CHAPTER 9
Rosa's POV
I was busy tending to the small garden I'd secretly started near the eastern wall—planting wildflowers I'd found around the estate. It was the only peace I had, the only thing untouched by him.
Then I heard footsteps. I didn't have to turn to know who it was.
"Come," Beta Kael said curtly. "The Alpha has summoned you."
My hands froze over the soft soil. Fear washed over me, cold and heavy. I hadn't yet healed from what he did to me that night. The memory of the hot dagger burning his name into my skin made me flinch even now. The pain. The humiliation. The hatred.
Still, I wiped my hands and stood up, my heart thudding as I followed Kael.
The walk to his chambers felt like a slow descent into hell. Again.
Once inside, he didn't even look up at me. He just gave a slight gesture with his hand, and Kael bowed and left the room, sealing the door behind him. I was alone. Again. With him.
"Sign this," he said coldly, sliding a folded parchment across the table. No warmth, no explanation, just that commanding tone that grated against my every nerve.
I hesitated, staring at it.
So many thoughts crashed into my head—what did he want now? Another punishment? Another order?
I unfolded the parchment.
And froze.
Marriage Contract.
My hands trembled. My heart nearly stopped.
This was a sick joke. Marriage? To him?
I looked up but couldn't meet his gaze.
"I'm not going to sign this," I said quietly, rising to my feet, fighting the panic clawing at my chest. "I refuse… I can't imagine myself getting married to a devil."
He smirked—one of those dangerous, mocking smirks that sent chills down my spine. "You think you have a choice?"
I stayed silent.
"You want freedom," he said, voice like frost. "This is your chance."
I swallowed hard.
"Be my wife. For two years," he continued, still not blinking. "If by then I recover my mate-sensing ability, I will let you go."
Silence.
It was a trap. It had to be. But… Two years? And a chance—however slim—at freedom?
Was it worth it?
I looked down at the contract again. My hands shook as I picked up the quill.
I signed.
The moment the ink dried, he stood and called out, "Kael."
The door opened instantly.
"Change her room," he ordered, still not sparing me a second glance. "And begin her training."
I felt something inside me break.
This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was war.
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