Celeste's eyes brimmed over, and she wept aloud. "Only because Celeste had to observe three years of mourning for her late father and could not take a mate during that time. That is the only reason it has been delayed. Celeste's virtue is beyond reproach. I am not that kind of she-wolf."
"Why must you humiliate me, my lady? Is it simply because I come from a lesser pack that I must be a she-wolf of loose morals? What do you take common wolves like us for?"
"She's right. This is too much."
"Just because she's the heir's bonded mate, she thinks she can look down on everyone?"
"So high and mighty, and she can't even carry a single pup. The heir ought to sever the bond and be done with it."
The crowd's mood shifted, fed by Celeste's words, turning hostile toward me. Wolves always resented those of ancient bloodline. Now that someone had made this about high-born versus common, they were all too eager to see the privileged brought low.