His Betrayal Was My Salvation

Conditions

TOLGA

I’d smelled the blood before I saw her. It was fresh and female and absolutely foolish enough to stumble on my territory. She laid crumpled at my feet, bleeding from a head wound, her dress torn to shreds and reeking of another male’s mark.

Engaged or marked but here she was, alone and desperate, begging for salvation at my border.

“Curious.” I murmured, crouching beside her. Her sharp, striking eyes bore so much pain, even as she fixed her gaze on me with such desperate hope like I was a knight in shining armor and it almost made me laugh because I was nothing like that.

“Save me.” She whispered, as though I was full of mercy to save her. I scooped her fragile frame into my hands and she weighed lesser than I imagined. My wolf stirred with unexpected interest but I nudged it aside. Injured women were not my concern. Injured women on my border being chased, however, were absolutely my business.

Spy. She had to be a spy. This had to be a plan to get information from my pack.

“Athan.” I called out and my Beta arrived from behind me. Without uttering a word to me, he diverted his gaze to the lady on the floor and then at me, his brows rising in question.

“Border breach.” I answered. “I guess she was being chased.”

“Do you want me to track who it is?”

“No. Whoever it is will report to their leader. Let them sweat over what would happen. Take her to the holding cells. Get the physicians to treat her and when she wakes up, I want answers.”

We’d just reached the medical quarters of my pack when Athan’s hand shot out, stopping me.

“Wait.”

I turned, quite impatient. Of course, he could not be tired of carrying her. She weighed absolutely nothing. He stared at the woman, his nostrils flared as she was scenting something, like something I missed.

“She is not marked.” He spoke, his eyes widened and I squinted my brows. What the hell was he saying?

“I smelled....”

“Faded scent. A few days old and....” He leaned closer, inhaling deeply. “I sense she just gave birth of recent.”

A scoff escaped my lips immediately. How desperate!

“She’s unmated, freshly postpartum and running away from someone.” His eyes gleamed with understanding. “The timing is convenient, don’t you think?”

“Cut to the chase.”

“Your brother’s deadline is in two weeks.” He spoke carefully, knowing how I felt about Kaan and his dramas. “You need a bride to keep your birthright. She needs protection. This could solve both problems.”

“So....” I scoffed and shook my head. “You want me to marry a potential spy?”

“I want you to marry anyone before Kaan inherits everything your father built.” His voice hardened. “You know the will’s terms. You know what he’ll do with this pack if he takes control.”

I did know. Kaan would run it into the ground, chasing power. He would turn our father’s legacy into a weapon for his ambitions. Two weeks left. I had just two weeks left and here was a woman, literally delivered to my doorstep, desperate enough to agree to anything.

“But that shouldn’t be a reason for the Alpha to end up with a woman he knows nothing about.” Jax spoke, appearing from nowhere. He was one of my most trusted soldiers. He bowed and then, looked up at me. “You don’t know this woman or what she stands for. I’d advise you kill her before she becomes something dangerous. I feel she’s here to cause trouble.”

“She’s opportunity.” Athan met my gaze steadily. “You don’t have to love her and she looks harmless. Just marry her, get what you want and you can decide to let her go.”

That seemed like a pretty good plan.

“I don’t think that’s the right thing to do, Alpha. This woman reeks of danger.”

The lady stirred in Athan’s arms and a soft whimper escaped her lips. Even while unconscious, it felt like she was running away from someone or something. I had to think this through. This is not something I could suddenly agree to despite the urgency.

“When she wakes up, I’ll make my decision and, in the meantime, I’ll get to think about it.” I responded and walked away from them.

I needed a bride and there was one at my foot. Perhaps, this was an opportunity. Call it fate or convenience, either way, I wouldn’t let this opportunity slide. I’ll take full advantage of it.

After about three hours, the lady woke up, curling up like she was afraid of something happening to her. For the past three hours that she was unconsciousness, I had done my research on her and for what I could gather, she was from Gannon’s pack.

She was his former mate, had a child for him whom they lost, unfortunately and he had in fact, ordered her to be killed even though I didn’t know the reason yet. She would be the one to fill me on that. and I also got to find out her name was Salem.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open, wide and wild, taking in the environment before landing on me.

“You.” She gasped.

“Me.” I agreed without moving from my relaxed position against the wall. She tried to sit up but winced at the pain before forcing herself to sit up.

“Where…. Where am I?” She probed, looking around suspiciously.

“My pack. My land. My space.” I tilted my head towards her, studying her face. Even with the bruises, I could still see the remarkable beauty beneath them.

“What do you want?” She questioned, folding her hands across her chest as though she had resigned to fate. I arched my brows for a minute. What was she so calm about it? Was she really sent? Or not?

Of course, she knew I wouldn’t have saved her for nothing. Maybe she was kinda the smart one.

“Information first.” I pushed myself off the wall, moving closer to her. “Who are you? Why were you on my border? Who sent you?”

She let out a sigh and looked away from me.

“I’m no one. No one sent me. I don’t know how I got there.”

A scoff escaped my lips. Was she trying to play a fast one on me now?

“Lying won’t help you.”

“Neither will the truth, apparently. “She met my gaze steadily. “Men like you don’t help people without expecting payment.”

“Men like me?” I repeated, quite amused at her words and sitting right on her bed. I expected her to flinch or something, like other women did but she didn’t. She remained calm and indifferent like she wasn’t bothered. “And what kind of man am I?”

“The kind who watches a woman bleed out before deciding if she’s worth saving. So, tell me what you want and I’ll tell you if I can afford it.”

She was either incredibly brave or incredibly damaged. Or probably both?

“Marriage.” I answered. There was no point beating around the bush. “I need a bride in a few days for a few years and you need protection from whatever hell you escaped from. We help each other.”

I expected her to ask questions about the reason why I couldn’t find a willing bride in our pack, and yes, there was a reason.

“I gave my word. I’ll do as you please.” She responded, looking up at me. My brows arched. Just like that? No questions? Nothing? “But I have conditions.”