The Price of Saving Him

Lyra woke up to sharp pain in her side. Her eyes flew open. White walls. Bright lights. She tried to sit up, but a heavy hand pushed her back down.

"Stay still", a deep voice said.

Xavier Vance stood over her, his suit jacket gone and his white shirt stained with blood. His own blood and hers. His ice-blue eyes looked straight into her face as if he could see through her soul.

Her heart raced. She remembered the gunshot, the golden light from her hand, and falling into his arms. Stupid. She should have run.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice rough.

"My private medical room. Top floor. No one else is coming in." He pulled a chair close and sat down, never taking his eyes off her. "You have two choices right now. Tell me who sent you, or I'll call security and let them drag the truth out of you."

Lyra swallowed hard. Her side burnt every time she breathed. "I work here. Night cleaning crew. Check my badge."

"I already did," he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Lyra Finch. Eighteen. From the Fringe. No pack. No wolf. Or so your file says. But no human girl blows a man across the room with her bare hand."

She kept her face calm even though fear twisted in her stomach. Toby. She had to think about Toby. If she disappeared tonight, who would protect him?

"I don't know what you saw," she said quietly. "Everything happened fast. I just... pushed him."

Xavier laughed, but there was no warmth in it. "Pushed him? The man had broken ribs and burns on his chest. Three of the attackers are dead. The fourth is locked up downstairs, screaming about golden fire." He grabbed her wrist, not hard enough to hurt but firm enough that she could not pull away. "What are you?"

Lyra met his stare. "Just a girl trying to feed her brother. Let me go. I won't say anything about tonight. I swear."

His grip tightened for a second, then he let go. He stood up and walked to the small table where her uniform jacket lay folded. He picked up her scent-blocker patch and held it between two fingers.

"These things only hide weak wolves or humans. But you are not weak." His voice dropped lower. "My wolf should have smelt you the moment you stepped into my office. Yet I got nothing until that power burst out of you."

Lyra's throat felt tight. She had worn the blockers for three years. They cost most of her pay but kept her alive. Now everything was falling apart.

Xavier came back to the bed. This time, he sat on the edge, close enough that she could smell cedarwood and the coppery scent of blood. "The board wants me married. A quiet human wife to make me look stable. My wolf is... difficult. It attacks anyone too close. But you. You jumped in front of a silver blade for me."

"I didn't do it for you," she shot back. Her temper rose despite the pain. "I did it because if you died, they would shut this place down. I need this job. My brother needs the money."

Something shifted in his eyes. Not softer, exactly. But I'm interested. Like a businessman who just found a new deal.

He pulled out his phone and tapped it a few times. "Your family owes Marcus Kane thirty-eight thousand dollars. High interest. Your brother Toby is due to start working it off in one month." He turned the screen so she could see the debt file. "Kane is a cruel man. He breaks kids like your brother for fun."

Tears burned Lyra's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "How do you know all this?"

"I know everything about the people who work in my building." He put the phone away. "I can wipe out the debt. All of it. Kane will never touch your brother again. Toby gets the best doctors. A real home. School. Safety."

Lyra's heart jumped with hope, but she knew nothing came free. "What do you want?"

Xavier smiled, cold and sharp. "You. For thirty days. You will pretend to be my human fiancée. Smile for the cameras. Sit beside me at meetings. Look at me as if I were the only man in the world. The board needs to see me settled. Stable. In control."

Her stomach dropped. "No."

"You will live here in the penthouse. Separate rooms. No touching unless we are in public. After thirty days, you walk away with your family free and enough money to start over anywhere."

Lyra shook her head even though the offer sounded too good. "I won't be your toy. Find someone else."

"There is no one else." His voice grew rough. "My wolf has already marked you as interesting. If I let you leave now, you will be dead by morning. The attackers had help from inside my company. They will come for you to finish the job."

She stared at him, chest tight with anger and fear. This man was everything she hated. Rich. Cold. Used to owning people. But Toby's thin face kept flashing in her mind. The way he coughed at night. The way he still smiled at her like she could fix everything.

"How do I know you will keep your word?" she asked.

Xavier pulled papers from a folder on the table. "I had my lawyers draw this up while you slept. Sign it, and the debt disappears tonight. Refuse..." He shrugged. "I hand you over to my security team for questioning. And your brother stays in the Fringe."

Lyra's hands shook as she took the papers. The words blurred, but she forced herself to read them. Thirty days. Fake fiancée. Complete debt wipe. Medical care for Toby. One hundred thousand dollars at the end.

She looked up at him. "You are a bully. Hiding behind money and power."

"And you are hiding something much bigger," he replied. "We both have secrets. Sign, Lyra. Or watch your brother pay for your choice."

Her chest hurt worse than the gunshot wound. She thought about Toby sleeping in their tiny room right now, trusting her to make things better. She picked up the pen.

With a deep breath, she signed her name on the line.

Xavier took the papers, a satisfied look crossing his face. "Smart girl."

But before he could say more, his phone rang. He answered it, listening for a few seconds. His face changed. The cold mask slipped, and real anger showed.

He ended the call and looked at her. "The man we caught downstairs just talked. The order to kill me came from my own board member. And he told them about the girl with golden power."

Lyra's blood ran cold.

Xavier stood up fast. "They are coming for you tonight."