He didn't let go of my hand the entire way to his private office.
Not when the elevator doors opened again.
Not when three terrified assistants tried to speak and were silenced by one look from those golden eyes.
Not even when he kicked the double doors shut behind us and locked them with a soft, final click.
Only then did he release me, just long enough to walk to the massive desk and pull out a single folder. Black leather. Silver moon embossed on the front.
My stomach flipped.
"Sit," he said, voice gentle but not a request.
I sat. The leather chair swallowed me whole.
He didn't sit behind the desk like a normal CEO. He leaned against the front of it, arms crossed, watching me like I might bolt any second.
Smart man.
"Before you say anything," he started, "there are rules in my world. Rules I can't break, even for you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Your world. Right. The one where you call babies 'pups' and drop to your knees in Armani suits?"
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. Gone in a blink.
"I'm not entirely human, Tanya."
No shit.
He opened the folder and slid a thick stack of papers toward me. Gold lettering on the first page made my blood freeze.
**MATE & HEIR PROTECTION CONTRACT**
Between Noctis Valerius Lysander, Alpha King of the Silver Moon Pack
and Tanya Everhart, Bearer of the Royal Heir
I laughed. I couldn't help it. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Deadly serious." He tapped the page. "Sign this, and you and the pup will be under my full protection. No one in my world or yours will ever touch you. Money, doctors, security, anything you need. All of it yours."
I flipped the page. My eyes nearly fell out.
Clause 7: The Bearer shall reside in the Alpha's primary residence for the duration of the pregnancy and one lunar year following birth.
Clause 12: The Bearer shall not engage in romantic or sexual relations with any individual other than the Alpha.
Clause 19: The Bearer shall sleep in the Alpha's bed when requested for "safety and bonding purposes."
I looked up slowly. "You want me to move in with you. And sleep in your bed. Like a kept woman."
His jaw tightened. "Like my mate."
"I'm not your anything."
"You're carrying my child." The words came out rough, almost feral. "In my world that makes you mine in every way that matters. I'm trying to do this the civilized way, little fox. Don't make me do it the other way."
The threat hung in the air like smoke.
I swallowed hard. "And if I say no?"
He went very still.
"Then I take you anyway." Quiet. Lethal. "But I'd rather you came willingly."
My pulse thundered in my ears. I stared at the contract, then at him.
He looked… exhausted. Like he'd been fighting something inside himself for weeks.
I thought of the two pink lines.
Of Ethan's betrayal.
Of the fact that I had $312 in my bank account and rent due in nine days.
I picked up the pen.
His whole body tensed, like he was bracing for me to stab him with it.
I flipped to the last page and signed my name in angry, jagged cursive.
Tanya Everhart.
The second the ink dried, he exhaled like he'd been holding his breath since the night we met.
He rounded the desk, knelt again (God, this man and his kneeling), and pressed his lips to the signature like it was holy.
"Thank you," he whispered against the paper.
I yanked it away. "This doesn't mean I like you."
A crooked smile. "Understood."
"Or that I'll sleep in your bed."
"We'll start with separate rooms." His eyes gleamed. "For now."
I stood up fast. "I want my own kitchen access. And peppermint tea at all times. And if you ever lock me in anywhere, I swear to God I'll burn your fancy penthouse down."
He rose slowly, towering over me again. "Anything else?"
"Yeah." I poked him in the chest. Hard. "Stop kneeling. It's weird."
His smile turned wicked. "Only when you're behaving."
Before I could snap back, he pulled out his phone and barked orders in a language that definitely wasn't English. Thirty seconds later, an assistant knocked and delivered a steaming mug of peppermint tea like her life depended on it.
I took one sip and nearly moaned.
He watched my face like he was memorizing it.
"Welcome home, little fox," he said softly.
I hated how much I didn't hate the sound of that.