I Married A Wolf

Chapter Three

***Bella's Pov***

Sunlight flickered across my face, pulling me slowly from sleep. I opened my eyes, still groggy, until the events of the previous night came rushing back.

My heart stopped.

I sat up abruptly and looked down at myself.

I was naked.

A wave of shock swept through me as I quickly pulled the sheets around my body. I shook my head in disbelief, trying to convince myself that somehow I had imagined everything.

Then I looked beside me.

Adrian was lying there, shirtless and asleep as though nothing had happened.

My anger returned instantly.

I reached over and tapped his shoulder. “Adrian.”

His eyes opened immediately. He looked at me, then at the sheets wrapped around my body.

I stared at him. “What did you do to me?”

He went still.

For a moment, he simply stared at me as if he didn't know what to say.

“I know this wasn't supposed to happen. I'm sorry. Whatever it is, I will do it.”

I scoffed. “You think saying you'll do whatever it is makes this better? How could you?”

His jaw tightened.

“My wolf was overreacting and everything that happened was because of my wolf instincts. It wasn't meant to happen. It was a mistake.”

“Oh, God.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

“You didn't tell me you were a wolf!” I snapped. “What was that all about last night? You were a wolf, and you didn't think I deserved to know?”

Adrian's expression hardened. “That is my personal business.”

“Shut up!” I shouted. “How could you let me sign a contract with you without telling me what you were?”

He didn't flinch. “And what's wrong with that?”

“The only business between us is what this contract requires. Is this really a problem?”

“Yes!” I shouted. “It is a huge problem!”

I pulled the sheets tighter around myself, my anger burning alongside my humiliation.

“I’m really sorry about last night. Besides, you could have pulled away when it was happening.”

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

“You think I wanted this? What do you take me for?”

My eyes burned as everything crashed over me. My company was barely surviving. I had signed a marriage contract with a man I barely knew, moved into his mansion, discovered he was a werewolf, and somehow ended up in his bed on the first night.

“You know what?” My voice shook. “I'm done with this marriage contract. I don't want it anymore. Whatever I have to do to end it, just tell me.”

Adrian's eyes narrowed.

“I should have known better. You refused to tell me what you were gaining from this or why you needed this marriage.”

Then his gaze shifted to the contract on the table. “You didn't read it, did you?”

I frowned. “I read it.”

“If you had read it properly, you'd know what happens if you breach the agreement.”

My stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”

“The contract states that if either party terminates the marriage before the one-year period without mutual consent, the party responsible for the breach must compensate the other for every financial obligation already fulfilled under the agreement. In your case, that includes everything Blackthorn Group has committed to Laurent Industries.”

My mouth fell open.

I remembered reading the terms, but I had been so desperate to save my company that I hadn't stopped to think about what would happen if I changed my mind.

Now the contract felt less like an escape and more like a cage I had willingly locked myself inside.

Adrian watched the realization settle over my face.

I swallowed. “You're evil.”

His expression remained cold. “I guess it was selfish of me to save Laurent Industries when it was already dying.”

“Saving Laurent Industries while getting something for yourself?” I shot back. “Then what is this really about? Did you marry me for a year because you're a wolf?”

For the first time, something shifted in his expression.

He looked away.

My heart pounded.

That reaction made me want to question him, but before I could, Adrian pushed the sheets aside and stood.

“Like I said, this whole thing is on me. I'm really sorry. It wasn't meant to happen, and I am ready to do anything you want.”

He grabbed his clothes and headed toward the door.

I stared after him, anger and confusion twisting inside me. “Adrian…”

He didn't stop.

The door closed behind him, and a second later, I heard the lock click.

I sat there, staring at the door, feeling trapped. Then frustration broke through me. I kicked my legs against the mattress and buried my face in my hands.

How had my life become this?

I had heard stories about werewolves living among humans in Blackridge City. Some people believed they were nothing more than myths, while others swore they had seen them.

“Now I had married a werewolf and would be stuck with him for a whole year.”

The realization alone left me unsettled.

No. Tears finally found their way out of my eyes. I couldn't continue this!