Chapter 5 : Become My Wife

**Noah POV

I watched Aria disappear down the dimly lit street before driving back the way I came. There was a slight twang of loss that vibrated in my chest, knowing that it was unlikely that I would ever see her again.

I knew that she was a prostitute, but I just couldn't shake that feeling. Her scent had been so different from other she-wolves; it was vibrant and alluring, and every time that I breathed in I wanted more.

I shook my head and pushed those feelings down. I still had a job to do.

I dialed Atlas's number, which he answered after a few rings.

"Hey Atlas, I dropped your girl off as we agreed," I said. "Please tell me you have something for me, or was this just a waste of my time?"

"My girl, huh?" Atlas mused. "Perfect timing then, one of my informants may have a lead on your runaway spy. Just be gentle with them; my employees don't generally like working with you silver spoon types. Wouldn't want you scaring them away."

"I'll be cordial," I responded.

"Good," Atlas said. "You'll find him on the corner of Bleak Street. Code words are 'moonveil' and 'katana.'"

***

I re-entered the red light district. I absolutely despised coming to this area, but 'duty above personal feelings' was the moral backbone of any pack. I listened to my Alpha even if I hated his every word.

I neared Bleak Street, and just as Atlas had described, there was a man dressed in black and blue waiting for me.

"Moonveil," the informant said.

"Katana," I replied. "Get in and tell me what you know."

The informant got into the passenger seat and handed me an envelope. I opened it and found photographs of Tony in various parts of the outer city districts; all of them were dated at least a month prior to Tony's escape.

"We like to keep tabs on new faces entering our territories, especially ones that clearly don't belong. We might even have a few of you somewhere on our hard drive," the informant said. "Your guy was spotted at regular intervals in the outer districts, usually to meet a woman suspected to be a Hanson pack informant. Unfortunately she uses illusion spells that prevent her from being recognized, in person or on film."

"How do you know that he's always meeting the same woman?" I asked, looking closely at the photograph of the blurred woman.

"She always wears the same red dress while posing as a prostitute," he explained.

My eyes widened in realization and anger. The image of the woman was blurred, but from what I could see of her figure and the dress, it definitely looked familiar.

The way she was leaning over Tony in the alleyway, the way she tried to protect him...she wasn't a prostitute. She was another spy for the Hanson pack. And she played me for a fool.

Everything that she had said, the intimate conversation that we had while we fixed the car, all of it was just a ploy to distract me and get me to lower my guard.

"Get out," I said to the informant with dangerous calm.

Sensing my hidden rage, the man got out of the car without a word.

I sped back to the slum where I had dropped Aria. She was going to give me some answers.

***

Aria POV

My door burst open and a tall dark figure entered the house in a rage, followed by a familiar scent that triggered something deep down inside me.

It was Noah. He had returned.

As I watched, his eyes flicked between me and Henry, widening before his brows lowered in a scowl.

Suddenly I recalled the position he'd found me in when I was treating Tony, and what he'd assumed. He couldn't possibly think that...?

"You thought you could get away with it, and seduce Henry as well?" he growled angrily. "I know that you were in cahoots with the Hansen spy, Tony. I should have seen it immediately!"

What the hell was he going on about? The man broke into my home and was accusing me of being a spy for whatever wolf he had beef with? Seriously?

I managed to disentangle myself from Henry and help him to his feet. I was about to give Noah and his wild assumptions a piece of my mind when Henry spoke first.

"Contain yourself, boy!" Henry growled. "You have no reason to be here while Tony is on the loose, and to recklessly make accusations without proof is not how we do things."

"Oh that's rich coming from you!" Noah snapped. "An old man coming to a slum to get laid because no other woman wants him. To be a lustful pervert at your age is a disgrace."

"Get out!" Henry yelled. "Get out before I make you!"

Noah said nothing further, simply throwing down an item of clothing onto the floor. He left, slamming the door behind him so hard that I thought the entire house would collapse.

I noticed that what he had thrown was the jacket that I had forgotten in his car the previous night.

Part of me yearned for that Noah, not this one who had burst violently into my home.

"I apologize for my son's behavior," Henry said apologetically. "I'm sure this was not what you had envisioned for today."

"He's…your son?" I asked in shock. This entire scenario was too insane to be a coincidence.

I poured myself a shot of gin and downed it quickly. Henry was right; this was not what I had envisioned at all.

"Yes," Henry said solemnly. "Unfortunately he has inherited my quick temper."

How did I get myself into this mess? Helping the wrong people twice in a row? No, there was never such a thing as an undeserving patient in the art of healing. And yet, I probably shortened my own life expectancy by getting involved with them.

"Now back to our deal," Henry said as he sat back down. "Over the last few decades, my pack has had somewhat of a feud with the Hansen pack. We are the most powerful families in Romulus City and have been struggling for control over the last few decades.

"Last night an altercation broke out between us. During the fight, my illness, which I thought I had beaten, reared its ugly head once more and I was forced to flee and find a healer…which is how you found me on your doorstep.

"While I am grateful to you for treating me last night, the truth is that I need a healer to be with me at all times to treat me while this war brews between the Bergmanns and the Hansons. Be in my service for a year and I will make sure you receive the highest salary for a healer as well as a license."

All of this sounded like a dream. Just work for Henry Bergmann for a year and all my dreams would come true, all my struggles would be at an end? Something wasn't quite adding up.

"What's the catch?" I asked him.

"Sharp, I see," Henry chuckled. "The catch is that no one can know that I'm being treated for a hereditary illness. It would put my pack in a weak position if my rivals knew about my condition. Therefore, in order to properly excuse your constant presence at my side, you would need to become my wife."

The glass of gin slipped from my hand and into the sink with a loud clatter.

"Excuse me?" I said, my voice delving further into disbelief of this situation. "I'm sure there are many other women in this slum that would swoon at a proposal like that, but marriage has never been at the top of my to-do list."

"Please do not misunderstand my intentions, dear girl," Henry said, holding up his hands. "It would be a marriage on paper only. You will be free to terminate it as soon as the year ends or once the war is over.

"I'm not going to lie, it will be a risk to you—but at the end of it you will have everything that you have ever wanted."

"Wouldn't it be suspicious for a man of your standing to marry a woman from the slums?" I asked him. "If I were your enemy, it would definitely raise an eyebrow."

"It would," Henry agreed. "But an illusion spell and a false identity making you appear as an heiress to a wealthy mining company would abate those raised eyebrows. You need not be in the public eye for extended periods of time, which would help with avoiding any awkward questions."

Henry stood up once more and poured himself a glass of gin.

"What do you say, Aria," he said as he raised his glass, "do we have a deal?"

I looked around the room for a moment. My lounge and kitchen area, its ceilings and walls covered in mold and cracks; the tiny bedroom in the corner of the house that was barely big enough for a bed. This place was barely holding together, and I would find myself on the streets once more if I did not take Henry's deal.

But my father had always told me to be skeptical of those who ran this city.

"We are a resource to these people, Aria," he would say. "They use us and abuse us because they have money. If they show us kindness, it's only because they want to take our souls as well."

I would have to apologize to my dad in the afterlife, because right now I had very few options left.

I raised my glass and clinked it against Henry's.

"Deal," I muttered cautiously.

"Fantastic," the Alpha beamed. "Gather what belongings you need. One of my men will take you to our family dressmaker and get you some proper attire for your role as Luna."

"I'm going to need some materials if I'm going to treat you properly," I said quickly. "Whatever illness you have…it's not like anything I've ever seen."

Henry's eyes darkened as he was reminded of his mortality.

"I am aware," he said melancholically. "Draw up a list of what you need, and I will ensure everything will be at your disposal once you arrive at my estate."

Henry threw his jacket over his shoulders and stepped outside the house.

"Noah!" he called out. "You'll be Aria's escort for today!"