RYKER

Cole stared at me like I had completely lost my mind.

Which was unusual because Cole already knew I was a maniac, had witnessed enough of my decisions over the years to understand I sometimes borderlined on deranged lunatic territory without apology.

But apparently asking him to help me stage an accident for Amaris crossed some line he had not expected me to cross.

I had thought about this plan the entire walk from Amaris’s room to Cole’s office, working through the logistics while my mind raced with possibilities. The only way to stop her from leaving was if she physically could not leave, if circumstances made it impossible for my father to ship her back to Stormshadow by sunset.

There was no way I could change Alpha Corvin’s mind through conversation or negotiation or appeals to whatever humanity he might have left buried under all that grief and control. The man was immovable once he made a decision, carved from stone and twice as stubborn.

And I would rather die and be buried alive than beg that monster for anything, would rather cut out my own tongue than give him the satisfaction of hearing me plead.

So drastic measures it was.

Cole adjusted in his seat and I noticed he looked slightly uncomfortable and disheveled, his shirt untucked on one side and his hair messed up in a way that I was sure had nothing to do with reviewing the files or paperwork before him.

"Ryker, have you gone mad?" he demanded, his voice pitching slightly higher. "What do you mean by causing Amaris to have an accident?"

I stared at him and fought back a smirk because this whole situation was almost funny.

Did Cole actually think I did not know Nia was under the table right now?

When I had been walking toward his office through the glass hallway I had spotted them fucking through the transparent walls, had seen enough to understand exactly what was happening before Cole noticed my approach and Nia scrambled to hide. It had been too late to turn back without making it obvious I was giving them privacy, and honestly I did not have time for that courtesy.

I was on a time crunch. In a couple hours Amaris would be packed up and shipped back to Stormshadow and I needed to act fast if I was going to prevent that from happening.

Also everyone in this pack knew Cole and Nia were sleeping together anyway, so why she felt the need to hide under his desk like some teenager caught by parents was beyond me. But I would play along with their charade for now because I needed Cole’s help and antagonizing him further would not get me what I wanted.

"Alpha Corvin wants to send her back to the Stormshadow pack," I explained, leaning against the doorframe with my arms crossed.

Cole’s eyes widened and genuine concern flashed across his face. "Why? What happened between them?"

I was not about to tell Cole about the artificial insemination situation or Amaris’s refusal or the confrontation in the hallway outside the bathroom where I had been hiding and listening. That was too much information to share when I just needed his mechanical expertise and willingness to bend rules.

"She had a misunderstanding with Alpha Corvin," I said vaguely, keeping my voice casual. "He got angry and declared he would have her shipped back by sunset today."

Cole sighed and ran his hand through his already messy hair, making it stick up even worse. "That is really crazy. The timing could not be worse with Victor still out there." He paused. "But how does causing her to have an accident help in this situation?"

"If she does not leave or is unable to leave, he cannot ship her back," I stated like the logic was completely obvious and reasonable.

Because it was.

"And let me guess," Cole responded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he processed my plan, "Amaris has no idea you are planning to attempt murdering her?"

I chuckled and the sound came out darker than I intended, echoing slightly in the small office. "Don’t put it that way. It would not even count as second degree murder, maybe third degree at worst since I am not actually trying to kill her. But really I am doing her a favor by keeping her here."

"You are a deranged lunatic Ryker," Cole muttered, shaking his head.

"So I have been told," I agreed easily, unbothered by the assessment because it was not the first time someone had called me that and it definitely would not be the last. "Are you going to help me or what?"

Cole squinted at me and I could see him weighing his options, calculating whether he actually had a choice in this situation or if I was going to force his cooperation one way or another.

"Do I even have a choice?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not at all," I confirmed with a smile that showed teeth. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He exhaled in defeat, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Alright. Just give me a couple minutes to finish up with these papers here and I will join you."

"Okay but do not take too long," I instructed, pushing off from the doorframe and turning toward the exit. "We are working against the clock here."

Then an evil thought crossed my mind and I felt a smirk spread across my face before I could stop it.

I turned back around to face Cole’s desk where he was trying very hard to look busy and professional. "And oh, Nia? I did not take you as someone who likes doing it in the office during work hours."

Cole’s jaw literally dropped and he looked completely mortified, frozen in his seat like I had just exposed his deepest darkest secret to the entire pack.

Nia slowly stood up from under the desk where she had been crouched.

Her cheeks were flushed bright pink and her dress had fallen slightly off one shoulder, the fabric bunched around her waist in ways that told me exactly what position Cole had her in before I interrupted. Her hair was a mess and her lips were swollen from probably biting them.

This bastard Cole must have been going absolutely crazy on her, I thought with genuine amusement.

She bent down again and when she rose she had her loafer in her hand. Without warning she threw it at my head with impressive accuracy for someone who had just been thoroughly fucked.

The shoe hit me directly in the forehead and I burst out laughing while rubbing the spot, the sharp pain just making the whole situation funnier.

"You bastard," Nia snapped, her voice sharp with embarrassment and fury colliding together. "Why did you not turn back if you saw us?"

I smirked and leaned against the doorframe again. "And allow you both to reach orgasm? Why would I do that when interrupting is so much more entertaining?"

She immediately grabbed her other shoe and threw it at me with even more force but this time I was ready and caught it mid-air, my reflexes faster than her anger.

I laughed again, harder this time. "I am not judging you Nia. Do whatever you want."

"You are the last person who should be judging anyone," Nia shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. "We all know you are worse than any of us when it comes to inappropriate behavior."

Fair point that I could not really argue with. I was indeed the worst of them