6: Marriage Agreement

DAISY'S POV

I barely had time to breathe, shower and slip into my nightgown after the so-called tour before the door to my room burst open.

It was Zordon. His presence filled the space instantly, sucking out the air like a storm crashing into a quiet shore. He had a brown envelope in his hand.

I hated the fact he didn't knock. He just walked in, reminding me he owned the place. And maybe, in his mind, he thought he owned me as well.

I straightened, trying to mask the tension in my shoulders. "Do you always barge into rooms without knocking?"

His lips twitched, but there was no real amusement in his gaze. "Yes. I find it unnecessary. You'd understand if you were an alpha."

"What do you want, Alpha?" I bowed. "It has been a long day for me. I need rest," I frowned.

He looked at me and then let out a sly smile.

"Little Bunny, I know you know everything," he folded his arms behind his back as his eyes roamed my frame. He was respectful and businesslike at breakfast, but now that we were alone in this bedroom, he was showing me how much of an animal he could be by the way his eyes were scouring my body.

I grabbed the pillow off the bed and placed it over my chest.

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"I know you overheard my conversation this morning," he said, his voice smooth as silk.

My breath caught in my throat. I forced my expression into something neutral.

"As I said before, I have no clue what you are talking about," I repeated.

Zordon hissed, and I jumped, dropping the pillow to the ground.

"Don't lie to me, Daisy." He stepped closer, and despite every instinct screaming at me to hold my ground, I found myself gripping the hem of my silk night dress. "You heard everything, didn't you?" His voice was quiet and deadly.

I swallowed. My mind raced, grasping for a way out. If I admitted it, I'd be confirming what he already suspected. If I denied it, would he believe me?

I settled for a half-truth. "I didn't hear much."

His gaze darkened. "But you heard enough." His eyes slowly dropped to my heaving chest again, and instinctively, I wrapped my arms around my breasts. "I've already taken mental photos, Little Bunny," he snickered. With his arms still behind his back, he stalked up closer to me. His minty breath cooling my heated face. "Is this how you dress for bed?"

"What is wrong with my nighty?" I questioned. "I paid good money for this."

"I can tell by the many strings that hold the pieces together," he chuckled some more. "But for a she-wolf who doesn't have a man anymore, you sure are dressing sexy for bed." He used the tip of his nose to graze my cheek. My body betrayed me as my nipples got hard and between my thighs got wet.

His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air around me. He cleared his throat and backed away. Then, without preamble, he tossed the brown envelope into my hands.

"Open it and read the papers inside," he barked out.

I pulled out a stack of crisp white papers.

I frowned as I read over the first line and paused to look up at his smirking face.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Your future." His voice was deceptively calm, but there was an edge beneath it, one that made my heart race with fear.

I glanced down.

Obviously, it was a contract. The words 'Marriage Agreement' were stamped at the top in bold, merciless ink.

My stomach churned in disgust. I looked back at him, searching for any sign that this was some kind of sick joke. But something told me that Zordon was a man who didn't do jokes.

"You want me to sign this?" I asked, my voice careful.

Zordon stepped closer, his silver eyes glinting. "I don't want you to. I expect you to."

Heat crawled up my neck. Anger and unease twisted inside me. "You can't force me."

He arched his brow. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Little Bunny. I can and I will."

I gritted my teeth. "Why? Why do you even want to marry me?"

"Because you are mine now. I like to have papers to show ownership of my possessions. Just like how I have the deed to this mansion, the lands that surround it, and this pack. I need to have papers showing the world that you, Daisy Halfmoon belongs to me."

The words slammed into me like a physical blow.

"I don't belong to anyone," I said, my voice steady despite the fire burning inside my chest.

Zordon tilted his head, studying me.

"No? And yet, here you are, living in my home, eating my food, and under my protection."

I clenched my fists. "Protection? Is that what you call this?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he picked up the contract and flipped through the pages. "You'll find the terms quite reasonable," he said smoothly. "You'll be my wife in name, nothing more. You'll accompany me to public events, play the role I need you to play. In return, you'll have safety, security, and more luxury than you ever had in Dexter's pack." Then his eyes fell on my dress again. "You can buy all the nighties your little heart desires."

I scoffed. "And what do you get out of it if I sign this agreement?"

His grin widened now, but there was something dark behind it. "An obedient and loyal wife and Luna. Once you marry me. You are mine. No other wolf should touch you or even look at you in a suggestive way. And I don’t want you to touch another man either. If you break these rules, I will break the wolf you dare to betray me with."

My blood ran cold. I hated the fact that Zordon was toying with me. "And does this apply to you, too? When you became my husband, will you never look at or bed another female ever again?" I had to ask him.

My words seemed to have stunned him. "This isn't a negotiation. I'm the Alpha. You don't get to tell me what to do. NOW SIGN THE DAMN PAPERS OR IT'S THE BARRACKS FOR YOU!" His roar seemed to have shaken the roof.

I forced myself to remain still, even as my pulse hammered in my throat.

Then I reached for the contract. I skimmed the first few lines.

The terms were as he said. No real marriage, no real intimacy. Just a partnership for the public eye. But then my eyes caught a few clauses.

~Clause Six: The wife shall not leave Alpha Zordon's territory without permission.

~ Clause Nine: Any act of betrayal or defiance will be met with immediate punishment, as deemed fit by the Alpha.

My fingers tightened around the pages.

Punishment?

I glanced up meeting his sharp gaze.

"You really thought I'd let you run?" Zordon asked. "That I'd bring you into my world without ensuring you stayed?"

I swallowed hard. "This isn't a marriage. It's a cage."

His smirk faded.

"I don't care what you call it," he said, his voice turning cool. "Sign it."

I hesitated.

For a moment, I considered refusing. I considered tearing the papers in half and throwing them in his face. Maybe life working in the mines wouldn't be so bad. But Zordon's eyes were watching me too closely. He was up to something. I could feel it in my bones. I had to figure out his plan and I couldn't if I'm shipped off to become a worker at the barracks.

So instead, I picked up the pen.

Zordon's gaze stayed locked onto me as I hovered the pen over the signature line.

I could feel the weight of my own heartbeat. The invisible chains snapping into place around me.

And then, with a deep breath, I signed my name. A sharp silence followed.

Zordon took the contract from me, scanning my signature with satisfaction.

Then he leaned down, so close his breath fanned against my cheek.

"Welcome to your new life, wife." Whistling, he made his way to the door. Her paused and without glancing back at me, he said. “By the way. That’s one lucky bed.”

My mouth hit the floor, I blinked and then Alpha Zordon was gone.