KAEL'S POV
MINE.
Shadow's voice exploded in my head the second I saw her. My wolf clawed at my mind, desperate to claim her, to mark her, to make everyone know she belonged to us.
I crushed the instinct with iron control.
"Shut up," I snarled internally. "She's wolfless."
SHE IS OURS! The bond is real!
The mate bond burned in my chest—hot and demanding and absolutely wrong. This couldn't be happening. Not with the pack barely holding together after Dad's murder two years ago.
A wolfless Luna would destroy everything I'd built.
"Alpha," Marcus appeared beside me. "That was the mate bond. Everyone saw it."
"I know." I kept my face blank. The skill I'd learned after Dad died and the entire pack looked to me—a twenty-year-old kid—to lead them.
Show weakness and they'd tear you apart.
"The Blackwood girl is wolfless," Marcus continued. "The other Alphas will see this as—"
"Weakness. I know." My jaw clenched. "Get Richard Grant on the phone."
Marcus's eyes widened. "You're going to reject the bond?"
"Rejecting a witnessed bond would cause war. The Blackwoods would demand blood compensation." I started walking. "But there are other ways to control this."
Control everything or lose everything. Dad had loved Mom too much. Let emotion cloud his judgment. The Nightshade Pack had exploited that weakness, killing both my parents.
Mom died because Dad loved her too much to leave her behind.
I wouldn't make that mistake.
She's our MATE! Shadow howled.
"Watch me."
I reached my office and called Richard. "I need options for a witnessed mate bond with an unsuitable partner. Can it be structured as a contract marriage?"
Silence. Then, "Unconventional. But yes. Three to five years is standard for political alliances."
"Good. Draft something immediately—"
I stopped. Sera stood outside my door. I could sense her through the bond, feel her anxiety.
She'd heard me call her a "disaster."
Good. Better she understood from the start.
"Come in, Sera," I called. "Let's discuss your future."
She entered looking small and scared. The bond pulled at me, demanding I comfort her.
I shoved the feeling down deep.
She sat across from my desk, hands trembling. Up close, I could see she'd been crying. Those violet eyes were red-rimmed and desperate.
Don't hurt her, Shadow begged.
I ignored him.
"I'm going to be direct," I said coldly. "The mate bond between us is real. Unfortunately, it's also a problem."
She flinched. "A problem?"
"You're wolfless. I'm the Alpha of the strongest pack in the region. A weak Luna makes us vulnerable." I watched her face crumble. "However, breaking a witnessed bond would cause political complications I don't need."
"So what are you saying?"
"I'm offering you a contract marriage." I pulled out the template Richard had sent months ago. "We'll marry publicly to satisfy pack law. You'll act as Luna in public. After three years, we'll divorce quietly. You'll receive five million dollars."
"A contract?" She looked confused. "But we're mates—"
"The Moon Goddess made a mistake." The words came out harsh. "You can't shift. You can't defend yourself. You can't produce strong heirs. But the bond exists, so we'll work around it."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Three years and then what?"
"Then you disappear. The bond will fade. We both move on."
NO! This is wrong!
I blocked Shadow out. This was the only way.
Sera picked up the contract with shaking hands. "You don't want to try? To see if—"
"Love?" I almost laughed. "Love is weakness. My father loved my mother, and it got them both killed. I won't make that mistake."
"But the mate bond—"
"Is a biological reaction. Nothing more." I stood. "You have twenty-four hours to decide. Sign and have a comfortable life for three years. Refuse, and I'll reject the bond publicly. Your choice."
The rejection would hurt her badly. Might kill a wolfless wolf. But I couldn't afford to care.
"Marcus will take you home," I said, moving toward the door.
"Wait." Her voice stopped me. "If I sign... will you at least try to be kind?"
Kind. She wanted kindness from the man buying her like property.
"I'll be fair," I said. "That's the best I can offer."
I left her there, looking like her world had ended.
You're a monster, Shadow whispered.
Maybe. But monsters kept their packs safe.
I made it halfway down the hall before my phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:
She's pretty, your little mate. Shame if something happened to her before you claim her. The Nightshade Pack hasn't forgotten. We'll be watching.
Ice flooded my veins.
The pack that killed my parents was threatening Sera.
And she had no wolf to protect herself.