Touched by the monster

I froze in the doorway.

Ryder sat on the edge of my bed, with his elbows on his knees, and his hands clasped. He looked up when I entered. His eyes swept over me, taking in my exhausted state, my raw hands, the way I was barely standing.

"Close the door."

I did, with my heart hammering.

He didn't move. Just watched me stand there like I was something he was trying to figure out.

"How was your first day?"

The question caught me off guard. I hadn't expected him to ask. Hadn't expected him to care.

"Fine."

"Liar." He stood slowly. "Mara told me you worked through lunch. That your hands are blistered. That Lila came by and made threats."

Of course Mara had told him. She probably reported everything that happened in her kitchen.

"I handled it."

"Did you?" Ryder took a step closer. "Because from what I heard, Lila grabbed you. Left marks on your wrist."

I instinctively pulled my sleeve down, covering the bruise.

"It's nothing."

"Show me."

"It's fine."

"Vada." His voice dropped lower. Dangerous. "Show me your wrist."

I hesitated, then slowly pulled up my sleeve.

The bruise was dark. Purple and ugly where Lila's fingers had dug in.

Ryder stared at it for a long moment. Something shifted in his expression. Something cold and violent.

"She shouldn't have touched you."

"Why do you care?" The words came out before I could stop them. "You said I was property. A message. That the bond didn't matter."

Ryder's jaw tightened. "It doesn't."

"Then why are you here? Why do you care if Lila threatened me?"

He didn't answer immediately. Just stood there, the bond humming between us, getting louder with every second of silence.

Finally, he spoke. "Because you're mine."

My breath caught.

"Not because of the bond," he continued. "Not because the Moon Goddess decided we should be tied together. You're mine because I paid for you. Because you're in my territory. Under my protection. And no one touches what's mine without consequences."

It should have made me angry. Should have made me feel like the object he kept saying I was.

But the way he said it, the way his eyes darkened when he looked at the bruise, it didn't feel like he was talking about property.

It felt like something else entirely.

"Lila thinks she has a claim on you," I said quietly.

"She doesn't."

"She's been with you for two years."

"She's been in my bed. That's not the same thing." Ryder moved closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to look at him. "Lila was convenient. Available. Someone to pass time with. But she was never mine. Not the way she wanted to be."

"And I am?"

"Yes."

The word hung in the air between us.

"I don't understand," I whispered.

"Neither do I." His hand lifted, hesitated, then gently took my injured wrist. His thumb brushed over the bruise and I flinched. "Does it hurt?"

"A little."

He was quiet for a moment, his thumb still tracing the edge of the bruise. The bond flared at his touch, hot and insistent, making my wolf whine.

"I'll deal with Lila," he said finally.

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I do." His eyes met mine. "Because if she touches you again, I won't be able to control what happens next."

There was something in his voice. Something raw and possessive that had nothing to do with ownership and everything to do with the bond he kept denying.

He felt it. Just like I did.

He released my wrist and stepped back, putting distance between us like he needed the space to think clearly.

"You did well today," he said, his voice more controlled now. "Mara doesn't give compliments, but she told Kade you worked harder than most of her regular staff."

I didn't know what to say to that.

"Tomorrow will be easier," Ryder continued. "Your body will adjust. The work will feel less overwhelming."

"And Lila?"

"Won't be a problem."

He walked toward the door, then stopped with his hand on the handle. Looked back at me.

"The bond is getting stronger."

It wasn't a question.

I nodded.

"I feel it too," he admitted. "Every hour. Every time I'm near you. It's..." He trailed off, like he didn't have words for it.

"Overwhelming," I finished.

"Yes." His hand tightened on the door handle. "But it doesn't change anything. You're still here because I allow it. The bond is still something neither of us asked for."

"I know."

"Good." But he didn't move. Didn't leave. Just stood there staring at me like he was fighting with himself.

The silence stretched between us.

Then he spoke again, quieter this time. "Have you eaten?"

"Mara fed me."

"Enough?"

I nodded.

"Your hands. Did anyone treat them?"

"No."

Ryder's jaw tightened again. He opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and called out. "Kade!"

Footsteps approached. Kade appeared, looking between us with raised eyebrows.

"Get the healer," Ryder ordered. "Have them bring salve for burns and blisters."

"For her?" Kade asked.

"Yes."

Kade nodded and left without another word.

Ryder looked back at me. "The healer will be here in ten minutes. Let them treat your hands."

"I'm fine."

"You're not." He stepped back into the room, and suddenly he was close again. Too close. "You worked yourself to exhaustion today. Your hands are raw. You haven't complained once. That's admirable. But it's also stupid."

"I'm just doing what you told me to do."

"I told you to work. Not to destroy yourself."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because—" He stopped himself. Took a breath. "Because you're no use to anyone if you can't work tomorrow."

That wasn't what he was going to say. I could see it in his eyes.

The bond pulsed between us, louder now, insistent, pulling me toward him even though I was trying to resist.

Ryder felt it too. I could see the tension in his shoulders. The way his hands clenched at his sides. The way his wolf was right there, pushing at him just like mine was pushing at me.

"This is a problem," he said quietly.

"I know."

"It's only going to get worse."

"I know."

He stared at me for a long moment. Then he did something I didn't expect.

He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The touch was gentle. Almost tender.

The bond exploded at the contact. Hot and overwhelming and so intense I actually gasped.

Ryder's eyes darkened. His pupils dilated. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me.

Then he pulled back like I'd burned him.

"The healer will be here soon," he said, his voice rough. "Get some rest after they treat you."

He turned and walked out before I could respond.

The door closed behind him.

I stood there, my heart racing, my skin still tingling where he'd touched me.

That wasn't the cold, distant alpha who'd bought me yesterday.

That was someone fighting the bond just as hard as I was and losing.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

It was the healer. An older woman with kind eyes and gentle hands. She treated my blistered palms with salve that smelled like herbs and cooled the burning immediately.

"Alpha Ryder said to make sure you're taken care of," she said as she wrapped my hands in soft bandages. "He doesn't usually ask for healers for kitchen workers."

"I'm not a regular kitchen worker."

"No," she agreed, looking at me with understanding. "You're not."

She finished wrapping my hands and stood. "Change the bandages tomorrow night. The salve will help them heal faster. Try not to get them too wet."

"Thank you."

She nodded and left.

I sat on the bed, staring at my bandaged hands.

Ryder had sent a healer. Had checked on me. Had touched me like I was something fragile.

And he'd admitted he felt the bond getting stronger.

This wasn't just about ownership anymore.

This was about something neither of us could control.

And that terrified me more than anything else.