Chapter 3:A deal with the devil

“A wife?”

I stared at Darius Veyr, wondering whether the fall from Lucien’s gates had somehow damaged my hearing.

The Alpha didn’t blink.

“You heard me.”

I laughed once, without humor. “You rescue me from three rogues and expect me to marry you in return?”

“No. I expect you to consider an offer that could benefit us both.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then my warriors will escort you to the nearest settlement, and you’ll never see me again.”

His indifference irritated me more than a threat would have.

“You always propose marriage to injured strangers?”

“Only the interesting ones.”

I narrowed my eyes.

He looked entirely too pleased with himself.

“You’re the cursed Alpha,” I said.

Something changed in his expression.

It was subtle—a tightening around his eyes, a brief stillness that disappeared almost immediately.

“So you’ve heard the stories.”

“Everyone has.”

“And yet you’re still standing here.”

“Should I be running?”

“Most women do.”

I sheathed my knife.

“Then perhaps you should find one who frightens more easily.”

For the first time, Darius smiled.

It wasn’t a warm smile. It was the kind that suggested he had discovered a weapon he hadn’t expected to find.

“Get on the horse, Seraphina.”

“That wasn’t a request, was it?”

“No.”

“Then we’re already off to a terrible start.”

I expected him to lose his temper.

Instead, he mounted his horse and extended his hand.

“Would you prefer to walk until the rogues return?”

I hated that he had a point.

I took his hand.

The moment his fingers closed around mine, an unfamiliar sensation flickered beneath my skin.

My wolf went completely still.

Darius’s smile vanished.

For one strange heartbeat, neither of us moved.

Then he released me so abruptly that I nearly stumbled.

“Get on,” he ordered.

I climbed onto the horse behind him, troubled by the sudden tension in his body.

Whatever had just happened, he didn’t want me asking questions.

Unfortunately for him, I had never been particularly good at obeying that sort of instruction.

Nightthorn’s fortress emerged from the mountains shortly before sunset.

Black stone walls surrounded a sprawling castle, its towers rising above the mist. Armed guards patrolled the gates, and the pack members who crossed our path immediately stepped aside for their Alpha.

Their eyes followed me with open curiosity.

Some recognized me.

Others whispered when Darius helped me dismount.

I caught fragments of their conversation.

Bloodfang’s discarded mate.

Why would he bring her here?

Does he know what happens to women who get too close to him?

Darius heard them too.

“Anyone who has a question about my guest may ask it to my face.”

The whispers stopped.

He turned to me.

“You’re injured. Someone will show you to your room.”

“I don’t need a servant.”

“Wonderful. Then you can stitch your own wounds.”

I glared at him.

He looked entirely unbothered.

“Your humor needs work, Alpha.”

“So I’ve been told.”

He started toward the entrance.

I followed, determined not to let him see how much the journey had exhausted me.

Inside, the fortress was warmer than I’d expected. Firelight danced across dark wooden walls, and the air smelled of cedar and freshly baked bread.

A woman in a gray dress approached us.

“Alpha, your council is waiting.”

“Let them wait.”

Her eyes widened.

Darius turned to me.

“Eat. Rest. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss our arrangement.”

“Our arrangement?”

He paused.

“The marriage.”

I folded my arms.

“I haven’t agreed to marry you.”

“Then tomorrow should be an interesting day.”

With that, he disappeared down a corridor.

I watched him go, irritated by his confidence and even more irritated by the fact that I wanted to understand him.

The room assigned to me was larger than my entire cottage at Bloodfang.

A fire burned in the hearth. Fresh clothes had been laid across the bed, and a tray of food waited beside the window.

I should have been grateful.

Instead, I sat on the edge of the mattress and stared at my hands.

Somewhere beyond these mountains, my son was sleeping without me.

I pressed my fingers against my mouth, fighting the sob rising in my throat.

I couldn’t afford to fall apart.

Not yet.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Darius entered carrying a folded document.

He had removed his leather coat, leaving him in a fitted black shirt that made his broad shoulders impossible to ignore.

I immediately resented noticing.

“You should be resting,” he said.

“And you should be learning to knock before entering.”

He glanced at the open door behind him.

“I did knock.”

“Once.”

“Would you prefer a formal announcement?”

“Would you prefer me to throw something at you?”

He placed the document on the table.

“Sign this, and we can avoid wasting each other’s time.”

I unfolded it.

The agreement was straightforward. A marriage would unite our political interests, and Nightthorn would provide me with protection, resources, and military support.

Then I reached the final clause.

My expression hardened.

“Absolutely not.”

Darius leaned against the table.

“Which part?”

I pointed to the sentence.

Any children born of this union shall belong to the Nightthorn bloodline and remain under the Alpha’s authority.

“You intend to claim any child I have as yours?”

“Any child born within my marriage would be my heir.”

“Even if I disagree?”

“That is how succession works.”

I pushed the document toward him.

“Then find another wife.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You would reject an alliance this powerful over one clause?”

“I’ve just lost my son to a man who believes his title gives him ownership over everyone he loves. I will not marry another Alpha who expects me to surrender my children along with my freedom.”

Silence settled between us.

For the first time since our meeting, Darius didn’t have an immediate answer.

I continued before he could interrupt.

“If I marry you, I retain authority over my own affairs. I will not be confined to this castle, and I will have the resources to fight for my son. You will not demand my affection, and you will not use our marriage to control me.”

“And what do I receive in return?”

“My name beside yours. My loyalty, provided you earn it. And a partner who will never embarrass you by pretending to agree when she doesn’t.”

He studied me for a long moment.

Then he picked up the agreement, crossed out the final clause, and signed his name beneath the changes.

I blinked.

“Just like that?”

“Would you prefer another argument?”

I examined his signature.

“Why me?”

The question had been haunting me since he appeared in the forest.

Darius’s expression became unreadable.

“Because you need an army, and I need a wife.”

“That’s a convenient answer.”

“It’s also the one you’re getting tonight.”

I wanted to push him further, but something in his eyes warned me that the conversation had reached its limit.

He moved toward the door.

“One more thing, Seraphina.”

I looked up.

“Whatever you felt when we touched earlier, forget it.”

My heart skipped.

“What are you talking about?”

His hand tightened around the doorframe.

“The curse.”

Before I could ask another question, he left.

I stared at the closed door, my thoughts racing.

The curse was real. The rumors hadn’t exaggerated it.

And whatever had happened between us when he took my hand had frightened him.

For the first time since Lucien betrayed me, I felt something other than grief.

Curiosity.

Dangerous, inconvenient curiosity.

I returned to the agreement and signed my name.

If marrying Darius Veyr was the price of reclaiming my son, I would pay it.

I only hoped I understood the cost before it was too late.

Because somewhere behind the fortress walls, a bell began to toll.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The sound stopped, and a distant howl rose from the courtyard.

Then another.

And another.

I rushed to the window.

Below, warriors were gathering beneath the moonlight. At their center stood Darius, his head bowed as though he were fighting something inside himself.

A guard appeared behind me.

“Stay in your room, my lady.”

“What is happening?”

He looked at me with genuine pity.

“The Alpha’s curse is awakening.”

My blood turned cold.

The guard swallowed.

“And if you’ve truly awakened something in him tonight, you need to pray it doesn’t awaken again.”