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1521 Words
5
Jack stood perfectly still. He felt the heat from Maria’s body as she leaned into him, her scent filling his nose. It was a sweet, wild smell—like rain on roses and a hint of forest pine. For a second, his own wolf stirred. It wanted to growl, to claim, to protect. But he pushed the feeling down. He was a man of logic, and this was just a game.
The cameraman felt bad for Jack. He looked at the tall, handsome man and sighed. What a waste, the cameraman thought. A face like a god, but his nerves are dead. He can't even smile at his beautiful bride.
After the pictures were done, they walked down to the first floor. The hallway smelled like old paper and ink. This was the place where lives changed forever. They sat at a small wooden desk to sign the marriage papers.
Jack pulled out his ID. Maria leaned over to look, her eyes widening as she read the name on the card: Jack Damien.
Maria froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
'Did I marry the wrong man?' she wondered.
"Doesn't matter," Maria's wolf whispered, sounding very bored. "He’s tall. He’s rich. And did you see his shoulders? We could climb those shoulders like a mountain. 10/10, would marry again."
Focus! Maria told her wolf. I need to make sure he’s actually Brandon's uncle.
She knew Brandon’s surname. If this man was Brandon’s uncle, shouldn't his last name be Owen too? A cold fear washed over her.
Maria truly hoped that she didn't marry the wrong man?
"Wait," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Why is your last name Damien?"
Jack didn't even look up. He was busy signing his name in a sharp, elegant script. "It was my mother's name," he said simply. "I took her name when I moved away. I didn't want anything from my father."
"Oh." Maria let out a long breath. She felt her muscles relax. It made sense. In the werewolf world, family names were complicated. Sometimes, when a wolf left their pack or had a fight with their Alpha father, they changed their name to hide.
She looked at him as he signed the final paper. She felt a strange type of way in her chest. For years, she had imagined this moment with Brandon. She thought they would be laughing, surrounded by their pack, celebrating their mate bond. Instead, she was in a quiet office with a man she met in a bar twelve hours ago.
Snap.
The worker stamped the books. It was official. They were married.
Maria stared at the little red book in her hand. It felt heavy. She was no longer a single girl. She was a wife.
"Here is my number," Jack said. He didn't look happy. He didn't look sad. He just looked like he was finishing a business meeting. He scribbled his digits on a piece of scrap paper. "I have a lot of work to do. I’m leaving now."
"Wait!" Maria grabbed his sleeve before he could walk away. "Where are you going? We are married now. We have to live together."
Jack looked down at her hand on his arm. His eyes were cold. "I like my privacy. I don't enjoy living with other wolves."
Maria pulled her shoulders back. She wasn't going to let him win that easily. She wasn't like other wolves. She didn't beg—she demanded.
"I’m not other wolves,'" she said, shaking the marriage certificate at him. "I am your legal wife. Even if we are going to divorce in a few years, we have to look like a real couple. If we live in different houses, other wolves of the pack will find out it’s a fake. Is that what you want?"
Jack narrowed his eyes. He hated it when people were right.
Maria saw her chance and changed her tone. She looked down at her shoes, making her voice sound small and sad. "Besides... I have nowhere else to go. My parents kicked me out. I have my suitcase with me, but no home. Would you really leave your wife on the street like a stray dog?"
Jack let out a long, annoyed sigh. "You could rent a hotel."
"No!" Maria howled. She didn't care who was watching. She grabbed his arm with both hands. "Don't abandon me, babe! You're the only one I have left in this world!"
People in the office started to turn and stare. They whispered to each other, looking at the mean husband and the crying wife.
Jack’s face turned red with embarrassment. He was a powerful man, and he hated being the center of a scene. "Fine! Stop shouting," he hissed. "I live at Prime estate. Go there yourself. I'll give you the gate code."
Maria instantly stopped crying instantly. A bright, victorious smile broke across her face.
Jack leaned in close, his voice a dangerous whisper. "But listen to me. You sleep in the guest room. You stay out of my office. And you never, ever enter my bedroom. Do you understand?"
"Challenge accepted," Maria’s wolf giggled. "We’ll be in that bedroom by Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday if he’s really stubborn."
"Crystal clear," Maria chirped. She wasn't worried. She wasn't bothered; she knew she could win him over eventually.
"And one more thing," Jack said as he turned to leave. "Don't disturb Orion."
Maria blinked. "Orion? Who is Orion?"
"Just take care of him," Jack said over his shoulder. "He’s very important to me."
Maria stood there, frozen. Orion? That sounded like a child's name. A boy's name.
"Wait!" she shouted, but Jack was already gone. "You have a son? I’m a stepmother already?"
She sat on a bench outside the office for thirty minutes, her brain spinning. She had gone from being a jilted bride to a secret wife to a stepmother in less than a day. She pictured a little boy with Jack’s cold eyes and sharp jaw. She would have to be the Auntie to Brandon and a Mom to a little wolf pup.
‘I have to make him like me,’ she thought. ‘If the son likes me, the father will follow.’
She rushed to the mall. She spent two hours picking out the best toys. She bought Lego sets, remote-control cars, and a giant teddy bear. She wanted Orion to see that his new stepmother was the best person in the world.
By the time she got to the prime estate, the sun was starting to set. Prime estate was a place for the ultra-rich. The houses were huge and made of glass and stone. She found Jack's villa, took a deep breath, and punched in the code.
The door clicked open. The house was beautiful—modern, clean, and very quiet.
"Hi, Orion!" Maria called out, her voice full of fake cheer. She held up a toy car. "I’m here! Your new friend is here!"
She walked into the living room, looking for a little boy. Instead, she saw something on the sofa.
"Woo-woo."
A very fat, very fluffy Chihuahua was lying on the expensive leather. It was white with soft pink ears. It looked at Maria with bored, blue eyes.
Maria stopped in her tracks. "Orion?"
"Woo-woo!" the Chihuahua replied. It stretched itself out, showing its tiny claws, and yawned.
The Chihuahua jumped down from the sofa. It walked over to Maria's legs. She held out the Lego set and the toy cars, but the Chihuahua just sniffed them once, looked at her like she was an i***t, and walked away. It jumped back onto the sofa and went back to sleep.
Maria looked at the pile of toys in her arms. She looked at the weird Chihuahua.
"Excuse me?" Maria’s wolf growled. "Did that snack-sized floor-mop just hiss at us? I am a hunter of the night! I am the strongest female in the pack! I will not be disrespected by a creature that licks its own butt!"
Calm down, Maria thought. It's just a Chihuahua.
"It’s an evil Chihuahua," the wolf insisted. "Look at its eyes. It’s planning our murder. We should eat it before it eats us."
"A Chihuahua," she whispered to the empty room. "He told me to take care of a Chihuahua."
She started to laugh. She laughed until her eyes watered. She wasn't a stepmother to a pup—she was a servant to a fat Chihuahua.
"Well, Orion," Maria said, dropping her bags on the floor and heading for the kitchen. "I hope you like your new roommate. Because I'm not going anywhere."
”Finally,” she sighed.
She had a house.
She had a husband.
And she had a plan. Tomorrow, the real work will begin. She would show her family, and Brandon, that Maria Anderson didn't just survive—she won.
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