Chapter 3

Celest's POV

The city lights that pierced the darkness through the window reminded me that there were some things I could never afford no matter how hard I tried. Looking at Leon Vaughn as he waited for my reply, the smell of the hospital's antiseptic stench burned my nostrils.

"I appreciate the offer," I said, hoping that my voice didn't waver despite the exhaustion coursing through me. "But I'll handle it myself."

Leon's dark eyes scrutinised me as though I were an especially intriguing riddle that he was unable to fully unravel. He probably spent more than three months' worth of my rent on his expertly tailored suit, but he wore it with the same casual disregard for its value as most people wear t-shirts.

"Stubborn as always," he mused, dipping his hands into his pockets. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, “But you do realize you wouldn't even have a hospital bed for your brother if not for me?"

The words hit like a physical blow, though I'd suspected as much. The doctor's careful phrasing earlier had confirmed it. Leon had been pulling strings behind the scenes for weeks. Arranging Elias's hospitalization, covering treatments that would have bankrupted me ten times over, making sure I never quite drowned in the rising tide of medical bills.

My brother's peaceful breathing filled the silence between us. Even unconscious, Elias looked too young in that hospital bed, too vulnerable. The sight of him there made my chest ache.

I clenched my jaw until it hurt. "Then I guess I already owe you enough. No need to add five million more to the tab."

Leon's laugh was rich and warm, completely at odds with the coldness in his eyes. "You're a rare one, I'll give you that. Most people wouldn't turn down an easy way out."

The temptation in his words felt like poison honey on my tongue. Five million dollars. Freedom from debt. A chance to give Elias the care he deserved. But I knew better than most – nothing that seemed too good to be true ever was.

I exhaled slowly, forcing steel into my spine. "Nothing in this world comes free, Leon. Not from you. Not from anyone."

His smirk deepened, appreciation and something darker dancing in his expression. "Smart girl."

I turned and walked past him, out of the suffocating hospital room. The scent of his expensive cologne lingered in my nose, a reminder of everything I couldn't – wouldn't – have. If I needed five million, I would find a way to earn it myself.

The next morning dawned crisp and clear, the kind of perfect day that seemed to mock my situation. I stood at the edge of the most exclusive golf course in the city, adjusting the strap of my caddy bag and trying not to think about how much the membership fees alone could cover Elias's medical bills.

"Relax," whispered beside me, her familiar presence somewhat steadying. She nudged my arm gently. "It's easy money, and all you have to do is follow orders. Carry bags, hand over clubs, smile pretty. Simple."

I sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the starched uniform that felt like a costume. Estel had pulled strings to get me this job after hearing about my financial trouble. It wasn't glamorous, but the pay was decent, and wealthy clients often tipped generously enough to make the indignity worth it.

I needed this. No distractions. No mistakes.

"Just smile and be polite," added as a group of men approached, their presence demanding attention even from across the manicured lawn. "And especially don't piss off the VIPs. That could cost us the job as a whole.”

I barely had time to nod before my gaze landed on him, and my stomach dropped through the floor.

Tall. Cold. Unapproachable.

He was in a sleek black golf shirt and slacks, he looked devastatingly out of place among the casual human and rich businessmen around him. That powerful aura surrounding him in a way that made my instincts prickle with awareness.

The mysterious man that saved me.

His gaze moved around the group with lazy disinterest before those same eyes landed on me. The feeling of his gaze on me felt like electricity dancing across my skin.

My chest tightened as memories flooded back – his mark burning on my skin, the overwhelming surge of his power, the way my wolf had whined for submission.

I forced myself to look away, heart hammering against my ribs.

"Looks like you're up," Estel whispered, slightly pushing me forward as one of the older men in the group. The one with a cocky grin and a watch that could have paid for Elias's entire hospital stay – walked towards me.

"You're new," he could tell, his eyes moving over me with the entitled interest of someone used to getting whatever they wanted. "How about I make things simple? You stick with me today. I tip well."

I forced a polite smile, though every instinct screamed to walk away. But I needed the money, and a large tip meant I could pay at least a fraction of Elias's next hospital bill.

So I nodded, hating myself a little for it. "Of course, sir."

The man's grin widened, satisfaction oozing from every pore. "Good girl."

My skin crawled at the words, but I held the smile. It was just a job. Just money.

I was not expecting what happened next.

A strong hand pulled me by my wrist and dragged me away before I could understand what was happening. Instant heat spread around my inside at the mere contact of his touch on my skin. And I knew it was him because he was the only one my body reacted to that way.

The next thing I knew was me being dragged into the locker room, the wild way my heartbeat was thumping completely drowned out every other sound.

The heavy door slammed shut behind me, and I stumbled against the cold tiled wall, the shock of it jarring through my bones.

I looked up, pulse thundering in my ears.

He stood before me, his presence filling the space until it was hard to breathe.

The man who had marked me.

His fierce eyes burned with something I couldn’t understand, his gaze raked over me like I was something be owned and he intended to take apart piece by piece.

"If you're selling yourself," he rasped, his voice dangerously soft. Soft to the point that they send hivers down my spine, "wouldn't it be better to sell to me?"

His words cut through me very sharp and mocking, but there was something else under them, something that made my wolf pace restlessly beneath my skin.

Heat rose to my face, a mix of anger and something far more dangerous that I refused to name.

I knew what he was doing. Testing me. Cornering me.

Fine.

Two could play this game.

I lifted my chin, forcing a slow, sultry smile that I didn't feel. "Is that an offer?"

His expression didn't change, but I saw it – the flicker in his eyes, the slight tensing of his jaw. My words had hit their mark.

I stepped closer, tilting my head, my voice dipping lower. "I didn't take you for the type to beg."

Something snapped.

The tension between us blew up as his hand shot out and he slammed it against the wall beside my head, causing me to jolt. His entire body now caged me in and the radiating from him felt like an angry fire, his scent enveloped me until I could barely think straight.

His breath was ragged, his pupils blown wide, golden irises barely visible around the edges.

I knew that look.

The moment when instinct overtook reason.

I had wanted to provoke him, to disgust him into backing off.

Instead, I had awakened something else entirely.

His lips curled in a slow, predatory smile that made my knees weak. "You think you can play with fire?"

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry.

A sharp wave of pheromones slammed into me, raw and unfiltered. My knees buckled. My vision blurred. My wolf instincts screamed for submission, recognizing an Alpha – the Alpha – down to my bones.

I gasped, my body sinking into the control he seemingly has over me and it felt inescapable. The wall was so cold against my back, but the heat he was emanating pentameter me from the few inches between our bodies.

His eyes burned pure gold now, power rolling off him in waves that made it hard to breathe.

Fangs elongated past his lips, sharp and dangerous.

A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with fear.

No.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to resist the pull, to push back against the overwhelming presence crashing into me.

But he was strong. Too strong.

And then—

Pain.

A sharp, searing bite sank into my shoulder, breaking skin and sending lightning through my veins.

A choked cry escaped my lips as heat exploded through my body, starting from the bite and racing outward until every nerve ending was on fire.

His mark.

Again.

My breath hitched as the implications crashed over me.

And this time, I knew with bone-deep certainty.

There would be no escaping him..