The Billionaire Alpha's Broken Contract Mate

Julieta Simon POV:

I shoved open the heavy oak double doors of the penthouse suite at the Cloud Coast Hotel, and the strong smell of tequila rushed straight into my nose.

Right behind the alcohol came a freezing, heavy scent of cedarwood. It was the unique scent of a top Alpha, and it made me hold my breath right away.

Dim light from the hallway cut through the dark room as I felt along the wall for the switch, my fingers shaking from secret nerves.

With a sharp click, the wall lamp lit up the room. I immediately saw the tall man sprawled across the leather sofa, and my heart skipped a beat.

Bowman Justice, my contract husband and the billionaire Alpha CEO of the Blackstone Pack, lay there with his custom suit tie yanked loose, his brow furrowed and his breathing heavy.

I walked over as quietly as I could. My heels made no sound on the thick carpet because I was terrified of waking the violent inner wolf inside him.

I crouched beside the sofa, staring at his sharp jawline and the faint claw scar on his neck. Even though our marriage was a loveless contract arranged by the pack elders, I had loved him in secret for years. Unable to help myself, I reached out to smooth the crease between his eyebrows.

When my fingertips were half an inch from his skin, his eyes snapped open. His dark gray pupils glowed with the blood-red light that only a rare, high-ranking Lycan had.

Before I could pull back, his large hand clamped around my wrist like an iron trap, squeezing so hard my bones felt ready to crack.

I gasped from the pain and tried to pull away, but he yanked me forward, throwing me off balance.

I fell clumsily onto the edge of the sofa. His scent wrapped around me completely, the heavy pressure of a top predator making it impossible to breathe.

"Who gave you permission to touch me?" His voice was rough and freezing, full of waking rage.

I bit my lower lip, fighting the pain in my wrist. "Alpha, your Beta Liam said you drank too much. Elder Harrison ordered me to bring you back to the manor."

At the mention of his grandfather's name, the disgust in his eyes grew darker. He flung my hand away as if my touch carried poison.

I lost my balance and fell onto the carpet. A bright red mark was already swelling around my wrist, and my heart felt like an invisible hand was squeezing it so hard I couldn't breathe.

He stood up unsteadily and looked down at me, his huge frame blocking the ceiling light and trapping me in his shadow.

"Using my grandfather to threaten me?" He let out a cold laugh, and the pressure of the Alpha's Command shook the air, making my eardrums ache and my bones feel heavy.

In werewolf society, a wolf's rank is set by genetics at birth and can never be changed. As someone judged by the pack to be a weak, low-ranking Omega, I had no power to fight a genetic command from my own Alpha. I could only lower my head in shame and look away from his glare.

"Julieta, don't forget your place." He bent down and grabbed my chin with freezing fingers, forcing me to look up at him.

"You're nothing but a greedy replacement clinging to the Luna title for family benefits." His words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over me from head to toe.

My eyes burned, but I refused to let the tears fall, staring straight into his cold eyes for even a tiny bit of warmth.

"Drop the pitiful Omega act. We both know who your inner wolf actually craves." He tore my pride apart without mercy.

I knew he meant his older brother. That terrible misunderstanding hung over our contract marriage like a heavy mountain, leaving me no way to explain.

"I don't..." I tried to argue, but my throat felt blocked. Under his heavy genetic pressure, I couldn't even speak the truth about that day years ago.

He snorted, let go of my chin, and pulled a cigar from his pocket, biting the end. "Go bring the car around to the basement garage. I don't want to smell you in the elevator."

His open disgust left me freezing cold inside. I stood up quietly, brushed the dust off my skirt, and swallowed the bitterness.

"Yes, Boss." I switched to my standard secretary tone, using my work title to hide my broken heart, and turned toward the door.

Just as my hand gripped the brass handle, his cold voice came from behind me again. "If there is even a hint of your cheap perfume inside the car..."

"I will throw you out of Blackstone myself." He blew out a ring of smoke, his face blurry and cruel behind the gray cloud.

I didn't look back. I pushed the handle down hard, biting back the truth that I never wore perfume-that was my own natural scent.