Lucy's POV

My palms were sweaty for no reason as I stared blankly at the paper before me.

There was black ink, with thick letters, all representing big trouble.

"Sign right here," Nurse Kara pointed out, pushing the clipboard in my direction, and one could easily conclude that she was handing me a death certificate, only waiting for my approval to strike.

"This, from the way it looks, isn't just a one-time baby mama deal, nurse Kara," I whispered only to her hearing, as I curiously eyed the golden seal attached to the bottom. "This, from all angles, represents my body. My fertile womb. My very soul."

"And what happens to your brother's life?" She didn't hesitate to whisper back, not missing even a dot.

Yes, I was touched, greatly moved.

I glanced tiredly through the boring letters of the terms again, not that I fully comprehended them. There were many clauses, including ones that had no connection in any way. Legal nonsense that sounded harmless, but would put one in danger if not handled with care. But the one that got my attention stated: "No termination would be granted under any circumstances."

So, this has turned me officially into a luxury womb.

I leaned back speechlessly against the cold, merciless hospital wall, tightly pressing the clipboard with both hands against my chest, my heart threatening to escape its abode.

"Is Ryker the real donor?" I asked, just for clarity's sake.

Kara hesitated, already tired of my many questions."Yes, and also the father."

Figures, that's the same.

Of course, it's no other than the ruthless Ryker. The broody Alpha with eyes like raging storms and a face carved only for sin. The one who did not mind his business but saved me.

The same man I have been running away from, refusing to abide by his rules because he made me feel things I never intended.

"You do have it in mind, I don't even as much as like him, right?" I muttered.

"Hmm," Kara hummed in frustration. "Which explains why your hands are shaking greatly and your pupils dilated funnily?"

I glared at her for not reasoning with me. She smiled mischievously.

"I don't even trust him."

"No one does that; trust is overrated. But the only thing you should know about this arrangement is that he pays well."

The low blow was hitting me directly.

I glanced again at the line-just one signature, done in one second. One second of scribbling my name and everything about me takes a different direction. Maybe forever, I guess.

"You don't owe him love, you are not obligated to do so, Lucy," Kara added gently, trying to comfort me. "You just have to pretend, tolerate and survive him."

And even that? I wasn't capable of making it possible.

But what would I possibly do at this dying moment? I was obviously out of options. My brother was just a few minutes away from dying. My landlord had succeeded in tossing my things out. My life was at a fast rate, circling a drain, giving me no room to scream for help.

So I did sign as expected.

Not just because I had no options and desperately needed to save my brother, but because for reasons I couldn't explain, Ryker already owned bigger pieces of me, and worst of all, I can't remember giving them to him.

Lucy Castellano.

It felt foreign, so unreal to see my name in such ink. I couldn't even explain the person I was fast becoming anymore.

When I finished, the door magically swung open, pen in hand, on the same clipboard. Speak of the ruthless devil.

Ryker stormed in like he owned the place, like the way sin would capture a body when with an agenda. He was dripping hot, with a black shirt and well-tailored pants with details, no tie to knot out his excesses, just clean, patterned lines and annoying alpha arrogance. His eyes landed on the contract, and then he remembered me.

"You signed?" he asked, like it was meant to be a challenge.

"You think you can break me, that I won't survive you?" I fired back, trying my best to maintain eye contact with him.

He smirked, the type that comes out very slowly in a sexy way, yet is dangerous. "Oh, my little sweetheart. I'm counting on your words then."

Kara cleared her throat to notify us of her presence. It was like a concerned adult catching two crazy teens about to commit a crime. "I'll, uhm, take my leave now, and give you two space to... finalize the arrangements."

She quietly slipped out, but not without an annoying grin.

The moment she was out of sight, Ryker took a few dangerous steps toward me, though not rushed, but also not slow. Everything was just controlled, well calculated.

He stopped to give me space, just inches away.

"I don't appreciate when people doubt me," he said.

"You are not alone; neither am I," I replied.

His lips slightly twitched. "You're a bag of trouble."

"You're more than poison," I said without smiling.

"Then, that made a pair, perfect for each other," he replied, grinning.

I rolled my eyes dramatically, but my breath unexpectedly hitched, embarrassing me when he reached out and brushed his fingers on the clipboard I just signed.

"You understand what just transpired here today, right?" he asked in a husky voice.

"That I'm lending you my womb just for nine months, and you'll, in turn, ensure you keep my brother breathing and healthy," I responded.

His eyes turned dark immediately. "And what would happen when that's finally over?"

"I would take a walk. You would disappear in thin air. We pretend we never crossed paths."

Ryker's jaw furiously clenched, as if I had said something wrong. My answer wasn't what he expected.

"Fine then," he yelled. "Then let's waste no time in making this official."

He reached out, pulled a black envelope containing some documents, and handed it to me. I opened it, curiosity taking a greater part of me.

I saw tickets, giving directions to his private villa, and a gold card, which I found had my full name strangely engraved on it.

"What is this for? When did all these happen?"

"There's no way I would be allowing you to carry my child in a rusting apartment with disgusting mold all over the ceiling. You are, by no choice, moving in with me. And it's tonight."

Excuse me, Mr arrogant?

I folded my arms, unable to believe he wants to cage me. "You think because I signed those damn papers would give you the right to control me, even to the point of where I sleep now?"

"No, not that," he said coolly. "Carrying my child does in your dry womb."

I opened my mouth to curse him, but nothing matched his energy.

"You should understand that I'm not the enemy here, Lucy. I'm simply the devil you couldn't stay having a deal with."

"Ensure you are ready by 8," he said with a knowing smirk. "And Lucy?"

"What again do you want? My head now?"

"Don't make me come here to get you myself."

I stood there frozen, my heart doing wonders with its escape tactics.

I had just walked into the devil's den and made a deal with him. And right now, it seems he isn't done collecting whatever he needs from me.

Lucy's POV

The horrible rain had stopped a long time ago, but do you know what refused to stop dripping wet? My life was still soaked.

From my mattress, to my clothes, everything was dumped outside. Or is it having the worst neighbors ever?

I stood for minutes, shamelessly hugging what remained of my deteriorating pride, when all of a sudden, a black SUV pulled up before me, very fancy, shiny, and of course official.

"Alpha Ryker sent me to you."

Of course, that's what he knows how best to do, controlling people.

Then got in without sparing it a second thought.

I shouldn't have waited, I was supposed to run.

But instead, I waited until I was standing in front of Ryker's mansion-no, this is more than a castle. Minutes after the driver dropped me off, I stood like an idiot with a cheap suitcase-the type that Ryker wouldn't waste time insulting-and right on my hand was the contract-a baby that would never be born, and I wasn't ready to become its mother growing inside me.

The iron gates we drove through minutes after automatically closed with a heavy clang. It dawned on me that my fate had been sealed, as seen mainly in the opening scene of a horror-filled movie.

Ryker's driver made no effort to start a conversation throughout the ride here, and neither did I. It was an arranged encounter. Because what could I possibly be discussing with him?

"Hi, I'm Lucy Castellano. Stripper, by profession, and a human, obviously. And right now, I have transformed into the baby mama of someone I don't like, a ruthless werewolf I don't even trust but strangely find disturbingly hot and attractive."

Nope, I didn't dare. I kept it all zipped in, with me.

On arrival, a butler-fully gloved and everything professional-opened the door with the most polite nod and captivating smile. "Ms. Castellano, you're welcome. We've been expecting you, ma'am."

Of course, I was welcomed to enjoy life for once.

I stepped inside and was graced with holy hell...

There were marble floors. Crystal chandeliers filled the room. There were expenses on the walls, one of which probably cost more than ten years' rent of my old apartment. The air had the aura of power and forbidden wealth-and, of course, his aura.

And then, as always, speaking ill of the devil, he slowly descended down to meet me from the grand staircase, practicing deliberate steps.

He wore a black shirt, but this time, he ensured no buttons were undone, giving him the look of the emperor and owner of the world.

"You're a few minutes late," he said, eyes roaming as they scanned me from head to toe. It wasn't the look of rivals, it was a claim.

"Well," I started. "I had spent most of the time packing all my dignity. Some took me a while to locate."

Saying that alone earned me the tiniest smirk ever.

"Follow me, right away," he commanded, turning without sparing me a glance or checking if I was indeed following. Typical Alpha with no regard.

I followed him, I had no option now.

We went up, passed two flights, turned down a long hallway, and passed a set of double doors.

That was where my new room is located.

Point of correction, it was a whole damn wing that he assigned to me.

I stepped inside and a gasp escaped my mouth. A four-poster bed lay by the corner waiting for my arrival. The balcony was purposely created to give a sea view. Did I mention the walk-in closet? The ensuite bathroom is 20 times bigger than my rich friends' living rooms.

"You'll be staying here starting today, " the officer reissued an order behind me. "You don't need to worry, it's only for the duration of the pregnancy."

I turned to fully face him. "You mean till the expiration of my hostage situation?"

He took two quick steps closer.

Way too close that I feared our lips would lock.

"You shouldn't consider yourself a hostage, Lucy," he said, voice somehow low and sweet. "You're my responsibility now, since you are carrying my child, a royalty. You'll receive all the royal treatment you could get as such."

"Until the baby finally pops out to grace this world. Then what's next? You waste no time tossing me out, compensating me with a fruit basket?"

His jaw shifted in fury. "You willingly signed the contract after reading all the conditions applied."

"I was desperately in need of a way out."

"You haven't changed, still, you are your desperate self."

That hit got me on a high revenge level, paining more than it should. I looked away to hide the tears that had started welling up in the corners of my eyes. But Ryker was fast, he noticed.

He cursed heavily under his breath, stretched out to remove a stubborn and reached strand of hair from my teary face.

And that's how the atmosphere shifted.

The room, everything in it, including me.

His masculine fingers lingered for a few seconds on my face. His thumb caressed my cheek in a circular motion.

I should've never given in, I was supposed to pull back.

But I did none of that.

Neither did he even attempt to pull out.

His eyes landed on my lips, lusting after them. "We shouldn't be doing this," he murmured almost to his hearing alone.

"Then don't do what you would regret," I whispered, still not taking any step backward in disagreement.

We stood awkwardly like that, neither of us ready to make a move to stop and prevent what was clearly happening.

His right hand moved down my neck, stopping just an inch away from igniting fire above my collarbone. My pulse had accelerated greatly, drumming against his sweaty palm.

"You smell exactly like rain," he whispered roughly.

"You have the smell of trouble."

"Then why are you still hooked up with me, not running?"

"Because there's no need for that, as you already caught me."

There was a deafening silence.

Heavy, very tense, making me breathless.

And then, just as we were about to break the rules...

There came a heavy knock.

We both, in shame, jerked back just the same way teenagers behave when caught in the act.

The butler's voice was heard next. "Dinner is ready and served, my Alpha."

Ryker didn't answer as he was still recovering from our moment together. He said nothing but just stared at me.

Something unusual was seen in his stare, something representing hunger.

Finally, he found his voice again. "There are rules before you came here."

I arched a brow, clearly taken aback by his sudden outburst. "Oh, I am made for rules."

He stepped back, breathing in fury like someone holding wickedness. "No touching is one of them."

I held his gaze, crossed my arms dramatically. "It's no news that you touched me first."

"That was an honest mistake which can be ignored."

"But the problem now isn't about ignoring the touch, you obviously haven't stopped thinking about how you mistakenly touched me."

"...Don't dare tempt me, Lucy."

"Yes, Your royal Alphaness, right?"

He paused to take a last glance at me.

I didn't care to get out immediately for dinner, so I decided to unpack, but something caught my attention when I opened the wardrobe.

Tucked in between expensive ball gowns was a familiar necklace.

It was actually a pendant.

And my mother's. She had worn it the very night she disappeared....

Why is it in his possession?

Ryker's POV

She was nothing but a bag of trouble.

And strangely, the delicious, unusually maddening kind, you have no control over how you wander in the land of imagination. The worst is that it has no timing, creeping into forbidden hours when one is supposed to be focused and tending to affairs concerning the empire, legacy, and power.

But no, I was foolishly buried in thoughts of her.

Or, more precisely, replace important files with hers.

Lucy Castellano.

I reread her name, repeatedly, my fingers drumming continuously against my silver-lined desk, not that I hadn't found out the truth, but because I was doing everything possible to find an escape from her. A reason for her to hate me, for us to hate each other.

Castellano wasn't just a name you hear regularly; it was more than a bloodline. It was a name that perfectly describes a ghost of the underworld-a dead, long-gone dynasty with more than enough buried gold to buy exactly half of Europe.

And she...my Lucy....

She has their name, meaning she's their last remaining heir. But unfortunately, it is hiding in plain sight. Wallowing in pain and dancing for pennies. Surviving not as it should, but like a shadow.

The most interesting part was that she obviously had no idea where she was coming from or who she was.

I leaned back comfortably, eyes locked interestingly on her photograph, from her hair, exactly like ink, the burning fire in those sexy eyes of hers, her mouth parted cutely as if in mid-sentence.

She was more than a flame.

And I, Alpha Ryker? I had every intention of not taking it easy with her, ensuring it gets burned.

"She doesn't have the slightest idea what is in her possession," my private investigator had said. "Her parents did everything possible to shield her from knowing the truth. Fortune was sealed temporarily, but with a secret clause: her inheritance to be unlocked exactly on her 25th birthday."

Which, conveniently for me, hasn't passed. It was still ahead.

Perfect, that's perfect.

I reached out to get the contract, not the regular one; it's my version. I haven't seen this one with the magical addendum, inscribed carefully and neatly between paragraphs, so good that only a team of lawyers and divine intervention would reveal the time bomb in between.

Clause 14C: All assets, acquired properties, or every inheritance in existence tied legally to the carrier's long forgotten lineage shall be, for security reasons, temporarily held and its affairs overseen by Alpha Ryker until deemed safe for release or contract is fulfilled to his satisfaction.

That was legal, though quiet, but very deadly.

She wasted no time in signing, not even glancing at it again. Desperation wasn't useless after all. It had a way of always making even the wisest people blind.

And right now?

I don't just have her womb, I own her.

I owned every fortune in her name, her future.

But then, as I quietly stared at her signature, rejoicing over my victory, I felt my mood shift. Something that had no business disturbing me on a normal day had no business disturbing me.

Was it pity? No, it wasn't.

Or should I call it lust? Maybe that's it

Curiosity, why would her parents wait this long?

Definitely, yes, definitely.

I was incredibly intrigued, not just because I discovered she was a heiress or a nobody I could easily exploit. She, for no reason, felt in danger, as if I should take one singular wrong move, she would unexpectedly flip everything upside down to her favor.

And God, I would like to push her hard to test her limits.

Later that night, I observed her from my room, sleep refusing to take its course on me. I watched as she hurried back to her room. She had no idea I had cameras on every corner to observe her movements.

She paused suddenly in front of her door.

She clutched something on her chest: a necklace, a pendant.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to view it clearly from the screen..

It was the one that belonged to her.

I cursed silently under my breath. Mayer didn't follow my instructions but returned it by mistake. I had instructed her to ensure its safety and keep it totally hidden until the appointed time. That necklace is rare and unique; it is the last piece recovered from the Castellano estate. It was luckily recovered, maybe because of its value, after the ruins caused by the fire outbreak.

If Lucy becomes curious and raises many questions too soon, things will not go as planned again, but will become complicated.

And I hate it when things get complicated.

I liked to be the one in control.

I turned away to get myself a drink, something to keep me calm and collected.

The deal came out very clean. She signed without question. The baby, my blood is growing in health.

The rest of it all? Details involved.

Emotions should be coming? That's very useless.

Still..., despite my stubbornness, and strong head....

I couldn't stop myself from wandering into strange thoughts about her. I smiled foolishly when I remembered how her face twitched when she glared at me. She can burn down everything in the kingdom just by glaring hard at me.

I shouldn't have let my arrogance determine who to choose. I should have gone with someone else-a faceless and harmless surrogate. That would have given me a clean transaction.

But instead, I knowingly walked into a storm dressed in silk.

And now that everything worked out, she's comfortable inside my house, eating when she wants, carrying my blood, my heir...

She had become mine.

Even if she had no idea of that, maybe not yet, but definitely.

I opened my laptop, prepared for that purpose, and typed in her details, her name first, just one last time.

Luciana Castellano. Middle name Mireille.

10 more days left...