Chapter 2 Dining With The Devil

CEDAR BLAKE

"No! Please... no!"

I bolted upright with a scream, my heart racing in my chest before my eyes even adjusted to the light.

"You're awake," a deep voice said calmly from beside me. "I thought I'd lost you."

My head snapped to the side. A man, bare-chested, was relaxing in a cushioned armchair just a few steps away. His green eyes were fixed on me, intense but unreadable, and his lips curved slightly as he took a slow sip from a white cup in his hand.

I immediately shifted in the bed, putting distance between us. My fingers clutched the duvet, dragging it up to my chest like it could shield me from danger. The last thing I remembered was falling... and then darkness.

"You don't have to be afraid," the man said, noticing my reaction. His voice was calm but carried a certain authority that made it hard to ignore. "If I meant you harm, you wouldn't be awake right now."

His words were supposed to be comforting, but they only made me more alert. I glanced around quickly, scanning the unfamiliar room. The walls were dark and wooden, polished with elegance. The space was clean, spacious, and quiet... too quiet.

"Who are you? And where am I?" I asked, my voice dry and cracked as I faced him again.

He sighed into the cup, swirling its contents slightly before taking another sip. "Isn't that the question everyone asks when they wake up after a traumatic event?"

My chest tightened. There was something strange about how calm he was, as if he'd been expecting this exact conversation.

"I don't remember much," I admitted, my voice firmer now. "But I know you're the one who showed up back there, when I had already lost hope. That couldn't have been a coincidence."

It was bold of me to talk this way, especially to a stranger, especially a man of such presence. But I wasn't in the Crystal Moon Pack anymore. There, I would've been on the floor, scrubbing tile or receiving commands. Here... I didn't know what I was yet. But for the first time, my voice didn't feel like a curse.

He set the cup down on a small table next to him and leaned forward slightly.

"It wasn't a coincidence," he said, his tone dipping lower. "I've been watching you, Cedar Blake. Since the day your parents were executed."

My stomach twisted. No one had ever spoken of their deaths so plainly. Not even me.

"I want you to feel safe," he added quickly, reading the look on my face. "That's why I'm telling you the truth. I have no hidden intentions. That's the reason I saved you."

He stood up slowly, and as he moved closer to the bed, I studied him carefully. His light green eyes held secrets. His body was powerful, muscles built from battles, from years of survival. His hair was dark and swept back, clean and thick. He wasn't exactly handsome in the traditional way, but there was something about his presence, refined, commanding, eternal. A man like this couldn't just be powerful.

He had to be dangerous.

"Why?" I asked, tightening my grip on the duvet. "What do you want from me? You're making me nervous."

He chuckled softly, walking to the side of the bed before sitting on the edge. His weight shifted the mattress slightly. I held my breath.

"You recovered fast," he said, placing a large, warm hand over mine where I clutched the blanket. "This is usually the part where the rescued says thank you... and maybe pledges her allegiance to the man who pulled her from the pits of hell."

I blinked at him, confused. "I didn't ask to be saved," I mumbled, voice quiet but stubborn.

"You begged the moon goddess to save you," he replied without hesitation. "You begged for life. You promised your brother that you'd stay alive. Or have you forgotten already?"

My breath caught in my throat. How did he know that? No one had ever heard those prayers, let alone quoted them back to me.

I stared at him, unsure if I should feel exposed or seen. "You're not the moon goddess," I said, still trying to hold my ground. "I did pray to be saved... but not by another nightmare."

I tossed the duvet off and shifted farther from him on the bed.

"I only gave you what you asked for," he replied evenly. "I, Alpha Dominus Maruto of the Oakwood Pack, am your answered prayer. And I choose you, Cedar Blake, to be my mate... for the next one hundred days."

The room tilted beneath me. I stood up, then fell to my knees, stunned by the weight of his words. That name, Alpha Dominus, was like a whispered legend, one I never believed I'd encounter in the flesh. Now it made sense. The fear in Icarus' eyes, the silence in the air after he appeared, this was the man they feared. His name rings a bell and I have heard of how he's greatly feared.

He reached down and hooked an arm under mine, helping me sit again. "I'll protect you," he said quietly. "But only if you let me. I didn't rescue you by chance. This was deliberate. You're part of something now."

"I apologize," I said, trembling. "I just... I don't understand why someone like you would go through the trouble of saving someone like me."

He took a breath, sitting back. "Because if you agree to be my mate, even contractually for a hundred days, you will have access to everything I possess. My name, my resources, my status. The fear that follows me will shield you. And when the time comes, you'll have the power to get your revenge. On everyone who's ever hurt you."

His hand reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture was surprisingly gentle.

"The ball is in your court now," he said, locking eyes with me. "You can kick it... or walk away from the pitch."

His offer shook me more than his touch.

Power. Safety. Revenge. The life I had only dreamed of while bleeding on the floor of my pack's slave quarters, it was being handed to me.

I couldn't breathe.

"If I say no?" I asked quietly.

"The door is open," he replied, nodding toward the large wooden door at the far end of the room.

I looked at it, then back at him. "Why does it have to be one hundred days?" I asked. "Why not forever or...?"

He leaned back, amused. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" His eyes scanned my face, pausing at my cracked lips. His thumb brushed softly along my cheek, sending a strange chill down my spine.

I swallowed hard. My head said run. My heart whispered stay.

"I accept," I breathed. I wasn't sure if he even heard me, my focus was more on the sensation of his touch than my own voice.

His gaze sharpened. "You accept what?"

I met his eyes and said, louder this time, "I, Cedar Blake of the Crystal Moon Pack, accept you, Alpha Dominus Maruto of the Oakwood Pack, as my contract mate for the next one hundred days."

He smiled, softly this time, like a storm had passed. "You've made the right decision."

He stood and pressed his lips gently to my forehead. The contact made my breath hitch.

"I'll send in the pack doctor and have the servants take care of you while I draft the contract," he said before walking to the door.

When it shut behind him, silence returned.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the weight of everything settle. His scent still lingered on my skin, woodsy, clean, and dangerously inviting.

I wasn't sure what I had just agreed to. Was this a dream come true... or the beginning of another nightmare?

But as my heart thudded in my chest and the warmth of comfort crept into my bones, one thing was certain-

For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like prey.