"No," I protested, my voice shaking. "I won't go." Derrick's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, but you will," he said. "In fact, you leave in two days." "You can't make me," I said, my voice trembling. Even if I was bound, I would never give in to his request. I would not be another one of the long line of concubines of the devil himself. Derrick leaned forward, his eyes blazing with intensity. "Oh, but I can," he whispered. "And I will." Ariana's life is shattered when her father is brutally murdered and she's forced into a betrothal with the ruthless Alpha King Ryker, a man cursed to kill any woman who bears his child. But as they work through their unfamiliar bond, secrets and lies threaten to destroy them. Can Ariana uncover the truth behind her father's death and Ryker's curse before it's too late, or will their love become the very thing that destroys them?
View MoreArianna’s POVWhen I woke up that morning, I couldn’t possibly have imagined my day like this, but it had done a complete 360 from that awkward breakfast.I whined again, the sound raw and helpless as it clawed up my throat.That was all it took.Ryker’s hand finally stopped stroking his member and my heart beat loudly in my chest.Then slowly and with his eyes gazing into my very soul, he removed his hand from his cock and reached forward, not to grab my hair, not to tug me closer, not even to shove his cock into my mouth like I was desperate for, but to curl his fingers beneath my chin again, tilting my head up until I had no choice but to meet his eyes.He looked unholy.His eyes were burning. His swollen lips were parted. His jaw tight like he was fighting something, restraint, maybe. Or control. Or the last shred of mercy he had left.I knew I didn’t look any better. Kneeling there with tears rolling down my cheeks and saliva down my chin with my hair disheveled from all of his t
AriannaStrip.The words echoed around the room and even louder in my ears, but somehow, they didn’t make sense to me. I blinked at him, sure I’d misheard. My brain tried to rationalize it, to offer a saner alternative. Surely he didn’t mean here. Surely not now…“W-What?” I asked, my voice small. “Here?”Ryker didn’t blink.The cold look in his eyes didn’t waver, neither did it soften. In fact, it sharpened, and the room around us suddenly felt colder. My skin prickled. The sound of rain beginning to tap against the window sent a chill down my spine.“Now?” I asked again, even more stupidly.Still, he didn’t speak.He just looked at me with that terrifying calmness, as though I hadn’t just questioned him. Like he was giving me one last chance to comprehend. One last chance to obey without resistance.Then he repeated himself, so calmly it made my stomach twist.“Strip.”I stood frozen. “Ryker… this is your art room.” My voice cracked with disbelief. “There’s paint everywhere, there’s
Arianna’s POVThe second Maya’s footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Ryker lunged for the door. Not calmly. Not silently. No, he slammed into it with enough force to make the walls tremble. I stood frozen, my arms wrapped around myself, watching him from where I stood. Maybe, just maybe, it would’ve opened if it had been a normal door. A simple slab of wood with a rusty knob. But it wasn’t.It was solid steel beneath the painted surface, reinforced with an electromagnetic lock. I remembered thinking back then that it looked excessive. Paranoid, even. But now… I understood. Ryker didn’t trust anyone. And now, it had turned into his own cage.“Fuck,” he growled, slamming his palm against the steel but it barely made a sound. “Fucking hell, Maya!”He tugged at the handle, shoved his shoulder against it, then stepped back and kicked it. Hard. His veins bulged and pulsed in his temple, his chest rising and falling as he threw himself at it again like a beast caged too long. The muscle
Ryker’s POVI needed out.The air in the house felt suffocating again, too warm, too full of things I couldn’t name. Too full of her. I could still smell her, still see the way she’d frozen when I sat beside her at the table this morning. Still feel the electricity that buzzed between us when our arms brushed. And still taste the regret I couldn’t shake when I walked away like none of it mattered. Like she didn’t matter.But she did.That was the problem.I slammed the door to my art room shut behind me and locked it before I leaned my weight into the heavy wood and let out a long, heavy breath that I hoped would dispel all of the tension building up inside of me. My shoulders sagged. My breath came out in a slow, rough sigh.Silence.That was what I needed.Silence, and maybe the quiet drag of a paintbrush across canvas.I turned, my eyes landing on the half-finished piece that had haunted me for weeks now. It stood tall where I left it seated on the easel like it was waiting for me.
Arianna’s POVThe morning light poured in through the wide kitchen windows like melted gold, warming the tiled floor and my heart and I could tell it was going to be a good day. Not.But for once, I wasn’t angry to be awake.It was…peaceful.Which, considering the usual chaotic storm that seemed to follow me ever since the last few weeks, felt like a miracle in itself.I was alone at the long dining table, the only sound in the room being the occasional clink of my fork against the plate. I took my time eating, savoring every bite, and not just because the food was the best I’d had in a while.The eggs were fluffy, cooked with what tasted like garlic and herbs. The toast was buttery and crisp, and there was a small dish of some kind of strawberry preserve that was so sweet and tart it made my eyes roll back in the best way.I didn’t need to ask who made it. I could practically taste the care in every bite.Maya.Of course.I let out a soft sigh and sank deeper into my chair, picking a
Arianna’s POVMy heart was pounding like crazy.For a second, all I could do was just lay there, trying to remember how to breathe.I was sprawled across Ryker’s chest, my hands gripping the fabric of his sweatshirt like it was the only thing keeping me from completely losing it. His scent, the same one that made my mouth water, wrapped around me in a way that made my head spin.It was too much. He was too close, and my heart was beating way too fast I knew he could feel it on his chest.I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my racing heart to calm the hell down, but it was useless. His arms were around me, his body was under mine, and it felt like no time had passed at all. Like nothing had changed. Like we were still… whatever it was we used to be.Slowly—so slowly—I opened my eyes.And there he was.Ryker.His face inches from mine.God, he was sinfully beautiful.All sharp jawlines, furrowed brows, and those deep, stormy eyes that had ruined me more times than I cared to admit. His dar
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments