Chapter 4

LEAH

The De Luca Tower stood like a jagged shard of obsidian against the city skyline, a monolith of power that seemed to drain the warmth from the air. As a wolf, I could feel the territorial aura long before I reached the front gates. The scent of the Midnight Eclipse pack was everywhere—heavy, dark, and smelling of power. It was the scent of predators who didn't just hunt; they dominated.

My hands were shaking so violently I had to grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I was walking into the lion’s den with nothing but a desperate lie and a prayer.

This was a mistake. A terrible mistake.

But after Bianca’s mocking laughter and my parents’ pitying eyes this morning, I had no other choice. If I didn’t prove my lie today, I would become the laughingstock of the entire pack.

The lobby was a world of cold marble and silent security. I walked up to the reception desk, my heart hammering against my ribs. The woman behind the desk looked at me with eyes that were unnervingly yellow. A wolf. A high-ranking one.

"I need to see Santos De Luca," I said, my voice sounding thin and fragile in the vast space.

The receptionist didn't even blink. "Mr. De Luca does not see anyone without a prior appointment, especially not members of the Silver Moon Pack. Please leave before security escorts you out."

"Tell him it’s Leah," I pressed, leaning over the desk. "Tell him the girl who said 'no' three years ago is here to say 'please.'"

The woman’s eyes narrowed. She tapped a few keys on her console, likely relaying the message to the top floor. I expected to be thrown out onto the pavement. Instead, her expression shifted from coldness to utter shock.

"The Alpha will see you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Top floor. Alone."

The elevator ride was the longest sixty seconds of my life. When the doors slid open, I was met with a wall of sheer power. The office was sprawling, encased in floor-to-ceiling glass that overlooked the entire territory. At the far end, silhouetted against the light, stood a man who looked less like a businessman and more like a god of war.

He hadn’t changed much in three years.

Santos De Luca didn't move. He stood with his back to me, his broad shoulders filling a bespoke charcoal suit that looked like it cost more than my father’s estate.

"The Silver Moon’s little princess," he rumbled. His voice was a low, dangerous vibration that made the fur on my arms stand up. "I wondered how long it would take for you to come crawling into my territory after the stunt you pulled this morning."

I froze. "You... you already know?"

Santos turned around slowly. He was devastatingly handsome, but it was a cruel beauty. His jaw was sharp enough to draw blood, and his eyes—dark, swirling vortexes of amber and gold—pinned me to the spot. He tossed a tablet onto the mahogany desk. It was a live feed of the Silver Moon social board.

My declaration about our engagement was the top trending topic.

"The news of our 'engagement' reached me ten minutes ago," Santos said, walking toward me with the slow, prowling grace of a Lycan. Each step felt like a drumbeat of doom. "Tell me, Leah. What possessed you to use my name to cover up your humiliation at the hands of that pathetic Beta?"

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like it was filled with glass. "Austin... he betrayed me. He used me. I was desperate. My family, the pack... they were laughing at me. I needed a shield."

"And you chose a volcano to shield you from a candle flame?" Santos stopped just inches from me. He was so tall I had to crane my neck back to look at him. The scent of him—smoke, leather, and something darkly masculine—overwhelmed my senses. "You rejected me three years ago, Leah. You told me I was too arrogant. Too ruthless. Too cruel to ever be worthy of you… You chose a boy over a King. And now that the boy has discarded you like cheap toy, you want me to play the part of your doting lover? My, how the tables turned.”

Heat flooded my face. I remembered that day clearly—how I had rejected his proposal because my foolish heart only wanted Austin. I had been polite but firm. Apparently, Santos had not forgotten a single word.

"I don't need you to love me," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I just need you to pretend. Just for a while. Until I can get my dignity back. Please, Santos. If you don't help me, I’m ruined. I’ll do anything.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Santos let out a let out a low, mocking laugh that sent a chill down my spine. He reached out, his gloved hand tilting my chin up so I was forced to meet his predatory gaze.

“Anything?” he repeated slowly. “Be careful with your words, little wolf. I don’t do favors. And I certainly don't play pretend for free."

My heart raced. “What do you want?”

"I will agree to this arrangement, Leah." He leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. "I will make the world believe you belong to me. I will make Austin crawl in the dirt for what he did to you."

A flicker of hope ignited in my chest, but it was quickly extinguished by the coldness in his next words.

"But in exchange," Santos murmured, his voice turning dark and transactional, "you will sign a contract. You won't just be my fake fiancée in public. For the duration of this lie, you will move into my mansion. You will be my personal servant, at my beck and call twenty-four hours a day. And most importantly..."

He pulled back, a sadistic smirk playing on his lips.

"Since the world thinks you are mine, you will bear my mark. Not a permanent mating bite, but a brand on your neck that tells every wolf in this country that you are the property of the Midnight Eclipse. You will be my pet, Leah. Do we have a deal?"

I stared at him, my heart stopping in horror. He wanted to brand me? To turn me into a servant in his house of monsters? It was a fate almost as bad as the humiliation I had fled from.

"You... you can't be serious," I breathed.

"I am never more serious than when I am claiming what is mine," Santos replied, his eyes glowing with a terrifying, golden light. "Decide now, little wolf. Do you want to be a laughingstock for a Beta, or a queen in chains for a King?"

I clenched my fists at my sides. Every instinct told me to walk away. But then I remembered Bianca’s mocking laugh, the pity in my parents’ eyes, and the way Austin had tossed me aside like I was nothing.

I had no choice.

"I accept,” I said through gritted teeth.

Santos smiled–slow, dark, and satisfied.

"Good girl.”

He walked back to his desk and leaned against it, crossing his arms.

"Tonight. My penthouse. Eight o’clock sharp. Don’t be late.”

I blinked. “Tonight?”

"Yes. If you can’t even follow a simple instruction, then our deal is already dead."

He gave me one last look, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous.

"Run along now, little liar. You have a lot of pretending to prepare for.”

I turned and left his office on shaky legs, my pride in pieces and my future now completely in the hands of a man who clearly enjoyed watching me suffer.

As the elevator doors closed, one terrifying thought kept repeating in my mind:

What have I just agreed to?