Chapter Eight
Kyle didn't knock.
The door opened, and Louise's heart reacted before her mind did. Her eyes softened immediately, warmth spreading across her face at the sight of him. For a second, she looked almost relieved.
Kyle looked nothing like relief.
He walked in with a folded document in his hand, expression cold, posture rigid. Whatever tenderness had existed earlier was gone. Completely.
Louise sensed it instantly. The air felt different. Tighter. But she forced herself to ignore it.
He dragged a chair from near the window and placed it deliberately far from the bed before sitting down. The distance wasn't accidental.
It unsettled her more than she expected.
She parted her lips to speak, but he raised his hand sharply, silencing her before a word came out.
"Don't," he said flatly.
He cleared his throat and leaned back slightly. "First of all, I want to clear something up. Earlier whatever you think you saw? That whole lovely-dovey display? That was the mate bond. Nothing more. Instinct. Biology. So forget it."
Each word was precise. Controlled.
"If you have questions, keep them until I'm done."
He didn't wait for her agreement.
"To make this simple, I've drafted our relationship into two aspects. That's all it will ever be."
Louise swallowed but remained silent.
Kyle held her gaze, red eyes sharp and domineering. "Intimacy and duty."
He placed the contract on the small table between them but didn't slide it to her yet.
"Apart from those two, nothing binds us. We are strangers."
The word hit harder than it should have.
"Intimacy," he continued, voice steady. "We maintain appearances in public. Elders, pack members, kingdom events. We sit together. Stand together. Act like a united pair. Meals are compulsory together unless I say otherwise. Breakfast, lunch, dinner when required."
Louise's fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.
"And sex," he added without emotion. "Intercourse will happen when necessary. Especially when the time comes to produce an heir. That won't be now. But any sexual activity will be on my demand. With protection."
He spoke as if discussing trade agreements.
"Now, duty. I am the Alpha King. You will be Luna. You handle visitations, social obligations, charitable matters, public relations. You may indulge in whatever interests you, as long as they do not interfere with my personal affairs or private matters."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"You will have wealth. Freedom. Status. But understand something clearly never expect me to be your loving mate. I am not some night in shining armor. This arrangement is strategic. Nothing more."
Silence filled the room after he finished.
He finally slid the contract toward her.
"That's everything. Do you have any questions?"
Louise's POV
For a moment, I just stared at him.
This was the man fate tied to me?
The mate I had secretly hoped would be different from my father… from every man who ever treated love like something disposable?
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
So the earlier care meant nothing to him. Carrying me. Holding my hand. Looking at me like I mattered. Just instinct.
Just the mate bond.
To him, I was an obligation sent by the Moon Goddess. A political inconvenience.
Who did he think he was to sit there and reduce me to bullet points and conditions?
The old me would have pleaded. Would have tried to soften him. Would have begged him to give us a chance.
But that girl died the day my father shattered every illusion of what love was supposed to look like.
I was done begging.
I was done hoping.
In truth, rejecting him would change nothing. This position gave me something I had never truly had freedom. Safety. Wealth. Independence. No one to control me. No one to starve me. No one to raise a hand against me.
Love had only ever brought me pain.
Maybe this was better.
I looked up at him.
His red eyes held no warmth. Just distance. Irritation. Something almost like disgust.
Fine.
If he wanted indifference, I could give him something colder.
I stood slowly, the movement controlled. He watched me carefully now.
I picked up the contract from the table and held it between my fingers.
"For something this important," I said calmly, surprised at how steady my voice sounded, "I'll need time to review it."
For a split second, shock flickered across his face. He clearly hadn't expected that.
It disappeared just as quickly.
"I'll get back to you," I continued.
There was nothing else to say.
No dramatic outburst. No pleading. No tears.
Beasts didn't understand emotion anyway.
I walked past him without waiting for permission, without asking to be excused.
And he didn't try to stop me.