The Contract

CHAPTER TEN – The Contract

Stella’s POV

I stood behind the curtains, staring through the narrow gap in the window.

The front gate of the pack house was no longer quiet.

Several black cars were parked outside, and reporters crowded near the entrance with cameras hanging around their necks. Every few seconds, another flash lit up the morning.

Even from inside the house, I could hear them shouting questions whenever someone walked through the gate.

“Has Alpha Jaxon really found his girlfriend?”

“Who is the mysterious woman?”

“Is the relationship real?”

“Will the pack officially introduce her?”

I slowly stepped away from the window, my stomach twisted into a knot.

Yesterday, I had only wanted to practice hockey.

Today, it felt as though my entire life had become everyone’s favorite story.

I looked toward the hockey bag resting beside my bed.

Coach had scheduled an early training session, and I had promised myself I would never miss practice unless I was sick but how was I supposed to leave the house?

The moment I stepped outside, every camera would be pointed at me.

Every question would be about Jaxon. Every headline would remind me of the words he had spoken. “Stella is my girlfriend.”

I closed my eyes.

Even now, I could hardly believe I had heard those words.

A gentle knock sounded on my bedroom door.

I turned toward it. “Come in.”

The door opened slowly, Jaxon stepped inside.

He had already changed into a simple black shirt and dark trousers, looking as calm as always.

In one hand, he carried a thick brown file, our eyes met.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his gaze moved to the window. “I see you’ve noticed the reporters.”

I gave a small nod. “I was supposed to go to training.” My voice came out quieter than I intended. “I don’t think I can.”

He followed my gaze toward the front gate. “There are more outside than there were an hour ago.”

I tried to smile. “I figured.”

Silence settled between us, I hated how helpless I felt. Only two days ago, no one knew my name.

Now strangers were waiting outside just to take my picture. Jaxon walked farther into the room before placing the brown file on the small table beside the sofa. “I came because of this.”

I looked at the file. “What’s that?”

“A contract.” I blinked. “A contract?”

He nodded once. “I’d like you to read it before we talk.”

Confused, I picked up the file.

The words printed neatly across the first page immediately caught my attention.

Relationship Agreement

My heart skipped.

Slowly, I looked back at him. “I don’t understand.”

Jaxon folded his arms loosely. “What happened yesterday has created a situation neither of us expected.”

He paused for a moment before continuing. “The media believes we’re in a relationship, the wolf packs believe it, the elders believe it.” His voice remained calm. “If we suddenly deny everything now, people won’t simply move on. They’ll start asking more questions.”They’ll question my judgment and they won’t leave you alone.”

I looked down at the file again. “So… You want me to pretend?”

“I want to protect both of us.” The sincerity in his voice made me lift my head. “There will come a time when the truth has to be known.”

He met my eyes. “But right now, this is the safest solution.”

I lowered my gaze to the file once more.

The words on the cover suddenly felt much heavier than paper. “A contract girlfriend…”

I whispered the words to myself, It sounded like something from a romance novel.

“I know this is unfair.”

Jaxon’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “I involved you in something you never asked for.”

He took a slow breath. “I won’t force you, if you refuse, I’ll find another way.”

I looked at him carefully. There wasn’t the slightest hint of pressure in his expression.

He truly meant it.

“If I sign…” I asked quietly. “How long will this last?”

Jaxon was silent for a few seconds. “I don’t know.”

His honesty surprised me. “I can only promise it won’t last forever.”

He walked toward the window, looking out at the reporters waiting beyond the gates. “There is another reason I wanted to speak to you before you read the contract.”

I frowned slightly. “What reason?”

For the first time since he entered the room, something unreadable crossed his face.

It was almost… nostalgic. “When I was ten years old,” he said softly, “I was involved in an accident.”

My eyes widened.

He continued looking out the window. “It happened during a visit to another territoryc I wandered farther into the forest than I should have.”

“There was a landslide.” His voice remained calm, but I could hear the faint weight behind each word. “I was trapped.”

“I thought I was going to die.”

I listened quietly. “Then…”

A small smile appeared on his face. “Someone found me.”

He turned to look at me. “A little girl.”

“I never learned her name.”

“She pulled me out before the adults arrived.”

“If she hadn’t…” He shook his head gently. “I wouldn’t be standing here today.”

Silence filled the room. “I searched for her for years.”

His eyes drifted away as though he were looking at a memory only he could see. “But I never found her.”

He smiled faintly. “It probably sounds foolish.”

I slowly shook my head. “No. It doesn’t.”

He looked back at me. “I’ve always believed that one day our paths would cross again.”

His voice became quieter. “Our elders often say that fate has its own timing. They believe every Alpha meets the person meant for them when the time is right, I don’t know whether that’s true.”

He let out a quiet breath. “But until I know what happened to the girl who saved my lifeI don’t think it’s right to make promises about my heart that I may not be able to keep.”

His words settled gently between us.

There was no arrogance in them, no pride, just honesty but hey I wasn’t happy with it

He nodded toward the file in my hands. “That’s why I wrote the contract, It protects both of us and it makes sure neither of us misunderstands what this arrangement is.”

I lowered my eyes to the file once again. For some reason… My fingers suddenly felt strangely cold as I slowly opened it.

The room became so quiet that I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat.

The contract rested on my lap while my fingers tightened around the edge of the paper, I had already signed it.

My name was written clearly at the bottom of the page, there was no going back now.

I slowly pushed the contract across the table toward Jaxon. “I’ve signed it.”

He looked at the paper for a moment before picking it up. His eyes briefly stopped on my signature, then he took a pen from his pocket and signed beneath my name.

With two signatures, our agreement became real.

He closed the file carefully. “Thank you.”

I forced a small smile. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do.”

His voice was calm. “You didn’t have to agree.”

I looked down at my hands. “I think… this is the best solution.”

It was a lie.

No.

Not completely.

It was the safest solution.

If everyone believed we were together because of a contract, then I wouldn’t have to wonder if he truly liked me.

I wouldn’t have to hope for something that could never happen.

I had already made that mistake once with Chase.

I would not make it again.

Jaxon placed the file on the table before looking at me again.

Slowly, I looked toward the copy of the contract lying on the table.

At the top of the page were the words:

CONTRACT RELATIONSHIP AGREEMENT

I traced the title with my fingers.

“No falling in love,” I whispered to myself.

A sad smile appeared on my face.