The Alpha's Bargain
A single rose can bind two fates forever.
When her family’s fortunes crumble, Catherine never imagines her father’s desperation will lead him to barter her freedom. Promised as payment to the reclusive Lord Kieran—master of a castle steeped in legend and whispered curses—she is thrust into a world of shadows, secrets, and a predator’s gaze that both terrifies and captivates her.
Kieran is more than a man; he is a wolf bound by an ancient curse, his life ruled by the prophecy: The rose will bring her. Catherine’s arrival is no accident—it is destiny. But claiming her means awakening a dangerous magic neither of them fully understands, one that threatens to unravel the fragile truce between man and beast.
As moonlight sharpens the edge between desire and danger, Catherine must navigate the perilous game of a lord who guards both his heart and his curse with deadly resolve. In a place where every shadow hides a secret, every glance is a test, and love itself may be the deadliest bargain of all—one question remains:
Will the rose bind them together… or doom them both?
Perfect for fans of dark fairy-tale retellings, shifter romance, and gothic intrigue.
อ่าน
Chapter: The Bedroom & the Rules Part 3The silence that followed stretched between us like a blade. In those two words—you won't—I heard everything he'd been too careful to say directly. This wasn't hospitality. This wasn't even a business arrangement between civilized people.This was captivity, however elegantly disguised.Say something, I commanded myself. Challenge him, defy him, make it clear that you won't be cowed by pretty threats.But what could I say that wouldn't make my situation worse? What argument could I make that would change the fundamental reality of my powerlessness here?"I understand," I said finally, the words feeling like swallowing glass.I understand that you're holding me prisoner while pretending to offer me freedom.I understand that my family's survival depends on my compliance with rules I'm not allowed to question.I understand that you have the power to enforce your will, and I have none to r
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-08-25
Chapter: The Bedroom & the Rules Part 2I was examining the contents of the wardrobe—dresses in my size, in colors that complemented my complexion, in styles that suggested someone had been paying very close attention to my preferences—when the knock came."Come in," I called, though I remained where I was, running silk fabric between my fingers and trying to calculate how much such garments would have cost. More than Father had seen in months, certainly. Possibly more than he'd earned in years during the height of our prosperity.What does he want from me that's worth this kind of investment?The door opened with the quiet precision of well-maintained hinges, and I turned to find Kieran MacAllister filling the doorway like he owned not just the castle but the very air within it.He looked different in daylight—less mysterious, perhaps, but no less imposing. The golden eyes that had seemed supernatural in torchlight were simply unusual now, though they carried the same intensity that m
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-08-25
Chapter: The Bedroom & the Rules Part 1Catherine -I woke to the sound of voices in the corridor—hushed, urgent conversations that carried the particular tension of servants receiving orders they didn't entirely understand. After a night spent on the narrow bed in that stone cell, my body protested every movement, joints stiff from sleeping on a mattress that felt more like penance than comfort.How long was I meant to stay there? I wondered. Days? Weeks? Until I learned to be grateful for whatever scraps of courtesy Lord MacAllister chose to offer?The lock turned with a sound that had become familiar overnight—heavy iron mechanisms that spoke of age and purpose and the kind of security that wasn't meant to be bypassed. I sat up on the bed, smoothing my skirts and trying to arrange my features into something approaching composure.Don't let them see fear, I reminded myself. Whatever's happening, don't let them see weakness.The door opened to reveal
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Regret & Conflict Part 3"Do you?" Lucas pressed. "Because from where I stand, it looks like you're preparing to repeat the same mistakes. Using force where persuasion should suffice, demanding loyalty without offering reasons to give it freely."The same mistakes. The phrase cut deeper than I wanted to admit, because there were parallels I'd been trying to ignore. The way I'd isolated Catherine, the way I'd used her family's desperation as leverage, the way I'd imprisoned her rather than trust her with truth.But she's not Lydia, I insisted silently. She doesn't have Lydia's capacity for cruelty, her willingness to destroy others for personal gain."Lydia chose her path," I said aloud. "Catherine... Catherine is here because she had no choice.""Exactly." Lucas's voice carried satisfaction, as if I'd finally grasped a point he'd been trying to make. "She's here because circumstances forced her hand, not because she wants to be. And treating her like a
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Regret & Conflict Part 2"She doesn't understand what she's gotten herself into," I said, hearing the defensive edge in my own voice. "If she knew what I really was, what this place really is—""She'd run." Lucas's interruption was sharp, unforgiving. "Of course she'd run. Any sane person would run from a man who imprisons women in dungeons and calls it protection."Any sane person. The phrase stung more than it should have, carrying implications I didn't want to examine. Because if sanity meant fleeing from what I represented, what did that make Catherine's presence here? What did it say about the bargain her father had struck, the circumstances that had made such an arrangement seem preferable to alternatives?"Her father understood the necessity," I said, though the words felt like ash in my mouth."Her father was terrified," Lucas corrected. "Desperate enough to trade his daughter for gold and too frightened to refuse whatever terms you set. That's not understanding—
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Regret & Conflict Part 1Kieran -The brandy burned going down, but not nearly enough to silence the voice in my head that kept cataloguing my failures. I sat in my study, the same room where I'd held Catherine's stolen rose like a talisman, and tried to convince myself that I'd done what was necessary.She's safe, I told myself. Protected. The cell will keep her contained until the full moon passes.But safety felt like a thin justification when I could still smell her fear clinging to the air hours after she'd been escorted below. Could still see the way her spine had straightened when she realized the beautiful chambers had been a lie. Could still hear the careful politeness in her voice as she'd thanked me for hospitality I had no intention of providing.Coward, my conscience whispered. You couldn't even tell her the truth yourself.No, I'd left that task to servants who knew better than to question orders, no matter how distasteful.
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-08-25
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