My Terms

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

He sat across from me, his expression thoughtful, as though he understood that my question wasn’t something he could dismiss with a charming smile or a promise to make me happy. I needed to know what he expected from this arrangement before I could even consider accepting it.

“I want you to be my wife,” he finally said. “I want you and the baby to be safe, and I want the opportunity to be part of your lives. I also want to see where things between us could lead without forcing either of us into a relationship we’re not ready for.”

I studied him carefully.

“And the mate bond?”

“It doesn’t change what I’ve told you. My wolf recognizes you as my mate, and I won’t pretend that feeling isn’t important to me. But I won’t demand that you love me because of it.”

“Good, because I can’t promise you that.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

His answer was reassuring, but I had learned that good intentions meant very little without clear expectations. If I agreed to marry him, I needed more than the assurance that he wouldn’t become another Adrian. I needed to know that I could protect myself if his promises eventually became difficult for him to keep.

I reached for the notebook on the table and opened it to a blank page.

Kael glanced at it. “What are you doing?”

“Making a list.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Of course you are.”

“Don’t sound so surprised. If we’re discussing a contract marriage, we should probably have a contract worth signing.”

This time, he smiled, and the brief change in his expression made him look younger than usual. It was a small reminder that I still knew very little about the man sitting across from me.

I lowered my eyes to the page.

“First, my finances.”

“All right.”

“I want my own bank accounts, and I want to keep control of whatever money I earn. I don’t want to ask you for permission to buy something, and I don’t want you monitoring my spending because you think you’re responsible for me.”

Kael nodded. “Your money remains yours. Anything you earn, inherit, or receive independently will stay under your control.”

“And I won’t be expected to live on an allowance.”

“No allowance.”

I looked up to make sure he understood how important that was.

“I mean it, Kael. I’m not interested in being a woman who has to explain every expense to her husband. If we agree to share certain household costs, we can put that in writing, but I won’t have to come to you every time I need something.”

“Then we’ll include that in the agreement.”

I wrote it down.

The second condition was even more important to me.

“My career.”

Kael’s expression became attentive.

“I gave up my plans to study medicine because I believed supporting Adrian was what a good wife should do. I don’t want to look back in another seven years and realize I’ve abandoned myself again.”

“What would you like to do now?”

“I haven’t figured out every detail yet. I need to look at my options, speak to the right people, and decide whether I can return to that path. But whatever I choose, I want the freedom to pursue it.”

“You’ll have it.”

I paused, pen hovering over the paper.

“You won’t expect me to spend all my time at home because I’m your wife?”

“No.”

“And if my work requires me to travel, attend classes, or spend long hours away from home?”

“We’ll discuss any practical arrangements that affect both of us, but I won’t forbid you from working.”

I wrote that down, too.

The ease with which he agreed made me cautious rather than comfortable. Perhaps he genuinely understood what I was asking for. Perhaps he was so accustomed to getting what he wanted that he didn’t yet realize how much these promises might require from him.

Either way, I intended to make sure the contract was clear.

“Third, my personal freedom. I won’t ask permission to see my friends, visit places, or spend time doing things I enjoy. I won’t accept a husband who expects to know my every movement simply because he has the power to find out.”

Kael leaned back in his chair.

“I would want to know you’re safe.”

“That’s understandable. But there’s a difference between asking whether I’m safe and expecting me to report every step I take.”

“I agree.”

“If I tell you I’m going somewhere, it’s because I want to tell you, not because I’m afraid of what you’ll do if I don’t.”

He considered my words before nodding.

“Then that’s what we’ll put in the contract.”

I wrote the third condition and moved to the next.

“Fourth, decisions about the baby.”

His expression changed slightly at the mention of our child, and I felt my own attention sharpen. This was the part I expected to be difficult, because I knew Kael wanted to be involved and his instincts might make it hard for him to accept that he couldn’t control every risk.

“I want you involved,” I said. “I want you to attend appointments if we both agree, to be present when important decisions need to be made, and to build a relationship with your child. But I won’t have you treating me like I’m incapable of making decisions about my own body.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“You might not intend to, but intentions aren’t enough. If a doctor recommends something for my health, I need you to respect that my opinion matters. You can ask questions, express concerns, and tell me what worries you, but you don’t get to make the final decision for me.”

Kael’s jaw tightened briefly. I could almost see his instincts pushing him to argue, especially when the subject involved the child. Then he took a slow breath.

“You’re right. I can support you without taking control.”

I held his gaze for another moment before adding the condition to my list.

“And if we disagree about something involving the baby, we discuss it properly. No threats, no using your Alpha authority to make me obey, and no bringing your pack into our personal disagreements.”

“Agreed.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

There was one final matter I needed to settle before I could take his proposal seriously.

“What about our relationship?”

Kael looked at me expectantly.

“I don’t want you pretending we’re in love when we’re not. I won’t promise affection on demand, and you won’t use the mate bond to pressure me into physical intimacy. If we become closer, it will happen because we both want it.”

His gaze held mine, and something in his expression softened.

“I wouldn’t want you to touch me because you felt obligated to.”

“Good. Because I won’t.”

“I want you to choose me, Sera. I don’t want you to feel trapped with me.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. The words reached a part of me I had tried to keep guarded since leaving Adrian. I wanted to believe that Kael meant them, but I couldn’t let the possibility of a better relationship distract me from protecting the life I was trying to rebuild.

I lowered my eyes to the notebook and reviewed what I had written.

Financial independence. Career freedom. Personal freedom. Equal consideration in decisions about the baby. No forced affection and no expectation that the mate bond would automatically create love.

It was a reasonable beginning.

“These conditions will have to be included in a written contract,” I said. “And I want a lawyer to review it before I sign anything. My lawyer, not someone you choose to represent both of us.”

“Of course.”

“I also want the freedom to leave the marriage if the arrangement becomes harmful to me or if either of us decides it isn’t working. We’ll need to discuss the legal details properly, especially because of the baby, but I won’t agree to something that gives you the power to keep me trapped.”

Kael’s expression grew serious.

“I won’t keep you trapped in a marriage.”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem putting that in writing.”

“I don’t.”

I looked at him, searching for any sign that his patience was beginning to wear thin. Instead, he reached across the table, stopped before touching my hand, and waited until I looked at him again.

“I agree to your terms, Sera. All of them. We’ll have the contract drafted properly, and you can have your lawyer review every word. If there’s something you don’t agree with, we’ll discuss it before anything is signed.”

I hadn’t expected the relief that followed. I had prepared myself to argue over every condition, to defend each request as though wanting independence made me unreasonable. Yet Kael had listened and accepted the boundaries I needed.

It didn’t mean I trusted him completely, but it gave me a reason to consider the possibility that this arrangement could be different.

I closed the notebook.

“Then I’ll consider your proposal.”

A faint smile touched his face. “I’ll take that as progress.”

“Don’t get too excited. I haven’t agreed to marry you yet.”

“I’m aware.”

“And I’m serious about the contract.”

“So am I.”

I stood and walked toward the window, needing a moment to think. Outside, the afternoon sun had begun to fade, casting long shadows across the street. I had arrived at the hotel believing my marriage was over and my immediate task was to figure out what came next. Now I was considering becoming the wife of a man I had known for only a few days, carrying his child while still trying to understand the bond that connected us.

It was a lot to take in.

But there was one more condition I hadn’t written down.

I turned to face him.

“If I agree to this, I won’t be your secret wife.”

Kael’s expression became still.

I held his gaze, refusing to let uncertainty weaken my voice.

“If we’re going to marry, our relationship cannot be hidden away while everyone else decides what I am to you. I won’t be treated like a mistake or a private arrangement you’re embarrassed to acknowledge.”

He rose slowly from his chair.

“You’re not a mistake, Sera.”

“Then prove it. If we marry, I want you to acknowledge me publicly as your wife, and I want the truth presented in a way that protects my dignity. No one gets to introduce me as a woman you took from your brother, and no one gets to make me look like I had to be rescued.”

For several seconds, Kael said nothing.

Then he met my eyes and asked, “Are you ready for what people will say when they learn you’re marrying Adrian’s older brother?”