Bound By Contract, Claimed By Fate

The Wolf's Revelation

Dominic

"One touch was all it took to uncover what fate had been hiding."

“What did I tell you about coming close to my wife?” My voice ripped through the garden like thunder, sharp and commanding.

Adrian only smirked, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Easy, brother,” he drawled, his tone deliberately low, deliberately provoking. “We were just… taking a walk down memory lane. You know how that can be.” He even had the nerve to tap my shoulder, casual as ever, before strolling off as though he owned the night.

I wanted to tear him apart. But instead, I forced myself to shift my focus to Katherine.

She stood frozen, her face lowered, refusing to meet my gaze. Vulnerable—that’s what she looked like. So fragile it almost sparked pity in me. Almost. But I had to stand firm, had to remind both of us who I was.

“And you,” I said, my voice cutting with controlled fury as I closed the space between us. “Even if you hate me, you will respect me.”

I grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer. The instant our bodies aligned, something unexpected hit me. A pull. Strong. Dangerous. My wolf stirred, clawing for control, desperate to claim what wasn’t his.

Her eyes lifted to mine, and for a moment, I lost myself. Light blue, glowing like the sea under moonlight—hauntingly beautiful. If only… if only she were my mate. If only she could heal the hollow inside me. But no. She was human. Too weak, too breakable. The Moon Goddess would never bind me to her.

“Oh, so now you care?” she snapped, her words slicing through the tension. Her voice was sharp, brittle with anger, but her body betrayed her, trembling under my grip. “This marriage is nothing but a convenience, Dominic. Don’t pretend it’s more. Let me do whatever I want.”

My jaw clenched. “At least not with my brother,” I ground out, releasing her and storming away before I did something I couldn’t take back.

She rolled her eyes at me as she turned and walked away, every step laced with disdain. It was obvious—what she felt for me wasn’t love, it was pure hate. But I couldn’t bring myself to care. Her feelings weren’t my concern. Not now. My focus lay elsewhere—on finding my true mate, the one destined to heal what no human ever could.

The house was quiet that night, but inside me, there was no peace. The company had been a constant weight on my shoulders—endless meetings, power struggles, board members whispering about succession even when I have no heir. I needed control. I needed clarity. And strangely enough, the only person I wanted in that moment was Katherine.

I called for her.

When she entered my room, she looked hesitant, her arms folded across her chest like a shield. Her chin was tilted in that defiant way she had—guarded but unwilling to show weakness.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked, her tone clipped.

“Yes.” “Sit,” I said, my tone carrying the kind of authority that left little room for argument. “There are things about the company I can’t discuss in front of others. You deserve to know them.” My words were clipped, but beneath them was something unspoken—an attempt to bridge the chasm that lay between us.

Her brows furrowed, clearly confused. “Since when do you want my opinion on your empire?”

I leaned back in my chair, trying to keep my voice steady. “This isn’t just about me. If you’re going to stand beside me—even if this marriage is just for convenience—you need to understand the world you’ve stepped into.”

Her lips parted as if to argue, but she stopped herself. Slowly, she sat down, smoothing her skirt. The flicker of suspicion in her eyes didn’t leave, though.

“You think I care about your board meetings?” she asked dryly.

I exhaled, fighting the urge to snap. She had a way of pushing every button I had. “You should care. You carry my name now, Katherine. What happens to the company reflects on you as much as it does on me.”

For the first time, silence settled between us—not the cold, hateful silence we usually shared, but something heavier. Something charged.

Her gaze softened, just slightly, and she leaned forward. “Why does it sound like you’re… worried?”

That struck me harder than I expected. My wolf stirred inside me at her words, restless, almost agitated. I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to will away the sudden tightness.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

But I wasn’t.

The room tilted slightly. My vision blurred at the edges. The conversation—the company, the plan, the act of control I had tried to maintain—suddenly slipped through my fingers. A wave of weakness crashed over me, and before I knew it, my body betrayed me.

I collapsed forward, my hands hitting the table before sliding uselessly off the edge.

“Dominic!” Katherine’s voice was sharp with alarm.

I felt her move, felt her small hands grip my arm, trying to steady me. Her touch seared against my skin like fire and ice all at once. My wolf roared awake, not in pain but in recognition.

Mate.

The word echoed inside me, deep and undeniable.

I froze, my breath ragged. Every nerve in my body lit up. Her touch wasn’t just steadying me—it was healing something deeper, something broken.

No. This couldn’t be.

She was human. Too fragile. Too unworthy. I had told myself that from the beginning, hadn’t I? But my wolf wasn’t listening to reason.

Mate. Ours.

The sound of her panicked breathing filled the silence. “Dominic, stay with me. What’s happening to you?” She shook me, desperate, her voice trembling with something that almost sounded like… fear for me.

The irony hit me like a cruel joke. The woman who claimed to hate me, the woman I had bound to me in a marriage of convenience, was now the only thing keeping me tethered.

Her fingers tightened around mine, and the pull grew stronger, undeniable. My wolf pushed harder, clawing against the cage I’d kept him in for so long.

Mate. She is ours. Can’t you feel it?

A strangled sound left my throat—half growl, half gasp. I tried to push the voice away, but the bond surged, pulsing between us, raw and electric.

Katherine’s eyes widened, meeting mine as if she felt it too. Confusion, fear, and something else flickered in her gaze.

“What… what was that?” she whispered.

My chest heaved. I wanted to answer, to tell her to run, to tell her she had no idea what kind of fire she was playing with. But the words wouldn’t come. My wolf’s voice drowned out everything else.

Mate. She’s right here. She’s always been here.

And in that moment, with her hands clutching mine, I realised the truth I had been fighting all along.

The human I had dismissed, the woman I had chained myself to out of convenience, was the very thing fate had chosen for me.

My mate.

The last thing I heard before darkness pulled me under was her calling my name, her voice breaking—

And my wolf’s voice, louder than ever.

She’s ours.