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Home / Romance / Contracted to him / Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

All Chapters of Contracted to him: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

77 Chapters

62

I stayed in bed for a long time after that.Theodore didn’t leave the room. He lay behind me with his arm locked around my waist, his chest pressed to my back, his breathing steady against the nape of my neck. Every so often his hand would shift, fingers spreading possessively over my lower stomach or sliding down to rest lightly on the worst of the bruising. Each time the pressure made me tense, a small sound escaping before I could stop it. He never commented. He simply kept his hand there, as if the flinch itself was part of the lesson.The morning light grew stronger. My body felt heavier with every passing minute. The deep ache in my ass and thighs had settled into a constant, throbbing presence that made even the softest movement feel deliberate and costly. I could feel the heat of the bruises radiating outward. Sitting would be nearly impossible later. Walking would be a series of careful, measured steps. He had made sure of that.At some point he spoke again, his voice low and

63

His mouth moved slowly down my neck, then lower.He took his time. Every kiss was deliberate, almost clinical in its precision, as if he were cataloguing the places he had already claimed and the places he intended to claim again. When his lips brushed the side of my breast I drew in a quiet breath. When he closed his mouth around my nipple and sucked, the sensation shot straight through the residual ache in my body and pulled a soft sound from my throat.He didn’t rush.He simply continued—kissing, tasting, biting lightly enough to leave faint new marks beside the older ones. His hands stayed firm on either side of me, pinning me in place without full weight. I could feel how careful he was not to press directly on the worst of the bruising, and somehow that restraint felt more controlling than if he had ignored it.“You still respond to me,” he murmured against my skin. “Even like this.”I didn’t answer. My body answered for me. Heat was gathering low in my belly despite the deep, c

64

I slept in short, uneasy stretches.Every time I shifted in the night the bruises woke me—sharp, hot reminders that refused to fade into the background. Theodore stayed close. His body remained a solid line against my side or behind me, one arm usually draped over my waist or resting heavily on the back of my thigh. Even in sleep his hold felt deliberate, as if he were making sure I couldn’t drift too far without him noticing.When morning came, the light was soft and gray. I lay on my stomach, face turned toward the window, listening to the quiet sound of him breathing behind me. The deep ache had settled into something heavier overnight. Sitting would still be difficult. Walking would still require care. The marks had done exactly what he intended.He stirred after a while. I felt him shift, then the warm press of his mouth against the back of my shoulder.“You’re awake.”It wasn’t a question.“Yes,” I whispered.His hand moved slowly over the damaged skin of my ass, fingers tracing

65

I woke before him the next morning.The room was still dim. His arm was heavy across my waist, his body curved protectively—or possessively—around mine. For a few minutes I simply lay there, taking inventory. The bruises had settled into a deep, constant ache. The sharpest edge of the pain had dulled overnight, but any real pressure still sent heat flaring across my skin. Sitting would remain difficult. Walking would still require care.I carefully eased out from under his arm. He stirred but didn’t fully wake. I walked slowly to the bathroom, each step measured, and stood in front of the mirror under the brighter light.The marks were still vivid. Deep purples and dark reds covered most of my ass and the upper backs of my thighs. Some of the paddle welts remained slightly raised. I turned carefully, looking over my shoulder, and felt a familiar tightness in my chest. Fear and something more complicated sat side by side. I had never been marked like this before. I had never been punis

66

Five years.Five fucking years since Adelynn disappeared out of my life without a goodbye, and still her ghost refused to leave me alone, it haunted me day and night, it was sending me over the edge of insanity.I stood at the window staring out over the pack lands that once felt like everything I wanted, but now were a personal prison. The morning light filtered through the trees, and behind me, the soft sounds of Emma dressing our daughter filled the room. She was only three years old, but Elodie already the spitting image of her mother, golden curls, bright eyes, and a mouth, she had something to say about any and everything.“Daddy, come see!” Elodie called, toddling over with a drawing clutched in her small hands.“Let’s see it, princess.” I turned, forcing a smile as I crouched down.The sketch showed a family of stick figures holding hands under a lopsided sun. Emma watched us from across the room, I couldn’t tell if she was happy or annoyed, reading her expressions had become

67

I stood at the edge of the balcony staring at the pack lands that stretched across rolling hills and dense forest, it was once considered low-ranked and forgettable, but when I returned 5 years ago and took my place as the rightful heir to the throne my father had left, everything changed under my leadership. Fields now yielded rich harvests, the once dead trade routes flourished and our defense was becoming better as days went by, the young incoming warriors moved with precision and strategy, at the rate at which they were moving, no one was going to ever be able to penetrate our walls.“Mummy, look!” A small voice pulled me from my thoughts and I shifted towards the door to see Kai ran toward me on chubby legs that had grown steadier with each passing month.At only four years old, my son wasn’t just a whirlwind of energy and curiosity, he was insanely adorable too with his dark hair that curled slightly at the ends, just like his father’s.“Look.” He said clutching a wooden sword c

68

It was the first moon festival, Two years since Torin and I mated and a month since he had officially become Alpha and I Luna., the ballroom glowed under the weight of a thousand candles and the silver light of the full moon streaming through the tall arched windows. Crystal chandeliers swayed gently, casting fractured rainbows across the marble floor where pack members danced and laughed in their finest attire I had planned everything to perfection, and no stone was left unturned in my quest to give the pack something to celebrate since we buried my father in-law two months ago.“I heard he’s going to do it here, tonight.” I heard a woman whisper to another as they stared down at me and I frowned.I’d been hearing people whisper behind my back from the moment the event begun, and even though I didn’t want to believe it, I knew exactly why.I stood near the edge of the room scanning the crowd for my mate. My heart pounded with a rhythm that matched the distant drums outside and it onl

69

I woke to the feel of his hand already on me.Theodore’s palm rested over the worst of the bruising, fingers spread wide, applying just enough pressure that the deep ache flared into something sharper. He wasn’t hurting me on purpose—not exactly—but he wasn’t avoiding the pain either. He wanted me aware of it the moment I opened my eyes.“Morning,” he said quietly.I swallowed. “Morning.”“On your stomach. Let me see.”I rolled carefully. The movement still pulled at the damaged skin, though the sharpest edge of the pain had dulled slightly overnight. Theodore sat up beside me and studied the marks in the soft morning light. His fingers traced the darkest purple patches with slow, assessing pressure. I stayed still and breathed through each small flare.“They’re beginning to fade at the edges,” he said after a long moment. “Not enough. You’ll stay home again today.”I nodded into the pillow. Relief and something like disappointment moved through me at the same time. Part of me had wan

70

-Evangeline-The weeks that followed settled into something that almost felt like ordinary life.Almost.Theodore still left early most mornings, but he no longer disappeared into work for sixteen-hour stretches. He came home for dinner more often than not. Sometimes he would find me in the kitchen and pull me against him from behind, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck while Arnold pretended not to notice. Other nights he would arrive late, tie already loosened, and simply sit beside me on the couch without speaking until the quiet between us softened.I was learning the shape of this new version of us. It was still imperfect. There were evenings when his voice sharpened on a work call and my body tensed before I could stop it. He always noticed. He would end the conversation, cross the room, and rest a hand on the back of my neck until my shoulders dropped again. Those small corrections mattered more than any grand declaration.One Thursday evening, I was reviewing foundation rep

71

I woke to the quiet sound of him moving around the room. Theodore was already dressed in a dark suit, standing near the window with his back partially turned. The morning light caught the sharp lines of his shoulders. For a moment I simply watched him, taking inventory of my body before he required it of me. The bruises had softened further overnight—still present, still capable of flaring with the wrong movement, but no longer the deep, constant fire they had been in the first days. Sitting would still demand care. Walking would still carry a low reminder. But the worst of the intensity had begun to ease. He turned when he sensed I was awake. “On your stomach.” I rolled carefully. He came to the side of the bed and sat, one hand resting over the fading marks. His fingers pressed lightly, testing. I breathed through the residual ache. “Better,” he said after a moment. “Not gone. But better.” He stood and walked to the closet, returning with a soft pair of wide-leg trousers and

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