Terms and Conditions
1124 Words
Ava had spent the entire flight imagining what she would say if she ever stood face-to-face with Ryker Blackwood. She had rehearsed arguments, accusations, and at least a dozen different ways of refusing his proposal.
None of them survived the first thirty seconds.
The Alpha King stood across from her while the fire crackled softly in the background. His expression remained calm, but there was an alertness in his eyes that made Ava feel as though every word mattered.
"Have you decided whether you're going to hate me," he asked quietly, "or hear me out first?"
Ava folded her arms, more to steady herself than anything else.
"That depends."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"On what?"
"Whether your explanation is better than your proposal."
Something that looked remarkably close to genuine amusement flashed through his eyes before disappearing.
"Fair enough."
He moved toward one of the armchairs and gestured toward the seat opposite him. Ava remained standing.
The invitation lingered between them for a moment before Ryker lowered himself into the chair instead.
"You don't trust me."
"No."
The answer came so quickly that even Ava surprised herself.
Ryker simply nodded.
"At least you're honest."
Ava almost laughed.
The situation was absurd. She had been flown across the territory in a private helicopter to discuss a marriage contract with a man she had met less than five minutes ago. Trust wasn't even on the list of things she was struggling with.
Ryker settled back into his chair, looking perfectly relaxed. The impression didn't fool her. There was something intensely focused about him. She could practically feel him observing every detail—the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers tightened around the contract, the fact that she kept positioning herself closer to the door than to him.
Nothing seemed to escape his attention.
"Ask your questions," he said.
Ava frowned.
"What?"
"You're carrying at least a dozen of them."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the papers in her hands.
"Ask."
For a moment, she considered beginning with the contract itself.
Instead, a different question escaped first.
"Why me?"
The room fell quiet.
Not the money.
Not the estate.
Not the marriage.
Just that.
Why her?
Ryker's expression became unreadable.
"I expected that question."
"Good. Then answer it."
He leaned back slightly.
"The Alpha Council wants me married."
Ava waited.
When he didn't continue, she raised an eyebrow.
"That's your explanation?"
A hint of frustration crossed his face.
"No."
The single word sounded sharper than anything else he had said so far.
"The Council believes an unmated Alpha King creates instability. For the last two years they've been pushing political alliances, introductions, negotiations—anything that might result in a marriage."
"And you don't want one of those alliances."
"No."
This time the answer carried unmistakable certainty.
Ava studied him carefully.
That part, at least, sounded completely genuine.
"So instead of marrying someone powerful, you decided to marry a stranger?"
"I decided to marry someone outside pack politics."
Ava stared.
"You chose a florist."
For the first time, the smile returned.
Small.
Brief.
Dangerously effective.
"Technically, yes."
She hated how easily he managed to appear calm while discussing a decision that had turned her life upside down.
Lifting the contract, she held it between them.
"And this?"
"The financial terms are exactly as written."
"That's not what I meant."
Her voice sharpened.
"There are thousands of women who would sign this contract without reading it. So why am I sitting here?"
The question lingered.
For the first time since entering the room, Ryker didn't answer immediately.
His gaze shifted toward the fire.
Then toward the rain beyond the windows.
The hesitation lasted only a moment, but it was enough.
Ava suddenly realized something important.
He didn't know everything.
The discovery unsettled her more than it should have.
Powerful men were supposed to have answers.
Especially men like Ryker Blackwood.
When he finally looked back at her, his voice was quieter.
"Because your name was given to me."
Ava frowned.
"By who?"
"I don't know."
The answer hit her like a physical blow.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
His jaw tightened.
"I mean exactly what I said."
The fire crackled softly between them.
Ava searched his face for any sign that he was lying.
She found none.
Only irritation.
And something that looked disturbingly close to frustration.
"What kind of answer is that?"
"The only one I have."
It wasn't reassuring.
If anything, it made the situation worse.
Ava lowered her gaze to the contract again.
The unease she had felt since receiving it returned immediately.
Then she remembered the date.
The strange date hidden near the signature page.
Slowly, she stepped forward and turned the document toward him.
"Then explain this."
Ryker accepted the papers without hesitation.
His eyes moved down the page.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then he went completely still.
Ava noticed it immediately.
Not because of any dramatic reaction.
Because there wasn't one.
The change was subtle.
His posture stiffened.
His attention locked onto the bottom of the page.
And suddenly all of his focus narrowed to a single line of text.
"What is this?"
The question sounded strangely flat.
Ava blinked.
"The contract."
His eyes never left the page.
"No."
A muscle tightened along his jaw.
"This date."
Ava stared at him.
A slow, uncomfortable realization began forming in the back of her mind.
"You didn't know?"
For the first time that evening, Ryker looked genuinely caught off guard.
"Know what?"
Ava stepped closer and pointed toward the signature page.
"The contract says you signed it three years ago."
Silence settled over the room.
The fire continued burning.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Neither sound seemed capable of reaching them.
Ryker looked at the page.
Then at Ava.
Then back at the date again.
His expression had lost all traces of amusement.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low enough that she almost missed it.
"I've never seen this version of the contract."
Ava stared at him.
The words made no sense.
Nothing about the situation made sense.
"That's impossible."
"Apparently not."
The response came quietly, but a darker emotion now sat beneath every word.
Not anger directed at her.
Something colder.
Something focused elsewhere.
Ava felt her grip tighten on the papers.
Because if Ryker Blackwood was telling the truth, then someone had altered the agreement.
Someone had forged documents connected to the most powerful Alpha in the country.
Someone had inserted her name.
And somehow, that person had known exactly where to find Ava Winters.
For the first time since receiving the proposal, the marriage itself no longer felt like the biggest problem.
The mystery behind it did.
- Writer
