Chapter 2: The Devil’s Contract

I must have lost my mind.

That was the only logical explanation for why I was currently sitting in the back of a sleek, black SUV with heavily tinted windows, speeding away from the Icefang pack lands I had called home for eighteen agonizing years. 

The fabric of my emerald dress was still damp from the tears I’d wept in the woods. My chest still throbbed with the raw, bleeding phantom pain of Ryker’s shattered mate bond.

And yet, here I was—sitting directly across from the most dangerously beautiful guy I had ever laid eyes on.

Dominic Garcia didn’t just project power; he wore it like a second skin. He was a senior at Blackwood Academy, our rival school, and the captain of the Blackwood Reapers—the brutal, undefeated hockey team that had been war-declared against Ryker’s Silverfang Predators for generations. 

Sitting there, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his tailored black shirt, his silver eyes tracking my every breath, my inner wolf stirred. It was a dark, trembling reaction that Ryker’s cruel rejection had tried to kill.

"You’re quiet," Dominic said, his voice a low, smooth baritone that vibrated straight to my core. "Regretting your decision already, little wolf?"

I lifted my chin, refusing to let him see how much I was shaking. 

"I don’t regret wanting to destroy Ryker. I just… don’t know what 'complete submission' actually means to a monster like you."

A slow, predatory smile curved his lips. "It means for the next three days, you belong to me. Your body. Your time. Your obedience. In return, I will help you ruin Ryker Blackthorn so thoroughly that by the time the state championship hockey game is over, he’ll wish he’d never been born."

My stomach flipped. It was a volatile mix of terrifying panic and a dark, forbidden spike of excitement.

"And what if I say no?" I asked, keeping my voice as steady as possible.

Dominic leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He invaded my personal space without ever laying a finger on me, his rich scent of cedarwood and fresh rain wrapping around me like a velvet leash.  

"You can say no, Elara. But every time you do, I’ll only make you want to say yes. I don’t force myself on people. I charm them. I break down every single one of your walls until you’re begging me to take what I want."

Heat flooded my cheeks. I hated how instantly my body betrayed me—the sudden tightness in my chest, the way my thighs instinctively pressed together under his heavy gaze.

The SUV finally pulled up to a massive, ultra-modern estate on the sheer cliffs of the Blackwood territory. 

It was isolated, surrounded by dense pine forests, and completely hidden from the prying eyes of my old pack. 

Dominic stepped out first, rounding the car to open my door. He offered his hand. When I took it, his grip was firm, shockingly warm, and intensely possessive.

Inside, the house was a masterpiece of dark wood, towering glass walls, and low, ambient lighting that made the entire world outside disappear. He led me up a grand staircase and into a massive bedroom dominated by a king-sized bed draped in black silk.

"First rule," Dominic murmured, closing the heavy oak door behind us with a soft, final click. "When we are behind closed doors, you call me Sir."

My breath hitched. "Sir?"

He stepped closer, his chest nearly brushing mine, forcing me to tilt my head back just to meet those mesmerizing silver eyes. "Good girl. You learn fast."

Those two words sent a shameful, electric spark straight down my spine.

Dominic’s fingers brushed against my jawline, his thumb catching on my bottom lip and tilting my face up.

 "You’re breathtaking when you’re angry, Elara. Ryker is a blind fool to have rejected you. I’m going to enjoy watching you fall apart for me."

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. "This is just a game to you, isn’t it? Just a way to get under the Icefang captain's skin?"

His thumb traced the outline of my lower lip, his gaze dropping to my mouth. "At first, maybe. But looking at you now? This is quickly becoming personal."

He didn't kiss me. He didn't have to. The raw promise burning in his silver eyes was enough to make my knees weak.

"Strip," he ordered softly, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Slowly."

I didn’t know when my hands shook violently as It reached behind my back for the zipper of my dress. Every instinct told me this was madness. I didn’t know this guy why was I doing what he commanded against my will?

He was the enemy. But the agonizing memory of Ryker holding my stepsister Cynthia, declaring her his chosen Luna while the pack laughed at my body, pushed me over the edge.

I pulled the zipper down even tho I realized it was his alpha command that was controlling me. The emerald silk slipped off my shoulders, pooling at my feet and leaving me standing in nothing but my black lace underwear.

I held my breath, bracing myself for the judgment, the pity, the disgust I had faced my entire life.

Instead, Dominic’s gaze darkened to a deep, stormy charcoal. His eyes slowly roamed over my body—lingering on my full breasts, the soft curve of my stomach, my wide hips, and my thick thighs. A low, gravelly growl vibrated in his chest.

"Fucking perfect," he muttered, his voice thick with sudden, unbridled hunger. "Every single inch of you."

He stepped forward, his dominant aura trapping me against the edge of the mattress until I had no choice but to sit down. He dropped to his knees in front of me, his strong hands gripping my thighs and spreading them wide.

"Tell me, Elara," he whispered, his hot breath ghosting over the lace of my panties, making me shiver violently. "Have you ever had a real man show you how gorgeous you are? Or has that high school boy only made you feel small?"

"No one..." I whispered, my voice trembling. "No one has ever looked at me like this."

Dominic looked up, a fierce, protective darkness in his eyes. "Then tonight, I’m going to ruin you for anyone else. By the time I’m done with you, Ryker’s touch will feel like absolute ice."

He leaned in, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, and my world tilted completely off its axis.

I wasn't just doing this for revenge anymore. I wanted this. I wanted him.

But as his hands slid up my hips, the sound of a sudden, violent crash echoed from the floor below, shattering the silence of the estate.