My Mysterious Serpent Wife

My adopted brother made a name for himself during the potion competition by using a potion he had stolen from me.

No one expected the competition to be a ruse, but it turned out to be a scheme to find a husband for the serpent clan's youngest princess. She was born barren, cruel, and hideous.

That very night, the serpent clan delivered a marriage contract, demanding that the creator of the potion take the princess as his wife.

When my fiancée heard the news, she panicked and bonded with my adopted brother on the spot.

After sealing their bond, he lifted his shirt, proudly showing me the wolf mark carved into his back.

"Your fiancée's mine now, bro. What are you going to do? You'll turn twenty-five in three days. If no one marries you by then, you'll be randomly matched to one of those older, violent nomad beastwomen."

He was wrong. I still had one choice left.

I found my parents in the front hall, once again cleaning up the mess he had made.

"If he won't marry the serpent princess," I said, "then I will."

My words hit everyone like a bolt of lightning, freezing my dad's hand in mid-air as he clutched the marriage paper.

My mom's eyes popped, and her tail fluffed up. "James, are you crazy? Chloe is mean, ugly, and can't have kids. People say that when she loses it, she can come close to ripping your throat out. Marrying her is like jumping into hell!"

Before I could say anything, my dad cleared his throat.

"If he doesn't marry her, what about Hank? He's already magically bonded with Rowena..."

My mom looked torn for a second, then let go of my hand.

My heart froze over. I was their biological son, but they always took the side of my foster brother, Hank Morris, who was good at acting sweet and helpless.

I smirked. "I'll do it, but on one condition: on my wedding day, Hank has to tell everyone he stole my potion."

"How could you? You just want to ruin your brother's reputation!" Dad was so mad he smacked the table, and Mom just looked at me, so disappointed.

I just smiled slyly.

"The one the serpent clan's young princess wants to marry is the beastman who made that potion. Reputation or happiness, your choice!"

In the end, they all gave in for Hank's sake.

I did not think twice before I turned and walked away. However, in the hallway, I ran into Rowena Carter leaving Hank's room.

She was in a bathrobe. There were tell-tale red marks on her chest and the overpowering smell of Hank's cologne all over her.

They had clearly been wrapped up in each other for days.

Rowena saw me pinch my nose and try to leave, so she quickly blocked my way.

"James, I know you're upset, but I had to do this to save Hank. The serpent clan has a strong possessiveness. Bonding with Hank