Chapter 5

Maya Pov 

I woke up screaming.

In my dream, Uncle Marcus had found me. He dragged me back to Silvercrest, back to the basement, back to the darkness. Sienna stood at the top of the stairs laughing while I begged them to let me out.

Strong hands grabbed my shoulders and I thrashed, fighting to get free.

"Maya! Maya, it's okay. You're safe. It's just a dream."

The voice penetrated the panic. I blinked, gasping for air. Alpha Ryker knelt beside the bed, his hands gentle on my shoulders. Moonlight streamed through the windows—it was night now.

"You're in Shadowpeak," he said softly. "You're safe. Nobody's going to hurt you."

My whole body shook. I couldn't catch my breath.

"Breathe with me," he said. "In through your nose, out through your mouth. Come on. With me."

He demonstrated, breathing slowly and deeply. I tried to copy him, but my breaths came in harsh gasps.

"That's it. You're doing good. Keep going."

Slowly, my breathing evened out. The panic faded, leaving me exhausted and embarrassed.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"Don't apologize for nightmares." He sat back on his heels. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head.

"Okay. Are you hungry? You slept through dinner."

My stomach answered with a loud growl. I'd slept for hours—the windows had been bright with afternoon sun when I'd fallen asleep.

"Come on. I'll make you something." He stood and offered his hand.

I took it, letting him pull me to my feet. My ribs ached but the pain was less than before. Whatever medicine Zara had given me was working.

We went downstairs to the kitchen. It was dark except for the light over the stove. Alpha Ryker pulled ingredients from the refrigerator.

"Sit," he said, pointing to a stool at the island.

I sat, watching as he cracked eggs into a pan. The smell made my mouth water.

"You cook?" I asked, surprised.

"When I have to. Zara's better at it, but she's asleep." He added cheese and vegetables to the eggs. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. But better than before."

"Good." He slid the omelet onto a plate and set it in front of me with a fork. "Eat."

I ate slowly, savoring every bite. Real food. Cooked with care. I could get used to this.

"Can I ask you something?" he said, leaning against the counter.

I nodded.

"Your wolf was bound twice. Once when you were twelve, once when you were seventeen. Why the first time?"

I set down my fork, my appetite fading. "I don't remember much from when I was twelve. Just that I got really sick one day. Uncle Marcus said my wolf was trying to emerge too early and it was dangerous. He said binding it would save my life."

"And you believed him?"

"I was twelve. I believed everything he said." I pushed the eggs around my plate. "The second time was right after my parents died. He said I was too dangerous without control of my wolf, that I might hurt someone else."

"But you never had control to lose if it was already bound."

"I know that now. But at seventeen, right after losing my parents, being accused of killing them..." I shrugged. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

He was quiet for a moment. "Did your parents know your wolf was bound?"

"I don't think so. It happened while they were away on pack business. When they came back, I was already recovering. Uncle Marcus told them I'd just been sick."

"Convenient."

"What do you mean?"

"Your wolf was bound at twelve—right around the age when most wolves first shift. Then bound again at seventeen—right after the two people who might have protected you died." He crossed his arms. "That's not coincidence, Maya. That's planning."

I stared at him. "You think he bound my wolf so I couldn't defend myself?"

"I think your uncle has been planning this for a long time. The question is why." His ice-blue eyes were intense. "What did your parents do? What positions did they hold?"

"My father was Alpha. My mother was his Luna."

"So when they died, who became Alpha?"

"Uncle Marcus. He was my father's younger brother and the only adult male family left."

"And you were seventeen. Old enough to challenge him for Alpha position if you'd had your wolf."

The pieces clicked into place, and I felt sick. "He killed them so he could be Alpha."

"And framed you to make sure you'd never be a threat." Alpha Ryker's voice was hard. "The binding, the abuse, keeping you isolated—it all makes sense if his goal was to neutralize you completely."

"But why not just kill me too?"

"Killing the Alpha's daughter might have raised too many questions. Better to discredit you, make the pack see you as a monster. Then he could do whatever he wanted to you and nobody would care."

Tears burned my eyes. "Five years. He took five years of my life."

"And I'm going to make him pay for every single day." Alpha Ryker's voice was deadly quiet. "But first, we need proof. We need to figure out exactly what happened the night your parents died."

"I don't remember much. I made dinner like always. We ate. Then..." I closed my eyes, trying to pull up the memories. "They started feeling sick. My mom said she felt dizzy. My dad couldn't stand up. I called for help and Uncle Marcus came. He sent me away while he took care of them."

"Did you see the food being prepared?"

"I cooked it myself. Chicken, vegetables, rice. Normal food."

"And you ate it too?"

I nodded. "I had the same thing they did. I didn't get sick."

"So the poison was added after you served it. Someone had access to their plates between when you served them and when they ate."

"Uncle Marcus. He came into the dining room to talk to them before dinner. I left to give them privacy."

"There it is." Alpha Ryker's smile was cold. "He had opportunity and motive. Now we just need to prove it."

"How?"

"I have investigators who are very good at digging up the past. And I have resources your uncle doesn't." He pushed off the counter. "But that's tomorrow's problem. Right now, you need to finish eating and get back to sleep."

"I don't want to sleep. I'll just have more nightmares."

"Then I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

"You don't have to—"

"Maya." He said my name firmly. "Stop arguing. You're hurt, you're exhausted, and you're safe. Let yourself be safe."

Those words hit something deep inside me. Let yourself be safe. I didn't know how.

But I finished my eggs and let him lead me back upstairs. This time, when I got into bed, he pulled a chair close and sat down.

"I'll be right here," he said. "Sleep."

I closed my eyes, expecting the fear to come back. But somehow, knowing he was there, watching over me, made the darkness less scary.

When I woke again, it was morning. Sunlight filled the room, and Alpha Ryker was gone. But a note on the bedside table said he'd be back soon.

I got up carefully, testing my ribs. Still sore, but manageable. Someone had left clean clothes on the dresser—soft leggings and a sweater that would be too big but comfortable.

After changing, I ventured downstairs. Voices came from the kitchen—Zara and another woman I didn't recognize.

"Good morning!" Zara said brightly when she saw me. "How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Excellent. This is Mira, she's our head Omega. Mira, this is Maya."

The other woman smiled warmly. She had kind brown eyes and graying hair pulled back in a bun. "Nice to meet you, dear. Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet."

"Well, we can't have that. Sit down, I'll make you something."

I sat at the island while Mira bustled around making pancakes. Zara poured me orange juice.

"Ryker had to go handle some pack business," Zara said. "He should be back this afternoon. I'm supposed to keep you company."

"You don't have to babysit me."

"I'm not. I genuinely want to spend time with you." She leaned her elbows on the counter. "Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again. I didn't know how to answer that. What did I like? I'd spent five years cleaning and trying not to get hit. Before that, I'd been a normal teenager, but those memories felt like they belonged to someone else.

"I don't know," I admitted.

Zara's expression softened. "That's okay. We'll figure it out together. Do you like to read?"

"I never learned how."

Her eyes widened. "At all?"

I shook my head, shame heating my face.

"Well, we'll fix that. I love teaching. I used to teach children at the pack school before I became full-time doctor." She tapped her fingers on the counter. "What about music? Art? Sports?"

"I used to draw," I said slowly, the memory surfacing. "Before. My mom gave me sketchbooks."

"Then we'll get you supplies. You can draw whatever you want."

Mira set a plate of pancakes in front of me, drowning in syrup and butter. "Eat up, sweetheart."

The pancakes were delicious. I ate three before I was too full to continue.

"I need to check your stitches," Zara said. "Come to the medical room when you're done."

After breakfast, I went to find her. She examined my back carefully.

"Healing well," she said. "No signs of infection. I'll put fresh bandages on."

As she worked, I gathered my courage to ask the question that had been bothering me. "Zara? Why is your brother being so kind to me?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Ryker has a thing about injustice. He can't stand seeing people being hurt, especially by those who are supposed to protect them. When he saw how your uncle treated you, how the pack treated you..." She shook her head. "He couldn't leave you there."

"But the contract. Making me his mate. That's—"

"Protective," Zara finished. "It's the only way to make sure your uncle can't take you back. As Ryker's intended mate, you're under his protection. Anyone who harms you is attacking him directly."

"So it's not real."

"I didn't say that." Zara came around to face me. "Ryker doesn't do anything halfway. If he says you're his mate, he means it. He'll protect you, provide for you, care for you. Whether you choose to accept the bond is up to you. But make no mistake—he's serious about this."

"I don't understand why."

"Maybe you don't need to. Maybe you just need to let yourself be cared for." She smiled gently. "You've been fighting alone for so long, Maya. It's okay to let someone help carry the weight."

I didn't know what to say to that. The idea of depending on someone, trusting someone, felt impossible. But a small part of me wanted to try.

The front door opened and closed. Alpha Ryker's voice called out, "Zara? Where are you?"

"Medical room!" she called back.

He appeared in the doorway, still wearing his jacket. His eyes went straight to me.

"How is she?" he asked Zara.

"Healing well. I'm almost done here."

He nodded and pulled out his phone. "Maya, I need to show you something."

I approached cautiously. He held out his phone, showing me a photo of a young man—maybe nineteen or twenty, with black hair and dark eyes that looked familiar.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked.