Chapter 6: The Contract

Morning arrived before I felt ready for it. I stood still while Mara and two other attendants helped me into a dark green dress. The fabric skimmed over my body without squeezing the life out of me. No corset. No pins digging in. No whispers about seams splitting.

I kept waiting for the comments anyway. Mara adjusted the sleeves instead. “This color suits you, my lady. Strong against the mountain light.”

I blinked at my reflection. The dress looked better than anything I had worn back home. Still, my stomach twisted. Today I would stand beside the Lycan King and sign away my future. No mate bond. No love. Just politics.

“You seem tense,” Mara said quietly. “His Majesty’s household will treat you with respect. That is his order.”

I gave a small nod. Respect. I wasn’t sure I knew what to do with it.

They led me to the formal hall. Heads turned the moment I stepped inside. Some looked curious. Others looked disappointed before I even opened my mouth. I kept my gaze low and my steps steady, even though my hands trembled.

Kael waited at the front. He wore a black formal coat that fit his broad frame. When our eyes met, that strange warmth from his touch stirred again. My heartbeat picked up. I looked away fast.

An advisor read the contract terms out loud. Alliance protections for Black Hollow. Trade agreements. My role as contract wife in name only. The words blurred together. This was my life now.

One older noble leaned forward during a pause. “Your Majesty, surely Black Hollow could have sent someone more suitable. The girl carries the scent of rejection. It weakens the alliance.”

Nobody spoke. A few people suddenly found the table very interesting. I already knew where this was going.

Kael’s voice cut through the room. “If I wanted your opinion, I would have requested it.” He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The noble sat back fast. “Seraphina Vale is here under my protection. The matter is settled.”

He didn’t sound angry. He sounded certain. I stared at him, stunned. No one had ever shut something down for me like that.

I stepped up to the table when they called me. Kael joined me. He stood close enough that I noticed the scent of pine clinging to his coat. Close enough that my pulse started acting strangely again.

He signed first. Then he offered me the pen. Our fingers brushed. My grip nearly slipped. For the first time since the rejection, the ache eased.

I signed my name. Seraphina Vale. Now bound to the Lycan King.

After the formalities, most people left. Kael dismissed the rest with a quiet word. Soon we stood near the tall windows overlooking the mountains.

“You defended me,” I said quietly. “Again.”

“You are under my protection now,” he replied. His voice stayed even, but I caught a slight roughness underneath. “That includes from my own people.”

I swallowed. “Back home, no one would have spoken up. They blamed me for the rejection. Said I wasn’t enough.”

Kael studied me for a long moment. He noticed how I kept adjusting my sleeve, how my shoulders stayed tense. “They were fools,” he said simply. “Their loss.”

The words landed soft but heavy. I didn’t know how to answer. Kindness from him felt more confusing than cruelty.

Lucien’s POV>>>>>>>

News reached Black Hollow by midday. I stood in the alpha’s study while an envoy gave every detail. Seraphina had signed with the Lycan King. Kael had publicly silenced anyone who questioned her. For some reason the news sat badly in my stomach.

Selene touched my arm. “It’s done. She’s gone. We can focus on us now.”

I nodded, but the image of her standing beside Kael Draven refused to leave my mind.

Seraphina’s POV>>>>>>>

We left the hall together. Kael walked beside me down the corridor. Being near him was getting harder to ignore. I became annoyingly aware of him.

A servant passed and bowed. “Congratulations on the contract, my lady.”

I almost stumbled. No mockery in the words. Just formality. The difference from Black Hollow kept catching me off guard.

Kael stopped near a wide window. “You are adjusting?”

“It’s different,” I said. “Quieter. Colder. But no one looks at me like I’m a mistake.”

His expression darkened slightly. “Good.”

Another advisor approached with papers. Kael turned to handle it, but his hand closed around mine for a moment to keep me from stepping back into the flow of servants. Something passed between us so fast it stole my breath.

Several servants stopped walking. One nearly dropped a stack of papers.

Kael released me slowly. I saw the flash in his eyes again. That same shaken look from the first night. He knew something about this pull. He was hiding it.

My heart raced as we continued on. The contract was signed. I belonged here now, at least on paper. But the man beside me carried secrets.

I glanced at his profile. Strong. Unreadable. Dangerous.

And for the first time, part of me didn’t want to run from it.