Chapter 7 Ryker POV
Ryker
The question hung between us like a physical thing. Maya wanted the truth about why I'd brought her here, and she deserved it. I'd kept her at arm's length with half-answers and protective gestures, but that wasn't fair to her. Not after everything she'd survived.
I gestured to the chairs in my office. "Sit with me. This conversation requires honesty."
She moved slowly, her body still healing from years of abuse. Every careful step reminded me of what her uncle had stolen from her. She settled into the leather chair across from my desk, her hands folded in her lap like she was preparing for punishment. That gesture alone made my wolf snarl with rage.
"Maya, look at me," I said gently.
Her dark eyes lifted to mine. Even dulled by trauma and malnutrition, they held a strength she didn't recognize in herself. I'd seen it the moment I walked into that meeting room in Silvercrest. Something in her called to something in me.
"When I entered your uncle's pack house, I came for a military alliance. Nothing more." I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees. "Marcus needed my support against border threats. I needed access to his territory's resources. It was supposed to be a simple business transaction."
"Then what changed?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"You." The word came out rougher than I intended. "The second I saw you in that corner, trying to make yourself invisible, something in me recognized you. My wolf went completely still. He'd never done that before."
Maya's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."
"Neither did I at first. I've had nine potential mates presented to me over the years. Political arrangements, strategic partnerships. Not one of them made my wolf react." I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated at how inadequate words felt. "Then I caught your scent. It was wrong—all wrong because of the binding on your wolf. But underneath that wrongness was something that called to both man and wolf."
She shook her head slowly. "That's not possible. I'm nothing. I'm broken."
"You're everything." I stood and moved to the window, looking out at the territory I'd built. "The alliance with your uncle was an excuse, Maya. The moment I realized what you were to me, I would have found any reason to take you from that place. The contract was just the cleanest way to do it legally."
Behind me, I heard her sharp intake of breath. "What am I to you?"
I turned to face her. This was the moment. The truth that would either bind us together or send her running. "You're my true mate. Not a political arrangement or a strategic choice. My wolf recognized you as the other half of our soul."
Her face went pale. "No. That's not—people don't want me. Not like that."
"I do." I moved back to my chair, sitting down so we were eye level. "I know you can't feel the bond yet. Your wolf is bound. But I feel it, Maya. Every time you're in pain, every time you're afraid, I feel it like it's happening to me. When you smile—that rare, real smile—my wolf practically purrs with satisfaction."
Tears welled in her eyes. "You're saying this because you pity me."
"I'm saying this because it's the truth." I reached across the space between us, offering my hand palm up. "You asked me to be honest. This is honest. I brought you here because leaving you in that hell wasn't an option. Not when you're mine to protect."
She stared at my hand like it might burn her. Slowly, trembling, she placed her small hand in mine. Her skin was warm despite how thin she was. I closed my fingers gently around hers, careful not to grip too tight.
"I don't know how to be someone's mate," she whispered. "I don't know how to be anything except what Marcus made me."
"Then we'll figure it out together. No pressure, no expectations. Just—" The sharp ring of my phone cut through the moment. I glanced at the screen and my jaw tightened. Kade. He wouldn't interrupt unless it was urgent.
I squeezed Maya's hand once before releasing it. "I need to take this."
She nodded, pulling her hand back into her lap.
I answered the phone. "What is it?"
"We have a problem." Kade's voice was tense. "Marcus is on the line with the Council. He's demanding Maya's immediate return."
My wolf surged forward, wanting blood. I forced myself to remain calm for Maya's sake. "On what grounds?"
"He claims you coerced him into signing the contract. Says he was under duress and the agreement is invalid." Kade paused. "He's threatening war if we don't return her within forty-eight hours."
I watched Maya's face drain of color. She'd heard enough to understand. "Put him on speaker."
A moment later, Marcus's oily voice filled my office. "Alpha Ryker. I trust you've heard my demands."
"I've heard your baseless accusations," I replied evenly. "The contract was witnessed by your Beta and your mate. You read and signed it of your own free will."
"I was manipulated. You took advantage of my desperation for military support." His voice took on a wheedling tone. "Maya is my responsibility. She's a danger to herself and others. She belongs in Silvercrest where we can properly contain her."
Maya flinched at the word "contain." I stood and walked to her chair, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She leaned into the touch slightly, seeking comfort.
"Maya is exactly where she belongs," I said. "Under my protection as stated in our legally binding contract."
"A contract signed under false pretenses!" Marcus's voice rose. "You didn't tell me the full terms. The clause about territory transfer if harm comes to her—that's extortion!"
"That's protection. And you should have read the document before signing." I kept my voice cold and professional. "The contract stands, Marcus. Maya remains here."
"Then you leave me no choice. I'm calling for a Council review of this contract. If they rule in my favor, you'll be forced to return her." There was a pause, then his voice turned uglier. "And when she comes back, she'll learn what real punishment feels like for this betrayal."
Maya's whole body went rigid under my hand. I felt her terror through our partial bond.
"Threaten my mate again," I said quietly, "and I won't wait for Council approval. I'll come to Silvercrest myself and tear your throat out."
Marcus laughed, but it sounded forced. "Your mate? You've bonded with the girl who murdered her own parents? How desperate are you, Ryker?"
"Goodbye, Marcus." I ended the call before I said something that would give him ammunition.
The silence in my office was heavy. Maya sat frozen in the chair, her breathing shallow and quick. I knelt beside her, taking both her hands in mine.
"Look at me, Maya."
She did, and the fear in her eyes gutted me.