Chapter 2 The Real Move

• CAMILLE
• I got to work early the next morning. The restaurant smelled like fresh dough and hope, but my stomach was twisted. I’d told Liam not to step out today. Not after what happened yesterday.
• Of course, he didn’t listen.
• He followed me, stubborn as always. “Whatever’s coming,” he said, “let it happen while I’m around.”
• We had just started serving a few customers when a sleek black car pulled up in front of the restaurant. I froze, staring through the glass.
• A tall man dressed in black stepped out and entered like he owned the place. My breath caught. Liam moved quickly to my side, and I grabbed his wrist tightly.
• “Good morning, ma’am,” the man said, eyes sharp. “Mr. Gregor wants to see you. Now.”
• I nodded. I’d been expecting this.
• I peeled off my apron. Liam tried to follow, but I told him to stay. I forced a smile and promised I’d come back. Even though I wasn’t sure I would.
• I slid into the car. It didn’t head to the biker den—it drove straight to Mr. Gregor’s mansion. That alone told me something was different today.
• Inside, he sat on a jet-black throne, the base carved with a roaring lion. Power oozed from the room like poison. But it wasn’t him who shook me.
• It was the man sitting quietly at the side.
• He looked like Gregor—but younger, sharper, colder.
• Klaus.
• The monster in human skin.
• My heart stumbled. His aura was even darker than the rumors. His body was huge and inked with wild tattoos, his ice-ash eyes bottomless. He looked strong—dangerous, but damn, he was beautiful. His pink crush lips were almost covered by his brown beard, resembling his hair.
• He had a woman's face tattooed on his right arm. That looked familiar.
• But God, he was a walking sin.
• Then he spoke.
• “Why is she staring at me like a starving dog?” His deep voice sliced through me like a blade.
• I snapped out of it, shifting my gaze to Gregor.
• “She’s your wife, Klaus,” Gregor said flatly. “Decide when the wedding is.”
• Klaus scoffed. “Marry this dog? Not happening.”
• The slap I wanted to give him itched on my palm. But I wasn’t ready to die—not yet. I had to remember why I was here.
• I stepped closer, staring him down. “Well, you don’t have a choice. Dog or rat, I’m already your wife.”
• He blinked at me like I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had.
• Gregor’s voice cut in again. “It’s your job now, Camille. Make him feel something.”
• I nodded, heart racing. Klaus stood and stormed out. I followed.
• His bodyguard tried to block me. Klaus didn’t even look back.
• “If you follow me, you die,” he said.
• I stopped. My legs trembled.
• Not yet. I had to stay alive—for Liam. For Mom.
• “Be ready,” I yelled after him. “You’re going to see me again!”
• ***
• A Week Later
• Nothing changed.
• Gregor gave me twelve months to awaken Klaus’s humanity, to make him fall for me, or at least care about someone enough to protect them.
• And the best he wants is to make him marry me.
• If I failed, my mom and brother would die.
• No pressure, right?
• Mom was trying—she’d opened her old hairstyling shop after I begged her. Liam still worked at the restaurant, refusing to leave my side.
• But Klaus? He wouldn’t even look at me.
• His bodyguard, Ben, would call and tip me off. Klaus was at a club. A bar. One of his spots. I would show up—dressed, smiling, trying.
• He’d ignore me.
• He’d flirt with other girls. Drag them in front of me like trophies. Sometimes he’d laugh in my face.
• Tonight, I was done being ignored.
• I told Liam I might not be home, then rushed to my apartment. I needed to change everything.
• Maybe a bad girl would help.
• I opened my wardrobe, my sepia-blue eyes scanning. My fingers stopped on a black mini dress—tight, sleeveless, sexy.
• I grabbed scissors and chopped my chestnut brown hair to my neck, styling it straight with a slight curl at the tips. I wore rose lipstick to match my dark rose lips, light makeup, and a small red bag. Black Heels. No regrets.
• It was war now.
• I entered a taxi straight to his location.
• The club pulsed with loud music. Bikers were everywhere. Smoke, liquor, and lust hung in the air like perfume. Two black cars out front told me he was there.
• I thought of calling Ben, but I shrugged it off and entered.
• I pushed through the crowd until I heard him.
• “What are you doing here?”
• I turned, my smile sharp and fake. “Came to see my husband-to-be, of course.”
• He sneered. “Wake up. I’m not marrying you, dog.”
• That damn word again.
• I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “At least learn to say my name. It’s Camille. Not everyone is a dog like your girlfriend!”
• That made his eyes flare.
• I didn’t even know if he had a girlfriend. But the insult stuck. The people around us stared.
• “Call me Camille,” I said, chest heaving, “And don’t you ever call me a dog again!”
• His jaw clenched. He looked… shocked, or maybe he was impressed.
• I leaned closer. “Be a good boy, hmm?”
• He didn’t move. His ice-ash eyes scanned my body like he wanted to consume me.
• I walked away—upstairs. I didn’t belong here, but I needed to be seen.
• Two men followed. One danced with me, bold hands on my waist. He grabbed my ass, and for a second, I let him.
• Let Klaus see what he was throwing away.
• Then, the man groaned. Loudly.
• I turned and saw Klaus.
• Rage burned in his eyes. He grabbed the man by his hair, ready to kill him.
• I stepped in, yelling, but it was like talking to a wall.
• He wasn’t there.
• So I did the only thing I could think of.
• I kissed him.
• Hard.
• His mouth tasted like liquor and smoke, but I didn’t care. I wrapped my fingers around the hand that held the man—and slowly, his grip loosened.
• The man bolted.
• I pulled back, breathless. Klaus blinked, stunned.
• “You need to finish what you started,” he growled, pulling me close.
• I pushed him. “Get off me, you monster.”
• He smirked, and two of his men grabbed me.
• “Carry her!”
• “Wait! Where are you taking me?”
• They didn’t answer. They carried me inside their car. I fought, but the door was locked.
• I tried again, yanking the handle. It clicked open, and I almost fell out—until Klaus shoved me back inside, sitting beside me.
• My heart pounded.
• “Where are we going?” I yelled, grabbing his collar.
• He peeled my hand off like it was nothing. No words. No emotion.
• What the hell have I gotten into?
• The car drove to the outskirts. A dark, lonely place.
• “Get. Down.”
• “I’m not going anywhere until you…”
• He lifted me like a sack and threw me over his shoulder. My purse fell. A guard picked it up.
• I hit his head and back, screamed, and kicked. He didn’t flinch.
• He didn’t even feel human.
• Eventually, I gave up—breathing hard, my face damp with tears.
• This wasn’t over.
• But right now…
• I was trapped with a man who’d buried his soul.
• And I had twelve months to dig it up.