Chapter 2: A Bargain for Blood

Angelica’s POV. 

“Your little brother, Leo,”  Ethan said softly, his voice laced with an edge. 

“Fascinating case. A rare form of concentrated silver poisoning, isn't it? Painful. Fatal within a month if left untreated. And the only supernatural healer capable of purging raw silver from a wolf's bloodstream charges a price far beyond what a custom bike shop can generate.”

My breath hitched in my throat, I tried to stay composed but my hands trembled as I snatched the envelope from his fingers, pulling out the medical reports and black-market healer invoices inside. 

Everything was there. 

“How did you get this?” I whispered, my voice shaking with raw rage.

“I have resources,” Ethan replied smoothly, stepping into my personal space until I could feel the heat radiating off his chest. 

“Your brother is dying, Angelica. You don't have the money. But I do.”

“You monster,” I spat, glaring at him with every ounce of hatred I possessed. “You're using my brother's life to force me to talk to you?”

“I'm giving you a lifeline,” he corrected, his eyes locking onto mine. 

“I have a proposition for you. A contract. You help me with a problem I have, and I pay for your brother's cure in full. I even brought the formal invitation to my estate.” 

He pressed a thick, wax-sealed envelope into my numb hand.

“Read it,” Ethan whispered near my ear, his breath hot against my skin. 

“Because if you walk out that door without signing it, your brother would be dying a lot faster.”

I shoved him back hard against the wooden crate, my chest heaving as the wood creaked under his weight.

“Don't touch me,” I snarled, clutching the envelopes tight against my side. “And don't you dare act like you care about Leo’s survival. If I sign anything, it won't be today, and it certainly won't be on your terms, Ethan.”

He adjusted his charcoal lapels, his confident smirk returning, though a flash of annoyance flickered in his eyes. “You have forty-eight hours, Angelica. After that, the healer’s retainer doubles, and even my generosity has limits.”

“Go to hell.”

I didn't wait for his response. I spun on my heavy work boots, stormed out of the dockyard warehouse, and slammed the door of my pickup truck so hard the frame rattled.

Thirty minutes later, the sharp stench of antiseptic and burnt sage hit my nose as I pushed open the door to the small, hidden clinic on the outer edge of the territory.

Leo was sitting up in the hospital bed, his pale face covered in a light sheen of sweat. At twenty, he had my dark hair and broad shoulders, but right now, the silver toxicity creeping through his veins made him look fragile, a state he utterly hated.

“You look like you’re ready to punch through a cinderblock wall, Ang,” Leo said, his voice raspy as he forced a weak smile.

“I might,” I murmured, pulling the wooden chair next to his bed and sitting down. I reached out, taking his cold hand in mine. “How are you feeling? Did the nurse bring the pain suppressant?”

“The suppressant works for about two hours, then it feels like liquid lightning in my arms again,” he admitted, shaking his head. He looked down at the white envelope sticking out of my denim overall pocket. “What’s that?”

I tightened my grip on his hand, hesitating. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

“Angelica,” Leo said, his tone sharpening with the same stubborn edge our family was known for. “I’m twenty, not ten. You’ve been working twenty-hour shifts at the shop, taking black-market engine jobs, and barely eating. What is that paper?”

I let out a heavy breath, pulling out the wax-sealed letter and setting it on the thin bedsheets between us. “Ethan found out about your condition.”

Leo’s eyes widened, his posture instantly stiffening. “Alpha Ethan? The bastard who kicked you out of the pack five years ago?”

“The very same,” I said bitterly. “He tracked down your medical files. He offered to cover the blood-healer's entire f*e, in full, on one condition.”

Leo reached out, tearing open the crimson wax seal with trembling fingers. He scanned the heavy parchment inside, his eyes widening in horror as he read the drafted terms.

“A surrogate?” Leo choked out, looking up at me in disbelief. “He wants you to carry an heir for his purebred line? Is he out of his damn mind?”

“He’s desperate,” I said coldly. “The pack elders are pressing him for a strong bloodline heir, and his current arrangements clearly aren't working. ”

“No,” Leo declared firmly, tossing the paper onto the side table. “Absolutely not. I’d rather let the silver take me than watch you sell your body and your freedom to the man who treated you like trash.”

“Leo, stop…”

“I’m serious, Ang!” He gripped my arm, his dark eyes burning with protective rage. “You built your shop from scratch. You earned your respect. You don't bow to that arrogant wolf just to fix my mess. We’ll find another way.”

“There is no other way!” My voice cracked, breaking the strict control I had maintained all afternoon. I looked at the dark gray veins visible under the skin of his wrist. “The blood-healer demands three hundred thousand upfront. I have forty thousand in the shop’s reserve. The clock is ticking, Leo, and I am not going to sit by and watch my only family die because of my pride!”

“It’s not pride, Angelica! It’s your life!” Leo slammed his fist against the mattress, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “Look at what he wrote here. If you agree, you’re bound to pack rules for the entire term. He’ll control where you sleep, who guards you, everything.”

I sat back, staring at the document resting on the nightstand. The words printed on the parchment felt like an iron cage, but the rising fever burning through my brother’s skin was a far more immediate threat.

“He thinks he’s backing me into a corner,” I whispered softly, my eyes narrowing as my mind began to calculate the angles, just like I did with a broken engine. “He thinks he’s buying a submissive surrogate who will jump when he says jump.”

“Angelica, don't do this...” Leo pleaded softly.

“I’m not doing it for him,” I said, standing up and smoothing out my work overalls. My voice was dead calm, steel wrapped in velvet. “If I sign this, it won't be his mate, and it won't be his pack member. It will be a binding legal transaction with strict physical boundaries. I’m going to draft my own addendum.”

I picked up the invitation, slipping it back into my pocket.

“I’m going to save your life, Leo. And then I’m going to make Ethan Vance regret the day he ever thought he could use me as leverage.”