CONTRACT MATE

NO MIRACLE IS COMING

I couldn't sleep all night. I tossed from side to side.

What if Zevran runs his damn mouth about us sleeping together? I already texted him the time and address, but what if he gets too drunk to even show up?

My thoughts were interrupted by Father’s knock before he stepped inside.

His face looked long. His eyes were angry, but tired. Sad.

He sat beside me and held my hand.

“It’s been twenty-three years since your mother left us. Today. On this very day.”

He started.

It was his usual speech to me every morning of each memorial ceremony.

“And at every memorial ceremony, I always see her in you. Those golden-brown doe eyes, your beautiful features, your perfect brown hair, your stature, the way you walk, how fierce you’ve become… I know she’s here. She’s in you. But…”

I slowly sat upright.

His speeches never had a “but.”

“Azila is right. I’m weak now. I can’t present myself at the next meeting with the Lycan king. The other packs will sense weakness, and the Midnight Pack will become a target.”

“Father—”

“Velora,” he cut in. He never called me Velora.

“I never wanted them leading this pack. This pack is your inheritance. Everything I have… I made a promise to your mother, but you've left me with no choice.”

He sighed heavily.

“Well, I’ll let Monah and her mate take over. I’m sorry Castro broke your heart.”

He didn’t even let me explain. He was still disappointed in me. And he left that way.

The moment he walked out, I immediately started calling Zevran again. But it went straight to voicemail.

Kaida entered shortly after.

“He’s not answering, Kaida. What if he used me again? What if he lets me lose my coronation and then tries to claim me afterward?”

Kaida squeezed my hand.

“That won’t happen. Now get up and get ready. People are already arriving.”

She helped me up.

---

Our compound was already crowded with Midnight Pack nobles. Expensive cars lined the parking space. Every model imaginable. Except Zevran’s. He wasn’t coming.

I swallowed hard before heading downstairs. I sat beside Father while Monah sat proudly beside Azila, grinning nonstop. I cursed myself for believing Zevran would take something this serious seriously.

I overestimated him.

Azila kept urging Father to begin the ceremony, but Father insisted on delivering another memorial speech for my mother first.

While he spoke, I tried Zevran again. Voicemail still.

“I want you to know I hate you for this and many other reasons. And forget about the contract. You’re a lost cause!”

I snapped into the phone before sending the voicemail. Forcing a fake smile, I returned to the gathering.

Father’s final words to end the speech were..

“…And as proud as I am of the woman Monah has become, I still wish a miracle would happen.”

Tears burned my eyes but I refused to let them drop. I stood and walked away. By evening, Monah officially became Alpha Female alongside Castro.

Everyone eventually retired into the ballroom for the after-party. Kaida stayed busy helping around. Father avoided me completely.

I felt alone.

Kaida was right. I was relapsing. The pressure was becoming unbearable.

I hurried upstairs, tore through my wardrobe, grabbed the small brown bag that once belonged to my mother, and rushed into the guest bathroom.

The moment I entered, I heard a shoe scrape against the floor.

“Who’s there?”

I asked sharply.

No response.

Quickly, I opened the bag and brought out a bottle of wolfsbane and another bottle containing pills.

Just as I was about to continue, one of the toilet doors opened.

Azila stepped out.

“Azila? Why…why are you using the guest bathroom?”

I asked tensely.

She wiped the edge of her mouth gently before walking toward the exit.

Then she paused.

“I could ask you the same thing. Hopefully whatever you’re doing isn’t targeted toward your new Alpha.”

She replied before leaving.

I swallowed hard and entered one of the stalls, locking it behind me. But then another toilet door creaked open.

I stormed out immediately and checked all three stalls. Empty. I locked the main bathroom door this time before returning to what I was doing.

I brought the items back out. Then I grabbed a knife and sliced into my skin.

Breathing heavily, I poured wolfsbane directly into the wound. A painful growl escaped my throat. I struggled to endure it before swallowing two pills at once.

Then I collapsed onto the floor.

Everything spun violently around me. But even through the haze, all I could think about was the contract I signed with Zevran.

I never took two pills at once. Never. But just before darkness consumed me, I heard loud banging against the bathroom door.

---

When I finally opened my eyes, it was already morning.

My head throbbed violently. I washed my face before unlocking the door carefully. The mansion was mostly empty now except for servants cleaning the ballroom.

I staggered toward my room. The moment I entered, I found Kaida rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Where have you been?”

She asked lazily.

I ignored her and sat on the bed. Suddenly she started sniffing me repeatedly.

“Kaida, stop it.”

I snapped.

“I smell wolfsbane and.."

Her expression hardened immediately.

“You relapsed? You actually relapsed?...”

“Keep your f*****g voice down. I don’t want Father hearing this.”

I cut in quickly.

“What the f**k is wrong with you?”, She dragged the words out angrily. “You got this far and you just threw everything away?”

“Kaida… I had one job to do. One. And I failed. I feel f*****g stupid for trusting my future to an irresponsible Lycan.”

I burst out. Kaida suddenly laughed with pain in her voice before grabbing my phone from the table.

“You mean this irresponsible Lycan? The one who has been blowing up your phone while you hid somewhere popping pills like a f*****g loser?”

“At least it’s my first relapse in years. You pop pills every damn minute.”

I snapped back. Her face instantly dropped.

“This isn’t about me, Vel. It’s about you. Your mother. Your father. And the future of the Midnight Pack.”

I went silent. Then I snatched the phone from her hands.

Voicemails. Messages. All from Zevran. I tossed the phone away with frustration.

“Well where the f**k was he when I actually needed him?”

I muttered before heading into the bathroom.

Then I turned back toward Kaida.

“You take that phone and text him. Tell him to hell with his contract. I’m taking my inheritance back from Azila myself.”

I finalized before locking the bathroom door behind me.