Alpha’s Borrowed Luna
Contract with a Stranger–2
“I didn’t anticipate a spitfire beneath all that meekness, but I can work with that,” he said. appreciatively. “It’s… refreshing.”
His expression turned serious. “Your mother would be bought by me, but I would free her immediately. She wouldn’t be a slave; I would give her a decent job with her own. quarters; she would be both protected and respected in my pack. My word on this.”
I searched his face for any sign of deception. “And why are you doing all this? What’s the catch?”
“I told you before,” he repeated. “I want you by my side–for a period of time.”
“And after that, my mother and I are truly free? No strings?” I needed clarification.
He nodded. “Yes. You can remain in my pack if you wish or leave if you prefer. Whatever the case may be, you would leave a billionaire. How is that for an offer?”
It sounded too good to be true. “What do you get out of this?”
His smile hardened to ice. “A lot. Have it in mind that I do not make deals that aren’t beneficial to me. I have something very specific to gain.”
“And what is that?” I demanded.
“It is none of your business,” he said firmly. “That’s not part of our arrangement.”
Frustration welled up inside me. “Then how am I supposed to trust you?”
He stepped closer, his tall frame looming over me. “You don’t. But I would keep to my words. And I would enjoy every single day with you–in my bed, at my side, wearing my mark. But you would love it even more. So much that in the end, you would be begging on
your knees to stay.”
“That, Alpha Kaius,” I said defiantly, “would be the last thing I would ever do. I don’t beg-
not anymore.”
His fingers traced my jawline, sending unwelcome heat through my body. “We would, of course, see about that, Elowen. I do so enjoy a challenge.”
1/3
Contract with a Stranger–2
I pulled away from his touch. “You keep saying my name. How do you even know it?”
“Let’s just say, I need my father to believe I am mated for the time being,” he revealed.
“I’ve done my research.”
“But why me?” I asked, genuinely confused. “I mean, there are many other she–wolves in this pack; there are even more in your pack and others. Beautiful ones. Powerful ones. Willing ones.”
His answer held a strange honesty. “Well, I can’t answer that myself; I am yet to figure out why. Perhaps it’s the way you defied him even when it cost you. Or perhaps it’s simply that you don’t cower like the others.”
My mind raced with practicalities. “How long would this… arrangement last?”
“I think those details should be discussed when you arrive at my territory,” he evaded.
“Once you’re mine.”
“What if I don’t agree to your terms when I hear them?” I asked cautiously.
His answer surprised me. “You will, but if you don’t, I will let you go. But his voice hardened, “you cannot tell anyone what transpired between us, not even your dear mother or your most trusted friend. This conversation dies with us. Understand?”
I felt the weight of his authority. “Yes, I understand.”
One final question remained, and I asked it in a small voice: “How do I know that I am safe with you?”
He lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “You are not. I am not a gentle man, Elowen, and you should know that about me. I would protect you from every other person
in this world–but not from myself.”
I met his eyes directly. “You would hurt me?”
His fingers trailed down my cheek, his voice softening. “Yes. In ways that will haunt your dreams. In ways that will make you hate me. And in ways that will make you crave more.”
