The Alpha's Contract

The Unexpected Proposal

The guest room door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the hallway with my racing thoughts. Alpha Dalton's questions echoed in my mind. No one had ever doubted my guilt before. No one had ever asked if I'd actually done it.

I fetched a clean shirt from the storage closet—we always kept extras for guests. My hands still trembled as I knocked on his door.

"Come in."

He'd removed the wine-stained shirt, and I nearly dropped the fresh one. His chest was a map of muscle and scars, telling stories of battles won. A particularly nasty scar ran from his left shoulder across to his ribs.

"Rogue attack," he said, noticing my stare. He took the shirt from my frozen hands. "Three years ago. They thought catching me alone made me vulnerable."

"Did it?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

His lips quirked in what might have been amusement. "I'm still here. They're not."

He pulled on the shirt, buttoning it with efficient movements. "Tell me about that night. The fire."

"I told you, I don't remember—"

"Tell me what you do remember. Before and after."

I wrapped my arms around myself. "Why do you care?"

"Because something doesn't add up." He sat on the edge of the bed, giving me space but keeping those storm-gray eyes on me. "I've been investigating your brother for months. He's been making deals with people he shouldn't, crossing lines that put multiple packs at risk. A man capable of that is capable of anything."

My wolf stirred again, responding to something in his presence. "You're not here about territory expansion."

"Smart girl." He stood, adjusting his cuffs. "I'm here because your brother has been selling pack secrets to rogues. But finding you like this... that's an unexpected development."

"I don't understand."

"That night, six years ago—your parents died, and Marcus became Alpha immediately. Very convenient for him. And you, the only potential challenger to his claim, were conveniently branded a murderer with no memory to defend yourself."

My legs felt weak. "You think Marcus—"

"I think we should return to dinner before your brother sends someone looking." He moved toward the door, then paused. "Whatever happens next, don't react. Just trust me."

Trust him? I'd known him for less than an hour. But something in my wolf, that barely-there whisper of her, said he was different. Safe, even.

We returned to find the dining room tense. Marcus's face was still flushed with anger, though he'd composed himself. The wine had been cleaned up, and dessert was being served by Marta.

"My apologies for the delay," Alpha Dalton said smoothly, retaking his seat.

The conversation resumed, but I noticed Alpha Dalton watching me as I served. Every time Marcus spoke sharply to me, those gray eyes tracked the interaction. When Derek tried to trip me again, Alpha Dalton's jaw tightened.

Finally, as I was clearing the dessert plates, Alpha Dalton spoke.

"I've considered your proposal, Alpha Reed. I'm willing to agree to the territory adjustment and trade routes."

Marcus's face lit up with triumph. "Excellent! I knew you'd see the mutual benefit—"

"On one condition."

The room stilled.

"Name it," Marcus said, though his voice carried a note of wariness.

Alpha Dalton's eyes found mine across the room. "I want her."

The plate in my hands slipped, shattering on the floor. Marcus shot to his feet.

"What?"

"The omega. Maya. I want her as part of the deal."

"She's a murderer," Derek snarled. "She killed our previous Alpha and Luna—"

"Allegedly," Alpha Dalton interrupted. "No trial, no investigation, just the word of a brother who benefited greatly from their deaths."

Marcus's face was turning purple again. "How dare you—"

"I'm offering you everything you asked for," Alpha Dalton continued calmly. "Territory, trade routes, protection agreements. All I want in exchange is one omega you clearly don't value."

"Why?" Marcus demanded. "Why would you want her?"

Alpha Dalton stood, his height and presence dominating the room. "Because I need a wife."

If I'd been holding another plate, it would have shattered too.

"The Council of Alphas has decreed that all unmated Alphas must take a Luna within the year or risk losing their territory," he explained. "I need someone who understands pack hierarchy but won't challenge my authority. An omega is perfect. This omega, specifically, since she's of Alpha bloodline."

"She's stripped of her wolf," Marcus said quickly. "She can't shift, can't fight, can't—"

"Can't challenge me. Exactly what I need." Alpha Dalton's smile was sharp. "It would be a contract marriage. One year. She fulfills her role as Luna in public, and I maintain my territory. After that, she's free to go wherever she wishes."

Freedom. The word rang in my head like a bell.

"And if I refuse?" Marcus asked.

"Then there's no deal. And I might have to share with other Alphas my concerns about your... business practices."

The threat was clear. Marcus had been selling pack secrets, and Alpha Dalton knew it.

"You're blackmailing me."

"I'm negotiating. You want my alliance. I want your omega. Seems like a fair trade."

Marcus's hands clenched into fists. He looked at me, and I saw calculation in his eyes. I was worthless to him except as someone to torture. But this deal...

"Fine," he spat. "Take her. But she leaves tonight. I don't want to see her face in my territory again."

"Agreed." Alpha Dalton turned to me. "Pack your things. You have ten minutes."

I stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. Then my legs moved on their own, carrying me to the tiny room I'd been relegated to in the servants' quarters. I had almost nothing—two changes of clothes, a picture of my parents I'd hidden, and a small journal where I'd tried to piece together memories of that night.

Everything fit in a small bag.

When I returned to the foyer, Alpha Dalton was waiting with his guards. Marcus stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at me with pure hatred.

"If you embarrass me," he called out, "if you fail in this contract and try to return, I'll kill you myself. Understood?"

"Yes, Alpha," I whispered one last time.

Alpha Dalton's hand settled on my lower back, gentle but firm, guiding me toward the door. "She won't be returning."

The night air hit my face, and I realized I was really leaving. Six years of torture, six years of being blamed for something I couldn't remember, and now I was walking away with a stranger who might be even more dangerous than my brother.

"You're shaking," Alpha Dalton observed as he opened the SUV door for me.

"I don't understand why you're doing this."

He leaned in close, his scent—pine and storms—surrounding me. "Because I think you're innocent. And I think your brother knows exactly what happened that night."

"And if you're wrong? If I really am a murderer?"

His gray eyes studied me with that unsettling intensity. "Then I'll deal with it. But I'm very rarely wrong."

As the SUV pulled away from the only home I'd ever known, I caught a glimpse of Marcus in the window. His expression promised this wasn't over.

"What happens now?" I asked.

Alpha Dalton handed me a folder. "Now you become Luna of the Dalton Pack. That's the marriage contract. Read it. If you agree to the terms, we'll make it official tomorrow."

I opened the folder with trembling hands. One year. I had to pretend to be his wife for one year, and then I'd be free. Free with enough money to start over anywhere I wanted.

"Why are you really doing this?" I asked again.

This time, he answered honestly. "Because your parents were good people who didn't deserve to die. Because I believe someone needs to pay for what really happened that night. And because seeing you in that house, being treated like that..." His jaw clenched. "No one deserves that. Especially not for a crime they didn't commit."

"You don't know I didn't—"

"Maya." My name on his lips made my wolf practically purr, which should have been impossible given how weak she was. "I've built my entire life on reading people, understanding motivations and lies. You're not a killer. But your brother? He absolutely is."

The certainty in his voice made me want to cry. Six years of being told I was a monster, and this stranger believed in my innocence after knowing me for mere hours.

But as we drove through the night toward my new prison—or perhaps my salvation—I couldn't shake the feeling that Alpha Dalton had his own secrets. The question was: would discovering them set me free or destroy what little was left of me?