Chapter 3

Clara Snyder POV:

I took a cab straight from the hospital to the outskirts of town and entered the dimly lit mating bar I'd chosen as our meeting place. The stench of cheap beer and synthetic cologne was almost unbearable. I sat in the booth farthest from the door, frowning as I looked through the applicants' profiles in front of me.

Three rogues at the next table whistled at me, their eyes crawling over my body as though they wanted to strip me bare. My stomach churned. I braced a hand against the table, ready to leave.

Just then, the bar's peeling wooden door swung open from outside.

The noisy rock music seemed to fall silent. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood in the doorway, backlit and blocking most of the streetlamp's glow. He wore a faded black shirt, the cheap fabric stretched taut over his powerful muscles.

His icy blue eyes swept across the room and stopped on me. My heart skipped a beat.

It was the man from the penthouse suite last night.

He strode toward me. His scent of winter cedarwood mixed with black pepper swept over me, instantly overpowering the foul stench of the bar.

I shrank back into the booth, my palms slick with cold sweat. Then Jalyn's words suddenly flashed through my mind—she had paid a filthy male escort from the slums to wait for me in the back alley.

It was him.

He sat down across from me and tapped his long fingers twice against the tabletop.

"I hear you're looking for a husband?"

I swallowed my panic and stared at him coldly.

"How much did Jalyn pay you to ruin me last night? Whatever she paid, I'll double it."

His tapping fingers stopped. A flicker of surprise crossed his icy blue eyes before turning into a dark, amused gleam. He didn't explain. Instead, he leaned toward me, his imposing presence pressing in on me.

"Double? Are you sure you can afford my real rate, little wolf?"

He was so close that his breath brushed my cheek, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

I pulled a printed contract from my bag and slapped it onto the table.

"Four thousand dollars a month. You'll register as my Mate and let me buy your legal identity. That's all."

He lowered his eyes to the contract, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Four thousand? The eldest daughter of the Snyder Pack is pretty stingy."

I gritted my teeth, my voice turning colder.

"For a low-ranking male escort scraping by in the slums, four thousand is more than enough. At least you won't have to grovel at the feet of rich old women anymore."

A low laugh rumbled in his throat. Before I could blink, he reached across the table, gripped my chin, and forced me to look directly at him.

He lowered his voice, his breath brushing against my ear.

"If this is an employment contract, does last night's little encounter in bed count as a free trial, or do I charge extra?"

My face burned. I slapped his hand away.

"That was an accident! Are you signing or not? If not, I'll find someone else!"

The amusement vanished from his eyes, leaving behind a possessiveness that sent a chill through me.

"Who besides me do you think would dare take this job?"

Before I could retort, a burly, drunken man from the next table staggered over and reached his meaty hand toward my face.

"Hey, pretty girl, I'll take your four grand! Come with me—"

Without even looking up, the man across from me grabbed the drunkard's wrist, pivoted, and threw him over his shoulder with such force that he crashed straight through the bar counter.

Wood splinters and glass exploded everywhere. The entire bar fell silent as every rogue stared at him as though they'd seen a ghost.

He took a cheap paper napkin, wiped his hand, and swept a cold gaze across the room.

"She's mine."

I stared at him, stunned. An ordinary wolf-less man or low-ranking male escort couldn't possibly possess that kind of explosive strength.

He turned back, pulled the contract closer, and picked up a cheap ballpoint pen. On the final line, he signed a single name: Carlyle.

He slid the paper back toward me, his deep blue eyes fixed on mine.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Boss Lady."