The pen in my hand is shaking.
Not because I am scared.
Because I am angry.
The black letters of the contract blur in front of my eyes as I stare at the last line again and again.
Bride: Liyana Ahmed.
Groom: Aiden Black.
Aiden Black.
Billionaire CEO of BlackMoon Group.
Youngest business king of Dark City.
Every girl's dream.
And my enemy.
"Sign it," a deep, cold voice says from the other side of the glass table.
I slowly lift my eyes.
He is sitting there, in his expensive black suit, white shirt, no tie, the top button open like he doesn't care about the world. Dark hair, sharp jawline, storm-grey eyes that look like they can cut through souls.
He doesn't look human.
He looks like danger wearing a suit.
Aiden Black.
My future husband.
My future target.
I swallow hard, but my voice stays calm.
"You really want to marry someone you met only twice, Mr. Black?"
He doesn't even blink.
"This is not love, Miss Ahmed. This is business." His fingers lightly tap the table. "You need money. I need a bride. You sign, your brother's medical bills are cleared. Simple."
My chest tightens for a second when he mentions my brother.
Arhaan.
For a moment, I see his pale face in the hospital bed, all those wires around him, that dead smell of antiseptic.
I close my eyes and force the image away.
No.
I am not here only for money.
I am here to finish something that started eight years ago… under a blood red moon and a burning forest.
I open my eyes again and look straight into Aiden's.
"Okay," I say softly. "Let's make it simple."
I hold the pen tighter.
Around us, the top floor of BlackMoon Tower is silent. The city lights glow below like fallen stars. One side of the room is entirely glass. Outside, the moon is high, round and bright.
Full moon.
Of course.
My magic sleeps on normal nights.
But on full moon nights…
it wakes up.
And tonight, I need it awake.
"Do you have any conditions?" Aiden asks, still watching me like I'm some document he has to check.
"Yes," I say.
His eyebrow lifts, just a little. "Go on."
I take a breath.
"First," I say, "you will pay for my brother's treatment. No limit. No time condition. Until he is fully cured."
"Done," he says without hesitation.
"Second," I continue, "this marriage will stay private for now. No media, no big wedding, no useless drama."
"Fine."
"Third…" I pause, feeling something burn slowly in my chest. "You will never ask about my past. And I will never touch yours."
At that, a shadow crosses his eyes.
For a small second, the air around him changes. His jaw tightens, his fingers stop tapping. Something wild flickers in his grey eyes—something that doesn't belong to humans.
Wolf.
He looks away, just for a heartbeat.
Then his voice comes back, ice cold. "Agreed."
Good.
You don't want to touch my past, Aiden Black.
Because my past is soaked in your family's blood.
I press the pen down to sign.
The moment the tip touches the paper, the moonlight outside suddenly brightens.
A strange shiver runs through my body.
My fingertips burn.
Not again…
Not now.
I bite my lip as a thin cut appears on my finger, as if an invisible knife sliced my skin. A small drop of blood slides down and falls…
Right on my name.
The ink spreads, mixing with my blood.
The letters glow—just for a second—like tiny flames.
Moonfire.
I freeze.
No, no, no.
I was holding my magic down. I was calm. How did it slip?
I feel Aiden's eyes on me.
Slowly, very slowly, I look up.
He is staring at my bloody finger. His stormy grey eyes are not cold now. They are darker, sharper, almost… animal.
His nostrils flare, as if he can smell my blood from here.
The air in the room changes again. Gets heavier.
The wolf inside him has smelled me.
I quickly pull my hand back and wipe my finger on the inside of my sleeve.
"Sorry," I mumble. "It was an accident."
But it wasn't.
The Moon chose this.
My magic chose this.
I feel it.
Like something ancient just woke up.
Aiden's eyes lift to my face. "You signed," he says, but his voice is a little lower now, like something is pressing against his throat from inside.
"Yes," I whisper. "I did."
The contract lies between us, my name glowing faintly before going back to normal. Maybe it's just my imagination. Maybe not.
The Alpha across the table doesn't know my truth.
He doesn't know that my blood is cursed.
He doesn't know that the girl he just bought as his wife…
…is the last surviving Moon Witch of the Nightfall Pack, the same pack his family burned to ashes eight years ago.
He pushes back his chair and stands up.
"For the next three months, you will live in my penthouse," he says, voice all business again. "We will make public appearances when necessary. After that, we will see."
See what?
If I am obedient enough to keep as a toy wife?
If I am silent enough to keep as a decoration?
Or if I am dangerous enough to kill.
I stand up too, keeping my chin high.
"Fine," I say. "Mr. Black."
For a second, our eyes lock.
Grey storm.
Brown fire.
And the full moon outside the glass watches us like a silent witness.
His phone buzzes on the table. He glances at the screen, and his eyes soften in a way I have never seen.
My heart twists.
That look…
That softness…
It's not for me.
"Yeah?" His voice drops, gentle. "I'm busy, but… hmm. I'll call you later."
He ends the call quickly, but the change in his face, I already saw it.
White moonlight.
The girl he cares about.
The girl he saved his heart for.
The girl I'm supposed to replace.
"Your room will be ready by tonight," Aiden says. "Someone will come and take you there."
He turns to leave.
That's when I say it.
"Don't worry, Mr. Black."
He stops.
"I won't fall in love with you," I say, my lips curling into a small, sharp smile. "You're safe."
He doesn't turn around, but I see his shoulders go tense.
"Good," he replies. "Because I don't love you either."
I know.
You don't love me.
You only destroyed everything I ever loved.
As the door closes behind him, I finally let my smile fall.
I walk to the glass wall and place my palm on the cold surface. The full moon shines above the dark city, white and silent.
Under my skin, the Moonfire mark starts to wake, hot and restless.
"Do you see, Ma… Baba?" I whisper to the sky. "I did it. I entered the wolf's den."
The contract behind me still smells like ink and blood.
"Now," I say softly, as a tiny flame dances at the tip of my finger for a heartbeat, "let's start our revenge."