Chapter 3 The Ruthless Proposal
Damian’s grip was unyielding, his fingers coiled around Selena’s wrist like steel. The moonlight bled across his sharp features, cutting his face into harsh lines that made his blue eyes burn even brighter.
“Do you even know what you are?” he repeated, voice low, dangerous.
Selena trembled, twisting against his hold. “I told you—I’m nothing. Just wolfless. Let me go!”
A humorless sound escaped him, half laugh, half growl. “Nothing doesn’t stop my car in the middle of nowhere. Nothing doesn’t bleed power into the air until it tangles in my lungs.”
Her storm-gray eyes widened. “You’re wrong.”
His lips curved, cruel and certain. “No. I’m never wrong.”
Selena yanked at her arm again, desperation cracking her voice. “Please. I don’t know what you think I am, but I just need to leave. I don’t belong here. Not with you. Not anywhere.”
“Exactly.” His tone cut sharp. “You don’t belong, which is why the forest is already crawling with wolves eager to tear you apart.”
Her breath hitched. “What?”
“You think word of your rejection hasn’t spread?” Damian’s gaze flicked to the trees as if he could see through the dark. “Wolves feed on weakness. You bled yours all over the ground tonight.”
Selena’s heart hammered. She wanted to argue, to deny it, but a branch cracked in the distance. The sound snapped her spine straight. She wasn’t alone.
Damian leaned closer, his voice brushing like ice against her ear. “Do you want to die here, little wolf? Torn apart before the night is over?”
She swallowed hard, refusing to let him see her fear. “Better than standing here with you.”
His laugh was cold, humorless. “Brave words. But bravery without power is suicide.”
Selena glared up at him, though her voice quivered. “You don’t care whether I live or die.”
“True,” he said simply. “I care about control. And right now, you are chaos bleeding into my world.”
Her chest tightened. “Then let me disappear. I’ll be chaos somewhere else.”
“No.” His grip didn’t loosen. His stare was relentless. “I don’t let things slip through my fingers once they’ve crossed my path.”
Her pulse skittered. “Why? What do you want from me?”
For a moment, silence. Then his answer dropped like a blade. “A deal.”
Selena blinked. “A… deal?”
Damian’s hand finally released her wrist, but only so he could gesture toward the black car idling behind them, engine purring like a predator. “Get in.”
She hesitated, glancing at the road, the forest, the darkness pressing in. “No.”
His eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t a request.”
“Why would I go anywhere with you? You’re Damian Blackthorne. You destroy people. Packs. You’re cursed.”
The accusation seemed to amuse him. “And yet,” he said softly, “I’m the only thing standing between you and a hundred hungry wolves.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came.
Damian stepped closer again, lowering his voice to a lethal whisper. “Here are your choices, Selena Frost. Walk back into that forest and become prey… or get in my car and strike a bargain with me.”
Her throat worked. “What kind of bargain?”
His jaw ticked, sharp with restraint. “Protection. You’ll be safe under my name. Untouchable. No wolf would dare challenge me for you.”
Safe. The word pierced through the storm in her chest, fragile as glass. For one wild second, she almost wanted to believe it.
But then she remembered his reputation—blood-soaked deals, boardrooms turned into battlefields, whispers of the beast lurking in his veins.
Her voice hardened. “And what do you want in return?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Marriage.”
The word slammed into her harder than Adrian’s rejection. “Marriage?” she echoed, stunned.
His mouth curved, wolfish. “A contract marriage. You wear my ring, stand at my side, play the part of my bride. In exchange, I give you power and protection.”
Selena staggered back a step. “You can’t be serious.”
“Deadly serious.”
Her laugh cracked, bitter. “That’s insane. You don’t even know me.”
His gaze sharpened. “I know enough. You’re desperate, broken, and out of options. Perfect for me.”
The bluntness stole her breath. “You’re cruel.”
“Reality is cruel,” he corrected smoothly. “I’m just honest enough to name it.”
Selena shook her head, tears pricking again. “You don’t want a wife. You want a shield. A puppet.”
Damian’s eyes glinted. “Better a puppet with protection than a corpse in the dirt.”
Her storm-gray eyes flashed. “You’re not saving me. You’re using me.”
“Of course.” His smirk was cold. “That’s what deals are. You use me, I use you. Everyone survives.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And if I refuse?”
He leaned in, his words striking with lethal calm. “Then you won’t survive the night. Victor Kane already knows. He’ll come for you the second you’re unclaimed. And Victor isn’t as… merciful as I am.”
The name clawed at her gut. Even Selena, cast aside, had heard of Victor Kane—ruthless, hungry, the shadow always circling Damian’s empire. If Adrian’s rejection was a wound, Victor’s interest would be death.
Still, she lifted her chin, desperate to cling to dignity. “Why me? You could have any woman. Any wolf. Why risk taking me?”
Damian’s stare bore into her. “Because you’re not wolfless. You’re something more. And I want to know what.”
Her chest tightened, fear and confusion colliding. “You’re wrong.”
“Am I?” His voice was soft, dangerous. “Then prove it. Walk away, right now. Let the forest test you.
The silence stretched, suffocating. Somewhere in the distance, a howl shattered the night .
Selena’s blood ran cold.
Damian opened the car door with deliberate calm, the glow of the interior spilling across the road. He reached inside, withdrew something, and turned back to her.
A folder. Velvet black, edges stitched in silver. He opened it, slid a contract across the leather seat, and tapped the page with one finger.
“Here are the terms. You wear my name. You
accept my protection. In return, you obey my rules.” His blue eyes gleamed like ice catching fire. “Sign, or die.”
