Chapter 3

Colette Davis POV:

After a sleepless night spent watching the monitors beside my mother's bed, I met Dr. Gregory Price as soon as I went out.

A senior Pack Doctor who respected my surgical skill, he pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up with a grim expression.

"Dr. Davis, your mother's account is officially in arrears and her medication has been halted. If the eighty thousand dollars isn't deposited by three o'clock this afternoon, administration will force us to move her out of the sterile chamber."

My fingers clung to the plastic edge of the medical record board, but my tone was steady."I'll have the money ready by three o'clock in the afternoon. Dr. Price."

As soon as Dr. Gregory left in front of me, heavy and rhythmic footsteps came from the corner of the private ward, accompanied by the crisp sound of wooden walking sticks hitting the polished marble floor.

A tall man with a suffocatingly cold aura came into view.

Instinctively, I stepped back into a shallow alcove beside a supply cart.

It was Hardin Ashley—the Supreme Alpha of the Blackwood Pack and Chairman of the multinational Ashley Corporation, the billionaire ruler who controlled the largest werewolf territory and defense network in the entire metropolitan area.

His bespoke black suit was tailored to broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and the violent dominance rolling off him made the hallway air thick.

Walking half a step beside him was an elderly woman with silver hair pinned in a neat bun. That was Constance Ashley, a high-ranking Elder of the Blackwood Pack who served as the chief advisor to the pack's board.

Constance struck the marble floor with her cane, her voice sharp with authority.

"Hardin, as a Supreme Alpha, your volatile episodes near the full moon are growing more frequent every month. Without a Luna to anchor your wolf, you will lose control and go feral sooner or later!"

Hardin reached up with one hand and tugged his silk tie loose, annoyance flashing across his gray-blue eyes.

"Grandmother, I told you already. I have no use for those scheming high-society females who only care about splitting pack assets."

Constance didn't yield an inch.

"This is the final ultimatum from the Council of Elders! Before the end of the year, you must take a legal Luna. Even if she is nothing more than a contract wife on paper, you have to shut those old fools' mouths!"

Pressed into the shadows of the alcove, I held my breath. The words contract wife hit my ears, and my heart skipped a beat.

Hardin stopped walking for a second, his deep, icy voice echoing off the hospital walls.

"Fine. As long as it buys me some peace and quiet, I'll pick an obedient female and sign a Blood Oath."

Their footsteps continued toward the private elevator bank. Only when the crushing weight of the Supreme Alpha's aura faded did I step out from behind the wall,my palms slick with cold sweat.

I had already heard that Hardin needed a quiet, trouble-free contract wife to appease his Elders.

And now I needed one million dollars to save my mother's life and secure her recovery.

Every werewolf in the city knew how ruthless Hardin was. Rumor had it he had torn rival Alphas apart with his bare hands, and walking into his territory was no different from bargaining with the devil.

But when I pictured my mother lying pale and hooked up to a ventilator in the intensive care unit, I knew I had no other choice.

I walked briskly to the central nurses' station, logged into the internal VIP terminal, and pulled up Hardin Ashley's visiting schedule.

According to the log, he would be using the top-floor VIP conference suite at two o'clock this afternoon to handle corporate files after his grandmother's checkup.

I buried my panic in three back-to-back trauma debridement surgeries that morning, letting the scalpel steady my nerves.

At 1:50 p.m., I stripped off my bloodstained scrubs, buttoned up a crisp white shirt, drew a slow breath, and walked to the private elevator.

When the steel doors slid open on the penthouse level, two massive bodyguards with the unmistakable muscle density and combat aura of Gamma-ranked warriors stepped forward, crossing their arms to block the carpet.

"Halt. The top floor is currently reserved for the Alpha's private use. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted."

I squared my shoulders and met the lead guard's gaze without blinking.

"I am Dr. Colette Davis. I have a confidential medical matter that must be reported to Mr. Ashley in person."

The Gamma guard narrowed his eyes at my hospital badge. Instead of reaching for a radio, his gaze went distant for three seconds as he projected his thoughts through the pack's Mind-Link—Alpha, a Dr. Davis is at the elevator requesting an audience regarding a confidential medical matter.

Within Packs, mental communication was always favored over phones because it was instantaneous and impossible to wiretap. A moment later, the guard blinked and lowered his arm.

"Go ahead. Last door at the end of the hall. Don't try anything foolish."

I walked down the thick sound-absorbing carpet and stopped in front of the tall mahogany double doors. My palms were damp with sweat.

I lifted my hand and knocked three times.

A low, resonant male voice cut through the heavy wood.

"Enter."

I wrapped my cold fingers around the brass handle and pushed the door open.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline, Hardin stood with his back to me.

He held a burning cigar between two fingers, blue-white smoke curling around his broad, tailored shoulders.

At the sound of my heels clicking against the floor, he turned around slowly, his hawk-like gray-blue eyes locking onto me.

The suffocating pressure of a Supreme Alpha's aura flooded the room in an instant, thinning the air until my lungs burned just trying to pull in a breath.

I met his predatory gaze head-on and planted my feet firmly on the rug, refusing to take a single step backward.