Chapter 3: A Dangerous Offer

Chapter 3: A Dangerous Offer

(Daryl’s POV)

"What did you just say?" Ciara asked, stepping closer to me.

I swallowed hard, meeting her gaze. She was staring at me like I had lost my damn mind.

"For twenty million dollars, I want you to marry me, Ciara," I said.

She broke into a small laugh, "What the hell is wrong with you? We met last night, had hot sèx, and now—"

I cut into her words, "Ciara, I haven't met you before now, yet you insist that we were together last night. So, let's make this work for both of us."

"Okay?" She eyed me.

"I want you to attend three family events as my fake fiancée with me this Christmas. Smile, play the part, and by the first week of the new year, you walk away with a generous sum. We never see each other again." I replied with a smirk. She looked away immediately.

She looked away.

That was a good sign, so I decided to let the silence work in my favor, giving her time to think. Then, suddenly, her eyes flashed as she turned back to me.

"Why are you pretending you didn’t have sex with me last night?" she snapped.

I stiffened. She didn’t sound confused—she sounded pissed.

I let out a sharp breath. "I didn't have sex with you."

Her nostrils flared, and she jabbed a finger at me. "Stop saying that."

"I wasn’t here last night," I lied. I was here at the club, had been for the last three nights, desperately searching for someone—anyone—I could take home as my fake fiancée.

"Yes, you were!" Her voice rose slightly. "You were all over me last night, and now you’re just—what? Pretending I don’t exist?"

"I don’t know who you were with, but it definitely wasn’t me." I clenched my jaw.

"You’re lying."

I forced my voice to stay even. "Are you sure you were with me? Maybe you had too much to drink."

She hesitated. For a moment, she looked lost, unsure of herself. Almost made me feel bad. Almost. But it couldn’t have been me. There was only one other person it could have been.

Damon. My twin brother.

My stomach twisted at the thought.

No way. That wasn’t possible. Damon had been at the packhouse last night. He hated human gatherings, and a club in a human-infested city? The last place he’d ever go.

Which meant... what? That she’d been with someone who just looked like me?

Or was she lying? She had to be lying.

Ciara let out a slow, shaky breath. "I don’t understand."

I kept my expression blank. "I wasn’t with you last night. You were probably with someone else."

I watched her jaw clench, but she didn’t argue. She was still angry, but now, doubt flickered across her face.

Another good sign!

The last thing I needed was some random woman causing problems I didn’t have time for. Then, as if my night wasn’t already complicated enough, my wolf stirred.

A slow, restless shift inside me.

I froze.

That wasn’t normal.

Orion—my wolf—was quiet, almost detached. He rarely reacted to anything. Especially not women.

And yet, the moment I bumped into Ciara, he lifted his head.

I didn’t like that. So, before it could get worse, I buried the feeling and locked Orion down.

"We should go," I said, pulling out my phone to text my driver. "You have a contract to sign."

She didn’t move immediately. Instead, she just stood there, watching me as I walked away.

"Meet me outside," I called over my shoulder.

The drive to my estate was silent. I noticed Ciara sneaking glances at me, but I didn’t acknowledge them. My mind was already occupied with what came next.

Alaric, my Beta, was going to give me hell for this. He was my childhood friend, the only one suited to be my Beta, yet sometimes he spoke to me as if he were my older brother. I already knew exactly what he’d say when he saw Ciara. He’d know immediately that she was human.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I should have sniffed out a she-wolf at the club. Found a random werewolf from another pack. Someone who understood what being part of a pack meant. Someone worthy of playing my fake fiancée.

Instead, I had dragged a human into our world. And not just any human—one who was already getting curious about me. Now, I had to make sure she didn’t get too close to the truth.

As we arrived, the iron gates swung open, revealing the sprawling estate behind them. It was one of my inheritances from my great-grandfather, who had controlled multiple estates in New York. I only stayed here when I wanted to blend in with the humans.

Ciara shifted beside me. "This is your house?"

I nodded without a word.

She let out a low whistle. "I guess money really does buy everything."

I didn’t respond. Instead, I looked out the window as the car pulled into the driveway.

Alaric stood by the door, arms crossed, a frown already settling on his face.

"Good evening, Boss Daryl," Alaric greeted, his sharp gaze raking over Ciara.

"Alaric, I’ll be with you in a minute," I said, grabbing Ciara’s wrist and pulling her along.

I didn’t spare him another glance. He knew better than to tell me how much of a mistake I was making—at least, not in front of her.

I led Ciara down the hall to a small guest room.

"You’ll stay here tonight. The staff will attend to you. Tomorrow, you’ll sign the contract, and we’ll leave for my hometown."

I turned to leave when she spoke.

"Daryl?"

I froze. It was the first time she had said my name.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Orion stirred again inside me, and I clenched my fists. "Just make sure you don’t mess this up," I said, leaving immediately.

The moment I shut the door behind me, Alaric grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall.

"Alpha, I mean no disrespect, but you were supposed to bring home one of our kind. That woman is human!"

I shook him off. "Let me handle this my way."

He raked a hand through his hair, sighing sharply. "Do you even know what you’re doing?"

"Yes."

He gave me a hard look. "Daryl, if the pack finds out you chose a human over one of our own—"

"They won’t. And if they do? Who cares?" I shrugged. "She’s temporary. This is just to get them off my back."

Alaric didn’t seem convinced. Disappointment flickered in his eyes. Then, his voice dropped. "What if she finds out what we are?"

I clenched my jaw. Ciara was already a risk. Humans always messed things up for people like me.

"This will be fine," I said, though even I wasn’t sure I believed it. "She’ll sign the contract tomorrow morning. And she won’t mess this up."

Alaric muttered something under his breath but didn’t argue.

Then, from behind me—

"What are you two whispering about?"

I spun around to see Ciara standing outside her room, arms crossed. And then, she asked the question I had been dreading—

"Is there something I need to know about you, Daryl?"

Damn it. She was already asking questions.