Chapter 36
A Fanged Vow
Safia awoke with a jolt, the first true rest she’d had in what felt like an eternity. A strange warmth lingered, a phantom presence that felt as real as the crumpled bedsheets beside her. In her dreams, it was Guild. His presence had been so palpable, so close she could almost feel his breath on her skin. It was only a dream, she knew, but a part of her longed to remain lost in that beautiful illusion.
A flicker of alarm shot through her as she noticed the rumpled comforter. Has someone been there? She checked the door—still locked. The windows—draped and sealed. A shiver ran down her spine, a mix of unease and a strange, unbidden yearning. The feeling of him had been so real.
She hurried to the washroom, the memory of her talk with Tyla the night before boiling in her veins. Her so-called husband, Sion, had promised to save her company, but he was a parasite, feeding on her desperation. He refused to grant her a divorce yet left her business to rot. The anger was a fiery knot in her stomach. She pictured him, wanting nothing more than to slap the smug look off his face.
Charging down the stairs, she found the house empty. The maid said he was out for a run. Half an hour later, the doorknob twisted and as he walked, a bottle of water in his hand, a predatory smirk on his face.
"Why did you marry me when you had no intention of saving my company?" she spat, the words laced with venom. "You're a cheat, and I was a fool to believe you."
Sion took a long sip of water, his eyes gleaming with a strange satisfaction.
"Don't beat around the bush, Safia. Get to the point." He had slept like a wolf in his lair, a deep, contented sleep he hadn't known in years, snuggled beside her. She had been the cure to his restlessness, a feeling he’d only ever known when he was a young wolf in love.
He watched her, amused by her rage. She was a fusillade of fury. "The bank manager just told Tyla that he’s issuing the insolvency petition next week," she said, her voice trembling with barely controlled fury.
Sion’s eyes flickered, checking for the maid. Seeing she was gone, he leaned in, his voice a low growl. "The next time you use that tone with me, think twice. I can crush you to pieces in a second. You have no right to shout at me without a reason. Who told you I didn't pay the dues?"
Her anger flared into an inferno, but she replaced it with a mock titter. "Your maid told me this is your favorite flower vase. It's made of ivory, right? From Canada?"
She lifted the vase, her fingers tracing the delicate carvings. "It's beautiful."
Sion’s gaze hardened. "No, Safia. Don't do it. Put the vase down, or you will regret it."
Too late. The vase slipped from her grasp and shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.
"Oops," she said with a saccharine smile. Then her expression turned to stone. "If you take one step to show your authority, I'll take two to show you your place."
Sion scoffed, a weary look on his face. "Your dues are paid. Open your laptop and check the bank statement before you start talking nonsense."
Safia’s face went white. She ran to her room, her heart pounding. The bank statement confirmed it. Not just for the month, but all of it. Her company was debt-free. Elation surged through her, a wave of joy that was quickly extinguished as he followed her into the room.
"Finished with your tantrum?" he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "There's a saying—think before you speak. But you've always been a chatterbox, so you get to pay the price."
Safia's eyes narrowed, refusing to admit her mistake. "I like your attitude. It irritates you. So here we go. You already know that vase was my favorite."
Sion moved closer, his presence a dark shadow over her. "The cost of it is one million dollars."
She gasped, her mind reeling. "One million dollars for a flower vase?"
A slow, internal grin spread across his face. The vase, his "favorite," was nothing more than a $20 impulse buy from Walmart, but the look of terror in her eyes was priceless. He shrugged, the gesture belying the cruelty of his words. "You're going to pay me back for this, since you broke it in one of your little temper tantrums." He watched her for a moment, letting the silence hang in the air. "Your anger blinds you, you stupid girl. Now you suffer the consequences."
Safia shivered as he drew near, backing away until the wall stopped her.
He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a crooked, predatory grin on his face. "I have a suggestion for how you can pay me back. You can spend a beautiful night with me and forget everything that happened."
A storm of fury raged in her eyes. "I am not some slut who comes to your bed whenever you want. There are plenty of puppets out there, but I'm not one of them. I have dignity and pride—two words you don't seem to understand."
A quiet wave of satisfaction washed over Sion. She was still the fiery spitfire he'd left behind—wild and untouched by any other man. He was careful to show none of his satisfaction, letting her outburst wash over him as he simply nodded. "Then you have only one choice left," he stated, his voice even. "Since you're penniless, you'll work for me.”
"I already work for you," she countered, her voice laced with defiance.
"That's for your company's dues. What about the flower vase?" His eyes were cold, calculating. "For that, you'll work in this house, too. You'll be my butler, my cook, my maid—until you pay me back every penny. Understand?"
Safia's face was drained of all colors.
"Places interchange, you're right," he said, a sneer twisting his lips. "You once called your boyfriend, Guild Wade, a pauper. You insulted him for his low status. Now you're in his place before me."
Safia froze, her mind blank. "Who are you? How do you know about me and Guild? He died long ago. Were you one of his friends?"
The pieces began to click into place in her mind. It was a horrifying puzzle. "You married me to take revenge for him, didn't you?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Are you his family?”
"No," he countered, the word sharp and final. "I am not one of his friends or family." He kept his true identity a secret. Despite the possibility of her innocence, he wouldn't reveal a single thing until he was absolutely certain of her story.
Her eyes were filled with tears. "You can use me as much as you want. Kill me, if you want. But before I die, I want you to know one thing: Sometimes, everything you see isn't the truth. I truly loved Guold, and what I told him that day was not from my heart."
There it was. The truth he had been expecting. A quiet surge of vindication swept through him, a thrilling rush of being right all along. But the feeling was complicated, a potent mixture of anticipation and a deep-seated fear of what unknown disaster lay buried between them. Sion's grip on her arms tightened. "What are you saying, Safia? If what you told him wasn't the truth, then why did you break his heart?"
"None of your business," she said, her voice hardened. "You married me for revenge, so get on with it. What are you waiting for?"
He scoffed. “It is my damn business. Because I am your husband.” Her back hit the wall with a soft thud as his hands closed around her wrists, pinning them above her head. The intensity in his eyes sent shivers through her, but it wasn’t fear — it was the wild pull she’d been denying for too long.
“You drive me insane,” he growled against her ear, his breath hot on her skin. His body pressed firmly into hers, leaving no space between them.
Safia gasped, tugging at his hold — not to escape, but to feel the strength of it. “Then stop fighting it,” she whispered back, not having the least idea how the words came out primarily out of her. Safia’s lips were trembling just inches from his.
That was all it took. His mouth crashed down on hers, fierce and hungry, as if he could devour every breath she tried to take. The kiss was rough, possessive, claiming her over and over, yet threaded with a tenderness only she could draw out of him. Her fingers twisted in his hair when he finally let her hands free, pulling him even closer.
Every movement was demanding, urgent and laced with the certainty that she was his. And then suddenly like a lightning the realisation dawned on her on what she was doing with him.
She felt ashamed and guilty. Safia thought, in a way she had cheated on Guild even though Sion was her husband who had his rights on her. Her eyes welled tears and soon in free flowing streams. “You're a beast with no ethical values. How dare you force yourself on me and control me with physical instincts?“ She shouted at him.
Sion felt like every nerve in his body was being squeezed. The pain in his heart was exorbitant. He could stand anything from Safia, fear, anger and grief but not abhorrence. He wasn't a man of many words but he thought his actions would prove to her how much he loves.
With defeat Sion walked away from her, the unyielding tension in the room thick enough to cut. Safia had no idea how close she was to the truth, or that the man standing before her was not just a husband seeking revenge, but something far more primal and powerful. She had called him a pauper. She had hurt him to save him. She just didn’t know she was looking at him now, in another form, bound to him by something far more ancient and powerful than mere matrimony.
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