His Fake Girlfriend, His True Mate

Chapter 8

_Lyra's POV_

After the rumor scandal, the PR team decided that the best solution was more public content. They wanted people to see that Ryder and I were still together. This meant that we would be taking more pictures and videos and spending more time together.

I stared at the schedule on my laptop and sighed. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Jenna looked up from her desk. “What?”

I turned the screen toward her. “They want us to film an entire day of couple content.”

A smile appeared on her face. “That is actually a good idea.”

“For who?”

“For the team.”

I pointed at the schedule. “Eight hours with Ryder Kane.”

Jenna laughed. “You say that like it is a punishment.”

“Because it is.”

“You know, most people would love to spend a day with him.”

I looked at her. “Those people have clearly never had a conversation with him.”

She laughed again. “Maybe you are starting to understand him.”

I looked away because I did not want to admit that she might be right.

Lately, I had been noticing things about Ryder that I tried not to think about. The way he always noticed when I was tired. The way he quietly made sure that I had a place to sit during meetings. The way he pretended not to care but always made sure I was safe.

It was confusing.

And I hated feeling confused....especially when the person confusing me was Ryder Kane.

The filming started at noon. The plan was simple. We needed to show fans the life of the Frostfang captain and his girlfriend. It was supposed to be a normal couple video. Except Ryder and I were anything but normal....or a real couple.

“Smile,” the photographer instructed.

Ryder and I stood beside each other in front of the team logo. I smiled at the camera but Ryder remained completely expressionless.

The photographer lowered his camera. “Ryder.”

“What?”

“Try to look happy.”

“I am.”

The photographer stared at him. I glanced at Ryder.

“You look like you are about to fire someone.”

“I am just standing here.”

“Yes, while looking like you hate everyone around you.”

“I always look like this.”

I tried not to laugh.

“That is not something to be proud of.”

His gray eyes moved to mine. “And you always talk too much.”

“At least I look alive.”

For a brief moment, something changed in his expression. It was small...almost a smile. Then it disappeared before I could be sure I had seen it.

The photographer quickly lifted his camera and took the picture.

“Perfect.”

I looked at him. “That was perfect?”

He smiled as he checked the photo. “Yes. The tension works.”

My face warmed. “Tension?”

The photographer looked between us. “It looks real.”

I glanced at Ryder. He looked away but I noticed the slight change in his expression and the way his jaw tightened.

The next part of filming took place around the arena. We walked through the locker room, the training area and the empty seats where fans usually filled the stands. The entire time, Ryder stayed serious.

After a while, I stopped walking and looked at him. “Are you always like this?”

He turned toward me. “Like what?”

“Like you are attending your own funeral.”

His eyebrow lifted slightly. “That does not even make sense.”

“It does.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

I crossed my arms. “You are supposed to make people believe that we are a happy couple.”

His expression remained calm.

“We are.”

I blinked. “What?”

“We are pretending.”

“Oh.”

I looked away. For some reason, that answer bothered me more than it should have.

Ryder noticed the change in my expression. “You asked.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you quiet?”

“Because you are annoying.”

“That is not an answer.”

I looked back at him. “You are impossible.”

Something unexpected happened. For a brief moment, Ryder actually looked amused. Then he said quietly, “You noticed.”

I tried to stop myself from smiling but I failed. And for once, Ryder did not hide his smile either. It felt strange to see him actually happy.

Later, we filmed a cooking segment for the team’s social media. Which, honestly, was probably a terrible idea. Because Ryder Kane clearly had no idea how to behave like a normal person in a kitchen.

“You are holding the knife wrong,” he said.

I looked at him. “I know how to cut vegetables.”

“You are doing it incorrectly.”

“I did not ask for a hockey captain’s opinion on chopping onions.”

“You should.”

“Why?”

“Because I am usually right.”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “You are unbelievable.”

Ryder took the knife from my hand. Our fingers touched. For a moment, neither of us moved. The noise around us seemed to disappear and that strange feeling returned. The same feeling I always felt whenever Ryder got too close. I looked at him but his eyes were already on my hand. Then, almost immediately, he stepped back.

“You were holding it wrong.”

I blinked. “That is what you are saying?”

“Yes.”

“You just wanted an excuse to take the knife.”

“No.”

A small smile appeared on my face. “Ryder Kane, did you just want to help me?”

“No.”

“You answered too quickly.”

“I did not.”

“You did.”

He looked away and for some reason, seeing him uncomfortable made me want to tease him even more.

Interesting.

I was starting to enjoy annoying Ryder Kane.

That was probably a very bad sign.

___________

By the time we finished filming, the storm outside had become much worse. Rain hit the arena windows so hard that it sounded like thousands of tiny rocks.

Jenna checked her phone and frowned. “The weather is getting bad.”

I looked toward the windows. “Are we still leaving?”

“I am trying to call security."

Before she could finish, the lights suddenly flickered and went out. The entire arena was covered in darkness. A few seconds later, the emergency lights turned on, casting a dim glow around us. Everyone froze.

“What happened?” I asked.

Jenna looked at her phone again. “The storm probably affected the power system.”

Then another notification appeared. Her expression changed.

“What is it?”

She looked up at us. “The security system activated.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means the doors have automatically locked.”

My eyes widened. “Locked?”

She nodded. “The system should reset once the power comes back.”

I looked around the empty arena. “And when will that happen?”

Jenna stared at her phone for a moment before sighing. “I have no idea.”

An hour later, everyone had managed to leave through the emergency exit except Ryder and me. Because we had still been filming in another part of the arena when the evacuation started, we had completely missed it.

Perfect.

Just perfect.

I sat on one of the benches and looked at Ryder, who was standing nearby with the same calm expression he always wore.

“This is your fault.”

His gray eyes moved toward me. “My fault?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

I crossed my arms. “Because every strange thing that happens to me somehow involves you.”

He stared at me for a moment. “That makes no sense.”

“It does.”

“No, it does not.”

“You are the common problem.”

For a second, Ryder only looked at me, like he was trying to decide if I was serious. Then he said:

“That is the first time someone has called me a problem.”

I smiled. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Everyone thinks you are difficult.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you surprised?”

His expression changed slightly and he looked away. “Because most people do not say it to my face.”

I laughed softly. “Well, I am not most people.”

His eyes returned to mine. “No.”

The way he said it was different. It was almost like those two words meant more than he wanted them to.

The silence between us grew heavier but not in an uncomfortable way. It felt different...like there was something neither of us wanted to say.

I looked at Ryder carefully. “You are acting strange.”

His eyes moved toward me. “I always act strange.”

I smiled slightly. “No. This is different.”

For a moment, he said nothing. Then he looked away. I noticed it immediately. Ryder Kane was avoiding my eyes. That was new.

“You are avoiding me.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“No.”

I crossed my arms. “You are terrible at lying.”

His expression changed slightly like he wanted to argue with me. But he didn’t. And somehow, that made me even more curious.

Then I heard it. A sound coming from the dark hallway. I froze.

Ryder noticed immediately. “What?”

I looked toward the darkness. “Did you hear that?”

His entire body became still. The change happened so quickly that it almost scared me more than the sound itself. One second, he was Ryder Kane, the cold hockey captain who always seemed impossible to read. The next, he was different. He was alert and dangerous.

My breath caught because I had seen this side of him before. On the ice, when the puck had flown toward me, Ryder had moved without hesitation. He had protected me before I even realized I was in danger.

“What is it?” I whispered.

He did not answer. He was listening....like he could hear something that was impossible for me to hear.

I stared at him. “How did you know something was there?”

His eyes moved toward me. “What?”

“You knew.”

His expression hardened. “Stay here.”

I frowned. “Ryder.”

“Lyra.”

The way he said my name made me stop because it was not an order. He was genuinely worried about me. Before I could say anything else, another sound echoed through the arena.

It was a low growl.

My blood ran cold. Ryder immediately moved in front of me. He was protecting me again. I stared at his back. I remembered the way he had shielded me on the ice.

“Ryder…”

He slowly turned his head. For a brief second, the emergency lights reflected in his eyes. And I saw it.

A flash of gold.

My heart stopped. It was the same impossible color. The same thing I thought I had imagined before.

His expression changed when he saw my reaction. Then he lifted one finger to his lips. It was a silent warning to stay quiet.

I held my breath. Because outside the room, something moved. Something large. Something that sounded far too much like a wolf.

And Ryder Kane looked like he already knew exactly what was waiting for us.