Contract?

Elena's POV

Just as I believed I dragged myself in another hell, I heard a voice.

"Elena! My sister-in-law." A woman with dark brown hair, and the same eyes as Ivana ran to me, throwing her arms around me in a hug. "We're so excited to have you join our family!"

A young man who stood behind her grabbed her hoodie's hood and pulled her back from me. "Let her breathe." Once she was pulled away from me, he smiled at me politely, "I'm Dmitri." He said, offering a hand. "Xavier's charming best friend."

"And I'm Aveline." the woman added, "his much more charming sister." She winked, and I couldn't help but smile at their cuteness.

"Oh, I already love them so much." Sameera spoke my mind.

Right? They were so different from Xavier, so warm, so open. If my husband, the ruthless, cruel brat makes my survival harder, they are here to make it much more easier.

"Enough." Xavier cleared his throat. Oh, speak of the devil. "She—" I could tell he was going for some half-hearted words but the presence of his sister forced him to keep his shit to himself, "She's had a long day. Let her rest." He said.

Oh, how thoughtful.

"Sure. This can wait." Aveline agreed. "But be sure to show her around while taking her to the bedroom."

He nodded curtly to his sister before he turned to me. "Come with me."

"Why is he so busy to drag us to the bedroom?" Sameera winced.

"Maybe, he is tired." I thought while following him down a series of wind corridors.

He pointed out various rooms as we passed but his tone was clipped, the proof of him not liking being a tour guide at all. "The first floor serves as the main living area." he said coldly, gesturing toward the hall beyond. "Kitchen's to the right. I would suggest not to enter the west wing. Training grounds and healer wing are at the back. And up here, on the second floor—" he continued, leading me up a wide staircase, "is for the members. Don't enter the east wing."

I didn't ask or react just followed him to the third floor. "The north wing is our living space." Our living space, alright. "The west wing is off-limits to you." He didn't bother to explain why again, and I didn't ask, again.

"Wow, charming," Sameera snarked. "He really knows how to make a girl feel at home."

I couldn't help but let a smirk play across my lips. "And what about this floor's east wing?" I asked, my voice lined with mock curiosity.

He glanced at me, his gaze sharp. "My office. Entirely off-limits." he replied, his tone final.

I nodded, clenching my hands into balls. Okay, I can't punch him. Not now. "Fine," I said instead.

When we reached the north wing of the floor, he paused outside a pair of ornate double doors and cleared his throat, "This is our bedroom."

The words sent a shiver down my spine, but I refused to show it. I didn't want him to see that the stupid fact could affect me in any way.

He pushed the door open, and entered the room. I followed him inside. The room was massive, decorated in shades of deep blue and silver, with a large four-poster bed at its center.

"The reason why I had to excuse ourselves earlier is because I have something to give you." Xavier said as he shrugged off his coat, revealing the crisp white shirt, and black vest with a black tie that clung to his sculpted chest. His broad shoulders and lean, muscular frame flexed as he draped the coat over a nearby chair.

"What now? A gift box with cockroaches in it?" Sameera hissed.

I blinked, trying to solve the puzzles in my mind. "What is it?"

Without a word, Xavier strode to the table and pulled open a drawer, retrieving a piece of paper. "A contract," he said, his tone flat and cold as he handed it to me. "Our mating contract."

Grooms are supposed to surprise brides with a gift on the wedding night. It seemed to be mine… a mating contract.

I stared at the paper in Xavier's outstretched hand, disbelief surging through my system.

"A mating contract?" I repeated, my voice tinged with sarcasm. "You're giving me a contract on our wedding night?"

I must give him a point for this. I was prepared for the worst but it exceeded my expectation.

My sarcasm didn't touch him, not even a bit. He remained unfazed while nodding at my words. "It's necessary to make things clear between us. I'm not interested in a traditional marriage and I assume you feel the same. We are caught in this situation because of our families. For us, it's just a formality we can't skip."

Sameera grunted. "No, for me, it's more like a death sentence."

I glanced down at the paper in my hands, my mind racing as I unfolded it. The document was neatly typed, the lines cold and precise, just like Xavier. My gaze skimmed over the first few lines.

"This says… I must give you an heir within a year," I paused, my voice betraying the shock I tried to conceal. The world seemed to spin around me, yet I remained calm. "And if I don't, I have to leave?"

"Yes." Xavier confirmed. How ridiculous. "If you fail to fulfill your end of the contract, our marriage will be nullified, we will reject each other and you will leave this pack, leave like you never existed. But in return, I promise you and your family will be protected."

I swallowed hard, the weight of those words settling on my chest. This wasn't a marriage, or a young werewolf finding her fated mate; it was a cruel deal that forbade love or any affection to exist.

"This little brat probably doesn't know that we have no family." Sameera let out bitterly.

Indeed, she wasn't wrong. Even if I pointed it out, he wouldn't change his mind.

"An heir within a year. It's possible, isn't it?" I asked her mutely in my mind.

"Hell yeah, the average werewolf pregnancy lasts around 3 months." Sameera replied. "So, we are not backing down?"

"We simply can't." I whispered under my breath, steeling myself as I lifted my gaze to meet his icy blue eyes. "And what happens if I succeed? It's not in the contract. What will happen then? If I give you an heir within a year?"

Xavier's brows arched slightly, as if he hadn't expected me to ask that question. "It's the other way around. The contract will be nullified. Our marriage will continue. You will remain here, as the Luna and the mother of my child. We will continue as… just mates, nothing more."

Just mates. He had drawn the line. No love or commitment would be involved between us even if we have our own child. It was indeed hell. But what choice did I have?

Biting my lower lip, I nodded slowly. "Fine," I said, my voice calm despite the turmoil raging inside me. "I will sign it."

His eyes flickered with something indistinct when I reached for a pen from the drawer.

"Here, right?" I asked after resting the contract on the table and pointing to the blank space on it.

He just nodded, his face held zero expression.

"Okay." I could feel the weight of his gaze on me as I signed my name at the bottom of the contract, cursing my own fate with a single stroke of the pen.

After I was done and noticed his signature beside mine, I handed the contract back to him.

He said nothing, just folded the paper with that same detached calm and slipped it back into the drawer. "It's settled then." He finally voiced.

Settled. Indeed.

"Yeah settled, my foot." Sameera scoffed.

I smiled, more out of habit than anything else, as I stared into his unbothered eyes. Nothing else to say.

The instant he caught me smiling, he looked away almost too quickly as if he saw something irritable and it hurt his eyes. "You smile too often." He cleared his throat as he started undoing the buttons on his sleeves, revealing the fine cords of muscle and veins along his forearms.

Because someone has to. I bit back the retort, but another slipped my tongue. "You frown too often."

By then, his hand was working on unclasping his tie, but his movement stilled upon hearing my words.

Sameera snickered. "Back to the form, are we?"

Of course. I wouldn't play a weak damsel with a jerk like him even though I was well aware that there was no point in poking at his icy barrier and even it could be fatal when I had just signed away my life to it. My reckless words might trigger him, pushing my life to newer threats.

But when something like a smirk formed across his lips, my thoughts lost its meaning. He wasn't enraged, but amused when he looked in my way again, "Do I?"

Oh, you do. From the alter to here, all I saw was you frowning. I almost want to slap a smiley sticker on your stupid frown to lighten up my own mood. And honestly, if I had to spend my life with you, I might need a full-time supply of those stickers.

I internally rolled my eyes and kept all my banter to myself, instead just shrugged a shoulder. He engaged himself in getting rid of his tie and vest before he excused himself and stepped into the shower. I too needed a shower and change into something comfortable. Just as I thought of it, someone knocked on the door. Opening the door, I saw the driver with my luggage. Just in time.

"Thank you." I said before closing the back.

Taking a comfy nightgown out of the luggage, I secured it beside the huge wardrobe. I would shuffle my clothes in it in the morning. For now, I was too tired and needed rest.

While he was still in the shower, I took the moment to scan the room. Every space of it exuded luxury: the plush carpets and curtains, ornate furniture, the grand couch, and the glitzy chandelier casting a soft glow over the king-sized canopy bed with silk sheets and elegant curtains.

The bathroom door swung open, and Xavier stepped out. I turned to him. Holy shit. His hair was all messy and drenched, strands hanging over his forehead. He had slipped off the vest, and the black shirt that clung loosely to his frame made him look even more attractive and irresistible.

"Yeah, irresistible? Sure, he is, but disgusting? That too." Sameera grumbled, trying to shake off the enticement that almost blew my mind.

Fuck, what was I doing? It might be a bad dream. For fuck's sake, I shouldn't find him irresistible.

I mentally shook my head and slapped myself too many times. "I will use the shower." Without so much as waiting for his permission, I brushed past him and entered the bathroom, my heart racing, but my face giving nothing away.

The space inside was enormous, like everything else in this house—white marble floors, sleek glass shower doors, and a massive tub that looked more like a pool than something meant for bathing. I didn't belong here, in this luxury, in this life.

A quick glance in the mirror reminded me that I didn't have time to stand around gawking. The makeup on my face was already smudging. Stripping off the heavy layers of the wedding dress, I stepped into the shower pulling the sleek glass door open, letting the water run through my hair.

After dressing in the nightgown, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. He was there, leaning against the wall by the window, his gaze fixed on the file he had on his hand.

He didn't bother to look up or to acknowledge me as I entered. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or frustrated about that. Well, I shouldn't even care.

It was already insane that I found him attractive even after all the shit he had put me through. Maybe my brain was not functioning properly due to lack of sleep. I should really get some sleep.

Hold on… about sleeping! Where the hell do I sleep? Would we share the same bed? Or would he prefer us to sleep separately?

"Stop reading so many romance novels, dumbass. Of course, the same bed. He wants an heir, remember?" Sameera snarked.

Yeah, that was obvious. But. Still.

I faked cough once to draw his attention and succeeded. "Where do I sleep?" I ended up asking him, almost not ready to hear the answer.

The cold water must have chilled his expression again. "Do you prefer the wardrobe?" Xavier deadpanned. I shot him a blank stare that screamed: Seriously? He got the message and amended, "The bed, of course."

So, we will share the bed. I felt a fire settling through my body but I managed to cool it down.

While I stayed silent, wrestling with my thoughts, his gaze found the files in his hand again, his fingers casually flipping through its pages. He looked so calm, so relaxed like he hadn't just offered me the most cruel contract a while ago. I might be an insignificant woman for him but whatever it was, how could he act like nothing happened and pretend to work?

I took a deep breath, badly wanting to smash his head against the wall. "And when do we start working on bringing the mentioned heir?" I asked without even thinking or blinking once and regretted just after.

Fuck, fuck fuck… why on earth did I even ask that?