Chapter 61 The Honest Conversation
RYAN'S POV
Lisa sat across from me holding my letter. Her fingers traced the edges of the paper and I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. Not physical tiredness but the kind that came from carrying too much for too long.
"You are finally letting me go," she said softly. "After three years of silence and weeks of chasing me, you are actually letting me go."
I nodded because words felt inadequate. "I have been selfish in different ways. I thought I was fighting for you but really I was trying to force you back through guilt and grand gestures instead of respecting your autonomy. Catherine helped me see that."
"You kept making decisions for me without asking what I wanted," Lisa said and her voice cracked slightly. "You decided I needed to leave. You decided Sophia was better for the pack. You decided when to come back into my life. You never just asked me what I wanted."
The accusation hit hard because it was true. "What do you want now?"
She looked at me with those silver eyes that had haunted my dreams for three years. "I do not know and that terrifies me. I spent so long being angry at you that I built my entire identity around that anger. Now you are changing and I do not know who I am without the rage."
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. "Go to Western Pack. Take the month Adrian offered. Figure yourself out without pressure from any of us. No me showing up unannounced, no Nathan planning elaborate gestures, no Adrian being perfect and patient."
"You want me to leave?" Lisa's voice rose slightly.
"I want you to have space," I corrected. "Real space. Not the fake kind where I am still lurking in the background hoping you will choose me. I love you, Lisa. I have always loved you even when I was too much of a coward to show it. But loving you means letting you choose freely even if you choose someone else."
Lisa's eyes filled with tears. "I spent three years believing you did not want me. That I was not good enough, not strong enough, not worthy of being your mate. Now you are everywhere and I cannot process it. Every time I turn around you are there being vulnerable and honest and it is breaking down walls I built to survive."
"Then process it away from me," I said and my throat tightened. "Take the month. Take two months. Take however long you need. Come back when you know what you want instead of what everyone else wants for you."
She stood and walked to the window. The afternoon light caught her hair and made it glow. "Do you know what the worst part is? I am starting to forgive you and I hate myself for it. I want to hold onto the anger because it is safer than risking my heart again."
"You do not have to forgive me," I told her. "You do not owe me anything, Lisa. Not forgiveness, not a second chance, not even this conversation. If you want to walk away and never look back, I will respect that."
Lisa turned to face me and reached out to touch my face. Her fingers were gentle against my jaw. "Thank you for finally seeing me."
"I always saw you," I said and caught her hand against my cheek. "I was just too afraid to fight for what I saw. Afraid of disappointing my father, afraid of what the elders would say, afraid of losing my position as Beta. I let fear make me a coward and you paid the price."
She pulled her hand back slowly. "I need to have similar conversations with Nathan and Adrian. They deserve honesty too."
"They do," I agreed. "Nathan has loved you quietly for years and Adrian is offering you a fresh start. Both of them deserve to know where they stand."
Lisa walked toward the door and paused with her hand on the knob. "What if I do not choose any of you? What if I decide I need to be alone and figure out who Lisa is without a mate or potential mates?"
"Then you choose yourself," I said simply. "And that would be the bravest choice of all."
She smiled slightly and it was sad but genuine. "You have grown up, Ryan Blackwood."
"Losing you forced me to," I admitted. "I just wish I had done it three years ago before I hurt you."
Lisa opened the door to leave and froze. Nathan was standing there and his expression was carefully blank. He had clearly heard everything through the door. The hallway was quiet and I realized he must have been standing there for several minutes at least.
"My turn?" Nathan asked quietly and looked at Lisa.
But before Lisa could answer, Daniel burst around the corner. He was bloody and panicked with scratches on his face and his shirt torn. "Sophia is back. And she is not alone. She brought Alpha Marcus Krane and a formal marriage contract. If you do not meet with them in one hour they are taking it as a declaration of war."
The air left my lungs. Marcus Krane was the Alpha who had proposed to Lisa before, the one whose offer had been part of the political mess that led to our situation. He was powerful, ruthless and had significant military resources.
"What kind of marriage contract?" Lisa asked and her voice was steady despite the shock.
Daniel looked between us. "Between Marcus and Sophia. But there are clauses about Moonstone Pack's resources and territory. Dad is in the meeting room now trying to stall but Marcus is demanding to see you, Lisa. He says as acting Alpha you need to be present for any territorial negotiations."
Nathan stepped forward. "This is a trap. Marcus does not do anything without multiple angles. If he married Sophia it is because she offered him something he wanted."
"Access to Moonstone Pack," I said and felt cold realization wash over me. "Sophia must have promised him influence here in exchange for his support. She knows she cannot challenge Lisa's Alpha position alone but with Marcus backing her she could force a leadership dispute."
Lisa's face hardened. "Then we meet with them. All of us. Daniel, get Emma and the senior warriors. Nathan, I need you there as allied Alpha. Ryan, you are still Beta whether we are together or not. I need your tactical mind."
She was shifting into Alpha mode and I saw the leader she had become. Strong, decisive, unafraid.
"And Adrian?" Nathan asked carefully.
"Call him," Lisa said. "If this turns into a war we will need Western Pack's alliance and Marcus needs to know I have more than one powerful Alpha willing to stand with me."
We moved quickly and tension crackled through the pack house. As we walked toward the meeting room I caught Lisa's arm gently.
"Whatever happens in there, I have got your back," I told her.
She nodded. "I know."
It was a small acknowledgment but it felt like progress. We entered the meeting room together and my stomach dropped. Sophia sat beside Marcus Krane looking triumphant and on the table between them was not just a marriage contract but a formal challenge document for pack leadership.