CHAPTER 3

MARTHA

I had not expected this handsome stranger to stand up for me. He defended me and chose me over the five beautiful women arranged for him.

I had only arrived here to see if I could get money by selling my body.

Tolu, my best friend, had told me that I could get money by sleeping with a stranger, as the money I earned working for Silver's Restaurant wasn't much.

My heart raced in my chest as the formidable man scooped me into his arms. His masculine scent of wood filled my nostrils, and his well-sculpted features made me uncomfortable.

I had not been eating well due to my stepmother's brutality, especially since my father's death.

I lost weight because I had to work to take care of my needs, and I was only living in the house with Sandra and Elena.

They cooked without feeding me. They spent my father's hard-earned money without caring about my needs.

I had to work to sponsor my meals and to ensure that I completed my studies in business management at the university.

I couldn't challenge Sandra, and I was hoping that by the time I graduated, I would have a better job to challenge her and take what was rightfully mine.

After all, Sandra had to explain Mark's comments regarding my father's will.

"Are you scared of me?" The formidable man asked me after he placed me on the bed.

If I said that I was not afraid, that would be a lie, because he towered above me, and I could barely reach his shoulder.

My head reached only his chest, and he peered down at me like a predator scrutinizing its prey.

"No… I am not scared of you," I lied, and he laughed and reached for his shirt buttons to strip it off.

"You do not have to be scared. Though I am like you, so why should you be scared? I have human features, don't I?" He asked me, his brows raised in a question as he regarded me and flexed his muscular arms.

I gulped hard, wondering what he meant by saying he had human features like me.

"Yeah. You're handsome," I replied bashfully and avoided his golden eyes.

"You should have your bath. I am a clean freak. So will you like to bathe first, or should I bathe first? What drink do you want?" He asked as he stripped off his black shirt and revealed his tattooed chest to my view.

My eyes widened when I saw the wolf head tattoo on his chest and the several marks like claws and scars on his body.

Seeing that my eyes were fixed on his chest, the man smiled and said, "Admiring my tattoos, right?"

"Yeah. Are you a warrior? Doesn't this big tattoo hurt?" I asked him, knowing that it was wrong to pry into a stranger's life. We were only spending a night together, and I didn't need to ask him who he was.

"Yeah. It's a tribal tattoo. I am from the Dark Mountain Pack," he replied, and I saw his eyes glow, and I didn't know if I was hallucinating at that moment.

"Dark Mountain Pack? I heard the pack has real wolves living there, and we were warned not to cross the river and mountain to that territory. Are you a werewolf?" I asked him, my eyes wide in shock.

Even though I didn't pay attention to the news, it was rumored that real werewolves resided on the other side of the city. But many of us were afraid to travel to that area.

Who wanted to uncover the truth about werewolves? The thought of being in a room with a real werewolf made me anxious.

I rose from the bed to dart out, but he caught my left wrist and pulled me to his tall, muscular frame.

"Are you scared of me?" He asked, his eyes narrowed with a sinister glint.

"No. I am not just uncomfortable. Your tribal tattoo and the fact that you said you are from the Dark Mountain Pack," I replied, my lips trembling. He raised his right hand and used it to touch my long blonde hair.

"I haven't seen a beautiful woman like you before. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a real moon goddess?" he teased me, and my cheeks flushed at his remark and his closeness.

"No. I am human. I am not a goddess or whatever you said," I replied, thinking he was just complimenting me and wasn't really from a pack of wolves.

Or was I overthinking it?

Was he really a werewolf?

"You don't have to be scared of me. I like you, and I will pay you one million. What do you say?" He offered, and my jaw dropped.

"One million…" My lips trembled as my ears flamed red.

"Will you really offer me that amount?" I asked him as he stepped away from me to remove his trouser belt.

"I do not promise what I cannot offer. If you perform well, I can double the amount. So the choice is yours," he said when he pulled off his belt and let his trousers fall.

They fell off, revealing his long, muscular, hairy legs.

I swallowed hard as my eyes unashamedly traced his tall frame from his feet and up to his crotch.

I gulped again.

Even though he hadn't removed his boxers, the massive size of his crotch made me tremble.

My knees buckled as I staggered backward.

"Will that thing fit in me? I do not think I can take you, sir," I replied, trembling before him.

Before I could run to the door and exit the room, he captured my hand and slammed me against the wall.

"Do not test my patience. You saw the other women who were offered to me, but I rejected them for you. Why can't you be a good girl and please me? Fine, I will pay you three million. Will that be enough?" He asked, his deep, husky voice filling my ear as his hot breath brushed my cheek and sent shivers crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

"Um, okay. I will try," I replied anxiously, and he released me.

"Strip," he ordered as he moved back and stepped away from me.

My mind raced with what I could do with the three million.

First, I would be able to get my evil stepmother arrested and investigate my father's file to know the actual cause of his death and to take over his company, which Sandra and Elena had stolen.

"Alright," I replied and reached to remove his black coat.

He lit a cigarette as he moved to sit in the room.

Once my hands reached the hem of the black coat, I took it off slowly and carefully from my shoulders.

The thickness of the coat made me realize it would be expensive as the cold air blew against at my skin.

I stood before the black, formidable man in my orange pants and bra.

"Go have your bath and come out wearing nothing except a towel. Hurry up," he dismissed me, his golden eyes locked on mine, and I gulped down my anxiety.

"Alright." My legs quickly bolted to the bathroom door, and I shut it as soon as I stepped inside.

The bathroom was furnished with a medium sided bathtub and shower faucet.

There were free sponges and soaps in the bathroom to use.

Knowing that I couldn't keep the man waiting before he changed his mind, my hands hurriedly unpacked a new sponge, and I swiftly switched on the shower and bathed as thunder struck in the sky.

I knew that my fate was already sealed to sell myself.

I prayed to God for forgiveness of my sins as I finished my bath and stepped out of the bathroom to find the man still seated on a single chair in the room, but he was on a phone call.