Chapter5 This arrangement benefits us both

Silver's POV

The private room door swung open before I could knock, and Rhydian stood there, backlit by warm lighting that made his dark hair gleam. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

"Come in." His voice was low, controlled, but something in it made my pulse quicken.

I stepped inside, acutely aware of how out of place I looked in my cheap server's uniform. The room screamed money—plush leather chairs, crystal decanters, a view of Manhattan.

The door clicked shut behind me.

"How have you been?" Rhydian asked, moving to pour amber liquid into two glasses.

"Fine." The lie came automatically, a reflex born from years of survival. "The job's good. I'm managing."

He turned, one eyebrow raised, and held out a glass. "Are you?"

I took it, our fingers brushing. The contact sent a jolt through me that I tried to ignore, focusing instead on the whiskey. I'd never tasted alcohol before—the elders in Blackwood Ridge considered it sinful, another way to control what little freedom we had.

"I saw how that manager looks at you." Rhydian's voice was deceptively calm, but something dark flickered in his eyes. "I saw how the other servers treat you."

Heat crept up my neck.

I took a sip of whiskey to buy myself time, immediately regretting it as the liquid burned down my throat. I coughed, eyes watering, and Rhydian's lips twitched in what might have been amusement.

"First time?" he asked.

"Is it that obvious?" I managed, still trying to catch my breath.

"Everything about you is obvious." He said it gently, concern flickering in those ice-blue eyes. "You're exhausted. Not just from work."

"Have you noticed?" His voice dropped lower. "The influx of unfamiliar wolves in Manhattan these past few days?"

My breath caught. I had noticed—how could I not? Every shadow made me flinch, every stranger's scent made my heart race. I'd barely slept, constantly afraid that Slade would appear and drag me back to Blackwood Ridge.

"I've been trying to figure out how to remove the mark," I admitted quietly, my hand unconsciously moving to my neck. "There are ways, but they all require..." I trailed off, unable to finish.

"Intimate contact with another alpha." Rhydian's jaw tightened. "To override Slade's claim with a stronger one."

I nodded, shame burning through me. "I can't... I don't..."

"I know." He stepped closer, his presence somehow both overwhelming and comforting. "Which is why I have a proposition for you. Move into my estate. Tonight."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"You need a safe place to stay. I have more than enough room." He turned, meeting my eyes. "Your own suite, your own space. You can come and go as you please."

"I don't understand." Confusion washed over me. "Why would you do that for me?"

"Honestly?" A muscle worked in his jaw. "I'm being pressured by my family's elders to bond with someone I don't even know. An arranged mating to strengthen pack alliances."

His laugh was bitter. "They don't care that she's not my true mate. They don't care that I feel nothing when I look at her."

He stepped closer.

"If I have to bond with a stranger," he continued, voice dropping lower, "I'd rather it be someone I chose."

My heart hammered. "You're asking me to be your mate?"

"I'm asking you to consider a mutually beneficial arrangement." His gaze was steady, patient.

"But why me?" The question tumbled out before I could stop it. "You're... you're powerful, wealthy. There must be plenty of women who would be willing to help you. Women who understand your world better than I do."

"You're right. There are many people wil jump at this chance." His voice turned slightly cynical. "But the human world—and the wolf world—is far more complicated than you realize. Everyone has an agenda. Everyone wants something."

He moved closer. "But you're different. You're pure in your intentions. You just want to be free, to be safe. You're not looking to climb social ladders or forge political alliances."

His ice-blue eyes held mine. "I can protect you from Slade. I can override his mark and give you the safety you need. In exchange, you become my mate during this time—just in name, nothing more. Just a simple arrangement to appease my family until we both find what we're really looking for."

"That's all?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.

"That's all," he confirmed softly. "You get to figure out who you are without fear. I get time to search for my true mate without being forced into a political bonding. When this is over, we part ways. Clean. Simple."

I stared at him, trying to process what he was offering. It sounded too good to be true. But then again, everything about Rhydian Vaughn seemed too good to be true.

I stared at him, my mind racing. It was insane. Absolutely insane. But...

"What exactly would this arrangement entail?" I asked carefully.

Relief flickered across his face. "A simple bonding ceremony. Temporary marks only—nothing permanent unless we both agree later. We'd live together, present as a bonded pair to satisfy the elders. But your life would be your own. Your choices would be your own."

"And when you find your true mate?"

"Then we end the arrangement. Cleanly, fairly." His expression was earnest. "I'll make sure you're set up for life—education, housing, whatever you need."

I looked away, weighing my options. Rhydian had already helped me once, asking nothing in return. And the mark Slade left made me vulnerable every single day.

"The mark Slade left on you," Rhydian said quietly, as if reading my thoughts, "it might be temporary, but it still makes you trackable. If he finds you..."

My hand moved unconsciously to my neck, fingers brushing over the mark that burned like a constant reminder of what awaited me if Slade found me. Every unfamiliar wolf's scent on the street made my blood run cold.

"I'll do it," I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt.

Relief flickered across his face, quickly masked. "You're sure?"

I nodded, even as my heart raced. "You're right. I can't keep running on my own. And if this helps us both..." I took a breath. "Yes. I agree."

"Callum will go with you to collect your things and bring you to the estate." There was an unmistakable lightness in his voice now. "As for the restaurant, you don't need to work here anymore. I'll arrange something better for you later."

"Thank you," I said softly. "For everything."

"Don't thank me yet." His eyes gleamed in the light, and I caught the faintest curve of his lips—not quite a smile, but close. "This arrangement benefits us both, remember?"

But the warmth in his voice, the way his gaze lingered on me with unmistakable satisfaction, told me he was far more pleased with my answer than he was letting on.

---

Callum was waiting in the main dining room, and the walk to his car was mercifully free of commentary from my coworkers. But I could feel their stares, their jealousy, and speculation burning into my back.

The car was as sleek and expensive as I'd expected, all leather and new-car smell. I gave Callum the address of the shelter where I'd been staying—a women's crisis center that asked no questions and offered three nights' accommodation before you had to move on.

"How long have you been staying there?" Callum asked as we pulled into traffic.

"This is my second round." I stared out the window at the passing lights. "They let you come back after a week away. I've been rotating between three different shelters."

He was quiet for a long moment. "You made the right choice. There's no alpha in Manhattan—perhaps in all of North America—who can offer you better protection than Mr. Vaughn."

I turned to look at him, surprised by the conviction in his voice.

"He doesn't make promises lightly," Callum continued, his eyes still on the road. "And once he's decided to protect someone, nothing and no one will get through him. Not Slade Grimm, not the Council, not anyone."

There was something almost reverent in the way he spoke about Rhydian, a loyalty that went beyond a simple employer-employee relationship.

But before I could ask what he meant by that, the car rolled to a stop.

"We're here," Callum announced.

I looked out the window at the familiar worn facade of the shelter, its flickering neon sign casting shadows on the cracked pavement.