บท 22: The Contract Offer

Rosina stood beside Dragon and looked at his men dragging Amato's body and putting him inside the sack, while Felissa's body was carried inside the other carriage to bring her back into her room.

"Who are you?" Rosina whispered without looking at Dragon.

"You will know tomorrow," Dragon answered. He stared down at Rosina's torn dress, which didn't help his mood improve.

"Make sure to tighten the string on the sack," Dragon stated and watched his men put another string to secure the sack tighter.

"He won't be able to breathe," Rosina commented as she stared at the sack they had placed at the rear trunk of the carriage.

"Lady Rose," Dragon called for her and opened the carriage door with his hand ready to assist her.

Rosina sighed and went toward him, but she didn't accept Dragon's hand and entered the carriage on her own.

Dragon chuckled in amusement, followed behind Rosina, and sat in front of her. It didn't take long before the carriage started running.

Rosina looked outside the window and saw the other carriage that contained Felissa running. "Are you certain that she'll be safe?"

"Yes, my servants will take care of her. Don't worry. They won't harm her," Dragon answered with a smirk. He removed the gloves that touched Amato's shoulder and discarded them on the side.

Dragon took a small container in his pocket that contained some scented gel and poured it onto his hand.

Rosina raised an eyebrow at his action but didn't say anything. Dragon grabbed the bottle and passed it toward her.

"You need to clean the germs from the peasant," Dragon stated and squeezed the gel onto Rosina's hand.

The gel felt cold on her skin as she blended it out.

The carriage ride stayed silent as they went into their own world of thoughts. The two returned to reality when the carriage stopped, and the coachman opened the door.

Rosina scooted and went down first and took the coachman's hand to help her get down. She saw how Dragon glared at the coachman, who trembled from his gaze.

"This way, Lady Rose," Dragon stated with a smile and gestured toward the wooden door.

Rosina stared at an abandoned cabin. There were vines scattered on the walls, but the tiny pink flowers gave it a cute look.

Dragon unlocked and opened the door for Rosina to enter. There were candlelights lit up around the place.

Rosina was amazed at the interior design of the cabin. "This place looks comfy."

"It is," Dragon answered and closed the door. He went toward the table and pulled a chair for Rosina to sit on. "Please, don't reject my gesture, Lady."

Rosina scoffed and sat on the chair that Dragon pulled. Although, she originally planned to sit on the opposite chair.

"Thank you," Dragon grinned widely, and it was evident that his mood lightened up. He went toward the cabinets and searched for an envelope.

While Dragon was busy, Rosina looked outside and smelled several different scents of the wolves surrounding them, but she saw that no one was out except the coachman.

'An enemy?' Rosina thought, and her body tensed to prepare herself for an attack.

"Don't worry, those are just my men guarding the place," Dragon stated when he noticed the change in Rosina's aura before sitting on the chair and placing an envelope in front of Rosina.

"What is this?" Rosina asked and looked at the black envelope.

"A contract," Dragon answered and leaned back, watching Rosina's reaction.

"I'm listening," Rosina said and didn't touch the envelope yet since she wanted to hear the explanation from Dragon and see if it could bring any advantages to her.

"Rosina Greco. First born daughter of the Palecrest pack. Age 20. You were sent by the Alpha beyond the pack at the age of 15 without any reason, but some gossip surrounding your name said that you became— "

Dragon was cut off when Rosina slammed her hands on the table so hard that the wooden table cracked.

Rosina's emotions of anger, hatred, and bloodlust were oozing out of her body, and she didn't even try to hide it.

"Are you done?" Rosina spoke deeply with a growl. Her words were slow and intense, like a predator ready to kill the prey.

"You are here because your parents forced you to participate after you rejected the Mating Season event invitation twice. They want you to find a match that could help with their financial and dowry problems," Dragon continued. Even though he could feel the powerful aura from Rosina that suffocated him. He was not afraid of her; instead, he was amazed at her might and strength.

"What do you want?" Rosina stated and calmed herself. She wanted to snap Dragon's neck, but she also got interested in his offer.

"I want you to accept my contract offer and proposal to become mates," Dragon stated with a huge smile. He was feeling happy that he could finally say it.

Rosina was speechless since she was expecting something else. She looked into Dragon's eyes and laughed hard when she realized he was serious about his offer.

"That's not how mating works, Lord Dragon," Rosina said and amusedly shook her head.

"That's how it works when you accept that we'll become contracted mates," Dragon stated and gestured for Rosina to open the envelope.

"What do you mean?" Rosina questioned and took the paper out where the contract conditions were written.

"You need a mate to present toward your parents and stop them from troubling you. It's similar to my situation. I need a mate to present to the King and Queen, so they will leave me alone," Dragon explained with a smug smile.

Rosina stayed silent and squinted her eyes at him. She sensed that there was something more than what he gave as his reason.

The silence was enough for Dragon to understand. He sighed deeply and clasped his hand together before leaning toward Rosina. "Also, I don't want to settle on one woman. After all, I'm a lady's man."