate, I'll be able to give them an heir very soon."
I smiled politely. "Then I sincerely wish you the best of luck."
Corinne had severely underestimated the difficulty of a human conceiving with a werewolf. Our biologies were fundamentally different. Even under the best conditions, natural conception would take at least a year.
She thought my pregnancy in our past life was easy, so she believed she could do it just as effortlessly. She even boasted to the Silvermoon Pack that she would get pregnant soon, and the news spread quickly.
Seeing her so confident, Ronan didn't even doubt it.
But to Corinne, my composure was a form of provocation.
"Forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway. You married into a den of snake-monsters hiding in the shadows."
She shot a disdainful glance at the nearby Viperian Clan members, lifted her skirt, and swept past me.
I grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Corinne, apologize. Apologize to the Viperian Clan."
Her face darkened. She violently wrenched her arm free and shouted, "Aveline, have you gone mad?!"
The remaining guests in the hall stopped, their eyes following our argument with blatant amusement.
In the end, it was our father who stepped in. After learning what happened, he forced Corinne to apologize to the Viperian Clan.
Although the Viperian Clan was marginalized within the supernatural world, they would still stand united in the face of a human's insult.
Before leaving, Corinne shot me a vicious glare and muttered a curse, "Aveline, I will win this time. You just wait."
On our wedding night, I froze as I stared at Cassian's body, his non-human features emerging as he grew aroused.
No one had ever told me that fine scales would appear on the skin of a Gorgon descendant, or that their pupils would transform into mesmerizing, golden slits…
Seeing me motionless on the bed, Cassian misunderstood. He paled, bent down to pick up his clothes, and started to put them on.
"What are you doing?" I snatched the clothes from his hands, a frown on my face.
"I… I thought you didn't want to…" he stammered, standing awkwardly by the bed as the gold in his eyes faded.
If he wouldn't make a move, then I would.
I took a step forward, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him down onto the bed. As our bodies touched, that subtle and familiar scent of fir and stone enveloped me once more.
"Cassian… you smell so good," I murmured.
He froze for a moment, then the tips of his ears turned a faint pink. The next moment, his kisses deepened, trailing down from my forehead with an undeniable possessiveness.
With our fingers intertwined, the night descended into a passionate blur.
I had once thought that the strength of the Gorgons would make them the best in bed.
But Gorgon descendants have their own unique stamina. Cassian didn't stop until dawn, and I practically had to beg him to rest.
Three months later, news arrived: Corinne was pregnant.
I was stunned. In thousands of years, no human had ever conceived a werewolf's child in just three months.
If I hadn't seen her swollen belly with my own eyes, I would never have believed it.
The Silvermoon Pack held a grand celebration for the unborn pup, inviting all the supernatural families to share in their joy.
"The Moon Goddess must be blessing us! To conceive a child in just three months—it's a miracle!" Ronan raised his glass, his face beaming with pride.
Many guests came forward to flatter him, eager to win the Silvermoon Pack's favor. Everyone believed the child of prophecy would undoubtedly come from the Silvermoon Pack. Now was the perfect time to curry favor.
By rank, Cassian and I should have been seated at the far end of the banquet hall.
But Corinne had insisted to Ronan that I sit next to her. She couldn't pass up any opportunity to show off.
She stroked her belly and gave me a smug look. "Aveline, it's been three months and your belly is still flat? It seems you're not up to the task. You're such a disappointment."
A werewolf pup develops quickly. They are born after only a few months. Judging by the size of her belly, her child was due next month.
But she didn't know how large a werewolf pup could be. If she didn't control her diet, she would suffer terribly during childbirth.
In my past life, I had carefully controlled my weight, but giving birth still took a full day and night, and the pain was so excruciating it almost killed me.
But when I saw my Cain born safely, sleeping peacefully in my arms, I knew I had no regrets.
I took a sip of wine and said flatly, "Historically, the fastest conception between a human and a werewolf took a full year. You managed it in three months. One can only imagine what… methods you used."
Corinne whipped her head toward me, a flash of guilty panic in her eyes. "Aveline, what are you implying?"
She couldn't even handle a simple question. Corinne was still as hot-headed as ever.
"I wish you a smooth delivery, Corinne." I raised my glass to her, then took my leave with Cassian.
A month later, Corinne went through the standard three days and nights of labor for a werewolf before finally giving birth.
But seven days passed, and the Silvermoon Pack still hadn't announced the birth of the new heir. Even when our father wanted to visit, they refused, citing that the "pup needed to rest quietly."
Without a doubt—something was wrong with the child.
