Chapter 13 NEW POWER
Maya Pov
"You will apologize to Maya." His voice was quiet, but it filled the entire room. Every wolf present felt the weight of it, the command of an Alpha who expected to be obeyed.
Sienna's face twisted with indignation. "It was an accident! I already said—"
"It was deliberate. Everyone here saw it." Ryker's eyes swept the room, landing on each Alpha in turn. "Alpha Rodriguez, did that look like an accident to you?"
Alpha Rodriguez shook his head slowly. "No. That was intentional."
"Alpha Tanaka?"
"Deliberate," she confirmed, her expression cold with disapproval.
Sienna's cheeks flushed red with anger and embarrassment. Being called out in front of the most powerful wolves in the region clearly hadn't been part of her plan. "I don't have to apologize for anything. This is my home, my pack—"
"And Maya is my mate." Ryker's voice dropped even lower, more dangerous. "Which means any attack on her is an attack on me. Do you really want to make an enemy of the Nightshade Pack, Sienna?"
The threat hung in the air like a blade. Sienna looked to her father for help, but Marcus's expression had gone carefully blank. He wouldn't defend her, not when it meant facing down another Alpha in front of witnesses.
"Apologize," Marcus said quietly to his daughter.
"But Father—"
"Now."
Sienna's mouth pressed into a thin, angry line. She looked at me with pure hatred burning in her blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Maya. It was an accident." The words were empty, meaningless, but she'd said them. That was all Marcus cared about—maintaining appearances.
Ryker wasn't satisfied. "That's not good enough. A real apology means taking responsibility for your actions, not hiding behind lies." He turned to address the room. "As Maya's mate, I invoke my right to protect her from further harm. Sienna Chen is hereby banned from coming within ten feet of Maya at any time, for any reason."
Gasps rippled through the assembled wolves. Sienna's face went white with shock. "You can't do that! This is my home!"
"I absolutely can." Ryker's voice was steel wrapped in ice. "Any mate has the right to protect their bonded partner from documented threats. You just publicly attacked her. That gives me full authority to set protection boundaries."
Marcus stepped forward, his own Alpha presence pushing back against Ryker's. "This is my packhouse. I decide what happens here."
"Actually," Kade spoke up, pulling papers from his jacket pocket, "according to the contract you signed, Alpha Marcus, you agreed to allow protective measures for Maya's safety while she remains on Silvercrest territory." He unfolded the documents, pointing to specific lines. "Section seven, clause three clearly states that her mate may enforce reasonable protection protocols. A ten-foot boundary is more than reasonable given the circumstances."
I stared at Kade, then at the contract in his hands. Ryker had thought of everything. He'd built protections into legal documents, made sure I had rights even here in the place that had stolen everything from me.
Marcus's jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind together. "Fine. The boundary stands. Sienna, you heard him. Stay away from Maya."
Sienna made a sound like a wounded animal, then stormed from the room. The heavy door slammed behind her, the sound echoing through the tense silence she left behind.
I stood there, coffee still dripping from my sleeve, my skin burning beneath the wet fabric. But something had shifted inside me. For the first time in five years, someone had stood up for me. Not just stood up—Ryker had publicly challenged Marcus and Sienna, had used legal authority to protect me, had made it clear that I mattered.
I had power now. Not my own, maybe, but power nonetheless. The protection of a mate bond, the backing of a strong pack, the support of legal documentation. It was more than I'd ever had before.
Ryker turned back to me, his expression softening immediately. "Let me see your arm."
I held it out, wincing as he gently touched the wet fabric. His fingers were careful, testing the damage without causing more pain. "We need to get you out of this dress and treat the burns. Owen, find us a private room."
"Right away, Alpha." Owen disappeared through a side door.
Alpha Rodriguez approached us, concern on his weathered face. "Maya, are you alright?"
The question startled me. When was the last time someone in this packhouse had asked if I was alright? I couldn't remember. "I'll be fine. Thank you for speaking up."
"What I saw was wrong." He glanced at Marcus, disgust clear in his eyes. "We'll be discussing this at the Council meeting. All of it."
Marcus's expression remained neutral, but I knew him well enough to read the fury in his eyes. He was being backed into a corner, his secrets exposed, his authority challenged. That made him dangerous. Very dangerous.
A movement on the stairs caught my attention. Someone was standing in the shadows of the upper landing, watching. A young man, maybe seventeen or eighteen, with dark hair and familiar features. My breath caught in my throat. He looked so much like someone, but I couldn't quite place who.
Our eyes met across the distance. His were dark brown, intense, filled with an emotion I couldn't name. Recognition? Curiosity? Something else? I felt a pull toward him, inexplicable and strong, like an invisible thread connecting us.
Who was he? I'd never seen him before in all my years here. Was he new to the pack? A visitor?
Before I could ask, Owen returned. "I've prepared a sitting room down the hall. It has a bathroom attached where Maya can change."
"Good." Ryker's hand settled on my lower back, guiding me toward the door. I glanced back at the stairs, but the young man had vanished like smoke. Had I imagined him?
Kade fell into step beside us, still holding the contract. "That went better than expected. Marcus can't touch you now without violating signed agreements witnessed by multiple Alphas."
"He'll find another way," I said quietly. "He always does."
"Not this time." Ryker's voice was firm, certain. "You're not alone anymore, Maya. Remember that."
We entered the sitting room Owen had found—smaller than the main one, more intimate, with soft lighting and comfortable furniture. A bathroom door stood open to one side, revealing clean towels and a basin.
"I'll stand guard," Owen said, positioning himself outside the main door.
Ryker brought me into the bathroom, his movements gentle as he helped me peel off the coffee-soaked sleeve. The fabric had protected me somewhat—the burn wasn't as bad as it could have been. My skin was red and angry-looking, but not blistered.