Free Web NovelChapter 35: Chapter 35 Why Me?
Christina’s POV
I stood there frozen, looking at Hudson. I couldn’t believe what he’d just said.
Silence, annoyingly persuasive silence, filled the space between us. I hated how tempted I was.
Niall Granger used to be the Alpha every she-wolf in Highrise had on her dream board.Me included, back when I didn’t know he was a full-time bastard.Beatrice, Serenna—hell, we were all drunk on the fantasy of becoming his Luna.
But now Hudson Laurent was the real obsession. Not just the Laurent name, though being from The Sabreridge pack’s Alpha family definitely opened doors, but the man himself. The brains, the backbone, the unnerving calm that only the most dominant Alphas possessed.
Becoming his Luna would be the ultimate power move.
And unlike other preening, entitled Alpha bachelors, he actually acted like a decent wolf. Every time we’d crossed paths in our apartment building, he’d been polite, respectful.
Which made him even more dangerous to my already fragile heart. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Honestly, if I had to pick someone out of every wolf I knew, he was the safest bet by miles. His wolf was strong, protective—everything an Alpha should be.
But that was the bit that didn’t make sense.
We’d barely seen each other. A few apartment run-ins, some short conversations, and, yes, one wild night together.
But nothing remotely close to "hey, let’s get married" level.
So why was he proposing to marry me like it was no big deal?
He could have any woman. Literally anyone. There were women in Highrise who’d backstab their own best friends just to become his Luna.
What did I have that made me mate material in Alpha Hudson’s brain?
I looked at him and straight up asked, "Why me?"
"It doesn’t have to be a permanent bond," he replied, his voice steady. "If things don’t work out, we can dissolve the mating after a year."
I narrowed my eyes, annoyed by how casually he was talking about something so important. "That’s not what I asked. I said—why me?"
His mouth curled slightly,"Doesn’t have to be you. You’re right, I’ve got options, and I’m guessing you do too. But out of all the wolves we could have dragged into a pretend mating bond, I’m still your best pick. That’s why you came to me in the first place, yes?"
"Yes," I said reluctantly, remembering how desperate I’d been to escape my family’s control.
"Christina," he said."I’m not playing house.This wouldn’t be some cutesy charade. It’d be a real,registered mating bond.With a ceremony.With marking.You’d be recognized as my Luna throughout all the Northern territories, and with that, you can tell Alpha Niall to back off, and your pack to shove their matchmaking plans. You’d finally have the upper hand."
He paused just long enough to make it clear. "Think about it."
***
I had no clue how I made it back to apartments.
At some point, Hudson had dropped me at my doorstep, then headed back to his office like a workaholic didn’t need sleep.
I unlocked my door, stumbled to the sofa, and flopped down.It hit me that he hadn’t really answered my question, ’Why me?’
Was it just because I was desperate and had nowhere else to turn? Would he have chosen any woman in Highrise City who said she needed his help?
Damn it,his words wouldn’t stop replaying.
"Marry me."
"I’m your best option."
I lay there, staring into nothing, trying to digest the world’s weirdest mating proposal.
Marriage. Real mating bond.Not the fake kind. This was legit, binding, and terrifying.
Even if we were just putting on a show for our packs, it’d still be a show with ritual marks and moon-blessed vows.
He needed a buffer from his pack elders.I needed to shut down Louisa and her delusions about me reconciling with Niall. Fine. Strategic partnership, one-year term, no emotional entanglement. Easy, right?
I told myself it was fine. Totally fine.Very normal to consider binding myself to an Alpha I barely knew just to get my life back.
It didn’t help that my brain had turned into a council meeting.
One part of me was screaming "Run!",the other was already planning which ceremonial robes I’d wear.
They bickered so loudly in my head.
I lay sprawled like a tranquilized dental patient for a bit, then gave up trying to think and stumbled into the shower.
Two minutes later I was face-planted in bed, lights still on, hair still damp, consciousness entirely gone.
By the time I got to Nyx Collective the next morning, I looked semi-human. Barely.
A whole cluster of interns had formed a shrine around Violet Lin, who was basking in the attention and waving her hands around.
"The Laurent pack gathering was insane. I swear, the entrance was lined with luxury vehicles. Only the elite Alphas and high-ranking wolves of Highrise City even got past the door... Obviously, I was on the guest list. Oh, and I talked to Alpha Hudson, you know, the one who just returned from Europe? He’s more magnificent than any Alpha I’ve seen. I mean, power radiates from him. You get it."
I didn’t get it. Or care. I was too busy processing last night’s proposition.
I swerved around the Violet fan club and headed straight for my desk.
The second she spotted me, her whole vibe shifted. Her smile twitched. She continued her story but kept glancing over at me like I might challenge her claim any moment.
When I didn’t say anything, she relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, her voice got louder, and the fake stories flowed like cheap wine at a suburban book club.
I tried sketching jewelry designs inspired by ancient symbols. Five design drafts, all garbage. I gave up after I realized draft six looked suspiciously like Hudson’s wolf insignia and headed for the break room, hunting for caffeine.
But his voice followed me there like a persistent spirit.
"Marry me."
"I’m your best option."
I blinked and realized the water dispenser was overflowing. I fumbled to turn it off before the flood reached my shoes.
"What’s got you so spaced out? Thinking about another Alpha already?"
I jumped, nearly launching the bloody cup across the room.
Violet was leaning against the door jamb.
She clicked her tongue. "Seriously? It was an innocent question.You look like you just got caught trespassing on territory.You up to something shady with another pack?"
I didn’t answer. Just grabbed some napkins, wiped down the counter, and headed for the door.
"Stop!" Violet blocked my path. "Didn’t you hear me talking to you?"
"There’s nothing to talk about." I didn’t even slow down.
Our mutual fake-nice era was very much over, and I wasn’t interested in reruns.
But she stepped in front of me again and hissed in a low voice, "You’d better keep what happened at the Sabreridge pack gathering to yourself. Don’t go running your mouth to the others, got it?"
