My husband is from a wolf pack with a throne to inherit, but despite all my efforts, I can never give him a son.

He finds it shameful that I only give birth to daughters, forgetting how I risked my life to save him. So, he begins an affair with my sister.

Later, for the sake of the male offspring in my sister's belly, he brutally throws my daughter to her death and made me cough up blood until I die.

Now that I am reborn, I no longer want any connection with him and avoid the path where I save him. But I never expected that my reborn sister would rescue him instead.

They smugly mock me for being unable to bear male heirs. But she doesn't know that the ten-thousand-year-old Creator Goddess bloodline flowing through my veins has already been quietly awakened.

My daughter will inherit the power of the goddess and become the ruler of the new world.

"Lyra, your sister brought a man back!"

I groggily opened my eyes as Jade Black grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside.

Bitter wind and snow hit my face, making it impossible to keep my eyes open. Ever since the frozen apocalypse a hundred years ago, Earth had entered an ice age, and wind and snow had become the norm.

Most of the world was covered in ice and snow, resources were scarce, and terrible blizzards occurred from time to time. Our serpent clan had migrated several times to survive, and the entire clan had finally settled in this barren wasteland.

When Jade and I arrived, Damien Hunter was holding my sister's hand as he lay on the makeshift bed the clan had built.

"I am willing to offer 10 thousand gold pieces to marry Briar Vale."

Jade looked envious and whispered in my ear, "Briar is so lucky. This man..."

"Is the crown prince of the Ice Wolf pack, the Northern Plains royal family," I interrupted.

"How did you know?"

Because in my previous life, I was the one who saved him.

I stared at his face, hatred boiling in my chest. In the frozen apocalypse, the beastmen struggled to survive in the ice and snow. The serpent clan had lost their territory several times and became the lowest rank, but the Ice Wolf pack had dominated and ruled thanks to their natural physical advantages.

However, their pack valued males over females, so their females were scarce. They could only marry outside the pack with heavy gold payments.

In my previous life, after Damien and I married, we lived happily as newlyweds until I gave birth to my first daughter. When he heard that it was a girl, he didn't even look at her and had the maids take her away.

"Raising daughters in the royal palace will bring bad luck. Once you give birth to a son, we'll have someone bring her back."

I missed my daughter so much that I wanted to cry every day, but as a powerless beastwoman from a foreign clan, I had no options except to keep trying to have offspring.

I prayed to every deity and consumed folk remedies and secret medicines. I disregarded my own health to get pregnant year after year, hoping to give birth to a son so my daughters and I could be reunited. But I only gave birth to daughters.

The Wolf King despised me for being unable to produce a male heir. He made me kneel in punishment daily and follow strict rules. Damien also changed from being considerate at first to either beating or scolding me.

Later, after I gave birth to yet another daughter, Damien completely lost his mind. He brutally killed my newborn daughter by throwing her to the ground right in front of me.

I held my daughter's mangled body in grief and despair, grabbed a pair of scissors, and fought him desperately. But after years of repeated pregnancies, my body was weak and fragile.

He easily grabbed my neck and slowly crushed my windpipe. He told me that the daughter who had been sent away had already died of illness long ago. Everything went black before my eyes, and I violently coughed up blood and died.

After my death, he threw my and my daughter's corpses into the wilderness to be devoured by hungry wolves. He then ceremoniously married Briar, who was five months pregnant.

Damien was focused on getting sons to inherit the throne, but I learned that I had awakened the Creator Goddess bloodline after my death, and my daughters would have inherited ancient power to end this apocalypse.

But they never even had the chance to grow up because they died at the hands of Damien, the beast!

I clenched my fists, wanting nothing more than to rush out right now and kill my enemy with my own hands. At that moment, Briar, who was in his arms, suddenly turned her gaze toward me, her eyes filled with smugness and satisfaction.

"Lyra, you look upset. Are you upset with Briar?" Mother walked over and pinched my arm hard while Father shot me a reproachful look. I suppressed my hatred and shook my head.

Briar turned to look at Damien, her smiling face bright with blatant mockery.

"Your Highness, you probably don't know this, but my sister has a terrible personality. More importantly, the oracles in our clan once said she was cursed to only bear daughters.

"Unlike me. I only give birth to sons."

Damien glanced at me with disgust and pulled Briar closer. Then, as if remembering something, his gaze lingered on me for a long moment before he spoke.

"I have a younger brother with a rather odd temperament. He's crippled in one leg, but he'd be a perfect match for your sister. How about I arrange their marriage today?"

My parents had always been biased, and to them, forming a connection with the Ice Wolf pack was beyond their wildest dreams. So they agreed on my behalf without a second thought.

A month later, Briar and I both got married on the same day.

Briar wore a wedding gown adorned with jewels, riding in an elegant carriage pulled by white horses, with wagon after wagon of luxurious gifts following behind her. Meanwhile, I only had a simple dress and a few pitiful trunks of belongings.

Before leaving home, Briar smiled sweetly and said, "Oh, Lyra, a day like this should be mine. Enjoy struggling in the wilderness with your crippled husband."

I said nothing and calmly climbed into my wedding carriage. She thought that giving birth to a son would secure her position as crown princess, but Damien's family was ruthless. To them, women were nothing more than breeding tools.

Compared to Damien's magnificent palace, Rowan Hunter's home was quite simple. Ribbons hung from the bed frame, and a plate of sweet cakes sat on the table.

I was hungry and had just reached for some nuts from a bowl when I heard wooden wheels rolling across the floor.

A handsome man lifted my wedding veil, his amber eyes gleaming with amusement. "Well, well, caught a little thief."

Rowan was strikingly handsome. I'd heard his mother was from the snow fox clan, and he had inherited her beauty and the Wolf King's strength.

Unfortunately, he had somehow injured his leg and earned the Wolf King's scorn. His moods were unpredictable, and in my previous life, no beastwoman would marry him until the day I died.

I wondered if he could… perform his husbandly duties.

"Admiring the view?"

He leaned closer, his warm breath against my bare skin, carrying the scent of pine and herbs. Moonlight streamed through the windows. Neither of us slept that night.

The next morning, I was dragged from bed early to meet the Wolf King. Rowan and I waited outside for ages before being summoned.

When we entered, Briar was bashfully receiving a fertility pendant from the Wolf King. All I got was a plain silver bracelet. I took it without comment.

The Wolf King sat on his throne as he said, "I expect you both to produce heirs soon and strengthen our pack."

Damien and Briar quickly agreed, while Rowan and I said nothing.

The Wolf King's expression hardened. "Rowie, now that you're married, it's time you went to your lands. You leave today."

Rowan's lands were in the remote northeast. Being banished on the first day after the wedding showed just how much the Wolf King truly despised this son.

As we left the palace, Damien and Briar stepped into our path on purpose. Damien smirked as he said, "You two are a perfect match. I just wonder, with my brother's bad leg, how he'll manage in bed..."

Briar giggled and added, "Lyra, I hear Rowan's lands are barren. Once you go, we'll never see each other again.

"But don't worry, okay? When I have exciting news, you'll be the first to know." I could hear the venom in their voices.

"You and the crown prince seem perfectly suited, too," I replied icily. What a perfect pair of scumbags.

"What's the point of talking to them? Let's go." Rowan snorted coldly and wheeled forward. I hurried to catch up.

Once we left the throne room, Rowan's expression darkened. He yanked the silver bracelet from my wrist and hurled it into a ditch.

"Don't accept his gifts." His sudden move caught me off guard, and I took a step back. He raised an eyebrow.

"What? Are you upset? Well, tough luck. You married a worthless cripple."

"I'm not upset." I shook my head and pressed my hand to my lower back. "I'm just sore."

He went utterly still. Realizing what I meant, his face flushed red, and he quickly wheeled away. I stared at his retreating figure thoughtfully.

How could someone with a bad leg have that much stamina? Was Rowan the moody cripple everyone thought he was?

Rowan's territory was indeed remote and desolate, but it was nothing like I'd imagined. Word had spread that Rowan and I were coming, because many beastmen crowded the roadside holding gifts they wanted to present to us.

They all looked well-fed and healthy, their eyes bright. Even the little ones and elderly were plump and rosy-cheeked.

Since the apocalypse began, all the clans had struggled to survive. Food was barely enough to get by, and many older beastmen had starved to death. Those who survived were skin and bones. However, everything was completely different here.

Though Rowan's residence wasn't large, it was exquisite and had everything we needed. Seeing my surprised expression, Rowan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, then had a maid bring me a jewelry box.

The mahogany box was filled with sparkling jewelry and gems.

"I'm no saint, but I won't let my wife suffer alongside me." He looked at me with clear, sincere eyes, tilting his chin up slightly. "No need to look so moved."

"It's fine. It's just... Rowan..."

"What?"

"Could you maybe go easier on me next time?"

This place was far from the Wolf King's palace, but news of Briar and Damien reached us every month. There were always stories of treasures he'd bought her, how he'd personally fastened her cloak, or how our parents had cooked her favorite dishes.

I ignored it all. The latest news was that she was pregnant. The doctor said it was a son, and the Wolf King was thrilled.

I sat in my chair and gently touched my own belly. Rowan treated me well, but the Ice Wolf pack had always valued sons over daughters. If I gave birth to a daughter, would he become like Damien?

Would he despise me, abandon me, or even kill me to marry someone new?

The thought made me shiver, and I secretly packed a small bag. It would be okay. I could survive on my own with my daughter.

"What are you doing?" Rowan had appeared behind me without warning, his gaze dark as he stared at the bag in my hands. "Planning to run?"

In that instant, I felt like prey being stalked by a predator, pinned in place by his stare. My lips trembled slightly as I quickly shook my head in denial. But he rose from his wheelchair and threw me onto the bed.

"Then, I haven't been doing my job as a husband."

I cried out in shock, staring at his legs. "Y-You can stand?"

"That's not what you should be worried about right now." He smirked and leaned over me.

"Rowan, don't." I grabbed his hand and pleaded softly, but he persisted, tearing at my clothes.

Tears of frustration fell one by one onto his hands. He paused and let go of me, sitting on the bed, looking confused. "Do you want to leave me that badly? Am I truly that awful?"

I froze, my eyelashes trembling. "Rowan, I'm pregnant."

He froze.

I lowered my head and continued, "It's a girl. I know your pack has never liked daughters, so please let me—"

Before I could finish, he swept me up in his arms. Rowan seemed to have gone crazy with happiness as he spun me around the room.

The spinning made me dizzy and annoyed, so I smacked him hard on the shoulder. He winced and stopped, staring at me without blinking.

"Hey, listen to me properly. I said I'm carrying a daughter."

"So what if it's a daughter? Wait, you're not cheating on me, are you?"

I clapped my hand over his mouth. "Don't be ridiculous! I was afraid you wouldn't want a daughter."

"I'll love any offspring you give me," he said.