Chapter 3: The Devil’s Bargain
1000 Words
The VIP lounge of the Obsidian Tower, which had been buzzing with the elite of the supernatural world only moments ago, was now a tomb. The heavy double doors had clicked shut behind the last of the retreating socialites, leaving me alone with the man they called the Midnight Predator.
Silas Blackwood didn't let go of my wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but it was absolute—a physical anchor that forced me to face him. Up close, he didn't look like a businessman. He looked like a god of war who had been forced into a designer suit. The scent of ozone and dark chocolate was so thick now it felt like it was coating my tongue.
"You’re an Omega," Silas said, his voice a low, resonant rumble that made the crystal glasses on the table vibrate. "But you don't smell like the strays that haunt the slums of Lagos. Your scent is laced with the Silver-Moon Pack—a very specific, very traditional lineage. That’s a long way from home, little wolf."
I forced my breathing to slow down, though my wolf, Willow, was pacing frantically in my mind. "I don't have a pack anymore. I was exiled. I’m a rogue by law."
Silas let out a short, dry laugh that didn't reach his molten amber eyes. He finally released my wrist, but he didn't move back. He stood up, and I was forced to crane my neck to look at him. He was a mountain of a man, his presence so dominant that the very air in the room seemed to bow to him.
"Exiled," he repeated, pacing around me like a wolf circling a trapped rabbit. "Jaxson Miller is a fool. He throws away a mate, and he doesn't even realize he’s left his most precious assets in the gutter. He’s been searching for you, you know. Not out of love, but out of fear. His father’s little 'treason' project is starting to leak, and he needs a scapegoat to offer the Council. You’re that scapegoat, Elena."
My heart did a painful somersault. "How do you know my name? And how do you know Jaxson?"
"I know everything that happens in the North-Western territories," Silas said, stopping in front of me again. He reached out, his long, scarred fingers ghosting over the pulse point at the base of my throat. I gasped as a fresh wave of electricity sparked between us. This wasn't the dull, comfortable hum I had felt with Jaxson; this was a violent, primitive surge that demanded absolute submission. "And I know what you’re carrying. Two heartbeats. Strong, Alpha-blooded heartbeats. Jaxson’s heirs."
I stepped back, my hands instinctively flying to my stomach. "If you touch them—"
"Lower your claws, little wolf," Silas snapped, though a ghost of a smirk played on his lips. "I have no interest in harming pups. I am many things, but a child-killer is not one of them. However, I do have a massive interest in making Jaxson Miller crawl. And you... you are the perfect weapon for his destruction."
He walked over to a wet bar, pouring himself a finger of amber liquid—something that smelled like peat and expensive wood. He didn't offer me any. He stared into the glass for a long moment, the liquid reflecting the predatory light in his eyes.
"My grandfather was a man of ancient traditions," Silas began, his voice taking on a cold, clinical edge. "He left a clause in my inheritance. To retain control of Blackwood Industries and the Neutral Territories, I must produce an heir within the next nine months. If I don't, the Board of Directors—most of whom are old, traditional Alphas who hate my 'rogue' status—will strip me of my empire and hand it to my cousin."
He turned to face me, the shadows of the room lengthening around him. "I have no time for mates. I have no patience for the 'Moon Goddess' and her fated games. I need a woman who can play a role. A woman who needs protection as much as I need a legacy. You are pregnant with the heirs of a High Alpha. If I claim those children as my own, the Board is satisfied, and the Blackwood line is secured."
"You want me to lie to the world?" I whispered.
"I want you to survive," he countered. "Marry me. I will claim your pups as my own. I will give them the Blackwood name, which is a shield no Alpha-Heir can pierce. In return, you will stand by my side as my Luna. You will live in luxury, you will be fed the best food, and you will have an army at your beck and call. No more scrubbing pots in a canteen. No more sleeping on a mat in Ebute Metta."
"And Jaxson?"
Silas’s smile was a terrifying thing—sharp, white fangs peeking through. "Jaxson will watch as the woman he rejected becomes the most powerful Lycan in West Africa. He will watch as the children he could have had are raised by his greatest enemy. And when the time is right, we will take his pack from him, stone by stone, until he has nothing left but the mud he kicked you into."
I thought of the cold rain. I thought of ₦2,000. I thought of the way my father’s name had been dragged through the dirt. Most importantly, I thought of the tiny lives inside me. They deserved a throne, not a gutter.
"What happens after the heir is born?"
"Two years," Silas said, his voice dropping to a whisper as he stepped into my personal space. "That is the term of the contract. After two years, we divorce. You get a house in the city, five hundred million Naira in a private account, and your freedom. My lawyers will draft the papers tonight. You will be safe, Elena. I am the only monster in this city that..
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