The Alpha's Contract Bride

ADRIANA CROSS

“Do you, Adriana Cross, take Dimitri Valequez as your husband?”

The question hung up in the air as the marriage officer asked.

I held my breath. “Yes,” The words flowed out almost inaudibly when the real answer should be, no. I didn't want this marriage, but I had no choice. This was the only option I had left to raise the huge sum for my dear sister, Zoey's heart surgery.

I had no choice.

I inhaled deeply before the marriage officer shifted his gaze over to my soontobe husband, whom I'd only met just last night during one of my shifts at the hotel bar where I worked.

I didn't know him; I'd never met the man in my entire life until last night when he'd approached me with an irresistible offer, a contract marriage, lasting only for six months, in exchange for saving my sister's life.

At first, I didn't want to accept it, I had thought he was one of them who had been after me my entire life. I'd thought after many years of hiding, ensuring I didn't do anything to draw their attention, ensuring I forgot that cruel day, and the nightmares that plagued me at every awakening moment, I'd thought they'd finally found me.

But that wasn't the case, I'd confirmed it myself. He wasn't one of them. He was the almighty Dimitri Velaquez, CEO of the Velaquez empire and the most eligible bachelor in New York. It didn't make sense why he would want a contract wife when he could have any woman he wanted. It didn't make sense why he would want me.

But none of that mattered, I'd willingly sell my soul to the devil to ensure Zoey lived. She was all I had left of that beautiful family that showed me kindness. And I owed them that much.

My hand fell on the special ruby beads around my wrists, constantly reminding me of who I was and who I should never be.

“Do you, Dimitri Valequez, take Adriana Cross as your wife?”

A dead silence flooded the large wedding court and it felt like there weren't more than a hundred guests watching this sham marriage.

Dimitri remained quiet, and I didn't glance his way. I hadn't since I walked down the aisle and stood next to him, but his lingering silence forced my eyes to him and I regretted it instantly.

He had that same look in his eyes from last night when he'd approached me with the marriage offer and contract papers to sign. A look that made me feel he hated all of this. He hated the idea of marrying me. Like if he had his way, he'd prefer any other woman standing right next to him, but me. Strangely, the thought alone sent a churn in my stomach, and I hated the look on his face and his obvious hesitation.

He was the one who approached me with the contract and not the other way around so I shouldn't care if he'd wished a different woman was standing next to him, but the strange and weird fact was, I did. I felt the strange need for him to accept me as his bride.

Dimitri's emotionless eyes were dark, and penetrating as he turned his eyes to meet mine. “Yes, I do,” The words finally left his lips, with a hint of rage, and panic in his voice.

DIMITRI VALEQUEZ

Anxiety was not a usual emotion for me, at least not in the last fourteen years. After the death of my parents and almost every member of my pack fourteen years ago I'd grown cold and emotionless.

It was what I had to be to survive all these years without letting the drive for revenge consume me entirely.

There was a lot at stake, including the lives of every member of my new pack now, and every supernatural that had survived the attack by that monster, Nikola Vladimir.

And with the blood moon almost upon us, the entire werewolf kind was in danger. I could already see the fear in the eyes of my people, the blood moon was the last chance we had to save ourselves. To break the curse that that witch, Asula had placed on my grandfather, the Alpha King, and the entire werewolf kind.

And up until yesterday, I could see the hope slowly leaving my people because we hadn't yet found the two last people necessary for the ritual to break the curse of my kind. My mate and the last living Halo witch from the powerful BlackRose bloodline.

I should be happy because after last night there was a fighting chance to break the curse and save my people. And the hope came in the form of Adriana Cross, my mate.

I'd never wanted a mate because claiming her would only be binding her to our fate and death if the curse wasn't broken, but at this point, I was left with no choice.

I still remember the first time I had laid my eyes on her in one of the hotel bars I owned in the city. She was like a breath of fresh air, and suddenly, my heart, which hadn't moved in years, was alive again.

For some reason, Adriana Cross could make all the walls I had built around myself feel like absolutely nothing.

She had found her way into my mind and I couldn't get her out.

I heard the words of the marriage officer, and for the first time, I felt her gaze on me. I turned to meet her pretty blue eyes which seemed to have a lasting effect on my body.

“I do,” I said, reminding myself that she may be my mate, but this was a contract marriage for six months until we broke the curse, and I'd set her free. She didn't belong in my world and she didn't deserve to be marked in the middle of the storm headed our way.

ADRIANA CROSS

“...You may now kiss the bride,”

My body stilled as I shifted a glance at Dimitri. His dark eyes were on me, and he wasn't even hiding the rage in his eyes that he didn't want to kiss me.

I felt sick in my stomach; I was about to look away when, without warning, I felt his arms around my waist, and he crashed his lips on mine. I wasn't prepared for the emotions that exploded within me and the electrifying sparks that shot a wave of pleasure through my body.

He released a loud growl at the back of his throat before he pulled away like my entire body had somehow burned him.

We walked out of the courts and straight into the Black limousine that had been waiting for us outside.

The trip to Dimitri's mansion was quiet. Neither of us said anything. Frankly, there wasn't much to say; we had said everything we wanted last night as we finalized the deal.

I would be staying in his place in the course of these six months, playing the role of his wife while from today, Zoey had been transferred to the best medical facility in New York for her surgery.

We drove through a black gate and stopped right in front of a beautiful mansion.

I stepped out of the car along with Dimitri, who didn't even spare a glance my way as he entered the mansion. I followed behind him, walking past the many guards who bowed to us.

We headed inside towards the large main living room when a woman rushed down the stairs and went straight into Dimitri's arms, and her lips pressed against his.

I froze as shock rocked through my spine.

“What the hell is this, Dimitri?” I said in rage as Dimitri pulled her out of his arms. “Who is she?”

“Sabrina Brooke, Dimitri's lover,” She introduced and my angry gaze moved back to Dimitri.

I don't know why, I felt an instant rage burning through me at her words. The last time I felt this much rage was on that cruel night fourteen years ago.

I turned around, heading out of the mansion, ignoring Dimitri's call behind, when suddenly I felt him grip my wrist, turning me around. His hand on my wrist ignited sparks.

“What do you think you are doing, Adriana?”

“Going far away from you, if you had a lover then why did you marry me?” My question startled him and his eyes darkened.

“Don't forget we had a deal. You can't just leave, think about your sister,” His words made me remember why I had agreed to this marriage. I didn't know why I cared so much about him having a lover when I shouldn't. “I'm throwing an afterparty tonight. Your dress has already been arranged so be down on time,”

“Is your lover going to be there?”

“Adriana—”

“So you want to humiliate me in front of your guests while you flaunt your mistress. I'm not attending Dimi—”

Before I could finish, I felt my back against the wall, and Dimitri's body pressed against me. I felt electric shocks all over my body at our closeness, and our lips were almost touching. I let out a whimper as his hand on me burned me with desire. Dimitri's eyes darkened and his eyes fell on my lips. He was about to lean closer when we were interrupted by a young woman.

“Alpha— Mr. Dimitri, you called for me?”

“Zena, see my wife in her bedroom and ensure she's down early for the party,” He said, before leaving us.

Zena showed me to my bedroom which I would be sharing with Dimitri. Strangely, that again angered me. I couldn't help but imagine the nights he had fucked Sabrina within these walls. I picked up the dress Dimitri had chosen for me for tonight's party.

It was a beautiful black dress.

I was already dressed and ready by the time the guests had arrived.

Zena had told me Dimitri had already requested I join him downstairs. I was about to leave when Sabrina strutted in.

She eyed me up. “Don't delude yourself into thinking you're special. Dimitri doesn't care about you. Once your contract comes to an end, he'll discard you like that trash you are,”

I was shocked to find out she knew about our marriage contract, but then again it didn't surprise me.

“It doesn't matter if this is all fake or not, the real truth is, I'm the one Dimitri's married to, not you. I'm the one he's throwing a party for, not you. And I'm the one who would sleep next to him tonight, and not you. So if you would excuse me, I have a party to attend to,” I walked out of the room.

I saw Dimitri waiting at the button of the stairs for me. His eyes darkened as they trekked down my body, sending heat between my legs.

As I reached him, he took my hand and led me to the large and quiet crowd eagerly staring at me with curious eyes. Everyone looked weird in one way or the other. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was some kind of initiation or something.

Dimitri introduced me to a few people and among them was a woman he called Agatha. She seemed so familiar but I couldn't remember where I'd seen her before.

Dimitri looked anxious and like he was in some kind of pain, emotionally and physically, as he handed me a drink and called the attention of everyone.

“Thank you, everyone, for joining us to celebrate tonight. We all know how special tonight is for us all, so we make a toast to our future. And to our freedom,”

“To our freedom,” Everyone raised their glasses, and I did too, even though Dimitri's words and everything seemed strange.

I finished my wine, suddenly feeling a sharp pain at the back of my head, and then everything went black.

DIMITRI VALEQUEZ

I chugged down the remaining whiskey in my glass as I leaned back into the sofa, my gaze not moving from Adriana who was still asleep on the bed. She has been sleeping for many hours now since she fell unconscious last night after drinking from the wine the head witch Agatha had prepared.

I ran my thumb across my bottom lip, pulling up from the sofa, and ambling to the bed. I pulled back the strands of hair that covered her face, trailing my fingers on her smooth pristine skin. She was helplessly beautiful.

My fingers moved down to her arm which the pack doctor had covered with some bandages. Because of the bonding ritual last night, Adriana now bore the mark of the crescent moon on her arm just like every member of my pack. She was human and couldn't heal as wolves did, so in the meantime, it would feel like a deep wound until her body healed up at its human pace.

I knew she would have a lot of questions when she woke up. Last night, after she had fallen unconscious from Agatha's concoction, we had completed the necessary rites to bind her to our pack as my mate.

I had binded Adriana to us without her consent. I had no choice, it was necessary for the survival of my people. And now we were bound together by the moon. I could feel her emotions and whatever I had felt for her had strongly intensified.

I knew this was the effect of the mate bond and with what happened last night, our bond just got stronger.

Oh goddess, I hated feeling this way.

This marriage was supposed to be a winwin. I got what I wanted, and she got what she wanted. Money for her sister's surgery. I shouldn't feel this way but I did.

Even though I hated doing any of these to her, I had no choice. I was responsible for the survival of the entire werewolf kind. We had to break the curse before the next blood moon or we would all die.

Last night was also Adriana's Luna ceremony, and she wasn't even aware. With the bonding ritual, she was now linked to me and my pack. It was necessary for the Blood Moon ritual to break the curse Asula placed on us.

Asula was a dark witch, and once a member of the circle of witches. All Asula wanted was more dark magic, death, and chaos. She had wanted to be the Luna Queen of the werewolf kind, but Alpha King Magnus, my grandfather and head of the Council, had refused her.

It hurt Asula, and suddenly, she vanished, only to be back a few years later with a drive for vengeance. She had killed Alpha King Magnus' mate and placed a curse on my grandfather and the entire wolf kind. A curse that can only be attempted to be broken on the day of the blood moon.

Over the years my father attempted to break the curse with the help of some witches after finding his mate, but there was no witch strong enough to anchor the ritual except the Halo clan of witches. They were direct descendants of the goddess herself, and for many years, everyone thought they were extinct, but my father found one, Esther Blackrose.

Only a Halo witch with the mark of the goddess could break the curse. Esther had agreed to help us, but on the night of the ritual, the vampire king, Nikola Vladimir had waged war on the entire supernatural kind. It was a massacre, he wanted to eradicate every one of us. He had attacked the fae, elven, and the dragon kingdom. Including the witches, and the demon realm.

He attacked every supernatural kind. He also had help from dark witches. That night we weren't prepared for what hit us. I was just fourteen and had lost not only my parents but almost the entire wolf kind.

Every supernatural kind was forced into hiding. I had to live like I didn't exist for fourteen years until I could find wolves that had survived the massacre by Nikola and rebuild our pack again. I also reached out to other supernatural kinds that survived and wanted to join me and my people to take revenge on Nikola.

But through it all, the witches and I couldn't find the last living Halo witch from the Blackrose bloodline. Esther had died during the attack saving me. The witches and I also found out Nikola had attacked the Blackrose coven as well. Esther's husband, who was also a wolf, her sister, and her eldest daughter had died that night as well, but her youngest daughter survived.

We had searched for her for years, not only because I needed her to break the curse before we could battle Nikola but because I promised Esther I would since Nikola was desperately searching for her too. And I had a feeling we'd find her soon.

This morning, the head witch Agatha had left to meet one of her witch friends who had Esther's belongings, and with that, the witches could do a location spell to find the last living Halo witch.

My thoughts were cut off as Adriana stirred on the bed, her perfect long lashes pulled apart and her eyes fell on me.

She jerked up from the bed, suddenly wincing from the pain coming from her arm.

“What happened to me last night?” She brought her hand to her arm as I took in a deep breath.

Even though I hated what I was doing to her, I couldn't tell her the truth. Adriana was human and I didn't know how she'd react if she knew about the existence of a world of the supernatural completely different from hers.

Besides, it was best she didn't know anything. That way, it would be a lot easier for her to walk away from all of this when it finally came to an end. Even though my wolf, Ryker, was completely against the idea, I was glad we didn't have to mark her, otherwise there was no way she'd walk out of this mess even after the curse was broken.

Adriana's blue eyes pierced into mine, and I read every emotion on her beautiful face. I could tell from her face she knew something was wrong, but it didn't matter, Agatha used magic to ensure she never remembered what happened last night, and I wanted it to stay that way.

For her sake, and mine as well, because she was starting to make me feel all the things I shouldn't.

ADRIANA CROSS

“You slipped during the party and injured your arm. Don't you remember?” Dimitri's words couldn't stop echoing in my mind all through the day.

Dimitri had told me earlier this morning when I woke up. I had drank too much wine, and slipped during the party, injuring my arm.

I heaved a sigh, bringing a hand to my arm. The wound was still a little fresh and I could tell it would leave a weird scar when it's all healed up. I couldn't clearly remember what happened last night, but for some reason, something about everything seemed strange.

Whenever I try to remember something from last night all I kept seeing was a flash of several faces, including Dimitri's and the woman who looked familiar last night, Agatha. It was as if there was a powerful force ensuring I didn't remember.

Absentmindedly, my hand touched the ruby bracelet on my wrist. I could try to figure out what happened last night but it was very risky. I hadn't taken off the bracelet since that cruel night fourteen years ago when I watched my entire family die at the hands of Nikola just to save me. I was only ten and all alone in a world I had to escape to survive those who wanted me dead or wanted to exploit my powers for their selfish greed.

The truth was, I was far from being human. I came from a world where the supernatural exists. My mother was a Halo witch from the powerful Blackrose bloodline and my father was a wolf. After the massacre of my family by the vampire king, I was forced into hiding but the bastard was still searching for me.

There were times I wanted to go back for revenge, but I couldn't. I promised my sister before she died that I would survive at all costs, and that was what I had been doing all these years. Surviving. I had binded my wolf and cloaked myself and contained my magic using the ruby bracelet on my wrist.

I kissed Zoey's sleepy figure before I left the VIP ward and found two of Dimitri's bodyguards waiting for me in the black Mercedes outside the hospital.

I got in, and the car drove off. We were already halfway when I got a text from Dimitri asking me to meet him somewhere and it was urgent. The text wasn't from his saved number on my phone.

I showed the text to Rick, one of the bodyguards and the car turned around, heading to the location he had sent.

After some minutes, we were almost at the location but something was strange. The location Dimitri had sent was far ahead in the woods, located near the mountains.

We were still moving when Rick turned to me. “Are you sure, Mr Dimitri wanted you here?”

Something was wrong and I knew it in my bones. I was about to put a call through to Dimitri when, from nowhere, four figures rushed out from the woods, and they ran straight into our car, flipping it over, causing an accident.

The deafening sounds of the car glasses shattering against the ground pierced my ears as I had hit my head against the shattering window and a huge shard of glass had pierced through my stomach. I was upside down in the car, bleeding profusely from my head and stomach.

“Luna, stay with me, are you alright?”

I heard Rick's voice in a blur, as I tried to fight the pain and dizziness that shook my body.

Luna?

I tried to keep my vision steady, but it was of no use; I could feel my body giving up.

Swiftly, Rick ripped off the door to the passenger seat, and he got out of the car, unscathed, along with the driver, who charged against the four figures approaching us.

Before I could blink, three of the figures shifted into wolves.

I felt the blood that rushed to my head turned cold. They were fucking wolves.

My mind raced with so many questions as dear paralyzed me. They all smelled like rogues. Had Nikola sent them? How did he find me?

I tried to get the door open but it was stuck, and I could barely move from the glass inside me. Rick hurried to my side, ripping off the door, about to pull me out, when from behind, one of the wolves lunged at Rick, and the next thing I heard was a loud growl from Rick, and just like the others, he shifted into a brown wolf.

Shock numbed my bones and I couldn't believe it. They were all wolves.

I was still frozen in shock when one of the figures grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me out of the car. My hand instinctively fell on the ruby bracelet on my wrist. I could easily tear it off and access my magic, ripping every one of these bastards in shreds. Or, worstcase scenario, my wolf, Naya, could take over finishing them off. Suddenly, both ideas seemed so dangerous.

I hesitated as indecision shot through me, but then I thought of Zoey; she still needed me, well and alive, and by the looks of things, these bastards wanted me dead.

I was about to rip off the bracelet when a terrifying, angry growl rippled through the air, and a jetblack wolf dipped from the sky in his full elaborate beauty, looking as pissed as hell. He didn't waste any time as his teeth grabbed the man that had flung me and with a hard pull, he detached the man's head from his body.

I froze as blood splattered around us, tainting the trees and ground. I watched in horror as he moved swiftly and ripped the remaining two wolves in pieces, leaving just the driver's unconscious wolf and Rick's wounded wolf.

The black wolf stood in the middle of the bloodbath for a second, his eyes watching me and right before my eyes, he shifted into a man.

Not just any man.

But my husband, Dimitri. He was covered in blood, and very much naked before me.

Oh, goddess!

ADRIANA CROSS

A groan slipped past my lips as I shifted against something soft. But I could still feel the slight discomfort in my bones. What the hell happened to me?

As the thought grazed my mind, everything came flooding my mind in a flash. I remembered it all. Visiting Zoey in the hospital. Dimitri's text. The brutal attack. And… Oh hell, Dimitri Castello was a fucking wolf.

My eyes snapped open at once and I shot up to a sitting position, ignoring the pounding ache in my head. I glanced around my unfamiliar surroundings. I was in a room and this definitely didn't look like any room in the mansion.

I couldn't stop my heart from banging so hard in my chest. Had Dimitri kidnapped me after I found out who he was? Who they all were?

This was so bad. And all I could think about was Zoey. She was in grave danger. I just hope Dimitri hasn't done anything to her yet. I had to get to her and we had to leave. I had no single doubt Dimitri knew exactly who I truly was. That could only explain why he approached me. He knew I was a witch, and he was just like everyone who came after me.

Surprisingly, the thought caused a strange ache in my chest and I had to blink back the tears in my eyes.

I got out of bed, and to my surprise, I wasn't wearing my clothes from the attack. I was in a white dress shirt which smelled like Dimitri, unfortunately, with no underwear.

I left the room, trying my hardest to remain unseen while I snuck down the hallway. I was about to take the stairs when I heard a familiar, angry growl from the office at the other end of the hallway. It was Dimitri's and strangely, against every muscle in my bones, I froze. Something was going on in there, almost like an argument.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I moved closer to the door until I could hear every word being said.

“Relax, Alpha. Killing Sabrina won't fix anything,” A woman muttered in a calm, controlled familiar voice. I met her last night at that weird party and Dimitri introduced her to me as Agatha.

“Someone has to pay!” Dimitri growled again and I could almost feel the heat of his fury. “Adriana almost died today. If I didn't get there at that precise moment, she would have been…” Another growl, and then I heard a bang against the wall.

“I am sorry, Dimitri—” Sabrina's voice filtered into my ears, her voice trembling in fear.

“It's Alpha to you!”

“Alpha,” She corrected. “I swear to the goddess, that wasn't my doing. I'd never jeopardize every one of our lives. I… I… just wanted to scare her because she insulted me yesterday. Believe me, I have no idea why those rogues showed up,”

“And now, because of your stupidity, you exposed us all. She knows what we are,”

“That entirely isn't a bad thing,” Agatha spoke again.

“No. Her knowing complicates everything,” Dimitri said.

“Maybe Agatha can use her magic and wipe her memories. Adriana wouldn't remember anything just like she can't remember what truly happened at the party last night,” Someone spoke up, and my hand pulled up to my lips in surprise. Agatha was a witch too.

My heart was racing fast. I was surrounded by witches and wolves. This was really bad.

And I knew I wasn't crazy. I could definitely feel something had happened to me last night. They did something to me and I couldn't remember. All the more reasons I had to leave this place, and fast.

“Alpha, maybe—”

“Silence,” Dimitri's instant word made the room go completely quiet, almost as if they could sense someone was eavesdropping.

Without thinking twice, I darted towards the stairs, going through the large kitchen which had a few people. They could all be wolves for all I care. Thankfully, they didn't try to stop me, and I managed to get out through the back door, racing out into the night.

I had no idea where I was going as the mansion was almost in the middle of the woods and my only source of light in the darkness was the bright moon hanging up in the sky. I just had to take my chances, darting into the woods barefoot.

I kept running, ignoring the pain from my wounded feet until I recognized I was completely lost, and approaching a dead end. It was then I felt the presence in the woods. Oh fuck, they had found me.

I took a careful step back just in time as a large black wolf stepped out of the woods. I remembered it to be Dimitri's. And it was even larger than what I remembered. Before I could take a step back, the wolf shifted to his human form, Dimitri, standing completely naked before me, and what was worse, he didn't even seem to be bothered by his nudity.

But I was, and unfortunately, the darkness did nothing to hide anything from my view. He was a masterpiece of the gods, sculpted in their very image. Every small detail of his body was beautiful, so beautiful I couldn't seem to peel my eyes away from him. My gaze trailed from his perfect abs all down to the vline leading to his…

The sudden clearing of throat pulled me out of whatever insanity had plagued me for a second. I couldn't believe I was ogling at Dimitri Velaquez of all people.

I snapped my gaze back to him only to see an irresistible smirk playing on his lips, almost as if he knew exactly what indecent thoughts I was having just a second ago about him. Could he read my mind? That would make him even more dangerous than I thought he was.

I took a step backward again, and my action caused his smile to vanish, and for a second, I thought I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. Then he pinned me with a stare I couldn't fathom.

“I'm not going to hurt you, Adriana, Never,” He stated quietly.

“Is that why I was attacked today, or you tricked me into this marriage?”

“I apologize for what happened today, but those were rogues. One of my own would never hurt you, let alone me,” Call me crazy, but for some strange reasons, I believed him. “And for our marriage, we had a deal. I help you out with Zoey, and in exchange—”

“We stayed married for six months,” I couldn't stop the rage that was slowly mixing with my blood. “Only that you forgot to mention you are a fucking wolf. You deceived me into this marriage. Why did you really approach me when you could have found any other woman, even your mistress could have happily agreed to this marriage, so why me? Did you know who I was? Is that it, how did you find me?”

Dimitri's brows furrowed in confusion as he regarded me. “Who you are? What are you talking about Adriana? The only reason I approached you was because it's you. I promise I will explain everything to you, but first, we need to get back to the mansion. It's late and—”

I scoffed, taking a step back. “No way in hell will I be going back with you. If you really mean no harm, just let me go now,”

“I’m sorry, I can't,” He took a couple of steps forward, and I kept going back. “Adriana you have to stop moving backwards,”

“Well, I'm sorry too. But you leave me no other choice,” I muttered under my breath ready to use my magic on him.

“Adriana, I said stop!” Dimitri growled. “It's dangerous—” Before he could finish his words, I took another step backward, and my legs slipped, causing me to fall down the cliff.