The alliance contract demands I take Daphne as my wife and fill her with my child before the deadline, or the territories fall. In the private office above the club, she stands beside my desk with her hand extended to the signature line, red hair striking in the dim light, and the air grows heavier with each breath we share. Her outward compliance hides the same fear of abandonment that drives my need to possess her completely.

The knife scar on my arm reminds me what it costs to lose control. The territory map spread across the desk watches as I step closer, knowing one signature will demand I breed her until she carries my heir and binds us both in the permanence I have always craved.