I was still reeling from the emotional reunion with my uncle when a thunderous growl shook me to my core, jolting me back to reality. I looked up to see Ryker standing in front of me, his eyes blazing with fury. But it wasn't just his eyes that caught my attention - his entire body had transformed. His fangs were bared, his claws were out, and his skin was covered in a thick, black-blue fur that seemed to ripple with anger.He looked bigger, and his shirt shredded apart, making him look five times scarier than he normally would. He looked like his wolf was just a second way from bursting forth.My heart jumped into my throat as I took in the sight of him. I had never seen him like this before, and I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, scared even. But as I looked into his eyes, I saw that his anger wasn't directed at me - it was directed at my uncle."What the fuck are you doing here?" Ryker snarled, his voice sending chills down my spine. He took a step closer to my uncle,
I watched as Arianna glared at me, her eyes flashing with anger and hurt. She was shaking, her small body trembling with rage, and for a moment, I felt a pang of guilt. But it was quickly replaced by anger, anger at Elijah, anger at the world, anger at everything.As I stood there, my mind was a jumble of conflicting emotions. I was angry, yes, but I was also hurt. Hurt that Elijah had come to my home, hurt that he had talked to Arianna, hurt that he had disrespected me in my own territory after everything he had done to me.I thought back to the moment I had seen Elijah standing in my living room, talking to Arianna. His eyes were so tender like the hypocrite he was, and Arianna, knowing how gullible and naive she was, I already knew she had fallen into his web. I had felt a surge of anger, a surge of possessiveness. Who did he think he was to show his face here, and why was he talking to my Arianna?But as I looked at Arianna now, I saw the fear in her eyes, the hurt. And I felt a p
I sat in the dining room, staring blankly at the wide spread of breakfast in front of me. The aroma of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon wafted through the air, making my stomach growl with hunger. But despite the tantalizing smells and even more mouthwatering sights, I couldn't bring myself to take a bite. My mind was elsewhere, my thoughts consumed by the events of the past two days.My eyes kept flickering towards the stairs, trying to see if Ryker would come downstairs. It had been two days since that explosive argument, but he had kept himself locked in his room. I knew he was around because I would occasionally hear the sound of shuffling, things being moved or something being broken. It was as if he was trying to avoid me, and I didn't blame him. I didn't want to face him either.The memory of our argument kept replaying in my mind no matter how hard I tried to block it out. I didn't want to relive that moment, didn't want to face the emotions that came with it. So I sat t
I stood frozen in the doorway, my eyes fixed on the scene before me. I blinked severally to make it go away, but it wouldn’t leave. Ryker was sitting behind his desk, a woman perched on his lap. Her hands were all over him, her fingers tracing the lines of his face, her palms pressed against his chest. Ryker looked bored and his eyes were fixed on some point in front of him, but he didn't push her away. Which meant he wanted her.I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The air was knocked out of me, and I couldn't breathe. I tried to process what I was seeing, but my mind was whirling with emotions. There was absolutely nothing going on between Ryker and I, but at the same time, there was so much going on for me to feel hurt.I hated how easily attached I’d gotten to him even when he showed all of his red flags right in my face. I hated how he could do whatever he wanted because he felt like he was untouchable, but most of all, I hated how my heart broke as I watched the man, who w
I walked out of the study, walking two times faster and not daring to look back because I had a feeling that if I did, Ryker would be there to drag me back to my room.When I got to the stairs, and I saw my fears had been for nothing, I took a moment to catch my breath, then my eyes fell on Claire at the bottom of the stairs, pacing frantically.I decided to pull her legs a bit, and I curled my lips downwards, trying to look as sad as I could manage.As soon as she heard me coming, she stopped pacing and rushed to my eyes, but the curiosity in her eyes soon turned to realization as she read the room."Oh no, Arianna, I'm so sorry," she said. "I knew I shouldn't have suggested it. I'm so sorry."She was fretting, and I couldn’t keep up the act anymore.I cracked a smile, and Claire's eyes widened in surprise. "Actually, I'm going out," I said with a wink.Claire's face transformed from concern to shock. "What? Really? How did you manage that?"I shrugged. "I convinced Ryker to let me g
“We’re here,” Claire announced as we pulled up outside a huge shopping center.When we got out of the car, the guards immediately began to give us instructions. "Remember, you are to stay within our sight at all times," one of them growled, his eyes fixed sternly on me. "You are not to try and escape or make any sudden movements. Do you understand?"I rolled my eyes, feeling a surge of annoyance. Did they really think I was going to try and make a break for it? But I nodded anyway, wanting us to hurry along quickly. "Yes, I understand."The guard's expression didn't change, but he nodded curtly. "Good. We'll be walking a few feet behind you at all times. Don't try anything funny."What was actually funny was the fact that I wasn’t even planning on running. I I had somehow surrendered my fate to Ryker. Before coming here, I’d thought staying with him would be hell, but it wasn’t half as bad. Asides from his constant emotional torments, I could almost say I liked it there. Almost.Was t
_Ryker's POV_I glared hard at my computer, trying to focus on the reports in front of me. But my mind kept wandering back to Arianna. I had tried to work, I really had. But I couldn't concentrate. Not when Arianna plagued mh thoughts like a disease, and certainly not when I was mindlinking my guards almost every minute to get an update about Arianna."Anything?" I asked, my voice low and urgent."No, sir," one of the guards replied. "They're still shopping. Arianna seems to be enjoying herself."I nodded, relief rolling through me. At least she was safe.When she had requested to go out, my very first instinct was a big fat no. I had made it clear. I wasn't going to let her leave the house. I was scared, and I had to admit it to myself. I was scared she would leave me. I was scared she would realize I was truly a monster and eventually leave me.I shouldn't be bothered, but I was. Deeply. I had wanted to say no to her, but she pleaded and she gave me those eyes that had unexplainable
_Ryker's POV_The elevator ride to her room was the longest elevator ride I had ever been in. I felt like I was trapped, like time was moving in slow motion. For a moment, I regretted using the elevator. I would have been way faster on foot, sprinting up the stairs like a madman. But the deed was done. I was stuck in this metal box, waiting for the doors to open.As I waited, my wolf grew restless. He paced back and forth in my mind, his anxiety growing with each passing second. He was pacing relentlessly in my mind, and he could feel my fear. He could feel my heart racing, my palms growing sweaty, and my knees growing weak. He was just as scared as I was.Finally, the doors opened, and I jumped out, my feet pounding the ground as I ran down the hallway. My eyes scanned the room numbers, searching for 304. The hospital corridors blurred past my eyes, the stale white walls making everything seem sterile and cold. I hadn't been in a hospital in years, never having need for it because of
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