Contractually married my ex-mate's Father

CHAPTER-1

Aria's POV:

You know that unsettling, queasy, gut-fraying feeling that churns your stomach when something horrific is about to happen?

Yes, that's exactly how I felt standing in this grand hall, hosting my engagement party.

I felt restless, my wolf too. She'd been whining in our shared mind space, mumbling words I couldn't quite decipher because of the loud crowd.

To make matters worse, my insides were gnawing, and it felt like something inside me was being torn apart. It was a painful feeling, but I ground my teeth and told myself it was just extreme wedding jitters, forcing a smile while my chest increasingly heaved with worry and pain.

However, whatever smile I could force disappeared when I noticed Rhett Blackstone, my mate and husband-to-be, was missing.

Rhett and I had come to the party together and he was standing right beside me a couple of minutes ago, but right now, there wasn't a single trace of him, not even a faint trail of his scent lingering.

Maybe he's greeting the guest or handling some of his pack matters. I said to myself, instead of making a fuss or worrying about it, but after ten minutes passed without him showing up, I couldn't help but get worried.

My father's cold eyes met mine, and he signaled me over. My heart started pounding in my ears as each step towards him felt like approaching hell.

My father, Alpha Cane Nightwind and I don't have that typical father-daughter relationship; he was just a cold, indifferent, and distant father who loved power and name.

I was born of his blood, Alpha blood and still it wasn't enough. I finished college as a first-class business major, completed my warrior training, excelled in combat and shifting, proved myself a thousand times over but it didn't matter. All because I was a woman. One that looked like her mother-the one woman my father hated so much.

It was safe to say that, he hated my mother and after her death, the hatred was transferred to me

"Yes, Alpha." He favoured Alpha more than father in public.

"Where is Rhett?"

I lowered my gaze.

"I don't know. I've not seen him around"

"How can you not know where your fiancé went on such an important day?" His voice turned stern, like he was scolding a child. In his eyes, I never do anything right. "Find him! The guests from Nightwind and your Aunt Carina are waiting to meet him."

"Yes, Alpha. I'll find him," I replied, not wanting to stay in his presence a second longer.

"And find your brother for me as well, will you?" His glare disappeared when he spoke of my younger brother, his golden son. My heart squeezed at his affection for my brother, but I just brushed it off like always, nodded, and turned my back on him to begin my search.

I walked through all the rooms where I thought Rhett could be but I couldn't find him and Roman. My brother was the life of every party and him missing this party was a wonder, so was Rhett missing his own engagement party.

My wolf's restlessness made my head spin more, and the worry increased.

Maybe Rhett was in the garden? He was like me, he didn't like crowded places. Maybe he was getting some fresh air and got lost in time. I went to look in the garden but he still wasn't there.

How could I not know where my mate was? Father was right, I can't do anything right.

I turned my way to go back to my father, pondering on what to tell him as I walked past the foot of the stairs, when a sudden noise from the floor above caused me to halt in my tracks.

I ascended the stairs, slowly, step by step. When I reached the landing, I stopped straining to listen but everywhere was as quiet as a graveyard in the early hours of the morning.

"Is anyone here?" I called out. "Rhett, can you hear me?" I called out again but no reply.

At first, I thought I was hearing things, but then I heard it again, the unmistakable giggle from Roman and a low male groan.

This wasn't new to me.

Roman was into men and he was probably hooking up with someone from the party. The good thing was I knew where he was. I could easily come back for him.

Just as I was about to turn away and leave, I caught a whiff of Rhett's all too familiar scent and immediately my wolf perked up. I charged up to the door, ready to knock, then I heard it. First, it was the sound of hips thrusting into each other in perfect sync, then came the voices.

"Oh God, yes!"

"You love that, don't you my love!" Rhett groaned.

I froze, my heart pounding. No it couldn't be. My trembling hands clutched the side of my dress while my teeth ground against each other.

"You bet I do, you monster," came my brother's groan shortly after.

"Oh God...you're so fucking hot. I don't think I can last." Rhett's voice wafted through the slightly opened door, and my heart raced, pounding heavily in my chest as my body began to tremble.

Rhett and Roman.....My stomach lurched.

I felt like a bomb of fire exploded over my frame. It was bad enough that my fiancee is having an affair but what was worse is that he is cheating on me with my brother.

Then came the realization. The reason for my pain and wolf's restlessness wasn't any wedding jitters. Rhett had been fucking Roman. In the werewolf world, when your mate has sex with someone other than you after marking and claiming you, you experience sharp pains and restlessness. If I were to betray Rhett, similarly, he would experience the same sharp pain and unsettling feelings.

Rhett knew this, but he hurt me on such an important day of our lives.

I stood in front of the door, fidgeting, praying this was a terrible misunderstanding of some sort. That I was imagining things.

Then, with a trembling hand, I pushed the door open, and the scene that greeted me was like a punch to the gut. I staggered backwards, my mind unable to process what I was seeing.

There, leaning against a table, arms plopped on the top and back facing Rhett was Roman, and standing behind him was Rhett, both completely naked.

Roman's right leg was thrown over the tabletop, his hands gripping the edge while Rhett fucked....forcefully thrusted into him from behind. I can hear the slapping sounds mixed with their lustful grunts.

I stood there, frozen. Wide-eyed. My legs felt like stone. I couldn't move. My mouth opened but I was too stunned to make a sound. I felt paralyzed to my bones yet listening to the two of them have sex filled my soul with disgust. Every time I heard them, my soul felt like it was encased in ice.

"Oh yes..." Roman groaned into Rhett's mouth, the rumble of his voice bringing back to the unfolding scene. "fuck me harder, Daddy,

In response, Rhett straightened his spine, slapped Roman's buttocks, firmly gripped his waist while simultaneously pressing his shoulder- bending him further across the table and grunted. "Stick you ass up"

"Okay Daddy," Roman squealed like a happy toddler talking to their father, and I cringed.

It felt like I was watching a scene from a porn film. I had never seen Roman naked before. As a child, yes, but right now, the sight of his cock hitting the table as Rhett thrusted in and out of him was both nauseating and gory.

I was bamboozled. Hurt. Shocked.

My breath caught in my throat, denying me the ability to breathe.

I felt sick.

How could my own brother do this to me?

If anyone would understand the devastation and stings of betrayal it would be Roman because we both saw how our mother's infidelity turned our Dad into a monster, incapable of loving his own child. How it turned our once warm, happy home into an unliveable cold cell for us...for me.

And Rhett? He had always claimed to be homophobic. No matter how much I've tried to foster a relationship between him and Roman, it didn't work. Rhett claimed he was scared of Roman and ignored him because he was into men.

Was it all a lie? Was it a deliberate scheme to blind me to what was truly going on?

How long has this been going on? I and Rhett have been dating for four years. Has he been fucking my brother for that long?

Goddess, please let this be a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare. I pinched myself hard and the sting registered immediately. Reality dawned on me like a slap to the face.

Father was right all along. I was incredibly naive and stupid!

"Jesus, Roman you're so fucking tight. I don't think I can last any longer" Rhett hissed, smacking Roman's cheeks.

"Do I make you cum faster than Aria does?" Roman asked, arching his back.

"Fuck yes! You're hot? You're perfect? You're versatile! Aria is like a statue. She can't even do the simplest thing"

My lips curved with bitter self-mockery.

I had given Rhett my virginity. I had done things I once thought were morally wrong just to please him but he dared say this about me? That I am a statue?

For a moment, I thought to bring out my phone, video the entire scene, and televise it for the entire guest to see at the party, but I shrugged. I wasn't that type of person.

I finally made my decision. My wolf, Ivory, whimpered inside me, sensing my distress but agreeing with what had to be done. I mean I couldn't pretend this didn't happen. I couldn't unsee it.

I couldn't go on with our wedding anymore. Not now. Not after I witnessed him burying his cock that was supposed to be preserved for me inside my brother's protruding asshole. Taking him back would be disgusting.

You know what else would be disgusting, going back to the party to tell my father what has happened. Sure he would hear of it, but not from me.

After a few more thrust, Roman and Rhett grunted together as they climaxed. They hadn't even noticed me even as Roman knelt on the ground and licked Rhett's cum off his junk.

Seeing them like that made a wave of nausea crash over me.

I couldn't watch them anymore.

"One more time before we go to the engagement party" Rhett said, fixing himself into Roman once again.

Slowly, he began to thrust into Roman again and as if finally sensing my presence, Rhett turned his neck back, coming face to face with my eyes that showed nothing but emotional detachment.

At once, colour drained from his face, and his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and he pulled out from Roman in a jump start as if he had been jolted by an electric shock.

Startled by Rhett's abrupt, unhappy ending, Roman turned, but he saw me. His face widened before he scrambled around the area, fishing for his discarded clothes, using his palm to cover his shaft, face awash with shock, however, without the slightest trace of guilt.

Despite the suffocating pain in my chest-four years of genuine affection not easily erased, I masked my feelings well, lips curved in a polite countenance. "Uhm, did I interrupt something?" I asked even though the answer was painfully obvious.

I was surprised at how calm I sounded when all I truly wanted to do was scream, cry, shout, and let my wolf out to tear them apart. Even if I did that, what would it change?

"Aria! What are you doing here?" Rhett asked. The room stank of cinnamon, sweat and sex, and every second I stood there, the threat of falling apart turned into an inevitability. I needed fresh air. Clean, untainted air.

I lifted an eyebrow at him. My voice was calm but my heart trembled as I admitted

"Oh, I was looking for my fiancée who left me alone at our engagement party," I glanced mockingly at him, then smiled with innocent eyes at Roman, "and my brother, who was supposed to be the life of the party, only to meet them freaking off," I said, sensing myself grow colder.

"Listen, Aria. It's not what you think. It's not..." Rhett tried to grab my hand but I flinched away from him. Only the goddess knew that hand had been.

"Don't you dare touch me." The venom in my voice cut him up short. "I came looking for you because we were being called for our pre-nuptial rites, but that wouldn't be necessary anymore," I said and slowly took off my engagement ring, holding it in my palm.

Rhett caught onto the act and his eyes widened. "Aria...baby, please don't do this. I promise this was a one-time thing. It will never happen again. It meant nothing, I swear" he pleaded with me. "I love you"

"You love me?" I chuckled, cold and bitter.

"You wouldn't recognize love even if it smacked you in the face. One shouldn't

cheat on someone they claim to love. Even if my life depended on it, I wouldn't cheat on you"

"I know, baby. I know. But please...one last chance. Let's talk it out please"

"There's nothing for us to talk about, Rhett," I retorted.

I watched him with narrowed eyes. For the first time since I knew Rhett, he looked genuinely unsettled. His brow furrowed as he studied my face searching for the emotional, accommodating girlfriend he was used to manipulating.

"Please believe me. I never meant to hurt you. This was a silly mistake. It meant nothing. This is the first and last time"

A mistake?

"What do you mean 'a mistake', as if you slipped and fell onto his arms. You had him backed against the table with your cock going in and out of him and you dare call it a mistake?

As far as I could see, Roman hadn't forced himself on you. Even if he did, it would take considerable, concrete self-examination and thoughts for a person who wasn't into men to indulge in same gender sex!

This wasn't a mistake, Rhett. It was a premeditated, conscious action!" I spat bitterly, and at that moment, my eyes flicked to Roman, and funnily enough, the shock look on his face had been replaced with a smug smile, and that was all I needed to see to know that I was right.

Chapter 2

Aria

"Please, baby. I did it because of you. I wanted to get close to him, to get to know him better and appreciate him as a person because of you then he seduced me and I got lost in the moment because of how much he resembles you"

We both heard gasps from behind him. Roman responded. "He's lying, Aria. We've been screwing each other for years now, his claim of being homophobic was a scheme to erase suspicions. We are more than just fuck buddies."

Roman's words hit home. I clenched my fists, angled my head, and sank my nails into my palms.

"You know what? The two of you should just pretend I was ever here-" I hiccuped and I knew I couldn't deal with this anymore. It was only a matter of time before the tears started falling.

There was barely so much I could keep in. I needed to leave here. I needed to think. To process my next step. I placed my engagement ring on the floor, half a meter away from where I was standing.

"I hope both of you have an explanation ready for our families and the guests. Cause they'll be needing it" I said with a calm indifference before turning on my heels, ignoring Rhett's plea for me to wait and talk it out with him.

I could feel the tears as they slid silently down my face. I had held myself together when I confronted Rhett and Roman but inside, I was a miserable wreck.

The truth stung and realizing it was far more devastating. For four years I believed in a love that was mutual and genuine. Only now did I realize I was a pawn in some sort of game.

It was at the foot of the floor that I remembered my father was waiting for Roman, Rhett, and me. I didn't want to go back and recall the details of Rhett tangled in my brother's body.

I hesitated with tears falling down my face for a while, then rattled off to a nearby restroom. I shut my eyes, taking deep breaths. I took off my clothes, folded it in a satchel and made a run for it in my wolf form.

'Where to,' Ivory , my wolf asked, her voice cutting through the fog in my brain.

Where to? Good question!

Home wasn't even an option. I didn't want to go to my bedroom in the packhouse that was next to Roman's. Aunt Carina was still at the party venue and I didn't want to sit in her room alone, replaying the image of Rhett and Roman. I didn't have the strength to answer her questions when she got back. So I simply answered.

"Anywhere but home" I simply answered, then curled in the dark corners of my consciousness as I let Ivory 's rage fill the dark, quiet night.

I didn't know how long Ivory kept running. One thing I do know is that it has been hours, and we've been swallowed by the night.

'Good heavens' Ivory said as she stopped running. She halted by a riverside, facing the full moon. She howled and howled to the moon as if wanting to challenge the moon's decision. Why did she let our mate betray us like that?

After shifting back to my human wolf, I wandered alone in the night until the next morning. The cast of dawn cleared around me as I walked aimlessly, my mind replaying all that had happened over and over. My phone buzzed with calls, text messages, and emails, but I didn't read or reply to any.

I just walked until my feet started to hurt and transformed into my wolf form before heading back home.

*******

It was late afternoon when I returned to Packhouse. At that time, the news of my failed engagement had bridged across every border in the werewolf territory, and as soon as I stepped into the packhouse, my father summoned me to the throne room, and I obeyed. There were ten pack elders with him and his beta when I entered the throne room, every gaze locked on me.

I stood at the center of the grand arena, still in my wolf form, tall, lean, and mud-smeared. Ivory 's white fur was covered with dirt and wet with water. The silence around me is heavy with judgment. Across the arena, my father's cold commanding black eyes found mine.

I already knew what was lurking behind those fiery eyes of his, but instead of showing my fear, I let the rage from yesterday steel me, so when I fixed my gaze on his, I wouldn't blink, and when I spoke, my voice was calm and controlled.

"Father, about yesterday, you must understand that..."

"Save it." He snapped. His jaw clenched and his expression hardened but there was a flicker in his eyes. Disappointment and Regret.

He tossed a tablet toward me, and when the screen lit up, the headline was the first thing that greeted my eyes.

"A ROYAL HUMILIATION: Nightwind Pack Heiress' sudden disappearance at engagement party with Blackstone Prince led to a scandalous end of a four-year-long marriage arrangement"

I lowered my gaze.

"Do you understand what you have done?" his tone carried a dreadful meekness in it.

"You didn't just embarrass this pack, you've weakened our alliance with the Blackstones. With the recent threats and attacks hovering over our pack, we needed a strong alliance -someone with power, command, and authority to rule alongside you to ensure the safety and longevity of our pack but you threw the one person who could give our pack that away, and because of that, you've been ousted as my heiress"

"Why am I being punished? I didn't end the wedding because I got bored. I ended it because Rhett cheated on me with my brother for years. It wasn't my fault!" my voice rang out, sharp and unwavering.

"Of course it wasn't your fault! It was my fault for trusting that you wouldn't blow this one simple thing up. You couldn't even keep a man, Aria." His eyes bore icy holes down my skin. "How are you supposed to manage the pack as my heiress, let alone my business"

The words punched my guts, forcing a low growl to rumble in my chest, deep and primal.

"And who says whoever can't keep a man can't manage a pack or a business?" I said, voice cracking but loud enough to echo. "I'm not only schooled but trained in years of practice and experience. Having a man isn't a trophy!"

"But it is in our world and that's common knowledge, Aria-one that has guided our kind for generations and hasn't changed. Years of schooling, fighting, training, and experiment mean nothing in a woman without her man."

Around, the pack elders nodded in solemn agreement.

"What was the point of making me your Heiress then?"

"It was never about you, Aria. I made you my heiress because of Rhett. I was hoping you both would get married so I could secure an alliance with his father and have him rule after me but all my plans have turned to dust because of your pride"

His words punched through me. I couldn't believe my father. All this time, I was merely a means to an end for him? Blindly living that reality was one thing, but his admittance was far more heartbreaking.

Anger seized my throat and I spat without thinking.

"Because of my pride? So I should have married someone that's been fucking my brother behind my back because he aligns with your political aspirations?" I spat bitterly. "Since you need him so badly why not go ahead and marry him. After all, he's into men"

A stunned hush filled the throne room and my father's eyes turned cold. Murderous.

I had barely had time to realize my mistake when my father changed into his beast form, charged, and caught my throat with his fangs. He raised me by the neck and my paws dangled in the air.

"How dare you?!" His voice boomed, slamming into me like a tidal wave, radiating dominance and demanding an apology.

Power exploded from him, thick and oppressive like a suffocating fog.

My lungs seized. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. My eyes bulged, blurred by the unshed tears.

"Fa...ther... plea...se" I choked

He released my throat and my back hit the floor with a thud, followed by a frightening crunch of bones. My bones.

He shot me a dirty look then turned to address the cabinet. "I've made my decision. Since Aria's marriage with Rhett had been called off, she ceased to be my heiress from his moment onward. My new heir is Roman!"

My breath caught like a blade in my throat.

Roman?

A ripple of stunned gasps spread through the crowd, but my ears barely registered them. The pain in my back and chest drowned out everything.

"As for you, Aria," he continued, voice cutting through me like steel. "You will start your training at the Wolfspire Academy next Monday. The new semester begins and you've been enlisted. You leave for the North in three days," Father said, and my eyes widened in horror.

"What? No...I can't..." My voice didn't sound like mine. It came from somewhere small and broken. "I didn't even enroll..." my voice flattered as realization dawned on me.

All along, father had kept me because of Rhett, and now that he and I were no longer together, I was of no use to him, so he was discarding me. Not just as an heir. But as a daughter. As a wolf.

He wanted me far away, away from my dreams and aspirations. This was my punishment for humiliating my family and pack name.

The revelation sliced through me like a razor-sharp knife, leaving a trail of anguish and despair in its wake.

Wolfspire Academy was an institution for she-wolves who had come of age but were without a mate. There, they get groomed for one year and then auctioned to alpha males who'd tame, control, domesticate, and condition them to conform to societal norms of a woman, which basically includes cooking, cleaning, pop out pups, be a submissive, compliant wife, rather than a woman worthy of love and respect.

I couldn't go there. I didn't go through years of schooling, thorough and severe combat training to end up as a sex tool. That wasn't the life I'd envisioned for myself.

At once, I changed back to my human wolf and without caring that I was naked in front of at least sixteen pairs of eyes, I went on my knees begging.

"Father, please," I said softly, tears glimmering behind my eyes. "Please don't make me go there. There are many good men out there. I can get a noble wolf from a reputable family to marry. Please don't send me there"

"Give me one last chance to prove myself, Father. Please," I begged on my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks, but Father's face didn't grow softer. Like it didn't matter. My tears have never mattered to him in a fatherly way. If anything, it made me appear weak in his eyes.

"You should have granted the same one last chance privilege to Rhett when he asked, and even if you do get someone else to marry you, he wouldn't be as noble or reputable as Rhett Blackstone." He looked away for the briefest second, then snapped his gaze back to mine.

"But since you asked so humbly, I'd grant you one last chance but it would come with a price"

My neck perked up.

"Tell me and I'll pay whatever price"

"Forge an alliance with the Blackstone pack Alpha King himself..."

CHAPTER 3

ARIA

"You have one week," he said, sounding more like a challenge than anything. He shot me one last look as if to say, 'Don't bother wasting your time,' then stalked out, the crowd dispersing after him.

I collapsed fully on the ground, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, but I controlled them. My nails bit my flesh as my heart bled. Cajoling the Blackstone alpha into forging an alliance was almost an impossible task.

Alphas of noble packs had tried but failed. My only shot was with Rhett because he was the future Alpha, and his father, the king, was unapproachable.

I've heard stories about him. Rhett talked about him the way you'd talk about a rogue wolf who didn't make the loudest noise or make an appearance but knows everything happening around him. Wild. Unpredictable. Unhinged.

Everyone feared him. A glimpse of his face set scoundrels petrified, running away to hide.

Blackstone Alpha, Zane Blackwood, held a powerful clout over the Alpha Council, and everyone wanted to tap into that resource.

I'd met him once when I visited Rhett's packhouse. But he has stared at me the whole time like I was an insignificant trifle. He hadn't attended my failed engagement party with Rhett, which summed up his kind of person. I had no intention of meeting him again, but desperate situations called for desperate measures.

He probably wouldn't spare me a second glance. And truth be told, I didn't want to serve as a pawn to forge another alliance, but I didn't want to seem like a coward...like a failure to my father. I wanted to prove that I was more than the limits he caged me in. That I wasn't like my Mom.

After a long time of deep thoughts and debating, I sighed, coming to a decision.

I would go to the Blackstone pack to strike a deal with Rhett's father, Alpha King Zane. If it works out well, fine. If it doesn't, it wouldn't be the end of my world.

Hopefully.

I pulled myself up, went into my room, grabbed my car keys, and drove out from our pack borders, towards the entrance of the Blackstone pack, which was too far from our pack for me to walk.

Under normal circumstances, cars were useless to werewolves who could run nearly as fast as a car, especially if that werewolf was on a mission like mine.

After hours of driving, I finally arrived at the biggest pack in the kingdom. Compared to my father's pack, the Blackstone pack was ten times bigger. The pack was surrounded by an iron dome that protected them from attack. They were the pack with the best warriors-massive, fearless, and emotionless, just like the man who ruled them, Rhett's father.

After getting out of my car, I met the Pack butler who immediately brought me to Alpha Zane's office.

The atmosphere had Mint. Sex, smoke, and leather smell with a blend of eucalyptus and cedar.

It stirred something primal within me, making my wolf purr. She had been quiet the whole evening while she licked the wounds of her broken bond with Rhett, but right now, it was as if there was something in the air that made her feel alive again.

I felt him first-eyes, completely focused on me. I turned to the right, and there he was

Zane Blackstone sat like the fucking king he was. His posture was commanding yet observant, like a fox.

A girl knelt between his legs, her head bobbing up and down as she gave him a blow job, while his hands fisted in her hair, guiding her down his length.

Not only that, around him, two frilly blondes ran their hands through his body while another two red-haired women held a bucket of ice and a bottle of whiskey in their hands respectively.

All the ladies were naked, but his eyes weren't on any of them. His eyes were on me.

I looked away quickly, my gaze darting everywhere but his face, even as my skin crawled at the scene before me.

Feeling like I'd walked into something I shouldn't have, I turned to leave, but he spoke, his voice smooth and deep like he was bored.

"Wait," he said, and I turned.

Without a word, he nudged his head towards the exit, and the girls rose to their feet, brushing past me as they scuttled toward the exit.

An awkward yet intense silence descended on us as he tucked himself back into his pants. I didn't see his junk because my eyes were glued to the ground, but I could tell he was massive because of how long it took him to pack it back in.

I dismissed the thought, my gaze moving to his face as he rose. Under the dim light, I couldn't see his face, but I could tell his shirt was unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to his elbow.

Seconds later, he stepped out of the shadows to a brighter side, and immediately, the air thickened with something foreign yet primal. At the first sight of him, my heart raced and my mind went blank in shock because of how good he looked.

His looks were sinful.

It didn't matter how many times I had seen him; I could never be prepared for how beautiful he looked in his ripe age.

He had an entire body carved by the heavens and an imposing aura that commanded a silent power, making everything seem small, dimmer, and insignificant. His eyes were as green as emeralds yet deep as the depth of the ocean, and they seemed to be piercing into my soul, entrapping me, and drawing me in.

With eyes like that, I couldn't blame the girls from earlier. Even I would go on my knees in front of him if...

'Goodness, Aria,' I hissed, dismissing the thought from my head. That's not why I am here.

"Aria," he called. His voice was so low and silky, so dangerously alluring that it seemed to seep into my bones, and I swallowed hard.

My nerves frayed as I gazed up at him, but the longer I stared at him, the quicker my skin grew cold. My idle hands smoothed the bodice of my dress as I tried to calm my erratic breathing.

"Alpha Zane," I replied, bowing hastily.

"Sit," he said, inclining his head towards the chair across his imposing.

"Thank you," I murmured, not meeting his eyes. Yet I could feel his scalding gaze like a force of nature, sharp and penetrating with an intensity that made me want to shrink back. Yet there was something else, too, something that made my heart stutter in my chest.

"I assume you're here because of the situation between Rhett, you, and your brother, am I correct?" He asked. I nodded.

"So what do you want me to do for you?" he asked again. His voice exuded power, not just the masculinity of an Alpha male that made my cheeks grow a shade darker.

He hadn't looked away. Not once.

His viridian green eyes were quizzical, almost like he saw every piece of me, the desperation, determination, and the vulnerability I try so hard to keep buried inside me.

"I do not enjoy repeating myself, Aria," he said, leaning at the edge of his table, swirling his whiskey while fixing his gaze on me.

The intensity of his eyes made me want to shrink back. I could barely breathe under its weight; still, I forced the word out of my throat.

"Alpha King Zane, I'm in dire need of your help."

He sipped his whiskey while keeping his eyes fixed on me. "I'm listening"

"You must have heard that I am no longer engaged to your son, Rhett," I breathed. "His actions have not only left me heartbroken but helpless. My father had ousted me as his heir and declared Roman as his new heir. Not only that, he'd declared that I would resume Wolfspire. The only way to get back my birthright and not go back to Wolfspire depends on whether or not I get to forge an alliance with you..."

One of his eyebrows lifted slightly, nudging me to go on. I took a deep breath.

"I need you to help me form an alliance with you."

Alpha Zane didn't look away or say a word. He didn't waver. He was calm, unshaken, and far too composed for a man who had my future in his hands.

The way his green eyes pierced me was unsettling, as if he were weighing my very soul. I honestly couldn't tell if he was intrigued or disgusted by my request.

I tilted my eyes to meet his and noticed he was still watching me with the same unreadable expression, his gaze steady. Then after what seemed like an eternity, he leaned forward, whispering.

"Do you have any idea what you're asking, little wolf?" He asked, amused, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking his feet.

My throat was dry, so I nodded.

"You are ambitious." His words were cold and clinical. "Ambition is admirable, but it's dangerous. It drives greatness but also involves risk. Are you ready to take risks, Little Wolf?"

One of his eyebrows lifted slightly, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Yes," I said, suddenly regaining my confidence in front of the man who made me feel naked under his gaze.

He smiled, then cocked his head to the side. " Then, I have no option other than to help you," he said, pushing from the table and walking to me.

His scent of cedar washed over me like a heady perfume, and an undeniable shift prickled at the edge of my senses. It wasn't an attraction; it was something deeper, something that gnawed at me, screaming at me to run.

"But it will come at a price. You will have to give me something in return." His deep, dark, and low voice sent chills up my spine.

"I thought of that prior and came up with a proposal..." he raised two fingers, silencing me.

His expression was unreadable, cold and calculating as if he was deciding my fate right there and then.

"If I helped you, the price would be on my terms." He raised an eyebrow, and I swallowed.

"Name it. I'd do anything," he looked up, smirking, opened a folder, scanned it, then looked back at me.

"You want an alliance with me."

"Yes"

"And you'll do anything?" His voice was silk and smooth, like a warning.

I hesitated. "I'll do whatever it takes."

He scanned the folder again. "Then marry me."

For a moment, I couldn't process what he was saying. The words hung in the air, almost surreal.

I blinked. "What?"

"Be my wife and Luna for one year," he repeated again, almost leisurely. " In exchange, I'll forge an eternal alliance with Nightwind pack, in your name, make Rhett and Roman grovel before your feet, but you have to put whatever happened between you and Rhett aside and sign a contract to be my Luna for a year."

"I am sorry, Alpha Zane, but I don't go around jumping in beds to gain favours...especially not with a man who almost became my father-in-law," I said through gritted teeth.

"Rhett and I are two separate legal entities. Your relationship with him shouldn't affect your relationship with mine. As a business major, you should understand that concept." His lips curled up.

"You're joking."

"I don't joke."

I shook my head. "Why would you even want to marry me? What are you looking for? A wife to decorate your title? A political pet? Someone to parade around and pump babies into? From what I've seen, you have many of those lined up, so why me?"

Zane raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker behind his eyes, something awfully similar to amusement. Perhaps interest.

"The women you saw with me has nothing to offer except sex or momentarily pleasure."

My ears perked.

"Are you saying none of that is expected of me if I get married to you?"

"All I want from this marriage is an heir so sex is inevitable."

The words rang out like a death sentence.

"That's not a reason to get married."

"It is for me," His lush lips suddenly spread into a smile–even if it was more like an evil grin–and he turned to look at me.

"The wedding date will remain the same. Unchanged," he continued. "I'm not a very patient man, Aria Nightwind. I will have my answer before you leave my pack. If you wish not to marry me, then speak now. I do not have the time to make you feel like I want you for your virtues or looks. Truth be told, you aren't my type. I'm compelled to do this as much a you are "

He said it like he was offering a business deal-no emotion, no warmth, just cold facts, portraying every bit the man people whispered him to be-cold, rich, arrogant.

His words weren't kind or loving, and I felt that I was nothing more than a pawn in the whole arrangement. Yet the more I processed his request, the more I realized this was my only way out. What other way was there to secure an alliance with the Alpha King himself than marrying him?

I thought about the perks of marrying him, and the offer began to make sense. Not only would I get even with Rhett, I'd be devouring Roman in his own games, beating my father's expectation and securing my position as the Nightwind Heiress.

But what would people say?

To hell with whatever people say. I didn't care anymore.

I killed the questions immediately, as they started to take root in my head.

There might be no dignity in marrying my ex-mate's father, but there was also no dignity in my ex-mate cheating on me with my brother.

Without Zane, my life would be a losing battle, and I might as well kiss everything goodbye. His offer is the only thing that secures my future, and all I needed to do was sign some papers and bear a child.

"Do you accept, Aria, yes or no?" He asked once more, and I nibbled my lips and took a deep breath.

"Yes," I said. "I will be your wife for a year, and I will give you one child, Your Majesty. But after that, I must be allowed to leave your palace and return here, to my home, where I would take my father's place beside him as crown princess."

Zane Blackstone nodded in silence.

"We have a deal, Aria Nightwind. The wedding will happen tomorrow and you don't have to worry about anything. Just show up. I'll handle the rest," He said, and my shoulders relaxed immediately, a sigh slipping past my lips.

If Zane said he would handle the rest- my pack, his pack, my father, the media, and the elder council, then he would.

One year.

What was the worst that could happen?