Chapter 4

I couldn't believe my ears..

Did he just propose to me?

Ryder didn’t even flinch, he simply reached for his glass of water and took a slow sip while I continued coughing, staring at him like the man had completely lost his fucking mind.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“You want me to marry you?”

“Yes.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to laugh or tell me he was joking, but the bastard remained completely serious.

“But why?”

He set his glass down and leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on me. “I need a wife.”

I stared at him, unable to process what he’d just said. “That’s your reason for this sudden proposal.”

He stayed quiet.

I dropped my napkin onto the table. “You dragged me out of a forest, told me I’m trapped here because of some ancient witch spell, and now you’re asking me to marry you. Do you even hear yourself?”

“I didn’t drag you anywhere.”

“Right, you carried me here against my will.”

“I saved your life!”

“That doesn’t make it better!”

His jaw tightened slightly, but instead of arguing with me, he simply leaned back in his chair. “I need to rebuild my reputation with the people of Ravenhill.”

I tilted my head, confused “Your reputation?”

“Yes.”

I glanced toward the window, remembering the severed wolf heads hanging outside my bedroom.

“Ryder, I’m pretty sure your reputation is already beyond saving.”

His eyes narrowed at me. “I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”

“And yet here I am giving it for free.”

He stared at me for another second before continuing. “The people of Ravenhill fear me. They believe I’m some fucking bloodthirsty monster who lives in the forest and kills anyone who comes near me.”

I slowly raised an eyebrow. “You kind of haven’t done much to prove them wrong.”

His expression darkened. I immediately returned my attention to my breakfast.

“Anyway,” he continued, “I need to return to Ravenhill soon. And I need you to help me do that.”

I stopped eating and looked at him. “Well I don't know how you want me to help. We can't even leave the forest.”

“You can't,” he said

My brows pulled together. “What?”

“You’re bound to the forest. Mine isn't like that.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “So you’re telling me you can leave whenever you want?”

“Yes.”

“Then why the hell are you living here?”

“Because I choose to.”

Of course. That was probably the most Ryder answer he could have given me. He picked up his phone again, but I wasn’t letting him off that easily.

“So if you can leave, and you can. You don't need my help then.”

“I do.” His eyes lifted from his phone. “If you’re with me, the spell won’t stop you.”

I froze.“Wait.”

He said nothing. “You’re telling me I can leave Hayon?”

“Yes for a few hours..”

My heart suddenly jumped. “Seriously?”

“You can leave with me, but we have to return before sunset.”

My excitement slowly faded. “Why?”

“Because the spell will pull you back once the sun goes down, and if you’re outside the boundary when it happens…”

He paused.

I swallowed. “What?”

“You die.”

My stomach dropped. “Right.”

I looked down at my plate, suddenly not feeling quite as hungry anymore.

“So let me get this straight,” I said slowly. “You want me to pretend to be your wife so you can return to Ravenhill and rebuild your reputation, and because I’m with you, I’ll be able to leave the forest too?”

“Exactly.”

I stared at him.n“And you think pretending to be married to a packless omega everyone in Ravenhill already hates is somehow going to improve your reputation?”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re going to have to stop reminding me about the packless part.”

I smiled sweetly. You’re the one who keeps bringing it up now.”

He ignored that.

“You’ll accompany me to Ravenhill as my wife. You’ll stay by my side, follow my instructions for the next three months.”

I leaned back in my chair, still trying to process the ridiculousness of my situation.

Yesterday, I had been homeless, starving, and ready to end my life.

Today, I was sitting in the mansion of the most feared Alpha in Ravenhill while he casually asked me to become his wife. A fake wife, apparently. I looked at him suspiciously.

“And what exactly do I get out of this?”

For the first time that morning, Ryder’s lips curved into the faintest hint of a smirk.

“A better life,” he said. “A life where you don’t have to worry about anything. I have money, Madelyn.”

I stared at him. He was right. Money meant food. A roof over my head. Clothes. Safety. Things I had spent years struggling to get.

And now this man was offering all of it to me like it was nothing.

Damn it. He knew exactly how to make that offer impossible to refuse.

“Deal,” I finally said, the word leaving my mouth before I could change my mind. “But first, we need to fix that attitude of yours.”

Ryder stared at me for a moment, his expression completely unreadable.

Then he simply shook his head. “Finish your meal, then we’ll talk more.”

I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork again, trying to hide the small smile threatening to appear on my face. Apparently, I had just agreed to become the wife of the most feared Alpha in Ravenhill.

Moon Goddess help me.

I continued eating, although my mind was already racing with a hundred questions.

What exactly did he expect from me as his wife? How long was this arrangement supposed to last? And most importantly, what happened when the people of Ravenhill found out that the packless omega they had spent years looking down on was suddenly married to their most feared Alpha?

I glanced at Ryder.

He was still focused on his phone, completely calm as though he hadn’t just asked me to marry him over breakfast.

“You know,” I said, breaking the silence, “most people actually take their time before asking someone to marry them.”

His eyes remained on his phone. “Most people aren’t in our situation.”

“That’s true.” I took another bite. “Most people aren’t psychotic with severed heads dangling from their homes.”

His eyes slowly lifted toward me.

I smiled innocently. “What?”

He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head and returning to his phone. I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me.nFor some reason, irritating Ryder was already becoming one of my favorite things to do. I finished my meal and pushed the plate away.

“Done.”

Ryder looked at my empty plate before checking the time. “Good girl.” He stood from his chair, and I watched as he buttoned the cuff of his sleeve.

“Come with me.”

I frowned. “Where?”

“We have things to discuss before we leave.”

“Leave?”

He glanced at me.n“You wanted to go to Ravenhill.”

I immediately stood.“Wait, we’re going today?”

“Yes.”

My heart skipped.

After spending years feeling trapped in Ravenhill, and then barely twelve hours trapped inside Hayon, the thought of actually stepping outside the forest made something inside me stir with excitement.

Then I remembered the condition.

Before sunset. I followed Ryder out of the dining room, but before I could reach the hallway, he stopped.

“One more thing.”

I looked up at him.

“When we get to Ravenhill, you stay close to me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was going to be your wife. Isn’t staying close kind of the point?”

His gaze lingered on me for a second. “Madelyn.”

Something about his tone made my smile disappear.

“This isn’t a joke.”

I swallowed.n“What happens if I don’t?”

His eyes darkened. “You die.”

Right. I nodded slowly. “Got it.”

“We’re going to introduce you to the mayor,” he said walking

I stopped walking. “The mayor?”

“Mayor Gomez.”

I stared at him. “Major Gomez?” I repeated, making sure I had heard him correctly.

“Yes.”

“That asshole,” I muttered under my breath.

Ryder stopped and slowly looked over his shoulder.

“Any problem?”

“Nothing.”

He studied me for another second before turning around and continuing down the hallway.

“We need the town to believe we’re actually married,” he said casually. “So when we’re in Ravenhill, you need to act like you love me.”

My eyes widened. “Love you?”

“Yes.” He stopped walking again and turned toward me. “And I need you to act like you’re obsessed with me.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Obsessed?”

“Completely obsessed.” He started walking toward me, slowly closing the distance between us until I had to tilt my head back just to keep looking at him.

My back almost touched the wall behind me.

Ryder stopped only inches away. His familiar scent surrounded me, and suddenly I was painfully aware of how close he was. My heart began beating faster, and I hated that he could probably hear every single fucking beat. His eyes held mine, his expression unreadable. “You think you can do that?” he asked quietly.

I swallowed. Why did he have to stand so close?

I forced myself to breathe normally, even though my body seemed to have forgotten how.

“I…” I cleared my throat, trying desperately to gather my thoughts. “I need to at least know something about you to be obsessed.”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “What do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

I crossed my arms, trying to regain some of the confidence I’d lost the moment he stepped closer.

“Your favorite food. Your favorite color. What you do when you’re angry. What you like. What you hate. Anything that would make me look like I actually know you.”

For a moment, he said nothing. Then the corner of his mouth lifted. “That's too many questions.”

“That needs answers.”

His eyes remained on mine. “Fine.”

He stepped back, finally giving me room to breathe.

“You’ll have your answers.”

I smiled. “Good. Because if I’m going to pretend to be your obsessed wife, I need material.”

He shook his head and continued walking.

“Okay, one question at a time. Shoot.”

I hurried after him, thinking for a moment about what to ask first. “How old are you?”

“120.”

I froze. “What?”

He turned to look at me, completely unfazed.

“One hundred and twenty.”

I stared at him, my mouth falling open as I looked him up and down. He looked nothing like one hundred and twenty.

The thought escaped my mouth before my brain could stop it. “How can you look so fucking hot at 120?”

Ryder stopped walking. For a second, he just stared at me. Then he let out a low laugh. “So you think I’m hot?”

My cheeks immediately heated. “That’s not the point,” I said quickly, looking away. “I mean… no. That’s not what I meant.”

His amusement only seemed to grow. “Sure.”

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure.

“No Lycan has lived to 120.”

“That’s because I’m not like you.”

He turned and continued walking, leaving me staring after him.

I hurried to catch up. “Wait, what does that mean?”

He didn’t answer. “Ryder?” Nothing.

I sighed. “Answer me, mysterious old man.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s enough questions for today.”

“What? I barely asked you anything.”

“And yet somehow you’ve already asked enough.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

He reached the end of the hallway and pushed open the large doors leading toward the main entrance.

“Come.”

“Where are we going?”

“To introduce you to everyone.” I followed him, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the man walking in front of me was apparently one hundred and twenty years old, granddaddy.

And somehow looked like he was thirty. This was going to be one hell of a fake marriage.