The offer is tempting, but it's Hunter I'll have to marry. Hunter, my fated mate who rejected me and broke my heart.
“I need time to think,” I say, dropping my gaze, but Hunter walks over and sets the marriage license on my lap before he begins to untie the leather straps binding my wrists to the chair.
The brisk touch of his fingertips brushing my knuckles is what sets my pulse alight, but it also brings awareness to what might be the most difficult mission I've ever had to undertake, and that's marrying the man who hurt me.
The man I can't trust.
The man who turned my love into hatred.
“You don't have time, Delilah. The prince is coming to Scarborough in a few days. Marrying me is the lesser of two evils,” he says as he steps back when he's done freeing me from the restraints, and he picks up the paper from the table. “All you have to do is sign this.”
Pursing my lips in contemplation, I stare at the marriage license as my heart threatens to beat out of my chest. A single piece of paper determines my future, allowing me to escape the fate my parents set up for me and remain where I'm needed, amongst my friends and my people.
The only woe is that I'll be marrying the enemy, the man who ripped my heart to shreds with indifference that felt like the sharp claws of his black wolf. More like a black heart that couldn't care about my feelings, but now he cares about our friends.
What choice do I have?
Chapter 4 - Hunter
I can see the conflict writ in Delilah's eyes, her brows furrowed as her brain works a million miles a second to decide if it's a good idea to marry me or not.
She's weighing her options, calculating the risks and probabilities, just like any good soldier would.
Intrigued, I don't probe her, not wanting to rush her process. It's a thrilling scene to witness, her meticulous calculations flickering through her eyes.
I missed this.
I missed seeing the bold, courageous she-wolf with mystic abilities in her element. She may be the only daughter of the alpha of a highly esteemed ancient pack, but she's a warrior.
And that's the part that's always been appealing.
Clenching my jaw to stop the flow of blood to my core when arousal simmers from being so close, I have to stop breathing altogether when she rises to her feet, and the gentle gust of air carries her scent to my airways.
Roses. Sweet and floral, but with a hint of spice that tells of her feisty side. She's a beautiful rose that can draw blood with her thorns.
And those thorns are sharp now when she glares at me, anger turning her earlobes red behind the veil of her long, dark hair.
That anger pulses in the flare of her nostrils, and I know this isn't a good time to tell her that I have ulterior motives for marrying her.
She's made it clear that she hates me for breaking her heart, but that doesn't mean I'm going to watch her make the biggest mistake of her life by marrying someone else.
The thought of her with someone else twists my gut, and my inner wolf would have waged war on anyone who touched her. Though I have no leg to stand on when it comes to staking my claim as her mate, using the excuse of the squad seemed like the right thing to do.
Especially when she snatches the marriage license from my hand with a growl and glares at the dotted line at the bottom.
She's made up her mind.
“Give me a pen,” she huffs as she sticks out a palm.
I nod slowly as I lean in, our eyes meeting briefly before I pull back and hold up the pen I retrieved from the bookshelf behind her. The moment of tension is cut short when she tears her eyes from mine, and I'm partially grateful that it's lost.
I might have thrown caution to the wind and done something despicable, like kissing her when she hates me. She'd only hate me more for it.
“Here you go.”
Delilah snags the pen from my fingers and crouches at the coffee table, her fingers trembling with hesitation before she ultimately signs her name on the dotted line.
A wave of relief washes over me as her signature symbolizes the seal of protection, keeping her safe from marrying another man.
