The Alpha’s Contract Wife

Aria POV The doctor said forty-eight hours. The hospital bill said two million dollars, And the man in the black suit said he could pay it. If I married him tonight. "Sign it." His voice was low and rough, like gravel dragged over stone. I looked up from my sister’s bed. Tubes ran into her arms. Machines beeped, Maya was eighteen. She wasn’t supposed to be dying. The man wasn’t looking at her, He was looking at me. Six foot three. Black suit,Black tie,Eyes that cut right through me. Damien Blackthorne. I knew the name,CEO. Billionaire. Alpha King, The most dangerous man in the city. And he was sitting in a plastic hospital chair like he owned the whole floor. "Who are you?" I whispered, My throat felt dry. "Someone who can save her." He slid a folder across the metal table. "Sign page ten." I opened it. My hands shook. _Marriage Contract._ _Duration: One year._ _Payment: Two million USD upon signing._ _Clause 3: Wife will reside in Blackthorne Estate. Wife will attend all public functions as Mrs. Blackthorne._ "Why me?" I asked. "There are a thousand women who would say yes." "They don’t smell like silver." He leaned forward. Cedar and rain and something dark hit me. When his knuckles brushed mine, a jolt ran up my arm. Static. Lightning. I pulled back. "What does that mean?" "It means the Council can’t touch you," he said. "It means you’re useful." Down the hall, a nurse ran past. Code blue, My heart dropped. "That’s my sister," I said. I stood too fast. The chair screeched behind me. Damien didn’t move. "She has forty-eight hours without surgery, You have five minutes to decide." Five minutes. Two million, One year of my life. Maya had given me her last ten dollars for groceries last week. She would do this for me. I picked up the pen. "What happens after one year?" "You walk away," Damien said, Rich. Free. Alive." "And you?" "I get what I need." His jaw ticked. "Sign, Aria." How did he know my name? I didn’t ask. I signed, Aria Collins. Page ten. The second the ink dried, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and went still. "What?" I asked. "Nothing." But his eyes went cold. "The money will be in the hospital account in ten minutes. Surgery starts in one hour." "Thank you," I breathed. Tears burned. "Thank you so much." "Don’t thank me yet." He stood. He filled the room. "We leave tonight. For the estate." "Tonight? But Maya—" "She’ll be fine." His voice was final. "And if anyone asks, you’re my wife. Not a contract. My wife." The word sounded wrong coming from him. Too soft. A nurse knocked and came in. "Miss Collins? We have payment confirmation. Surgery is scheduled." Relief hit me so hard my knees shook, Maya was going to live. "Get your things," Damien said. "Car’s waiting." We walked out. The hallway was too quiet, My phone buzzed in my pocket. Unknown number. I almost ignored it, Then it buzzed again. I pulled it out. _Congratulations on the wedding, Aria._ _I’ll see you at the ball._ _Try not to die before then._ _- L_ My blood went cold. Lucas, My ex.The man who swore he’d ruin me if I left. "What is it?" Damien stopped walking. I showed him the screen. His expression didn’t change, But his hand came to the small of my back. Heavy, Possessive. Burning through my shirt. "Lucas Moore," he said. "He won’t touch you." "How do you know his name?" "I know everything about you now, Mrs. Blackthorne." He growled the last word. "Starting now, no one gets close to you without going through me." The elevator dinged. Inside stood two men in black. Earpieces. Guns under their jackets. "Boss," one said. "We have a problem." "What kind?" Damien asked. His hand didn’t leave my back. "Someone tried to access the hospital’s payment system," the man said. "And someone was asking about Miss Collins at the front desk ten minutes ago." Damien looked at me. "Did you tell anyone you were coming here?" "No," I whispered. "Just Maya." "Then someone was watching you." The doors closed, We started down. My phone buzzed again. Another text. _Page ten. Cute. See you soon, wife._ I dropped the phone. It clattered on the floor. Damien picked it up, read it, and his jaw flexed. "Who else knows about the contract?" "No one," I said. "I swear." "Then we have a leak. And a problem." The elevator stopped, Basement parking. Dark. Three cars waited with their headlights off. "Get in," Damien said. He opened the back door of the middle car. I slid in. The leather was cold. He got in beside me, close enough that I felt the heat from his body. The car started moving. "Mr. Blackthorne," the driver said. "Route?" "Home," Damien said. Then he turned to me. In the dark, his eyes looked almost gold. "From now on, you don’t go anywhere alone," he said. "You don’t talk to anyone alone. And you don’t keep secrets from me." "That wasn’t a secret," I said. "I didn’t know—" "I know." He reached out and tucked hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered. "But someone does. And they want you dead." My breath caught. "What?" "The silver blood," he said. "It’s rare. One in ten million. The last person who had it was killed three months ago." I stared at him. "I don’t understand." "You will," he said. "Starting tomorrow." The car turned onto the highway. City lights blurred past. My phone lit up in his hand. _Chapter 1 done. Now the fun begins._ I snatched it from him, There was a photo attached. Me. Signing the contract, Taken from the hallway five minutes ago. Someone had been in the hospital, Watching. Outside, a car peeled out behind us. Black. No plates. Following. Damien saw it too. He pulled me down against the seat, His body covered mine. "Don’t move," he whispered in my ear. His breath was hot. "And don’t scream." The first bullet hit the back window.