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.
