Chapter 1

Lana

“No fucking way!”

My voice echoed through the boardroom filled with important staff of my father’s company and visitors.

“Be what to whom?” I spat as my eyes widened with shock. “You want me to get married to a man who is our biggest enemy? And what even is a mate?” I asked, confused about what was going on here.

My father, Mark Vale, a billionaire strategist and the architect of my downfall, stared at me like I was minutes away from making him burst out in anger.

Besides him, my stepmother Courtney had a fake smile on her red lips. Her eyes looked like she was satisfied with all that was happening here. She knew. Of course, she knew. That woman would set me on fire if it meant keeping her status and diamonds.

“You haven’t told her yet?” came the voice of Matteo Moretti, standing near the marble desk like he owned the room. “That wasn’t our agreement, Mark.”

Seeing Matteo Moretti in this room made my stomach turn. He wasn’t just the Chairman of Pycon Industries and our biggest enemy. He was also the father of the man who shattered me. I gave Luca my body, loyalty, and everything but he vanished and broke me. It took me a lot to heal from that heartbreak and now they want me to stay with him for a deal?

“It doesn’t matter when I tell her,” my father said flatly, sipping water like this wasn’t a big deal. “What matters is that Lana will marry Luca. The deal is final.”

“If no one tells me what is going on here, I’m walking out that door and this meeting is over,” I said as I stood up abruptly, making the chair scrape the floor.

“And what exactly makes you think you have a say?” Courtney asked as the smile on her face dropped completely. “This is what happens when you spoil her, Mark. You made her CEO, and now she thinks she has a right to act the way she wants.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Matteo muttered, rising from his seat. His men moved with him like shadows. “The Morettis don’t tolerate delays. You know the consequences of backing out now. ”

“Stop!” My father commanded as he shot me a terrifying look I knew too well. My body flinched on instinct. Years of abuse had trained me well. My gaze dropped to the thick file in front of me. The front page stared back at me:

“Joint Merger Contract: Vale X Corporation X Pycon Industries.”

And underneath it, in bold black ink:

Heir Bond Agreement.

My fingers trembled as I whispered, “Wh…what does this mean?”

“It means,” Courtney said sweetly, standing and walking toward me, “you and Luca are to be joined.”

“Joined?” I asked. “What does that even..”

“Married, bound, physically involved,” she said as she tilted her head mockingly. “Since it’s part of the agreement, you’ll spread those legs of yours and satisfy his needs like a good girl.”

Several people shifted uncomfortably, but no one said a word. Not one person looked me in the eye.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re joking. This must be some joke.” But no one laughed with me.

“You’re serious?” I asked as I turned to my father, hoping he would tell me that this was some sort of prank. But my father never played games with me. That light between us died years ago.

“The bond has already begun, Lana,” my father finally said carefully. “There’s no time left.”

“The bond? What does that even mean?” I asked.

Matteo scoffed. “You really didn’t tell her? Did you raise your daughter to be this clueless, Mark?”

“Like I said,” my father began

“I’ll tell her myself,” Matteo snapped as his brown eyes landed on me. “You are my son’s mate. His fated mate. And the bond must be sealed.”

“Fated mate? Bond? What is this, Twilight?” I asked knowing fully well I was crossing a line.

“Watch your mouth,” Matteo growled as he stepped closer to me. “You’ve been getting headaches. You toss at night because you’re restless.”

I paused hearing him talk. How did he know that?

“That’s your body reacting to the bond. To my son,” Matteo added.

“This is insane,” I whispered. “I’m not signing anything. I’m not agreeing to this.”

“Lana. Enough!” my father barked.

“No! I deserve answers! Is this magic? Drugs?”

“You want the truth?” Matteo asked as his eyes glowed and fangs pushed past his lips. He was anything but human. I stumbled back.

“Am I the only one seeing this?!” I gasped, searching the faces around me. But no one moved and it felt like I was the only one losing my mind.

“It’s complicated,” my father muttered. “But yes. Werewolves exist. And you are Luca’s fated mate.”

There was no way this was happening. My ex is a werewolf and I slept with him?

“Your biological mother comes from an ancient bloodline called the Drakara bloodline.” Courtney sighed like she was telling a boring story. “That must be why the bond chose you and honestly, I pity Luca. You’re not exactly his ideal mate but you’ll do. This is a great deal for us anyway.”

“No….no, I don’t want this,” I stammered. My hands were sweating and my mouth was dry.

“I’m not doing this and I don’t care if this company burns to ash.” I protested.

Courtney's smile disappeared. “Oh, you will want this. Because we need this deal and you don’t get to fuck this up for us.”

Of course, what was I expecting from a gold digger like her?

“And if you try to run…” My father stood slowly, eyes burning into mine. “If you avoid your mate for too long, the bond will turn on you. It will consume you from the inside out until it kills you.”

“Kill me?”

“Yes, Lana. You’ll die if you run away from your mate and fight the bond.”