Chapter Five

Chapter Five.

Gina. 

“What do you want from me?” I snapped, my voice a little more high pitched than I meant it to be. My heart was still racing from the kiss, the eyes, the silence that had filled the room like smoke.

Ryan didn’t look bothered. He just ran a hand through his dark hair and turned toward me, his eyes unreadable.

“I want you to be my mate Gina,” he said simply. There was no arrogance in his tone only the absolute certainty of a man used to commanding armies.

"But I am not your mate and you know that." i said confused. 

"I know, I'm sorry maybe I should have framed my words better. I want you to join my pack as my pretend mate for a period of atleast one year and after that you will be greatly compensated and will be free to do whatever you want, including leaving my pack."

I swallowed, the weight of his words settling in my chest like a stone. All the stories I’d heard, the warnings I’d seen scrawled on parchment and bark none of them had prepared me for this moment of raw truth.

" But why me?" I found myself asking 

" I don't know that yet, I just like you." he said. 

I stared at him, stunned. “Why the hell would I do that? You want me to leave my pack, my life, to be your pretend mate because you like me?”

“You don’t seem exactly fond of your pack Gina” he said coolly, glancing back at the glowing hall behind us. “Or your Alpha. Or his mate.”

Pain flared in my chest at the mention of Brandon and Ashley, but I didn’t let it show. “That’s not the point.”

“No?” he said, a brow lifting. “You looked like you were moments away from shattering in there.”

“I still can’t just walk away,” I said, my voice quieter now, heavier. “My mom is here. She’s a slave. She has five years left.”

Ryan didn’t blink. “I’ll handle it.”

I stared. “What do you mean by you will handle it?”

“You and your mother will join my pack. She’ll get a decent job. No chains, no commands. And after the year is up after our deal is over you can decide what to do. Leave, stay, vanish. Your call.”

It was too much. Too sudden. I folded my arms across my chest as if that could guard my racing thoughts.

“Why me, there are so many beautiful women of respectable rank, why chose frome the lowest rank?” I asked.

There was a pause.

“I don’t know yet,” he said honestly. “But I need my father to believe I’ve found a mate. It’s… important so that he can leave me alone, and I don't like when alphas use their power to mistreat their pack members.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So this is about family politics?”

“In part. And image,” he added. “You’re smart, you’ve got spine. You’re not a liability, and Brandon won’t dare touch you if I claim you as mine.”

I laughed bitterly. “You think he’ll care? You think that’ll stop him?”

“I think,” Ryan said, stepping closer, “he won’t risk challenging me over a woman he claimed not to want.”

“And what do I have to do? What's the catch?” I asked. “Play house? Pretend to be in love with you?”

“You just have to be seen,” he said. “Events, pack gatherings, visits. My father’s health is failing. He wants to know I’m settling down. That I’m not just a war machine.” His jaw tightened. “I give him peace, he gives me control. That’s the deal. You’re just part of it.”

I nodded slowly, trying to process it all. “What about the pack? Will they accept me?”

“They’ll obey,” he said. “That’s all I need them to do.”

Silence stretched between us. The air was cool against my skin now, and the stars shimmered like a thousand watching eyes.

“You said I’d be compensated,” I said quietly.

“Yes,” he replied. “Enough to buy your own land, start fresh somewhere. Even more if you stay the full year.”

“And my mom…”

“She’ll be free the moment you cross into my territory.”

It was the first time I felt the slightest crack in my walls. I had been drowning for so long, fighting the currents Brandon threw at me daily. And now here was this man feared by many, yes, but offering something no one else had ever dared: freedom. For me. For her.

But what was the cost? What was the part he was not telling me. 

“You said it’s for a year,” I whispered. “And after that…”

“After that, you’re free.”

I hesitated. “This is crazy.”

He nodded. “Most worthwhile things are.”

I studied his face. He didn’t look like a liar. He looked like a man who knew exactly how far he’d go to get what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to admit it.

There was something terrifying about that.

But there was something grounding, too.

“I want it in writing,” I said finally. “A contract. With my mother’s freedom guaranteed. My payment. My choices.”

He smiled, just faintly. “You’ll have it.”

“And one more thing,” I added, stepping a little closer. “You don’t own me. I’m not your pet. If I feel unsafe”

“You won’t,” he cut in. “But if you do, say the word and it’s over.”

I breathed out, a slow, shaky breath that felt like it had been trapped in my lungs since my world first crumbled. And still, I hesitated.

“Why not someone else?” I asked again. “Why not a she wolf from your pack? A trained soldier? A powerful alpha’s daughter?”

His eyes softened then, just a little, like a curtain being tugged back. “Because none of them kissed me like you did.”

My heart stumbled and I blushed. 

“I didn’t ” I started, but he shook his head.

“You did.”

I looked down, teeth digging into my lip. “And what if I say yes?” I asked. “What then?”

“Then you come with me tonight. We begin the performance. You’ll have the life Brandon tried to take from you. And your mother will be free.”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a phone. “My beta’s ready. Say the word.”

It wasn’t really a choice. Not if I wanted my mother safe. Not if I wanted even a sliver of a life beyond Brandon’s cruelty.

“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll do it.”

He nodded once, slow and sure. “Good.”

Then he met my gaze again, more serious than ever. “But there’s one rule, Gina.”

And there was the catch, I said to myself. I lifted my chin. “What?”

He stepped closer, voice low, a whisper of steel.

“Don’t fall in love with me.”