Arianna’s POVEverything changed after that night.I don’t know how or why, or what triggered it, but Ryker wasn’t the same. And neither was I.Maybe it was the way I’d broken down in his arms, the way I let myself be vulnerable for the first time in… God, I didn’t even know how long. Or maybe it was him, and something in him had shifted too. But after that, nothing between us was the same.He became someone else—someone soft.I didn’t know what to do with soft Ryker. I didn’t know how to react to the way he reached for my hand when we walked together, or the way he watched me eat like he was checking to make sure I liked my food. Or the way he paused every time I sighed, tilting his head and asking quietly, “What’s wrong?”I wasn’t used to it. I wasn’t used to being treated like I mattered.And it terrified me.Because I knew how quickly people changed.I kept waiting for the moment he’d turn cold again because deep down, I knew it would come. I kept preparing myself for that switch
Arianna’s POVI stared at the sink like it had just grown two heads in front of my eyes.The water ran clear now, as if nothing had happened. No red. No thick, cold liquid that looked and felt like blood. Just crystal-clear water casually dancing around my trembling fingers.But I knew what I saw. What I felt.I hadn’t imagined it.I couldn’t have.My breathing was shallow. My pulse thudded so loudly in my ears it nearly drowned out the sound of the running water. I stood frozen, hand still under the faucet, almost afraid to move. The memory of that cold, sticky sensation wouldn’t leave me—the way the warmth of the water had vanished in a blink, replaced by blood. It wasn’t just in my head. I had felt it. The shift. The weight. The texture.And the smell—God, the smell.Like a hundred rusted metals. I took a shaky breath, holding the edge of the counter until my knuckles turned white. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror, pale and wide-eyed, lips parted like I was mid-scre
Arianna’s POVThe second I stepped into my room, it was like the last two weeks hadn’t even happened.Everything was exactly the way I left it. My favorite blanket folded neatly at the end of the bed. The throw pillows arranged just how I liked them—even the one with the ripped seam I kept forgetting to sew. My current read was on the nightstand, exactly two inches from the lamp, and my water glass still sat by the windowsill, like I hadn’t left at all.I exhaled slowly, and a thought crept into my mind.Home.It was spotless. Not just clean, but… cared for. Even neater than before I’d left. Someone had clearly been here, tending to things in my absence, but not in a way that felt intrusive. It felt… comforting. Like someone had missed me. I walked inside with my suitcase, my fingers trailing along the edge of the dresser, the smooth wood cool under my touch. I let out a soft laugh and shook my head. “Of course,” I whispered to myself. “Even my room looks like it missed me.”I sat do
Arianna’s POVThe scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as I walked into the dining room and even though I knew I was having breakfast with Ryker, I still froze.Because was already there and I hadn’t seen him since we got back yesterday.Ryker sat at the head of the long mahogany table, dressed in his usual crisp, dark shirt with the sleeves pushed up just enough to expose the veins in his forearms. His collar was open, giving a seductive view of his throat and bulging adam’s apple. He looked almost normal. Like there weren’t families grieving in pain for the loss of their loved ones who were killed by his hands.Like he wasn’t the monster Claire warned me about just last night.And worse?He smiled when our eyes met.“Good morning, beautiful.” His voice was deep, lazy and amused. “Sleep well?”My throat dried. I forced a nod, and crossed the room to meet him. “Fine.”Liar.The night was a mess of tossing, turning, and reliving every word Claire had said. So much so that I co
Chapter 149Ryker’s POVI could feel it. I saw it in that subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled around her fork like she wasn’t really holding it—I knew she wasn’t okay.But I didn’t have time.The moment that mindlink hit me like a brick to the skull, I felt it in every nerve of my body. My wolf snarled and grew restless in a matter of seconds. Jason’s voice was low was clipped, barely more than a growl.“We got her.”I didn’t ask who.I knew.The chair scraped sharply against the tiled floor as I stood. Arianna called my name, and I heard her but I couldn’t look at her. I didn’t want her to see the way my vision was already flickering with rage. I walked out of the dining room without a word.Not because I didn’t want to talk to her.But because if I stayed another second, I might have broken something.The accident outside that shopping mall wasn’t an accident.It was made to look like one. A reckless driver. Arianna trying to save that child. An overspeedin
Arianna’s POVI followed her.Despite all the alarm bells blaring in my head, despite the chill that ran down my spine and made the tiny hairs on my arms stand straight, I followed Claire. Down the hallway. Away from the safety of the library.I followed closely behind her, not even knowing where we were going to. “Claire,” I said, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. “Where are we going?”She didn’t slow her pace. Her hands stayed tucked behind her back, and she just kept walking quickly like she was scared of getting caught. “You’ll see.”“That’s not an answer.” I quickened my steps, falling into place beside her. “You said you had something to show me. I’m walking behind you like a damn idiot and you still haven’t told me what.”She turned to look at me, her eyes unreadable. “Do you want to go back?”I hesitated. My tongue flicked out to wet my lips, and I actually looked over my shoulder. I looked at the long hallway behind me. The library door wasn’t closed, and I c
Ryker’s POVShe had looked at me like I was a monster.No.Not like a monster.As one.That look. Her eyes were wide, her lips were trembling, and she looked like she didn’t even recognize me. That singular look was carved so deeply into my memory, it would never leave. I didn’t think anything could hurt worse than claws slicing through skin. But that moment? Watching her scramble away from me like I was death itself?That hurt more than anything I’d ever known.The bathroom tiles were wet under my feet. Water poured down from the showerhead and beat my body and floor but the sound did nothing to drown out the scream that still rang in my ears. Her scream. I placed my hands on the wall to steady myself as the water rushed down my me like tiny pebbles. At first, it was warm, then it became scalding, half a degree away from burning my skin. But it didn’t matter.I stood there, shaking, staring at the red pool of water going down the drain like I could erase it if I stared long enough.
Ryker’s POVThe door parted open slower than I meant it to. My fingers trembled on the knob, and the moment it gave way, a chill slid down my spine. I stepped inside still barefoot,and the floor was cold beneath my feet. The room smelled faintly of her—lavender and linen and something soft I could never name but always craved.And then I saw her.My breath caught.She was curled up in the reading nook by the window, the one she always loved when the weather was bad. Her knees were tucked against her chest, arms locked around them, her head buried so deep that I thought for a second she might be asleep. But then I heard it—her voice. It was so tiny I almost missed it.“Eighty-seven… eighty-six… eighty-five…”My heart sank into the pit of my stomach.She was counting.Counting like she was waiting for a bad dream to be over.Her body shook with every breath. She looked so small. So fucking fragile. I had seen her angry, seen her hurt, seen her cry—but never like this. Never like she was
Arianna’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
Ryker’s POVIt was getting harder to breathe lately.Not because of the workouts or the endless hours at the office, but because of her.Every damn day, it was the same. I’d wake up, go through the motions, drag myself to work where I barely got anything done, then come back here—where she was.So close.Yet so damn far.Arianna.I could feel her presence before I even opened the door most days. Her scent would hit me first, always soft and delicate and a little sweeter when she was nervous, and it would gut me every single time.My wolf wasn’t any help either. He made it worse, clawing and pacing and howling inside of me like an animal trapped in a cage. Every second we spent not touching her, not holding her, he punished me for it.But what was I supposed to do?Every time I looked into her eyes now, all I saw was that night.The way she stared at me like I had broken and betrayed her.She didn’t only call me a monster, but she saw me as one too. And that… that hurt more than anyth
Arianna’s POVEvery day after that felt the same. It was like we had fallen into a routine. Me trying to catch Ryker’s eyes, and Ryker pretending I didn’t exist.That was the absolute worst because it hurt way more than anything else he could have done. It hurt more than having him yell at me, and even more than if he punished me.The silence was worse, and nothing could have prepared me for the way I felt. It was almost like that private island never happened. Each time he just passed by me in the hallway like I wasn’t even there, it felt like I had imagined that week on that island, and none of it had been real.At first, I tried harder. I knew he was mad, but I felt it wouldn’t take long for the ice to thaw.I would walk a little slower in the hallways when I heard his footsteps and then I would pretend like I was just “coincidentally” going the same way as him.I timed him. I knew what time he left for work in the morning, and what time he went for a run on weekends. And at that t
Arianna’s POVHe didn’t even look back at me.I stood there, frozen on the stairs, staring at the door he’d just walked through. My heart thudded against my ribs, like it was trying to break free from the guilt that was already curling tighter around my lungs and just like it had been happening in the last few days, I couldn’t breathe.Did I really expect him to forgive me just like that?The question bit into my chest and I swallowed hard, willing myself not to cry again. I’d cried enough already. Three days locked in my room, no food, no sleep, just me and the fear of Claire’s death, but now, it was all amplified by every hateful word I’d said to him.Monster.Murderer.I hate you.God.He was right. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t even try to ask for the truth. I let Claire draw the picture and I colored it in for her.And now he couldn’t even stand to look at me.I sank down onto the bottom step, my hands trembling in my lap. I felt raw. Like someone had peeled back every layer of me