River's POV
I should have known.
The moment I stepped off the curb and saw the familiar broad-shouldered frame standing in front of Blue's door, a cap pulled low over his brow, I knew my peace was about to be disturbed.
And when Ryker turned to face me, I didn't see the wild wolf I once knew—no, I saw desperation.
Desperation pretending to be confidence.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, my tone calm, controlled and every syllable deliberate.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I stepped forward, forcing him to either move or be much too close for comfort.
He moved... Good.
"I just…" he began, and I caught the faint twitch of his jaw, "…wanted to talk."
"Talk?" I repeated the word as though tasting it, tilting my head slightly. "That's rich, Ryker because if I recall correctly, the last time we spoke, you didn't seem interested in talking. You were too busy trying to decide if I was worth keeping around. Now, all of a sudden, you've discovered your voice?"
Blue was still standing in the doorway, her arms folded, eyes narrowed like she was watching a street performance she didn't like. I gave her a slight nod which means 'stand down, I've got this.'
Ryker bristled under my tone. "River, I….."
"You're wasting your breath," I cut in smoothly. "And mine." I stepped closer again, forcing him to hold my gaze. "What exactly is your angle here? You want to play the victim now? Pretend you're the wounded one?"
His nostrils flared, and for a split second I saw the wolf behind his human mask but he swallowed it back, likely remembering he was standing on a public street.
"I just want to explain myself," he said, voice low.
I smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. "No, Ryker. You want to rewrite history. You want me to hand you a clean slate because you've realized you miscalculated. You're not here for closure, you're here for access. To me, and maybe to whatever you think I can still give you."
He glanced sideways at Blue, as though she were somehow influencing me. "So what, you're just going to shut me out completely?"
"Yes," I replied simply. "And if you had even a sliver of self-awareness, you wouldn't have to ask why."
I stepped past him and toward the door, brushing the faintest scent of his cologne. It was the same one he used to wear when we were together. Back then, I'd found it so good and was obsessed with it but now it smelled like arrogance.
But he moved in step with me. "River, please. Can we just talk? Five minutes."
I turned to him, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe. I didn't raise my voice. I didn't let my breathing quicken. I let silence stretch between us until I saw it made him uncomfortable.
"Here's the problem with your request, Ryker," I said finally. "You burned your bridge with me so thoroughly that there's nothing left but ash and you're standing here asking me to walk across it anyway. That's… desperate and desperation doesn't look good on you."
He clenched his fists. "You think you're better than me?"
I let the faintest smirk curve my lips. "No. I know I'm better without you."
Blue muffled a laugh from behind me, and I didn't need to turn to know she was enjoying every second of this.
"Go home, Ryker," I said, straightening and taking my keys out of my bag. "Or wherever it is you go when you need to lick your wounds but don't come back here. You've had your five minutes. They're over."
"I'm not done," he shot back, stepping closer, his presence almost blocking the light. "You think you can just walk away and leave me looking like the bad guy?"
I kept my tone even. "Ryker, the only reason you look like the bad guy is because you are the bad guy."
His jaw tightened. The pulse in his neck jumped. I could almost feel the heat of his temper pressing against my calm like a storm against glass.
I leaned in just enough that my words would be for him alone. "And if you think showing up here will rattle me, you've forgotten exactly who I am. I don't scare easily, not anymore."
Something flickered in his expression then, recognition, maybe even a hint of regret but it was gone as quickly as it came.
"I'll be seeing you, River," he muttered.
"Not if I see you first," I replied, already pushing past him into the apartment.
Blue shut the door with a satisfied click. "God, that was beautiful," she said, tossing her hair back. "You gutted him without even raising your voice. I almost feel sorry for him, almost."
I let out a slow exhale, leaning against the door. "He wanted to provoke me. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction."
Blue's smirk deepened. "Cold and calculated. I love this version of you."
"Good," I said, heading toward the kitchen. "Because she's not going anywhere."
The truth was, the encounter had stirred something in me but not fear, not even anger.
It was clarity.
Ryker's sudden reappearance wasn't about love or remorse. It was about control. He had lost it, and now he wanted it back. Wolves like him didn't like to lose territory, and in his mind, I was still his.
But that was the beauty of finally stepping out of someone's shadow, you learned to see their games for what they were.
And I wasn't playing.
Later that night, I sat on the couch, staring out the window at the sliver of moon hanging low in the sky. My phone buzzed once, twice, then three times.
I picked it up and I wasn't surprised to see who it was. Three messages and they were all from him.
Ryker: You didn't even let me explain.
Ryker: You don't know the full story.
Ryker: I'm not the villain you think I am.
I stared at the words for a long moment, then turned the phone face down on the table. Some silences were worth keeping.
Blue padded into the living room, holding two mugs of tea. "You're quiet."
"Thinking," I said, taking one of the mugs from her.
"About him?"
I nodded. "About how to make sure he never tries that again."
Blue grinned. "Oh, I like where this is going."
I smiled faintly, though my mind was already moving several steps ahead, cold and calculated. That was the only way to deal with Ryker now because I wasn't just going to shut the door in his face.
I was going to make sure he never even found it again.