Chapter two Mara POVMy mind wandered back to the amount of money I had saved. I wasn't sure if I saved here and there on my paychecks, I would meet up and I had another issue to worry about , which is mom's approval.Thankfully the alarm I had set to signal the end of my shift went off, it made me rush to change at the break room before dashing out of the store, ignoring the angry voice of my boss.So now ,how do I get home after today's After today's mess? Usual subway ? But I really want to take a break from everything ,so maybe taxi this time ? I asked myself while checking my purse , I froze then . I guess I couldn't even take the break I wanted. I resigned to my fate and took the subway . By now I was used to the cluster of people in the train , as I gripped the hand rail tighter to hold myself steady , I felt a hand on my butt. What the hell is this guy doing?I used my second hand to push the straying hand's away but the hand came back and I could feel a hot foul breath o

CHAPTER 4MARA’S POV“What did you just say?” I inquired, totally confused and dumbstruck.“You heard me right, Mara. Stop acting like you didn’t. This your reaction here is why I don’t like dealing with you. You always try to play down the situation till it suits your liking. I said you are getting married to our new sponsor. There! I said it again. Hope you heard this time around?” Her snide remarks or the fact that she said she doesn’t like dealing with me didn’t even get to me this time as I was too busy processing thewords I just heard.I was getting married? And that to with a total stranger who decided to wake up one day and sponsor the orphanage?“No!” I replied immediately.I didn’t even turn to gauge her expression as I turned and tried to leave. I would have been successful in my attempt if I didn’t realize that she had locked the door. She seemed to have anticipated my move so she locked it on her way back in.“Open the door!” I demanded as I turned back to face her. I wa

CHAPTER 6RHYS’S POV“Have we met before?” I inquired as uncertainty filled me when I saw her eager expression. She didn’t feel familiar to me at all.Was this some sort of tactic to make me like her or was this some sort of outdated pick up line?I wanted her face to fall when I uttered those words and for a moment, a very brief and almost unnoticeable one, I had the thought to lift her spirit. I immediately shook such thoughts to the back of my mind.“I... we... The” I raised a brow as I watched her stumble upon her words as her cheeks colored a bit. I didn’t know why but I found this sight oddly cute. Her face and clumsy expression was weirdly pleasing to my eye.I chased those thoughts out of my head. No matter how nice she looked, I still preferred Talia’s beautiful and serene face to hers. She was what I longed for in a woman. A hardworking educated woman who sparked a man’s desire to protect her. Talia was all that and more.“My name is Rhys Ingrid.” I announced that the woman

Chapter 8Mara POV His words fell on my ears like a bombshell, and I knew right then that this whole thing was a very bad idea. Hell. Could I probably get myself out of this? I found myself scanning the halI for an escape route.The door and the window were a capital no way because I would be caught before I could even take three steps away from the altar.I could feel tears flooding my eyes. My hands gripped the bouquet tighter then a thorn pricked my finger. "Don't cry, don't cry," I repeated to myself over and over again, but my mind kept thinking of how I was getting married to a cruel man who seemed bent on punishing me for what I didn't do.My heart pounded in my chest as I stood at the center of the grand hall, surrounded by the extravagance of the whole wedding affair. I felt like I couldn't breathe as the realization that I was now bound to this marriage, to this pack, whether I liked it or not, dawned on me. I glanced around, my eyes sweeping the faces of the people from

Chapter 10Rhys POV When she talked back to me, I smiled inside. She was quite intriguing. She always had that meek, pathetic look on her face, but seeing her with such fire in her eyes stirred something within me. My pulse quickened in excitement. I felt tempted to carry out my threat and take her right there, to see if she would display such fire underneath me."Seems like the little kitty has a bit of claw,” I smiled, “I am going to have a great time removing the fire in you.""I look forward to it, Alpha Rhys." She replied, not scared of me.My wolf grunted about bun approval. She had courage and he liked that. There was something undeniably captivating about her. This girl was going to be an interesting one to break.Then I finally remembered who she was. She was the girl who slept murmuring due to nightmares. That morning, I kissed her forehead before I could realize it. So I showed her my soft side?My scowl was back on my face.I turned to Alfred, disapproval was written