'S
e gates of Richard's mansion, a
e richest Alphas in New York, after all. I thought I had seen it all
night. Multiple levels stretched across the property, with balconies and terraces that overlooked meticulously ma
house. It was a f
e a massive oak door stood waiting. He stepped o
or, Miss Hart. The Alpha
down my dress, still the same black funeral dress I'd been wearing all day
. You agreed to this. You chose thi
efore I could knock. A butler, tall, silve
come in. The Alpha i
de, and my jaw
ceiling, casting warm golden light across a marble foyer. A sweeping staircase curved upward,
the other holding a glass of amber liquid. He was wearing a simple white button-down shirt, untucked, with the t
et wer
chard Wellington so
is shirt revealed a hint of his chest, the muscles defined and sculpted. His jaw was sharp, shadowed with a
trying to rememb
olutely, infuriating
l are you doing?
dn't be finding a man almo
d. And I
predator rising from its perch. He set his glass down on the coffee
y, Alpha," I bowed
foot away. "You're about to become my w
ffly. "Richa
't bite." His eyes flashed with amusement
, and I quickl
couch. "Sit. We have
take flight at any moment. Richard sat beside me, close enough that
us was a thick folder. Richard p
clause is spelled out clearly. I want y
folder and
e date of the ceremony. During that time, I would act as Richard's Luna, attending pack eve
s in full, provide me with a monthly allowance of fifty thou
ic scandals, no airing of personal grievances, no
the terms of our...
ted me to share his bed. To provide him with "wifely duties" whenever he
ty may request a temporary suspension of physical intimacy
actually put in a clause f
nfused. "You're giving
e genuinely not in the mood, I won't force you. But if you're just being stub
is words. He was giving me bo
cared about
right now,' Lexie scolded me and I qu
that the contract would be automatically void
red. "You're promising
ck of the couch behind me. "I'm not Derek. I don't
hful to you?" I aske
Then you'll find out exactly ho
ut I nodded.
plained the finer points, the financial arrangements, the expecta
. "You'll have to move in with
ked. "
eyebrows at me. "We are getting married, of course you need to
g," he said. "She needs me right now more than eve
I started to shift uncomfort
fter your mother recovers, so y
to a man almost twice my age just to save her life. The fact that it
ve me eventually, won
to wait and see,' she responded. 'W
h from now and your mom needs to be pres
ntract. "How long do I have t
l get to planning immediately and I'll let you see the wedding planner to make some decisio
." I
e wedding is going to be something extravagant. All Pack elders in and outside N
pped. "Derek w
s cold and sharp.
on Derek's face when he saw me walk
The fury. The abs
geful, but I wanted
pen Richard had placed on the
e on the dotted
his handwriting bold and as
ract was
looked at him, my heart
ned to face me fully. His eyes roamed over my face, my
," he observed. "It
tatement,"
strand of hair behind my ear. His touch was featherlig
he said softly. "The hospital will t
not trusti
tting him pull me to my feet. We stood there, i
whisper. "You're making the right choice
t all I saw was conviction, determination
," I whisp
ely knew. A man who was my ex-fiancé's uncle. A man who
one thing was certain: I had just made
d I wouldn'
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