Chapter 1
The pen was heavier than a gun.
"sign on the last page , miss Hale . Your brother's surgery is prepped. We start when the ink dries."
The hospital lawyer didn't blink. Men in suits never did when they were buying lives. I looked at the line . Karen Annette Hale. Twenty four years old, part time barista, full time failure. One signature and Noah get a new heart
. one signature and I'd belong to a stranger.
clause 7 : The wife will reside at Blackthorn Estate for a minimum of twenty four consecutive months. Dissolution of marriage is not permitted under any circumstance prior to term completion.
Two years. I could survive anything for two years.
I signed.
The lawyer took the folder , nodded once , and left . No husband, no "I do," no kiss. Just the smell of antiseptic and the sound of my own breathing.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
Be at the east gate of Blackthorn Estate by 2100 hours . Come alone. If you run , the deal is void.
It was 20:14.
Noah's nurse came in smiling. "He's in prep. Doctor says the donor heart is a perfect match . Did your luck finally turned around, Karen?" I smiled back because that's what you do when you've sold yourself. "Something like that."
Blackthorn Estate sat past the city limits where the streetlights stopped and the forest started. The taxi driver wouldn't go past the gate . "You sure , miss? People go in there. They don't come out."
I paid him and stepped into the dark.
The gate was iron , twelve feet high, wolves worked into the metal. No bell . No gaurds , no dogs, no lights except one window on the third floor.
Then the howl started. Low, from the trees to my left. Another answered from the right. Then another. I stopped breathing.
"You're late ."
The voice came from behind me. I spun and nearly fell. A man stood there . No, not a man . He was too still. Too tall. The porch light hit half his face: sharp jaw , black hair, a cut above his eyebrow still bleeding. He wore combat pant and nothing else. Tattoos ran over his chest and arms , moving when he breathed. Not pictures. Words. A language I didn't know
"Kael Blackthorn?" My voice was smaller than I wanted. His eye dropped to my hand . To the ring I wasn't wearing. "Where is it?"
"What?"
"The ring . The Blackthorn ring. My lawyer sent it."
No one sent me a ring . "I didn't get "
He moved . I didn't see him cross the space . One second ha was ten feet away, the next his hand was around my wrist , turning it over . His thumb pressed against my pulse. "Human," he said. Not a question. An accusation. "You're fully human."
"Yes. Was that not in the file?" He let go like I burned him. "Get inside, before they smell you." "Before who.." The wolf hit me from the side.
One hundred and twenty pounds of fur and muscle. We went down hard on the gravel. Claws pinned my shoulders. Hot breath roar in my face , reeking of meat and blood. It wasn't going to bite. It was going to tear. It didn't. Kael's hand locked around the wolf's throat. He didn't shout . He didn't strain. He lifted the beast one handed and threw it . It hit a tree with a crack that should have broken bone. The wolf yelped, shifted mid-air , and landed as a man . Young bleeding, furious.
"Alpha," he gasped, staying o his knees. "We smelled " "I know what you smelled," Kael's voice was quiet. The boy flinched anyway. "She's under my protection. Spread the word. Anyone touches her, i take their throat." The boy crawled backward then ran. Kael looked at me. Really looked. Silver eyes, like metal , like moonlight. They weren't human eyes. "Get up Mrs . Blackthorn. Welcome to your wedding night."
I pushed to my feet . My palms were bleeding. My whole body was shaking. "You're.." "Werewolf. Yes. And you're my wife on paper." He started towards the house . Rule one : Never be outside after dark without me. Rule two: Don't bleed . Rule three: Don't expect me to save you twice. I followed because what else could I do? The door was taller than the apartment. He pushed it open.
Heat hit me . A scent. Pine , smoke , and something wild that made my knees weak. The foyer was empty. No staff no photos. Just stairs going up into shadows and a hallway going left into darker shadows. "Guess room is first door on the right ," he said . "My room is the last door on the left . Do not knock. Do not enter . Do not look for me ." "Wait.. that's it? I sign my life away and I get a guest room and three rules ?"
He stopped. Didn't turn . "You wanted money . You got it! I needed a name on a contract. I got it . Don't confuse this with marriage, Karen."
He knew my name.
"clause 7 says two years. What happens after two years ?" "After two years you walk away. If you live that long." He left his footsteps made no sound on the stone. I stood in the foyer of his house full of wolves , married to their king , with blood on my hands and a brother who now have a heartbeat. Then the howling started again. This time, it was inside the house.