Chapter 3

Ariana’s POV

“Dad… you told me not to do anything stupid—”

He looked up. The sadness in his eyes broke me even more.

“But I don't think I know how to be smart anymore. He wants a deal? Fine, I'll give him the damn deal—”

He was confused, didn't know what I was talking about— I mean, I left to see Lucien without telling him and when I finally came back to break the news, I met another tragedy— so there was no time to explain things to him.

“I'll be right back,” I turned to leave.

“Where are you off to, Ari?”

“To make a deal with the devil—”

“Please be careful, you're all I have.” My father called from inside but I didn't respond.

By the time I reached outside, the sky was already pouring, merging with my tears as they flowed down.

I ran. Under the rain until I reached the Blackwell’s mansion. The guards shouted as I walked past them at the gate but I didn't stop.

Rain soaked through my clothes as I pushed past them, through the front doors.

Lucien looked up from the fireplace, jacket in his arm. His shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows— eyes calm and unbothered.

For a second, the heat from the flames made the room feel suffocating. His eyes locked on me, slow and assessing, sliding from my wet face down to where my soaked dress clung to my body, outlining every curve.

His jaw flexed, but he didn’t look away.

I stood there, shaking, soaked, and furious.

“You offered a deal… I'm here to accept it.” I whispered trying to hide the tremble in my voice.

He didn't respond, just looked past me to the guards who stood behind, waiting to drag me out at his command.

“Leave us,” he ordered and they all obeyed like the puppets they were.

He made slow movements to the chair in front of me— sliding on it like the world was his.

“That deal?” He paused, leaving me anxious.

“I don't think that'll be needed— I can easily erase anyone who dares spread rumors about my family,” he added.

“You—”

“You don't speak when I'm still speaking, young lady.” His brows creased.

He rose from the chair, slow— and every inch he moved made the air thinner.

His presence was a storm— well controlled in a way that made him look even more dangerous. The kind that didn’t roar, but waited for you to come close enough before it swallowed you whole.

“You think I need your permission to silence a rumor?” he asked, his tone low, almost amused. “You think your tears or your loyalty mean anything to me, Miss Carter? I was only trying to be generous but you didn't even appreciate it.”

I tried to hold his gaze, but it was impossible. The man radiated authority cold and unyielding, the kind that made your knees want to buckle even when you hated yourself for it.

“I’m not here to beg,” I managed, but my voice betrayed me, trembling like the rest of me.

He stopped in front of me. Close enough that I could feel his breath when he spoke— steady, no rush.

“Then why are you here, soaked and shaking, in the middle of the night?”

I swallowed hard. His eyes dropped, tracing the line of my throat, lingering for one agonizing heartbeat before returning to my face. The look in them made my pulse trip.

“I—” My words died. The heat in his stare burned through every lie I could have told.

Lucien tilted his head, a cruel, knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

“That’s what I thought.”

The silence settled, long.

The rain outside thrashed against the windows, loud enough to echo the wild rhythm of my heart.

And for the first time, I realized— this man wasn’t just powerful.

He was untouchable.

Unpredictable.

I drew a shaky breath, my voice barely a whisper now. “What do you want from me?”

He let out a menacing laugh as chill ran down my spine.

He stepped closer, just enough that I could feel the cold edge of his aura. “You think I want anything from you?”

I shook my head, heart hammering. “No—”

“Exactly.” He leaned back slightly, eyes never leaving mine.

“I’m a man who has everything, any wolf would want. Everything you can imagine… I’ve already taken it. There’s nothing left for you to give me. No offer, no sacrifice, no plea… will change a thing. Except one.”

I froze, every nerve on fire. “One… what?”

He let out a sound that was almost a laugh. “You’ll have to figure that out for yourself.”

The weight of his gaze crushed me. I realized I had been asking the wrong question all along.

I don’t get to ask what he wants. I had to ask… what I could offer him. What I could surrender to make him reconsider, to make him leave my father alive.

And even then… even then, there might be nothing I could do.

I clenched my fists. My voice barely a whisper, trembling in the oppressive heat of his presence:

“What… what can I give you, to make you stop?”

His eyes glimmered, with a predator’s patience.

“Finally,” he murmured. “The real negotiation begins.”

He settled back on his chair, hands reaching for a folder on the table in front of him. He tapped once on the folder before tossing it at me. The fire behind him threw lights across his face.

“Read it,” he said.

My throat felt tight. “What is this?”

“A solution,” he replied, voice smooth and detached. “To your father’s problem.”

I stared at the folder. “A contract?”

“An agreement,” he corrected. “Three months. You’ll stay here, follow my rules, accompany me where I need you, when I need you. No questions, no refusals.”

My stomach twisted. “You’re joking.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “Do I look like a man who jokes?”

The rain outside hit harder against the windows, like it was echoing the panic swirling inside me.

“I came here to beg you to spare my father, not—”

“You came here because you have no other choice,” he interrupted quietly. “Don’t waste both our time pretending otherwise.”

My hands curled into fists. “You can’t buy people like this.”

“I don’t buy people,” he said, standing. “I own what I need. There’s a difference.”

The words cut straight through me.

“Why me?” I whispered. “There are thousands of women who would—”

“I don’t want them— for some reason, you're the only lady who's piqued my interest in almost a decade.”

His eyes locked on mine, steady and unreadable. “And I want you.”

The silence stretched. My pulse thundered in my ears.

“And when the three months are over?” I forced out.

He smiled faintly, cruelly. “A clean family name and your father's enemies— I mean, the real person pulling the strings in your father's case, I'd leave him at your mercy.” 

I blinked, “You mean, someone actually sabotaged my father?”

“I thought you knew, things like what's happening with your father now don't just come up overnight.” He said non-challantly.

“And what do I do during those three months?”

Lucien stepped close , close enough for me to smell the faint hint of smoke and cedar on his shirt.

“Whatever I ask of you,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “And if I say no?”

“Then you can watch your father lose everything. His company, his reputation, his freedom. Maybe even his life.”

The world tilted. “You’re a monster.”

He gave a quiet laugh. “You say that like it’s news.”

I opened the folder with shaking hands. The words blurred at first. But I saw enough… “obedience,” “confidentiality,” “exclusive companionship.”

It didn’t feel like paper under my fingertips, it felt like a curse.

“This is slavery.”

“No,” he said softly. “This is me showing mercy.”

He pushed a pen toward me. “Sign it.”

I stared at the empty space where my name should go. Every second I hesitated, I saw my father’s tired eyes, his trembling hands, the helpless way he’d said don’t go near that man, Ariana.

My fingers closed around the pen.

When I signed, Lucien’s gaze didn’t move. He watched the ink dry like he was sealing a deal with the devil himself.

“Good girl,” he said quietly, almost to himself.

The words made my skin crawl.

When I looked up, he was already walking toward the door. “You’ll stay here tonight. The maids will get you whatever you need— bath, food, clothes, anything.”

“Lucien… please, I need to see my father, he’ll—”

“I’ve already sent word,” he said without turning. “He knows you’re safe.”

“Safe?” I laughed bitterly. “You call this safe?”

He paused by the door, glancing over his shoulder. “You’ll learn safety is just another illusion. Like love and loyalty.”

He left before I could answer.