Chapter 12 Meeting At Her Old Pack
Ryker POV
The packhouse interior was cold and formal. Dark wood paneling, heavy furniture, everything designed to intimidate rather than welcome. Pack members lined the hallways, all watching with wary eyes as we passed. They stared at Maya with a mixture of shock and confusion—clearly not used to seeing her walking freely, let alone at an Alpha's side.
Marcus led us to a large sitting room where refreshments had been laid out on tables. Coffee, tea, pastries, fruit. It all looked appealing, but I noticed Maya eyeing it like it might be poisoned. Given her history here, I couldn't blame her.
"Please, help yourselves," Marcus said, playing the gracious host again. "Maya, dear, you remember where everything is."
It was a subtle jab, reminding her of her place here. I felt her flinch.
"Maya will sit with me," I said firmly, guiding her to a plush sofa. "I'll get her whatever she needs."
I settled her on the couch, then moved to the refreshment table. I selected items carefully—sealed bottles of water, pre-packaged snacks that couldn't have been tampered with. As I prepared a plate, I kept my eyes on Maya, making sure no one approached her.
The other Alphas mingled, talking in low voices. I caught snatches of their conversation—most of it about Maya, about the visible evidence of abuse, about the mate bond I'd announced. Good. Let them talk. Let them see what Marcus really was.
I returned to Maya with water and a muffin still in its wrapper. "Small bites," I murmured. "Your stomach might be upset."
She took the water gratefully, sipping it slowly. Her eyes darted around the room like a trapped animal looking for escape routes. I sat close beside her, my presence a shield between her and everyone else.
Marcus watched us from across the room, his expression carefully neutral but his eyes burning with rage. He excused himself from a conversation with Alpha Rodriguez and moved toward us. Maya's breathing quickened, her hand finding mine and squeezing hard enough to hurt.
"Easy," I whispered. "I'm right here."
Marcus stopped in front of us, looking down at Maya with that fake concerned expression. "Maya, you've been missed around here. The pack has been asking about you."
It was a lie. I could see it in the way the nearby pack members avoided looking at us. No one had asked about her because no one had cared. She'd been invisible to them, a non-person they could abuse without consequence.
"I'm sure they have," I said coolly before Maya could respond. "It must be quite an adjustment, having one of your pack members turn out to be another Alpha's mate."
"Indeed." Marcus's smile was sharp as a knife. "Though I must say, the timing is convenient. Maya disappears from pack lands, and suddenly she's your mate? Some might find that suspicious."
"Are you suggesting I'm lying about the mate bond?" I let ice creep into my voice, my Alpha presence pushing out just enough to make him step back. "That's a serious accusation."
"Not at all," Marcus backtracked quickly, aware of the other Alphas now watching our exchange. "I'm simply surprised. Maya never mentioned any mate bond during her time here."
"Perhaps she didn't feel safe enough to mention it," Alpha Tanaka commented from nearby, her sharp eyes missing nothing. "Given the condition she appears to have been kept in."
Marcus's composure was cracking, hairline fractures showing in his perfect host facade. Before he could respond, the sitting room door opened and a woman entered carrying a tray of coffee cups. She was beautiful in a cold way—blonde hair, blue eyes, expensive clothes. Sienna. Marcus's daughter and Maya's cousin.
"Father, I brought fresh coffee for our guests," Sienna said sweetly, moving into the room with practiced grace. Her eyes swept over the assembled Alphas, then landed on Maya. Something vicious flashed across her face before she masked it with false surprise. "Maya! Oh my goodness, is that really you?"
She crossed the room toward us, the tray of steaming coffee cups balanced in her hands. Maya's whole body went tense, her breathing shallow. I could smell her fear spiking.
"Hello, Sienna," Maya whispered.
"You look so different! Alpha Ryker must be feeding you well." Sienna's smile was all teeth, no warmth. She moved closer, the coffee cups sloshing slightly on the tray. "Here, let me offer you some coffee. We should celebrate your return—"
She stumbled.
It happened fast—her foot catching on nothing, her balance shifting, the tray tipping forward. Hot coffee arced through the air, streaming directly toward Maya's lap.
I moved on instinct, yanking Maya backward and to the side. The scalding liquid splashed across the sofa where she'd been sitting seconds before, steam rising from the dark stain spreading across the expensive fabric.
"Oh no!" Sienna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in fake horror. "I'm so clumsy! Maya, I'm so sorry, I almost—"
"You did that on purpose," I said quietly, dangerously.
Every eye in the room fixed on us. Sienna's face flushed, her eyes wide with manufactured innocence. "What? No! It was an accident! The tray was heavy and I lost my balance—"
"You aimed it directly at her." I stood, pulling Maya up with me and away from the ruined sofa. "I saw you adjust your angle before you 'stumbled.'"
"That's ridiculous!" Sienna looked to her father for support. "Father, tell him—"
Marcus's expression was carefully blank. "I'm sure it was simply an unfortunate accident. Sienna would never intentionally harm Maya."
The lie hung in the air like poison. Maya pressed against my side, trembling. I looked down at her and saw tears pooling in her eyes—not from the near miss with the coffee, but from something deeper. Recognition. This had happened before. Maybe many times before.
"How many 'accidents' have you had around Maya?" I asked Sienna softly, my voice carrying to every corner of the silent room.
Sienna's pretty face twisted with hatred for just a second before she controlled it. "I don't know what you mean. I've always been kind to my cousin—"
"Liar." The word came from Maya, so quiet I almost missed it. But it was there—the first spark of fire I'd seen from her. "You've never been kind. Not once."
Sienna's mask cracked completely, showing the monster underneath. "How dare you—"
"Enough." Marcus's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "Sienna, leave us. Clean yourself up."
Coffee had splattered on Sienna's clothes too. She shot Maya one last look of pure hatred before hurrying from the room, the ruined tray clutched in her hands.
The other Alphas exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from shocked to disgusted. They'd all seen what really happened, seen the deliberate nature of Sienna's "accident."
"I think," Alpha Rodriguez said slowly, "that we have much to discuss at this Council meeting."
Marcus's face had gone pale with barely contained rage. His perfect facade was crumbling, piece by piece, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
I looked down at Maya, still pressed against my side, still shaking but with a new light in her eyes. She'd spoken up. She'd called Sienna a liar in front of everyone.
She was starting to fight back.
And that was only the beginning.