Chapter 23 NOT SURE
Ryker POV
"Tell Alpha Marcus we accept his invitation." I kept my voice steady and calm, projecting confidence I didn't entirely feel. "We'll be there at eight."
The servant's footsteps retreated down the hallway. Owen locked the door again, then turned to face me with concern written across his features.
"You know this is a trap."
"Of course it's a trap." I returned to the documents spread across the table, studying them more carefully now that the immediate danger had passed. "But refusing would show weakness. Marcus would use it against us, claim we're hiding something or afraid to face scrutiny."
"So we walk into his trap and hope we can survive it?" Kade shook his head. "That's a terrible plan, Alpha."
"We walk into his trap with conditions." I pulled out my phone, composing a carefully worded message. "Marcus wants a dinner, he gets a dinner. But Maya sits beside me at all times, surrounded by our people. No separated seating, no opportunities for him to corner her or poison her food."
Maya's hand found mine, her fingers lacing through my fingers with surprising strength. "He's going to use the dinner to discredit us somehow. To make us look unstable or dishonest in front of his pack."
"Probably." I squeezed her hand gently. "But we have evidence now. Real, documented proof of his crimes. As long as we keep these photographs safe, he can't completely control the narrative."
We spent the next hour strategizing, planning our approach to the dinner, deciding what we would and wouldn't reveal to Marcus's pack. The medical records stayed hidden in Kade's phone, backed up to multiple cloud services, passwords changed to prevent hacking. The physical folders we locked in the room's safe, insurance against Marcus trying to destroy the evidence.
As evening approached, Maya changed into a simple dress—elegant but not flashy, appropriate for a pack dinner without suggesting she was trying to impress anyone. I wore formal Alpha attire, projecting authority and confidence even though my instincts screamed at me to grab Maya and run from this place.
Owen knocked on our door at seven forty-five. "Ready?"
"As we'll ever be." I offered Maya my arm, and she took it with a steadiness that made my heart swell with pride. She'd faced so much already—Marcus's cruelty, the revelation about her origins, the confrontation with guards—and yet she stood tall and unbroken.
The walk to the main dining hall felt like marching toward execution. Pack members watched us pass, their expressions carefully neutral, giving nothing away. I couldn't tell if they supported Marcus or questioned him, if they'd heard about the confrontation or remained ignorant of what we'd discovered.
The dining hall doors stood open, warm light spilling out into the corridor. Inside, long tables stretched the length of the room, already filled with pack members dressed in their finest clothes. At the head table sat Marcus, Sienna beside him looking smug and satisfied. And next to Sienna was Leo, his expression troubled but carefully masked.
Marcus stood as we entered, gesturing to empty seats directly across from him. "Alpha Ryker, Maya, please join us. I've saved you places of honor at the head table."
I studied the arrangement carefully. The seats he'd indicated would put us directly in Marcus's sight line, under his constant observation throughout the meal. But they would also keep us visible to the entire pack, making it harder for Marcus to try anything too obvious.
"Thank you for the invitation." I guided Maya to her seat, positioning myself between her and Marcus. Owen and Kade took seats on either side of us, forming a protective barrier.
The meal began with polite conversation, surface pleasantries about weather and pack business and upcoming Council events. But I could feel the tension underneath, the unspoken conflict simmering just beneath the civilized veneer. Every pack member in the room knew something had happened today, even if they didn't know the details.
Halfway through the second course, as servants cleared plates and poured wine, something slid under our feet beneath the table. I glanced down carefully, not wanting to draw attention, and saw a folded piece of paper near Maya's shoe.
She felt it too. I watched her carefully bend down, pretending to adjust her napkin, and palm the paper with practiced discretion. When she straightened, her face was carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.
Marcus was watching us, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He knew someone had passed us a message. He was waiting to see how we'd react.
Maya kept the paper hidden, waited until Marcus turned to respond to something Sienna said, then carefully unfolded it in her lap where only I could see.
The handwriting was masculine, angular, written in quick strokes: Meet me in the garden at midnight. Come alone. -L
My jaw tightened. Leo wanted to meet Maya alone, away from witnesses and protection. Every instinct I had screamed danger, screamed trap. But when I looked up, I found Leo watching us from across the table, his expression pleading and desperate.
He needed to tell Maya something. Something important enough to risk his father's wrath, but private enough that he couldn't say it here in front of the entire pack.
Maya's hand found mine under the table, squeezing gently. She'd made her decision. She was going to that garden at midnight, regardless of the danger.
And somehow, I was going to have to let her.