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I don’t answer immediately, gathering my thoughts. “I don’t,” I finally say. “But if I don’t go, Vane is going to send somebody else or he’s going to go himself. And I don’t trust him not to hurt her to get what he wants. You heard him. I don’t trust him or his daughter.”

Erik studies me. “And if Maya refuses to return?”

“Then, I’ll find another way.” My voice hardens. “But I won’t force her. That was never an option.”

He nods slowly. “I’ll go with you.”

“No.” My refusal is immediate. “The kingdom needs at least one of us here. And this is something I need to do alone.”

Something akin to understanding flickers in his eyes. “You still love her,” he says quietly.

I don’t deny it. What would be the point? The emptiness in my chest where our bond once hummed with life tells me it’s true.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel,” I tell Erik. “All that matters is finding a cure for our people.”

But as I walk away, the lie tastes bitter on my tongue.

GenTherapeutics occupies the top floors of a gleaming, glass tower in downtown Seattle. Everything about it speaks of cutting-edge innovation and expensive taste—from the minimalist lobby to the security guards who look like they’ve been genetically engineered for intimidation.

The private jet landed at dawn, and I’ve spent the hours since then reviewing everything Erik could tell me about the company. Specializing in rare genetic disorders and gene-targeted therapies, their work seems very much in line with Maya’s prior fields of research.

She wanted to disappear. If she has rebuilt her life here, do I have the right to disrupt it? Even for the sake of the kingdom?

Losing the connection to one’s wolf is a slow, painful death. The only reason I survived back in that cell was because I am of royal blood; my strength is greater than that of other shifters.

Aria is dying. After her, others will follow. The disease is spreading, and we’re running out of options.

As the elevator ascends, I straighten my tie, a human gesture that feels strange. The human world requires different camouflage—an expensive suit, a corporate demeanor, wealth displayed subtly but unmistakably. The game is different here, but power is still the currency.

The receptionist directs me to a conference room on the top floor, her practiced smile never wavering despite my curt responses to her small talk. The room is sleek and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the Seattle skyline.

I take a seat at the head of the table, instinct placing me in the position of authority. The minutes tick by, each one stretching my already frayed patience even thinner.

When the door finally opens, it’s not Maya who enters, but a young man in a lab coat.

“Mr. Wild?” He extends his hand. “I’m Dr. James Chen, COO of GenTherapeutics. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

I shake his hand, noting the firm grip—a human attempting to establish dominance the only way he knows how. “I was expecting to meet with your head researcher.”

“Dr. Sorin is tied up in the lab at the moment,” he explains with an apologetic smile. “A breakthrough that can’t be interrupted. I’d be happy to discuss your proposal in her place.”

Maya’s name in his mouth sends a jolt through me. So, it is her. A part of me still doubted, still thought Erik’s information could have been wrong.

“No,” I say firmly. “My business is with Dr. Sorin specifically. I’ll wait.”

Dr. Chen’s smile tightens almost imperceptibly. “I’m afraid Dr. Sorin’s schedule is completely booked for the next week. If you’d like to make an appointment after—”

“That won’t be necessary.” I rise, towering over him slightly. “Please inform Dr. Sorin that Griffin Wild is here to see her regarding an urgent matter that affects the lives of hundreds.”

He hesitates, clearly caught between corporate protocol and the intensity of my stare. “I—I’ll see what I can do,” he finally says, backing toward the door. “Please help yourself to coffee while you wait.”

Once he’s gone, I stand by the window, gazing out at the city spread below. So different from my kingdom—chaotic, polluted, entirely human. This is where she chose to rebuild? Among steel and glass and strangers?

The minutes stretch into an hour. I remain standing, patient as only a predator can be. She’s testing me, making me wait to establish control over the interaction. I allow it. This small victory for her costs me nothing.

Finally, the door opens again. This time, there’s no mistaking the scent—lavender and chemicals and something uniquely her. I turn slowly, keeping my expression neutral despite the way my heart is hammering against my ribs.

Maya stands in the doorway, white lab coat over a simple blouse and dark pants, her hair pulled back in a severe bun. She’s thinner than when I last saw her, her face sharper, more angular. But her eyes—they haven’t changed. Clear, intelligent, and carefully devoid of emotion.

“Griffin.” Her voice is cool, almost like she is greeting a stranger.

“Maya.”

She steps fully into the room, closing the door behind her. “What are you doing here?”

For a moment, I say nothing, drinking in the sight of her like a parched man.

She has let her hair grow out. If I thought she was thin when we escaped, she has lost even more weight now.

“I’m sorry about your mother—”

She stares at me as if my words are meaningless. “Why are you here?”

I feel some confusion at the lack of emotion in those eyes at the mention of her mother. However, “I need your help,” is what I say.

“My help.” She doesn’t betray any emotion, everything locked up inside her, behind that calm, cool mask. “With what?”

It bothers me, the way she doesn’t react, the way she looks at me as if I’m no one significant to her. I don’t know what I expected, but this cold indifference certainly wasn’t it.

“There’s a disease spreading among my people. The antidote you developed before leaving only works on the first strain. This mutation is resistant.”

Her eyes narrow. “And this concerns me how, exactly?”

The lack of empathy has me staggering. This is not the Maya I remember, not my warm-hearted Maya.

“Three hundred forty-two shifters affected so far,” I continue, trying to ignore her apathy. “Forty-seven in critical condition. Without intervention, the death toll will continue to rise.”

Professional interest flickers briefly across her face before disappearing behind her mask of indifference. “I’m sure your healers are perfectly capable—”

“They’re not.” I take a step closer. “You know they’re not. This is beyond traditional healing. It requires your expertise in shifter biology and human medical science.”

She studies me. “I don’t know what you expect me to do.”

“I want you to continue your work on the antidote. You are the only one who can create a cure. You’ve done it once before.”

“Sorry.” Her voice is cool. “I’m not interested. I don’t want to be dragged back into your world.”

My jaw tightens. “The people you care about will also be affected, Maya. Jerry, Erik—”

“The people I care about?” She stares at me as if I’ve said something foreign. “You mean the same people who let my mother burn alive in her cottage? The ones who refused to return because a human mother and daughter were not worth coming back for?”

“We didn’t know, Maya—” I begin, my tone gentle.

“Don’t lie to me.” For the first time I see a glimmer of emotion in her eyes. “I was told a message was sent and that you refused to come back.”

“I received no such message,” I say fiercely now. “I found out about your mother’s passing—”

“Murder,” Maya cuts me off sharply. “Call it what it is. She was murdered, and had I been in that cottage, asleep in my bed like she was, I would have been burned alive, as well. But then, perhaps you would have preferred that.”

My blood goes cold at the very thought. “How can you say something like that? I would never—Maya, it was a faulty wire.”

She scoffs. “Why am I not surprised? Of course you would defend your own people. You can hide it all you want, Griffin Wild, but once they put out the fire, I saw the containers of gasoline that had been tossed in the garden.” Her lips curl in a sneer.

“I’m just a human, so I can’t take my revenge or get justice for my mother. But I owe you and your people nothing.”

She turns around to leave, but I stop her, my hand around her wrist.

A jolt of shock, of attraction.

She pulls her hand away from mine abruptly. “Do not touch me!”

The hatred in her voice rattles me to the core. I stare at her, trying to come to terms with what I’m seeing in her eyes.

“Is that why you left?” I ask quietly. “Because you believed I refused to come back when I heard of your mother’s de—murder?”

She rolls her eyes. “I left because I don’t like being toyed with. And I wasn’t surprised you didn’t come back. After all, I was just some human you were fucking.”

“Maya, I didn’t come because I wasn’t informed.” I search her eyes, willing her to believe me. “And when I did return, I received your note, and an investigation had already been conducted.”

Maya turns her back to me. “I don’t care. Just leave me alone. I have no intention of helping your kind. You can all burn to the ground, too, for all I care.”

“My kind includes Leanna and her son, and her baby daughter whom you have yet to meet,” I remind her softly.

For the first time, Maya flinches.

“Maya, this disease will reach your friend and her children. Will you turn your back on them, too?”

She’s silent, but I can see the way her hand is forming a fist by her side.

“Maya, whatever the Silver Ring Organization is doing, they’re able to spread this disease without capturing our kind. If this continues, shifters will go extinct. I did as you asked and never looked for you when you left, but I need your help now.”

“And I said I’m not interested. As far as I’m concerned, you and I don’t owe each other anything, Griffin. Find another scientist whose life you can ruin.”

Before I can say anything else, the door opens and a purple-haired man enters, carrying a plastic bag, saying in a sing-song voice, “I’ve brought chicken from your favorite place, Maya. I—” His blue eyes blink in surprise. “Oh, did I interrupt something? Should I go wait in your office?”

“No, Mathew.” To my sudden irritation, my mate’s voice is filled with warmth. “Mr. Wild was just leaving.”

“Okay.” Mathew beams at her. “Hey, I was thinking we could go check out this new bar tonight—”

“Mathew.”

The exasperated affection in Maya’s voice aimed toward this man makes my wolf’s hackles rise. There is something between these two. She cares for this person. She cares for a man who is not me.

I discreetly sniff her.

She doesn’t smell like him. She has not been sleeping with him.

That calms my wolf down some, but I feel a surge of unreasonable anger at the way she smiles at him.

“You signed a contract when you asked for your mother’s care, Maya.” The words burst out of me, the words of an angry, irrationally jealous man.

I see her stiffen, and I realize I have made a mistake.

“Mathew, go wait for me in my office.” Maya’s tone is harsh. The man looks between the two of us before nodding.

“Sure. Holler if you need help.”

The door closes behind him, and Maya turns to face me, the rage in her eyes making me take a step back.

“Is that what this is? You’ve come here to collect?” She comes toward me, picking up a paperweight from the table. “Your people killed my mother, and you’re here to collect on a contract based around her?”

She throws the paperweight at me, and I duck. It goes crashing into the glass pane of the shelf behind me.

“I will slit my own throat before helping your kind! You can burn in hell, every single one of you! I wish I’d never met you, Griffin!

I wish I’d agreed to help Cassian. At least he didn’t burn my mother alive!

” Maya’s words are ripping me apart. Her eyes are wet and filled with homicidal rage.

“I hate you. With every breath in my body, I hate you, Griffin! Get out of my sight!”

Her chest is heaving, fury in her every breath. All of a sudden, she grips the back of the chair closest to her, her other hand clutching at her chest, her eyes terrified as she struggles to draw in air.

I recognize the panic attack. My feet move toward her, but the door bursts open and Mathew rushes past me. “Maya! Maya, it’s okay! Breathe. I’ve got you.”

He helps her into the chair and is comforting her, his hands wrapped around hers. I stare numbly at the scene playing out before me.

That should be me offering her comfort. That should be me she’s leaning against.

But I’m the source of all her anguish. The sight of me upsets her. She is having a panic attack after simply talking to me.

I always told myself that her departure was for the best. For the first time, I wonder if I made a mistake, if I truly did ruin her life.

Turning on my heel, I leave.