Taming A Reckless Heart by Rituparna Darolia

The rain carried a metallic aroma on the night when Ella Wolfe's world crumbled for the second time.

She found herself outside the pack's council hall, her fists clenched and breath visible in the chilly night air. Just a few hours had passed since her father's funeral, yet instead of mourning, she was being summoned by the most feared wolf clan in the region.

The Silverfangs.

A clan to which no human should ever be indebted.

The heavy wooden doors creaked open. Two guards emerged, tall and broad-shouldered, their silver eyes faintly glowing in the flickering torchlight.

"Ella Hayes?" one of them asked.

She swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Enter. The council awaits."

Her stomach knotted. She crossed the threshold.

******

The council chamber was dimly lit, illuminated only by fire bowls that cast flickering shadows across the stone walls. Three elders sat on a raised platform, stern and emotionless, watching her as if she were prey.

But it was the man beside them who took her breath away.

Alpha Rylan Wolfe.

Tall and powerful, his presence seemed to envelop the entire room. His black hair grazed a sharply etched jaw, and his cold, predatory eyes shone slightly with silver.

Rumors painted him as ruthless. Damaged. Cursed.

And he was looking at her as if she were a nuisance.

"Ella Hayes," the head elder started. "Your late father owed a blood debt to this clan."

"I know he borrowed money," Ella said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her knees. "I will repay it. I just need some time."

The elder raised an eyebrow. "A human cannot settle a wolf's blood debt with mere currency."

Her heart raced. "Then... What is the price?"

The elder gestured toward Rylan.

"His hand. His Luna."

Ella's breath hitched in her throat.

Rylan's voice emerged low, calm, and colder than winter's breath.

"A marriage. Three months. Follow my rules, adhere to my boundaries, and serve as my Luna for the duration of the contract."

Ella looked at him, this man with the soulless eyes, this Alpha who seemed to despise the idea of a wife more than he abhorred rogues.

"You must be joking," she whispered.

"I do not joke," Rylan said flatly. "Your father signed the contract. To clear the debt, you must marry me. Tonight."

Ella felt her body go numb. She was unprepared for this. She wasn't ready for any of it.

"My mother she's unwell," she stammered. "I'm all she has. I can't just disappear."

Rylan's eyes flickered with something sharp and unreadable, yet his voice remained devoid of emotion.