I stared at the maid for longer than a beat, my mind still slow from the exhaustion of the night and the tiny prickling ache where my foot met the ground. I heard her loud and clear, but it took me a second longer than usual for them to make complete sense to me.Right! I had a visitor.Those words would always be foreign to me as long as I was within these walls.Seeing the maid staring at me as if she didn’t know whether to repeat her words or remain quiet, I snapped out of it and cleared my throat, resting my weight heavily against the crutches. “Who?” I asked.The maid fidgeted again, and I was vaguely reminded of when I’d met Claire. My heart sank at what had befallen her, and I almost missed the maid’s words.“I don’t know who it is, miss. I’ve never seen him before. I don’t think he’s from this pack,” she said, avoiding my gaze.My breath hitched.The first and last time uncle Elijah had visited, things had gone south very fast. I winced as I recalled Ryker’s untamed anger and
Ryker’s POVFrom where I stood behind the spiral bend that led to the living room, I watched her. And no, I hadn’t intended to be a creep. I had been on my way to get breakfast when her sonorous voice stopped me dead in my tracks.But she didn’t see me.Not yet.Arianna was laughing at something that fucker said, the sound light and pleasing to my ears, but it had a hint of something else I couldn’t quite place. It was something that made my chest tighten painfully, and my fingers curl into tight fists at my sides.Unlike most people, Arianna laughed with her entire body when she wanted to. Her eyes would squeeze shut, her shoulders would lift just slightly, and the sound– fuck, the sound– was the most melodic thing I’d ever heard.But her laughter wasn’t directed at me.It was for him.My jaw clenched so hard my teeth gnashed, and I shifted my weight, pressing my back against the cold walls of the hallway.Her lips moved, but I could barely hear what she was saying, because my mind w
I sat there, watching as Ryker disappeared down the hallway, his broad shoulders tense, his fists clenched at his sides like he was restraining himself from turning back.I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until he was completely out of sight.Only then did I let it go exhaling deeply.The heaviness in my chest remained.Well, that was….civil?“Uncle Elijah,” I drawled, turning my attention back to the man beside me. My tone carried a warning as I quietly reprimanded the older man for provoking Ryker when he was already walking a razor-thin line. Uncle Elijah merely chuckled, unfazed as always. He leaned back against the couch, stretching his arms over the backrest in a lazy sprawl as if he hadn’t just spent the last several minutes pushing Ryker’s buttons, something not many people could do and live through the next second.“Relax, princess,” he said with an amused smirk. “I was only teasing.”I gave him a flat look. “You know how he is.”Uncle Elijah hummed thoughtfully
Ryker’s POVPacing. That was all I had been doing since I left her downstairs.I had been pacing back and forth across the room, my feet stabbing the carpet and threatening to create permanent imprints there. But I wasn’t the only one.My wolf was restless, his ears perked up and tuned to every sound outside my door, waiting—scratch that, listening— for when Arianna would return to her room across from mine.But she hadn’t.The wait was eating at me no matter how hard I tried to control myself. I tried to convince myself that that fucker would leave soon. That Arianna would get up, leave and walk straight into her room where I could at least hear her breathing through the damn wall if I had to.But with each second that passed, a layer of my patience snapped till I was barely holding it together.I didn't kill Elijah at the spot, but that didn’t mean I wanted them talking like they were having some kind of reunion. Every second that passed, my mind conjured images I didn’t want to se
Ryker’s POVI should leave.That thought came to me the moment my body stopped reacting like I had just fought off a ghost from my past, which I had, quite literally. My pulse had steadied. My breathing had evened out. My wolf had stopped clawing at my insides like he was trying to rip through me.And yet, I stayed.Arianna was obviously okay. Not missing. Not in a pool of blood like…. I shook my head, pushing the thoughts to the far corner of my mind where they belonged.She was fine and breathing. Yet, I stayed.I stood there in the doorway, my feet rooted to the spot as I watched her.For the second time today, I felt like a damn creep.Arianna sat curled up by the window, her good knee pulled up slightly, a book tucked in her lap. She looked peaceful, so at ease that it irritated me how badly I had been losing my shit just seconds ago, thinking she was gone. She didn’t even know what the hell had just happened in my head, how far I had let myself slip.I should leave.But I didn’t
Arianna’s POVThe room had grown dark, but I hadn’t moved to turn on the lights. Outside, the sun was wrapping up its activity for the day. Still, I sat there, unmoving, my fingers absently tracing invisible patterns over the book’s cover.I should’ve put it away hours ago. Should’ve shoved it back into the shelf where I’d found it and never looked at it again. But I hadn’t.Because I couldn’t stop thinking.My mind was spiraling.About the book.About Ryker. About what he had said. About the way he had looked at me when he told me we were going to an island.A vacation, supposedly.The words had come out of nowhere, abrupt and clipped, as if they had slipped past his lips before he had time to think them through. I had barely managed a confused, What? before he shut down, his expression unreadable, and he walked away.I hadn’t seen him since then.And for a while, I had convinced myself that maybe he wasn’t serious. Maybe he had said it just to say something, to fill the silence with
Ryker’s POVArianna lifted her chin, her grip tightening on the crutches beneath her hands. Her voice was steady, but I could see the hesitation flicker in her eyes before she even finished speaking.“I’m not going anywhere with you.”I stared blankly at her. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have even entertained the defiance to speak against me. Hell, their heads would’ve been rolling down the street faster than they could even blink. But with her, I found myself holding back.Instead of snapping, I leaned against the edge of the desk, arms loosely folded across my chest. “Oh?” My brow arched. “And why is that?”Arianna blinked, clearly thrown off by my reaction. She had probably expected me to snap at her, and not for me to indulge her like I was doing.Even my wolf perked his head up with interest.She recovered quickly, shifting her weight as if it would make her appear any more confident. “Because I don’t want to go,” she said, like that was supposed to be enough.I dragged my
Arianna’s POVWarmth.That was the first thing I felt. It was so soft, all-consuming warmth wrapping around me like fluffy sheets. I was sleeping, but somewhere in the depths of my subconscious, I knew I was dreaming. And for once, it wasn’t a nightmare.It was a good dream.A really, really good dream.A slow smile curled at my lips as the scene played out in my mind, filling me with an odd sense of peace. It was the kind of dream that felt too vivid, too real, where the emotions remained even when you woke up. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to stay in it forever.The strangest part?Ryker was in it.That realization should have been enough to snap me awake, but it didn’t. Not yet. Instead, I stayed trapped in the warmth. But just like everything else that was temporary in this world, the dream didn’t last. The details soon started growing hazy, slipping through my fingers like sand—Until a scent hit my nose.Dark, rich, and intoxicatingly familiar.Coffee.And something else. So
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