The beastfolk are a powerful race, and to strengthen our family's power, Father arranges marriages for both me and my stepsister, Arya Hearthguard.

In our past lives, Arya entered a high-profile marriage into the wealthy, powerful dragon clan, while I was forced to wed into the crumbling lion clan.

The clan leader of the dragons—Draken Vorgath—was cold and detached. He cared more for gold than his bride, leaving Arya in a glided cage of loneliness.

Overwhelmed by the desolation, she seduced the future leader of the fox clan, who was flirtatious.. And when the scandal exploded, Draken resolutely divorced her.

Arya's scandal brought shame upon our family. Despite Father's favoritism, he was compelled by family honor to exile her in disgrace.

Clan leader of the lions and King of the Jungle—Kael Hawthorne—was a man of unwavering devotion. Our marriage blossomed, and within a year, I bore him a golden lion cub blessed with the Aetheric Divinity.

With the Aetherborn, Kael rose to rule all beastfolk as the chieftain, and I became their most revered chieftess.

Consumed by envy, Arya sneaked into my son's first birthday feast and strangled the golden lion cub in his cradle. Then, she set the place ablaze and burned me alive along with it.

When I wake up, I am back on the very day of our marriage.

This time, Arya volunteers to marry into the lions and leaves me the chance to marry into the dragons. I accept everything meekly with only a tenth of her dowry and marry Draken.

Later, she bleeds her dowry dry, propping up the lion clan, only to fail in conceiving a cub. When the elders demand she mate with other males, regret drowns her.

As for me, all I want in his new life is an heir and a quiet life among the dragons.

But no one warns me about the dragons, least of all that my supposedly cold-hearted husband will relentlessly demand me once awakened. Or that his members came in pairs and ridges!

Sitting in the lavish bridal chamber, it still didn't feel real. I'd died, and somehow, I was back on the day Father arranged our marriages.

This time, my stepsister—Arya Hearthguard—had jumped at the chance to marry into the impoverished lion clan, while I was offered the privilege of marrying into the dragon clan.

I remembered the scornful, almost gloating way Arya had looked at me.

"Litha, you've never had much growing up. I'm doing you a kind favor out of pity, so appreciate it and try not to blow it."

I smiled. She clearly had no idea what she was walking into.

Kael Hawthorne—clan leader of the lions— was a faithful, affectionate fool with no grasp of leadership.

The lion clan was poverty-stricken because he squandered every resource that came his way and never knew how to sustain them. Under his reign, the entire clan had forgotten the concept of wealth.

In my past life, I'd taken my modest dowry and stretched it to the bone to barely keep the clan afloat.

What mattered most was that, though loyal, Kael was infertile. The only reason I had mothered an Aetherborn was the sliver of Aetheric Divinity in Mother's Aetherblood. If it were Arya, she'd never be able to conceive with him.

As a hybrid community, the lions were desperate for heirs. If a female failed to conceive within six months of marriage, she would be forced to mate with every proven male of the clan, regardless of age.

Just imagining Arya in that position spread a smile across my face. I was already looking forward to the way she regretted her choice when she realized she couldn't conceive, and was compelled to mate with old, leering male lions.

The thought crossed my mind as I began unfastening the buttons on my bridal robe.

As for me, my priority was to bear an heir soon to secure my standing in the dragon clan.

In my past life, Draken Vorgath—clan leader of the dragons—had been cold and aloof, and he'd never laid a hand on Arya.

Still, I would try talking to him and asking for an heir. As long as I conceived, it wouldn't matter if he loathed sharing my bed again.

If he refused… I bit my lips as my fingers brushed the pills I'd readied, hidden in my sleeves.

One way or another, I would carry his heir, even if I had to drug him.

As the thought crossed my mind, the door opened, and Draken walked in.

My breath caught. No one had warned me how striking he was!

The silk of his robe clung to his frame, outlining his refined, powerful muscles. He was effortlessly handsome.

Such a shame he was all looks but utterly useless.

I clicked my tongue and wondered if a pill would do the job, or if I would have to give him two.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice him settle beside me until he said in a calm, distant voice, "It's been a long day. Let's get some sleep."

He reached for the covers, but I grabbed his wrist.

"Draken, will you… sleep with me? I want a child." I tried to keep my voice even, though my cheeks burned.

He turned his head slightly, blinking slowly, and looked utterly clueless. "Aren't we… getting ready to sleep?"

My flush deepened as I let go. After swiftly taking off my bridal robe, I quickly slipped under the covers.

He joined me, slow and unbothered.

My heart raced as I shut my eyes, not daring to look at him. But even after I waited for some time, Draken remained lying perfectly still before letting out a soft snore.

I sat up in disbelief and shook him awake. "You said we'd sleep together to have a baby!"

Rubbing his eyes, his voice sounded hoarse and confused with sleep as he asked, "Aren't we? I was almost asleep."

Staring at him in shock, something finally clicked about why he'd never touched Arya in the past life. He hadn't been cold; he'd just had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Without hesitation, I lunged forward and started stripping his clothes.

"What are you doing!" he cried out, his usually calm expression cracking into alarm.

I smirked and tugged harder. "Relax. I'm about to teach you how to make a baby."

Half an hour later, my screams rang through the bridal chamber. "Oh my god! Why do you have two? And why are there barbs?"

Instinctively, I reached out and tapped, only to hear Draken's low, restrained groan rumble from above me.

My eyes widened as I watched them grow visibly larger in my hands, horrified at how big they could get.

Face burning, I yanked my hands back like I'd just been electrocuted, scrambling to hop off the bed. But before I could escape, Draken's arms locked around my waist.

He nuzzled against my back, murmuring in a soft, pitiful voice, "It hurts… Am I sick?"

His breath tingled against my back, and I felt a strange heat stirring low in my belly, rampaging into the walls. Before long, my body felt limp and weightless, and I couldn't summon even an ounce of strength.

His hands roamed over my skin, fumbling and impatiently tugging at the chunky robe I wore. With a sharp rip, my robe split in two.

The cold air kissed my bare skin. I shivered as Draken's overheated body pressed flush against mine, and a deep, comforted moan escaped his lips.

Face flushed, I froze and nervously braced myself, expecting him to take the final step. But all he did was cling to me, nuzzling and not making a single move.

That was when it struck me that he had no idea what he was doing at all!

My heart leaped. Just as I was going to guide Draken through every step, he let out a startled cry and shifted into a golden dragon.

His massive dragon form filled the bridal chamber as he hovered wildly in the air. With a crash, the glass shattered before he hurled himself through the window and darted out in a panicked escape.

He'd fled!

I sat frozen on the bed as the winter wind howled through the broken window and had me shivering in the cold.

Draken never came back, while I spent the entire night exposed to the chilly wind and fell ill. For the next two days, I was bedridden and too weak to even sit up.

Ashamed, he completely avoided me and had the housekeepers relocate me to a grander wing of the manor. Then, lavish meals and priceless gemstones were delivered to fill the chamber more than it could hold.

On the third day, Arya paid a visit.

When her eyes swept over the opulent chamber and overflowing chests of jewelry, envy flashed across her face. But when her gaze fell on me, pale and still in bed, her lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

She raised her chin, just enough to expose the red marks on her neck. "Litha, I had no idea the lions were so vigorous. I might be carrying a cub already."

I offered her a cool smile. "May your wish come true."

She smirked and cast a pitiful glance at my stomach. "I heard you fell ill on your wedding night. Was it from the shock of your groom fleeing?

"That's tragic… What kind of husband refuses his wife in bed? You may as well give up on having a baby of your own."

With a soft groan, she lowered herself into the chair with one hand resting on her abdomen. "Oh, but my back's been aching all day. Do you think I might be expecting already?"

I watched her performance silently, unmoved. Deep down, I doubted she'd still be smiling if she knew the truth that she'd never carry Kael's cub in this lifetime.

When six months passed with no sign of a cub, she'd be sent to mate with every fertile male in the lion clan. She probably had no idea that tradition even existed, yet.

Plus, what was there to brag about Kael's tiny member? I doubted if his pathetic few minutes could even satisfy Arya.

Of all people, she should know better. After all, she'd played far filthier games with the future leader of the fox clan in her past life and tried every position under the moons, even sneaking into Draken's study for a late-night tryst.

That was how he'd caught her mid-act, and the scandal spread through all the beastfolk.

At the memory of Draken's massive members, multiple times larger than Kael's, my face flushed red in embarrassment.

It took me a full week to shake off the lingering cold.

The moment I recovered, Draken came to me with flushed cheeks. His gaze darted everywhere but refused to meet my eyes. And when he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"That thing you did to me… could we do it again?"

I blinked and immediately buried my face in the covers, feeling the heat rushing to my ears.

Panic crept up his voice as he went on, "That shift was an accident! I didn't know how it happened, but I swear it won't happen again!"

"Please stop!" I practically leaped up and clamped a hand over his mouth, feeling my face burning like it was on fire.

But when I pounced on him, he caught me in his arms with gleaming eyes. And with one practiced motion, he ripped my robe in two.

I groaned inwardly. That robe was expensive, and I'd been saving it for special occasions. Now, on the first occasion I wore it, he just had to tear it just like that.

But I didn't have time to mourn the robe either, because Draken nuzzled against me like an eager pup. The change in his body was plainly visible.

"Litha, I feel terrible… Please help me, alright?" he murmured softly and needily as if begging for affection.

My body melted. I couldn't even tell when I stopped thinking at all as my hands moved on their own, following his lead.

When that massive, searing heat entered me, I finally snapped out of the haze in my mind and gasped. Draken shuddered with exhilaration as though he'd finally found his vent.

I could barely remember anything about the storm that followed. All I could recall was the sensation of being tossed around like a boat drifting in the violent sea, until the waves finally flung me into the clouds.

For the entire month that followed, I hardly ever set foot out of bed.

As for showers, Draken carried me to the bathtub himself, only to have our bodies pressed flush the whole time. Each of those shower sessions seemed to last half a day.

Eventually, I had had enough and shoved him out the door with wobbly legs. "Starting today, you're not allowed to set foot in my chamber!"

Draken whined and pouted with every trick he knew, but I held firm for an entire month, until he couldn't take it anymore.

One night, he shifted into his dragon form and burst through the windows again to barge into the bedchamber. As he coiled his dragon form tightly around me, I shivered under the cold press of his scales.

"Actually… We could try it in my true form…" he hesitantly suggested.

I hated to admit it, but something in me stirred. But we never got to try it out because not long after, I discovered I was pregnant!

Draken was overjoyed, though there was a faint look of regret on his expression. He clicked his tongue and sighed. "Guess we'll have to wait until the baby's born, then."

Meanwhile, I couldn't stop smiling as I rested a hand on my belly, feeling far more content than I'd ever been.

Three months later, Arya came to me again. "Litha, why didn't you tell me about the lions' horrible traditions? If I don't conceive within a month, I'd have to mate with multiple beastfolk!

"Please help me! How did you manage to conceive an Aetherborn in your past life?"

She looked nothing like her smug past self. Her face was pale and desperate, while panic and blame swam in her eyes.

I calmly rested a hand on my belly. "How was I supposed to know the lion clan had such barbaric traditions? If you're struggling to conceive, did you get examined to check whose problem it is?

"And what was that about a past life?"

She studied me for a long time before flashing a smirk that was more smug than genuinely malicious.

"Just watch! I'll be the first to get pregnant and bear a golden lion cub! And my husband will rule the beastfolk!"

Yet, I never expected her words to come true because two months later, news swept through the lion clan—Arya was pregnant!