Chapter 9 Why Me?

Zenab growled, feeling her irritation mount. "I am not a damn kitten, and stop telling me what to do!"

The bastard merely smirked, as if he found her cute. He had no idea just how dangerous she truly was.

After a moment, she sighed deeply. "Let's return to the matter at hand. Why me, and what's in it for you?"

This was the part she couldn't grasp. While she hadn't had much time to process everything he'd just laid out, this particular question nagged at her. Why had he chosen her out of all women?

They were practically strangers; they didn't know each other beyond the surface. So why approach her with this proposition? Yes, it appeared he harbored animosity toward Miles as well, but that was the extent of their common ground.

"It's quite simple," Sander replied. "You've just had your heart shattered, so the chance of you falling in love with me is slim. That works in my favor because for this arrangement to succeed, love can't complicate things. I want revenge, and I'm confident you do too. I'm offering you a chance to reclaim your sanity and get back at those who hurt you. Plus, I need a motherly figure for Justin—someone who's not a total bitch or a slut. And it's rare for him to like someone, but he seems to like you."

Zenab pondered his words, sensing an underlying vagueness in his reasoning. While his logic seemed sound, something felt off—something he wasn't revealing, or perhaps she was missing.

She locked eyes with him, searching his green orbs for hints of what he might be hiding, but he remained closed off, emotionless. His expression betrayed nothing.

Could she truly enter such a deal without knowing all the facts? The last time she had been blindsided like this had been with Dave. If it happened again, Sander wouldn't be at fault since she would be entering this blindly.

This definitely spelled bad news, but could she let such an opportunity slip away? He was offering everything she desired: revenge against Dave and Miles, one of the reasons she had returned.

With a powerful alpha like Sander at her side, she could easily orchestrate their downfall without anyone suspecting her involvement.

"How will this proposal prevent me from losing control?" she finally asked.

She was determined not to succumb to chaos, and although she still felt pain regarding Emerald, she recognized that she wanted to mend their relationship. Yet, she couldn't see how his offer connected to her issue or how it would solve it.

"Losing control is about your spirit or soul being unbalanced, about having a tear or split. To remedy this, I will mark you, which will anchor your soul to mine, helping you stay grounded to yourself and your wolf," he responded.

His explanation made sense. Those who lost control often experienced a split in their spirit, a consequence of being bonded to someone who ultimately broke them. When heartbreak and pain became too overwhelming, it could shatter the connection between a werewolf and their spirit. Since man and wolf were one, this division could lead to madness.

Heartbreak wasn't the only cause of losing control—other factors could contribute as well. In her case, she had fully committed herself to Dave despite his lack of reciprocation.

She contemplated asking Sander how he knew all this, but his expression suggested that further discussion was unwelcome.

"All right then. If I were to agree, what would the terms of our arrangement be?" she inquired.

She imagined this would mirror any typical business deal, with terms and conditions and possibly a formal contract.

"You can't tell anyone, so you'll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement. We won't fall in love; our public interactions will only portray us as a loving couple, particularly in front of Justin and your daughter. We'll share a room to make it look genuine, especially to Justin, but that's where the intimacy ends. No touching, no sex, and only the occasional kiss on the cheek for appearances," Sander stated before continuing.

"You won't interfere in my affairs, and I won't interfere in yours. Throughout our contract, you won't be involved with any other man. You'll also take on the role of Luna of my pack. In return, I will provide you my name, my full support, and my protection. We'll be mates in every sense, except for intimacy—and I reiterate, absolutely no falling in love."

Zenab snorted at his final remark. As if there was a chance of that happening with him. He was an arrogant jerk, cold and distant. Falling for him was simply out of the question.

Yet, she couldn't help but notice that he hadn't addressed his own loyalty.

"Fidelity. I expect the same from you," she interjected. If she was entering this arrangement, she expected him to remain faithful as well. She wasn't about to let another man make a fool of her.

"Fine. Anything else?" he snapped.

She genuinely didn't understand why he seemed irritated. Did he believe she would just accept him cheating?

They would both stay faithful, whether he liked it or not. Although this was just a business arrangement, she refused to let him disrespect her.

"Actually, yes. What's our love story? What are we going to share with everyone, especially the media?" It was crucial they had a convincing narrative. They couldn't just announce their mating without a backstory; people would sense something was off, and the media would latch onto any hint of scandal.

"We'll say we bonded over our heartbreaks. We kept in touch while you were away, and I visited you often. Our romance blossomed from there," he replied.

A look of pure disgust crossed his face as he spoke the final part, prompting Zenab to stifle a laugh. It was amusing to see just how repulsed he seemed by the notion of love.

Despite his disdain, his explanation made sense. She could easily imagine the media embracing that narrative.

"So, do we have an agreement?" he inquired cautiously. "Once you agree, there's no turning back."

His expression gave nothing away, and she pondered whether he even had feelings at all.

"What do you think, Red?"

This was a decision that affected them both, and she needed to ensure that her daughter was okay with it first. She didn't want to create further distance between them.

Zenab felt Red perk up instantly. *Right now, it's our best shot at surviving.*

Sitting up straight and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she acknowledged the gravity of agreeing to something that could potentially shatter them, even though it was their only option.

"Yes," she said, sealing their fate.