(Martha's POV)
I had not expected this handsome stranger to stand up for me. He defended me and chose me over the beautiful women arranged for him.
I had only arrived here to see if I could get money for selling my body.
Tolu, my best friend, had told me that I could get money by sleeping with a stranger, as the money I was paid working for Silvers Restaurant wasn’t much.
My heart raced in my chest as the formidable man scooped me into his arms. His masculine scent of wood filled my nostrils, and his well-sculpted features made me uncomfortable.
I had not been feeding well due to my stepmother’s brutality, especially since my father’s death.
I lost weight, as I had to feed myself and take care of my needs while only living in the house with my stepmother and Elena.
They cooked without giving me any. They spent my father’s hard-earned money without caring to ask about my needs.
I had to work to sponsor my feeding and to ensure that I completed my studies at the university, since I was studying business management.
I couldn’t challenge Sandra, and I was hoping by the time I graduated that I would have a better job to challenge her and take what was rightfully mine.
After all, she had an explanation to give about Mark’s comments regarding my father’s will.
"Are you scared of me?" the formidable man asked me after he had placed me on the bed.
If I said that I was not afraid, that was a lie, because he towered above me and I could barely reach his shoulder.
My head was just reaching his chest, and he peered down at me like a predator scrutinizing its prey.
"No… I am not scared of you," I lied, and he laughed and reached for his shirt buttons to strip it off.
"You do not have to get scared. Though, I am like you, so why should you be scared? I have human features, don’t I?" he asked me, his brows raised in a question as he regarded me and flexed his muscular arms.
I gulped hard, wondering what he meant by having human features like me.
"Yeah. You’re handsome," I replied bashfully and avoided his eyes.
"You should have your bath. I am a clean freak. So, will you like to bathe first, or shall I bathe first? What drink do you want? So I request some food and drinks?" he asked as he stripped off his shirt and revealed his tattooed chest to my view.
My eyes widened when I saw the wolf head tattoo on his chest, and the several marks like claws and old scars on his chest.
Seeing my eyes glued on his chest, the man smiled and said, "Admiring my tattoos, right?"
"Yeah. Are you a warrior? Doesn’t this big tattoo hurt?" I asked him, knowing that it was wrong to pry into a stranger’s life. We were only having a night together, and I did not need to ask him who he was.
"Yeah. It’s a tribal tattoo. I am from the Dark Mountain Pack," he said, and I saw his golden eyes glow, and I didn’t know if I was hallucinating at the moment.
"Dark Mountain Pack? I heard the area has real live wolves living there, and we were warned not to cross the river and mountain to that territory. Are you a werewolf?" I asked him, my eyes widening in shock. Even though I do not pay attention to the news, it has been broadcasted that real live werewolves resided on the other side of the city. But many of us were scared to tour that area.
Like, who wanted to uncover the truth of a werewolf? The thought of being in a room with a real werewolf made me anxious.
I rose from the bed to dart out, but he caught my left wrist and pulled me to his tall, masculine frame.
"Are you scared of me?" he asked, his eyes narrowed with a sinister glint.
"No. I am just not comfortable—your tribal tattoo and the fact that you said you are from the Dark Mountain Pack," I replied, my lips trembling, and he raised his right hand and used it to touch my hair.
"I haven’t seen a beautiful woman like you before. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a real-life moon goddess?" he teased me, and my cheeks flushed at his remark and his closeness.
"No. I am a human. I am not a goddess or whatever you said," I replied, thinking he was just complimenting me and he was not really from a pack of wolves.
Or was I overthinking it?
Is he really a werewolf?
"You don’t have to be scared of me. I like you, and I will pay you 1 million. What do you say?" he offered, and my jaw dropped.
"1 million…" My lips trembled as my ears flamed red.
"Will you really offer me that amount?" I asked him as he stepped away from me to take off his trouser belt.
"I do not promise what I cannot offer. If you perform well, I can double the amount. So the choice is yours," he said as he pulled off his belt and let go of his trousers.
They fell off, revealing his long, masculine, hairy legs.
I gulped hard as my eyes shamelessly trailed his tall frame—from his feet up to his crotch.
I gulped hard.
Even as he had not taken off his boxers, the massive size of his crotch made me tremble.
My knees buckled as I staggered backward.
"Will that thing fit in me? I do not think that I can take you, sir," I replied, trembling before him.
Before I could run to the door and exit the room, he captured my hand and slammed me against the wall.
"Do not test my patience. You saw other women who were offered to me, but I rejected them for you. Why can’t you be a good woman and please me? Fine, I will pay you three million. Will that be enough?" he asked, his deep, husky voice filling my ear as his hot breath brushed my cheek and sent shivers crashing down on me like a tidal wave.
"Um, okay. I will try," I replied anxiously, and he released me.
"Strip," he ordered as he moved back and stepped away from me.
My mind raced on about what I could use the three million to do.
First, I will be able to get my evil stepmom arrested and dig into my father’s file—to know the actual cause of his death and to take over his company that was handed over to Elena and my evil stepmom.
"Alright," I replied and reached to take off his black coat.
He lit a stick of cigarette as he moved to take his seat in the room.
Once my hands reached for the hem of the black coat, I took it off, slowly and carefully, away from my shoulder.
The thickness of the coat made me realize that it must be expensive as the cold wind bit my skin.
I stood before the formidable Black man in my orange pants and bra.
"Go and have your bath and come out with nothing except a towel. Hurry up," he dismissed me, his golden eyes locked on mine, and I gulped down my anxiety.
"Alright." My legs quickly bolted to the door, and I shut it as soon as I stepped into the bathroom.
The bathroom was furnished with a bathtub and shower faucet.
There were free sponges and soaps in the bathroom to use.
Knowing that I could not keep the man waiting before he changed his mind, my hands hurriedly unpacked a new sponge, and I swiftly switched on the shower and bathed as thunder struck in the sky.
I knew that my fate was already sealed—to sell myself for money.
I prayed to God for forgiveness of sins as I finished my bath and stepped out of the room to find the man still seated on the singular chair in the room, but he was on a phone call.