Chapter 4

Theron’s POV:

"It's a contract to become my Luna for two years," I replied, and her gaze dropped to the envelope in her hands.

The very day I met her, I already knew that Freya was the perfect candidate. And when she vanished after spending the night with me, I searched the hotel logs and asked the manager.

Only to discover that she'd called in sick after a meal we shared. Allergic reaction.

Bullshit! I had known shame before.

I had seen it in the eyes of women who'd spent the night with me and regretted it by morning. Still, I played along and told the manager to give her the day off.

"Why would you want a fake Luna?" She finally asked.

I smiled and leaned back against the pool chair. "I've been divorced for years, and now the Elders won't leave me alone. They want a Luna to manage the Pack Affairs. I replied. “This is... just to keep them at bay."

Her eyes narrowed, and she flipped open the envelope like it might bite. "But the contract says two years. What happens after that? You pick another woman and keep on rotating every two years?"

God, she was sharper than I thought.

I shook my head. "I'm just buying time until I find my fated mate."

That shut her up. But not in the way I'd expected. Most women would jump at the opportunity to live like royalty for two years. But she just… went quiet.

That’s when it hit me. Someone had hurt her recently, and if this thing between us had any chance of working, I couldn’t bulldoze my way through her walls.

I cleared my throat. “You have three days to think about it, no pressure.”

But she surprised me again.

“One day!” She declared, standing up with the envelope pressed to her chest. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

And true to her word, she came back the next morning wearing jeans and a faded blouse, looking like she hadn't slept but had made up her mind.

She handed me the envelope without a word.

I tore it open, scanning for her signature, and to my surprise, it was there in a slanted cursive at the bottom of the last page.

"You signed it," I said, more surprised than I wanted to show.

She nodded, but her posture was stiff. "How do I tell my boss I'm quitting without getting blacklisted?"

"I’ll take care of it,” I said simply. "Go home, pack, and I’ll come get you in a few hours."

She hesitated. "Do you want my number?"

I looked her dead in the eyes and said, "I'll find you."

She stared at me like I had grown a second head, but eventually, she turned around and walked away.

I took a quick shower, dressed, and called Benson, my guard. "Have the drivers and guards get the cars ready. We leave in an hour. Also, come help me with my bags."

He arrived fast, as usual.

Benson had just zipped up the last of my suitcase when my phone buzzed on the dresser. It was a call from Gideon, my Beta.

"Did she sign it?" He asked impatiently as soon as I accepted the call.

I smirked, eyes flicking toward the sealed contract on the table. "She did.”

There was a pause, then an exhale. "You're playing with fire, Theron. You do realize that?"

I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I grabbed my cologne, sprayed twice, and watched the mist drift like smoke in the mirror.

"She's just a temporary Luna," I said eventually.

Gideon wasn’t buying it. "The Elders already think this is damage control. After everything with Kaiden… bringing her in this fast? You sure you want to parade her around like this?"

I snapped the cologne bottle shut and picked up my jacket. "Watch me."

Then I turned to Benson. "Let’s move."

We left the room, checked out, and then I got into the lead car with just my driver while Benson and the guards followed in the SUVs behind.

Freya’s address was easy to find because I had gotten it from the manager himself. When they arrived, I stayed in the car while Benson went up.

Minutes passed before they appeared.

Freya was dragging a suitcase that looked older than her. She handed it off to Benson without a word and climbed into the car beside me.

She stared out the window the entire ride back to the Packhouse. And when we arrived, I stepped out first. The driver opened her door, and she followed, hesitating for a breath before setting foot on Pack lands.

"Benson," I called. "Take her to her room and have a maid assigned to her."

Benson nodded, and I walked inside alone.

I went straight to my study because I already knew that Gideon, my Beta, would be there. And sure enough, he was at my desk, flipping through reports like the overachieving bastard he was.

I didn’t say anything at first. Just walked to the wine cabinet, pulled out a bottle of champagne, and poured myself a generous glass, then I took it to the couch and settled in.

Gideon didn’t even look up. “Did you bring her?”

I nodded, staring at the ceiling as I took another sip.

He glanced up from the papers. “When are you going to tell her?”

I didn’t answer right away.

He tried again. “Theron… She's your mate. Are you planning on playing the long game?”

I scoffed. “Do you want me to sit her down and tell her that I divorced my ex after finding out Kaiden wasn’t my son? That I spent years looking for my fated mate, and when I finally found her… I tricked her into signing a contract so I could use her to shut the Elders up and hopefully convince her to bear me an heir?”

Silence.

Exactly.

“I’m protecting her,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.

After a few seconds of silence, Gideon cleared his throat. “Speaking of Kaiden… I got word that he's arriving tonight, with his fiancée.”