“I should have walked away. Instead, I stepped into his cage.”

Chapter One: The Contract Bride:

The wind howled outside the tall glass windows of the Blackwood Penthouse, but inside, the silence between them was deafening.

Aria Vale stood in front of the marble desk, hands clenched, her heartbeat racing in her ears. The room was dimly lit by the full moon pouring in from behind Damon Blackwood, the most feared billionaire in the city—and the man who was offering her a contract… for marriage.

Not love.

Not affection.

Just a signature and a cold exchange of power.

“I don’t have all night,” Damon said, his voice smooth and cutting like a blade wrapped in velvet. He pushed the thick, black folder toward her, its edges crisp and pristine—like him.

She blinked. “Why me?”

His eyes lifted from the paper. Icy. Silver.

For a second, Aria thought she saw something flicker in them… something not human.

“You need the money. I need a bride,” he said simply, leaning back in his leather chair. “It’s just a formality. On paper. Nothing more.”

Aria swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes scanned the contract again—every clause perfectly typed. One year. No emotional attachment. No questions. No public disclosure. And a generous sum deposited monthly into her account.

Too generous.

She was desperate. Her mother’s hospital bills were piling up. Her university debt was drowning her. She had no job, no family left except her unconscious mother—and no options.

Still… “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” Damon murmured. “You’re quiet. Obedient. Unattached. You won’t ask questions. That’s all I require.”

Her pride screamed at her to run.

But her reality reminded her that life had never been fair. Not since the fire. Not since the whispers in her dreams. Not since the strange mark on her wrist began to burn every full moon.

She pulled up her sleeve and rubbed at the glowing crescent etched faintly into her skin. It shimmered now, as if sensing the man across from her.

Damon’s eyes shifted to it for the first time. His jaw clenched—but only for a second.

Aria didn’t miss it.

“What is this really about?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “What are you hiding?”

His smile was humorless. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

A thick silence stretched. The air between them grew charged—electric, like something ancient stirring beneath the surface.

Aria’s fingers hovered above the pen. She hesitated.

“I’ll be your wife. But I won’t be your puppet,” she whispered.

His voice lowered to a growl. “Careful, Aria. You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

She looked him dead in the eye. “Then tell me.”

Damon rose from his chair, the moonlight outlining the sharp cut of his jaw and the broad frame of his body. Slowly, he walked around the desk until he was standing inches in front of her.

His scent was woodsy. Powerful. Dangerous.

“Sign it,” he said again, softer this time. “And your life will change forever.”

Against every scream in her body, Aria took the pen.

The moment her name touched the paper, the mark on her wrist flared—hot, like fire searing into her soul.

She gasped.

Damon grabbed her wrist and stared at it, his eyes now glowing faintly… silver.

Not human.

Not normal.

His voice was a whisper of something feral.

“…So it’s true.”

Aria’s blood turned cold. “What is?”

He released her and stepped back, straightening his cuffs. “Nothing. It’s done. You’re mine now.”

She stared at him, chest rising and falling. “What the hell are you?”

He smirked—but his eyes held no humor.

“Your husband.”

And just like that, the door behind him opened. A silent butler entered with two black rings on a velvet tray.

No ceremony. No witnesses. No kiss.

Just a ring on her finger, a chilling whisper of “I do,” and a burning feeling in her bones like she’d just signed a deal with the devil.

Only… she had no idea he had claws.

Q:What happens when the Alpha she should fear… becomes the one her heart won’t let go of?”

A:“One meeting. One bond. And suddenly, her fate is no longer her own.”

Q:If you were in Aria's position would you have signed the contract.

        READERS STAY TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH.❤️❤️💯

Chapter Two: Mine on Paper, Remember That

The morning after the wedding, Aria woke up in a stranger’s bed… alone.

No warm welcome. No husband beside her. Just the faint scent of cedar and musk clinging to the silk sheets.

The room was enormous—too polished, too cold. Like the man who owned it.

Aria sat up, clutching the thin bedsheet to her chest. Her wrist still tingled from last night—the mark now pulsing faintly beneath her skin like it was… alive.

Was that even possible?

She stared at it, confused. She hadn’t imagined Damon’s eyes glowing silver. Had she?

Before her thoughts could spiral, the heavy double doors swung open.

A tall woman in black stepped in, holding a folder and a gray suit set.

“Miss Vale,” she said coolly. “Mr. Blackwood arranged your new employment. You start this morning.”

Aria blinked. “Employment?”

The woman didn’t flinch. “He owns Blackwood Enterprises. You’ll be starting as an assistant in the executive wing. You’ll be paid monthly. Uniform included.”

Aria stared. “So… I married him last night, and now I work for him?”

The woman’s lips twitched. “He did say… ‘Keep her close, but professional.’ His words, not mine.”

Aria clenched her jaw.

Professional? She had signed a contract, yes. But she didn’t expect to be tossed into an office job with no explanation—or affection. Not even a hello.

Apparently, the man who was now legally her husband had already moved on with his day.

Aria got dressed in silence. The uniform fit perfectly—gray blouse, black pencil skirt, heels. Too tight. Too cold. Just like this life.

Three hours later, she stood in the private elevator of Blackwood Enterprises, the towering skyscraper slicing through the heart of the city.

Her heart pounded as the numbers climbed.

Damon’s company.

His empire.

His rules.

The elevator doors slid open to the top floor. She stepped into a sleek, modern lobby where a dozen sharply dressed assistants glanced up from their desks.

No one smiled.

A tall man with clipped gray hair approached her with a tablet.

“Miss Vale?” he asked.

She nodded.

“You’re assigned to the CEO’s personal office. Just through that hall. He’s expecting you.”

Expecting me? She doubted that.

She squared her shoulders and walked down the hallway.

At the end stood a set of dark double doors.

She knocked once.

“Come in,” came the voice.

She pushed the doors open… and there he was.

Damon Blackwood, in a dark suit, sleeves rolled up, collar open, staring out the window like he ruled the world.

Which he probably did.

He turned slowly when she entered, his face unreadable.

No smile.

No warmth.

Not even recognition.

“Miss Vale,” he said evenly, “You’re late.”

Aria’s brows shot up. “Seriously?”

He looked down at his watch. “Five minutes. I don’t tolerate delays.”

Was he pretending?

She stepped closer. “You do remember we got married last night, right?”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression as sharp as glass. “Did we?”

Her heart clenched. “You said I’m yours now.”

“I said you’re mine on paper, Miss Vale,” he corrected coolly. “That paper has rules. This is business.”

Aria stared at him, stunned.

He was different today. Colder. Controlled. But there was still something wild beneath his surface—something caged and snarling.

“And what do I call you at work?” she asked, her voice tighter than she meant it to be.

He walked toward her slowly. Predatory.

“Mr. Blackwood,” he said, standing just close enough to let her feel the heat from his body. “Until five p.m. sharp.”

She glared up at him, refusing to back down.

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Don’t forget, Aria. You agreed to this. You belong to me… but not in here.”

His eyes locked onto hers. For a brief second, that silver flickered again—like a secret fighting to surface.

Then he turned away.

“Your desk is outside. I don’t like distractions.”

She stormed out, furious and confused.

But as she sat at her new desk, her wrist burned again. The mark pulsed like a heartbeat.

Something wasn’t right.

And if Damon Blackwood thought she would just follow his rules in silence...

He had no idea who he married.

Q:“Is it fate that binds them—or a curse waiting to break her apart?”

A: “Because when his eyes darken, even destiny trembles.”🤗

He told me to run… but I couldn’t move.”

🖤 Chapter Three: The CEO’s New Assistant.

By lunchtime, Aria had already earned glares, whispers, and one coffee “accident” from another assistant.

The office environment was sharp and polished—but beneath the surface, it was a battlefield. And she had just walked in wearing a bullseye.

She sipped from her water bottle, ignoring the fake coughs and judgmental looks from the other women in sleek blouses and pencil skirts. The top floor was filled with ambition, beauty… and danger.

Most of it aimed at one man.

Damon Blackwood.

The mysterious, controlling billionaire. The cold, terrifying CEO.

And her legally bound husband.

Aria clenched her teeth as she typed up a press release, pretending she wasn’t aware of the way the VP of Marketing—Delilah Moore—was leaning across Damon’s desk again, voice syrupy, blouse too low, touch lingering too long.

Aria could see them through the glass wall of his office. Delilah touched his tie. Damon didn’t react. But Aria’s blood still boiled.

Her fingers tightened around her pen.

Why was she feeling this way?

It was just a fake marriage. A contract. That’s all it was supposed to be.

But the burning in her wrist said otherwise.

The mark shimmered again beneath her sleeve, a faint glow pulsing like it had a heartbeat of its own.

Aria took a deep breath.

No. She wouldn’t make a scene. She wouldn’t be that girl.

But when Delilah bent down, whispering something into Damon’s ear with a flirtatious smile, Aria’s self-control snapped.

She stood up. Walked over. Knocked once, then opened the door without waiting for permission.

Delilah straightened, her face twisting with fake politeness.

“Yes, dear?” she said, eyes mocking.

“I need Mr. Blackwood’s signature,” Aria said coolly, holding out a folder without looking at her.

Damon took it without blinking. His voice was neutral. “That’ll be all, Delilah.”

Delilah’s jaw ticked, but she forced a smile and strutted out like a runway model.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Aria turned to Damon.

“Is this how it’s going to be? I sit outside while women throw themselves at you?”

He didn’t look up. “You knew what this was.”

“Do I?” she snapped. “Because I keep feeling like I’m in a relationship that wants to burn me alive.”

His head snapped up then, eyes darkening. “Watch your tone.”

“No,” she said, stepping forward. “I’m tired of pretending. My body is changing. My emotions are all over the place. That mark—”

She yanked up her sleeve, revealing the glowing crescent.

“—It’s reacting to you. You’re not normal. And neither am I, apparently. So stop acting like I’m some office assistant you can ignore.”

Silence.

Damon stared at the mark, then at her.

He walked slowly around the desk until they stood chest to chest.

“You have no idea what you’re saying,” he murmured.

“Then explain it to me,” she whispered.

He brushed a knuckle against the mark. She flinched at the heat.

“You’re awakening,” he said under his breath. “Faster than I expected.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Your blood is older than you know. And mine—” His jaw clenched. “Mine is cursed.”

The air between them thickened. His eyes shimmered again—silver, untamed, burning.

She could feel his energy now. Not just human. Not just man.

Something primal. Wild.

Her lips parted, breath caught in her throat. “What are you?”

He leaned down, voice a whisper against her skin.

“Dangerous.”

And then—he stepped back, the moment shattered.

“You’re dismissed for the day,” he said coolly, retreating behind his desk like the mask had never slipped.

Aria stood there, stunned, heart thundering, mark burning.

One thing was clear.

Her husband wasn’t human.

And whatever was waking inside her… it wasn’t either.

Q:“Will she run from the monster inside him—or dare to love it?”

A: “The first kiss tasted like fire… and danger she could never escape.”💓