I left the room with Claire, following her as she led me on a tour of the massive house. We walked down a long hallway, the walls adorned with expensive-looking artwork and the floors covered in plush carpets. Claire pointed out various rooms as we passed by, explaining their purpose and who used them."This is the living room," she said, gesturing to a large room filled with expensive yet uncomfortable-looking furniture. I held back a snort. "The Alpha likes to entertain guests here."I nodded, taking in the room's opulent decor. It was clear that Ryker spared no expense when it came to furnishing his home. Maybe the rumors about his wealth being as immeasurable as the sands of the earth was true after all, because boy, he was rich rich.We continued on, Claire showing me the dining room–which I’d already seen, the kitchen, and even a small movie theater. I was amazed by the sheer size and luxury of the house. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.As we walked, Claire chatted n
After finishing the tour of the house, I excitedly returned to the library. I had fallen in love with the room, and I couldn't wait to explore it further. As I entered the library, I was immediately enveloped in the musty scent of old books. I breathed deeply, feeling a sense of calm wash over me.I scanned the shelves, my eyes running over the countless books that seemed to stretch up to the ceiling. I knew I'd spend hours in here, getting lost in the stories and adventures that lay within the pages. I finally picked a book, my fingers trailing over the cover as I read the title."The Duke's Heart" was written on the cover in bold, golden letters. I smiled, as I read the short description at the back. I loved romance novels, and this one seemed like it would be right up my alley. I opened the book, feeling the worn pages crackle beneath my fingers. The book seemed old, like it had been read and reread countless times.I wondered vaguely if Ryker was into romance stories, but the thou
_Ryker’s POV_I stood by the door of the library, watching her as she sat cooped up in my reading nook with a book on her lap. She was completely absorbed in the book, her brow furrowed in concentration. I noticed the way her lips pouted when she read something she didn't like, the way her golden brown hair fell over her eyes. My fingers itched to move it out of her face, to see her clearly.I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She was like a ray of sunshine in this dark, gloomy house. And she was mine. The thought sent a surge of possessiveness through me, and I felt my eyes narrow.But as I watched her, I knew I couldn't let myself get too close. She was pure, innocent, and I didn't want to stain her with all the dirt I had on me. I had done too many bad things, hurt too many people. I didn't deserve someone like her.Just then, she looked up, and our eyes met. For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I forgot to think. All I could do was stare at her, drink in the sight of her.But
I woke up the following morning, feeling terribly sad. The events of the previous day still lingered in my mind, and I couldn't shake off the sadness that had rooted itself in my chest, even in my sleep. Just when I found one thing not to totally hate about this place, even that was taken from me. The library was like a shelter in a storm, but I couldn't go there anymore. The mere thought of it made me want to cry.I indulged in a pity party for a while, lying in bed and feeling sorry for myself. But as the minutes ticked by, I knew I had to get up and face the day. I slowly sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I was about to get out of bed and head to the bathroom to get ready for the day when something caught my eye from my peripheral vision, making me stop in my tracks.I retreated my steps, my eyes fixed on the bedside table. At first, I thought I was dreaming. I thought I had thought about the book so much that I was dreaming about it, but it was really there. I rea
It had been four days since Ryker left, and the house felt eerily quiet without him keeping everyone on their toes. I had spent most of my time in the library, losing myself in the pages of the book he had returned to me. The library had served as my sanctuary, a place where I could escape the thoughts that plagued my mind.As I walked through the halls, I noticed a little changes around the house. The maids laughed more and talked more without fear. They seemed more relaxed, more at ease. I was reminded of my stay with Derrick, and I couldn't help but wonder which one was worse. Derrick, with his cruel words and harsh treatment, or Ryker, with his cold demeanor and piercing gaze.But even as I thought about it, there was an inexplicable tugging in my heart. I didn't know what it was about, but it was the same sadness that had weighed in my heart from the moment I was told that Ryker had traveled. I felt lost, alone, and I couldn't begin to explain why.I walked into the library, seek
_Ryker’s POV_I sat in my private jet, staring out the window as the clouds drifted by. My mind was a million miles away, preoccupied with thoughts of her. Arianna. The woman who had somehow managed to infiltrate my thoughts and occupy my every waking moment.My head throbbed with a headache, which had by now become a constant due to the endless meetings and projects I’d taken on the last four days. The plan was to get my mind off her, so I barely gave my body up to three hours of rest, but each time I closed my eyes, she was right there.Jason, my beta and best friend, sat across from me, a sly grin spreading across his face. "You won't believe what happened to me last week," he said, leaning forward in his seat.I raised an eyebrow, but my mind wasn't really on Jason's story. I was too busy thinking about Arianna. What was she doing right now? Was she thinking about me? What did it even matter whether she was thinking about me?! I scolded myself, trying to silence my wolf who was f
I was trying to enjoy my sleep, sinking deeper into the plush mattress. The sheets were like clouds, soft and gentle against my skin. I was having a good dream, one where I reunited with my mother again. We were walking in a beautiful garden, surrounded by vibrant flowers and the warm sunshine. Everything seemed perfect in that dream, but even in the dream, I felt like I was being watched.I tried to brush off the feeling, focusing on my mother's smile. But the sensation persisted, and I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was staring at me. And then, I saw them. A pair of blue-green eyes, the most beautiful I had ever seen. I knew exactly who they belonged to.In an instant, the dream shifted, and I was now in a room. A dark, tiny room with no windows. I tried to move, but my wrists were tied to the walls. I tried to yank free, but the silver of the handcuffs burned my skin, making me scream."No, no, no!" I shouted, struggling against the restraints. "Let me go! Please, someone,
Ryker's eyes slowly dragged over my body, and I might as well have been naked. The way he looked at me made me feel exposed, vulnerable. I remembered the dream I had just minutes ago, and he had the same dark look in his eyes. It was as if he knew exactly what I had been dreaming about, as if he could see right through me and know I’d been having a dirty dream with him in it.He asked me, his voice low and husky, "What are you doing in my room, Arianna?"I stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "I... I slept off," I said, feeling like a complete fool.Ryker raised an amused brow. "You slept off? In my room? Why didn't you sleep in your own room?" He leaned closer towards me, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes never leaving mine.I shook my head, feeling my face heat up with embarrassment. "I... I don't know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.Ryker chuckled, the sound low and husky. "You don't know? That's interesting," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement
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 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 POVIt felt good.God, it felt so good.The way he moved inside me, the way his hands gripped my hips like he was holding on for dear life, like I was the only thing keeping him from floating into space. The way his mouth had claimed mine, his breath tangled with mine, his voice whispering my name like it meant something.But at the same time—It felt so, so bad.Now, curled up on my bed in the dim light of my room, my body throbbed with a dull pain—every nerve raw, every inch of my skin burning from his touch. The ache between my thighs still pulsed from the relentless hours he’d spent buried deep inside of me, but that wasn’t what hurt the most.What hurt was the way he looked at me when I said those things.Like I’d ripped something out of his chest.I could still see it—that moment his eyes darkened, not with anger, but something else. Something worse. Like I’d broken him. And I had.But I’d had to.Hadn’t I?Because I knew how it would’ve gone. I knew that if I didn’t s
Ryker’s POVI could’ve stayed buried inside her forever. Fuck, I wanted to.Her body still trembled around me, twitching with aftershocks of orgasms I hadn’t meant to drag out so long—but fuck, she made it impossible to stop. Every time I felt her tighten, every time I heard that breathless little gasp of my name fall from her lips, it only made me hungrier. Made me want to ruin her in the best ways possible. And I had.The sun had shifted across the windowpane more times than I cared to count, but I hadn’t felt a drop of exhaustion. Not even a flicker of it. All I felt was her. Her skin on mine. Her scent in every breath. Her legs tangled around my waist, her nails digging into my back, her breathy moans echoing in my ears long after they’d stopped.I couldn’t stop touching her. Even now, long after the last wave of my last orgasm had crashed, I kept my arms around her, one hand lazily brushing over the swell of her hip. She was completely spent, her body soft like melted butter in m
Arianna’s POVThe first thing I felt when I woke up was warmth.A strong, steady warmth that wrapped around me, that made me feel a type of safety I hadn’t felt in years. For a brief, blissful second, I let myself sink into it, my body relaxing against the firm heat at my back. But then—It hit me.Like a crashing wave, like the kind of nightmare that didn’t stop even when you opened your eyes.The alley. The rough hands. The mocking laughter. The way they’d pinned me, trapping me like an animal. My own screams, swallowed by the night. The terror, the helplessness.I gasped, my entire body seizing up in panic. My breath came too fast, too shallow, my vision blurring as I realized there was an arm locked around my waist—strong and powerful. A body behind me. Someone was holding me down—No. No, no, no—A strangled sound tore from my throat as I started thrashing, my body desperate to get free. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears, drowning out everything else. My skin wa
_Ryker’s POV_Arianna had calmed down. Or so I thought.But I couldn’t have been more wrong.“Please,” her soft plea reached my ears like she was trying to nip at every crack in my composure.It was already so difficult having that conversation with her while we were both naked, but having her beg me like that took the thing to a whole new level.My arms were still wrapped around her, so she pushed her tits into my chest and I cursed loudly and pulled her back.But she was undeterred. Arianna kept begging me. Her voice was raw with desperation, her fingers trembling as she reached for me again. I caught her wrists, my grip firm but gentle as I shook my head.“Arianna, stop,” I murmured, my voice strained. My entire body was on fire, every nerve ending screaming at me to just give in, but I couldn’t. Not like this. Not now.She wasn’t thinking clearly. I knew that. She was still reeling from what had happened, from the violation she had barely escaped. Her body was seeking comfort, som
_Ryker’s POV_I couldn’t see anything but red.Even as their bodies lay in shreds at my feet, the rage still burned inside me, hot and insatiable. I could have torn them apart again, limb by limb, made them suffer longer, made them beg for mercy they didn’t deserve.But they were already dead. And it wasn’t enough.Nothing would ever be enough.The scent of blood was thick in the air, mixing with the sharp, pungent stench of piss—their last act of cowardice before I ripped them apart. I didn’t care what the town would think when they woke up to find the remains of these worthless bastards staining their streets. I didn’t care if they feared me, if they whispered about the monster lurking in the shadows.Let them.They had no idea what real monsters looked like.I turned, breath still heaving, my skin sticky with their blood. My gaze locked onto her.Arianna.She was curled against the wall, her body trembling so violently I could feel it in my bones. Her arms were wrapped around herse
_Arianna’s pov_I froze.The catcall had already sent a chill down my spine, but it was the voices that followed that truly made my stomach twist.“Well, well,” one of them drawled, his tone thick with amusement. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing all alone at this hour?”I turned slowly, my pulse hammering.Two men stood under the dim glow of a flickering streetlamp. Both were tall, broad-shouldered, in a way that made my heart drop. The one on the left had greasy, slicked-back hair and a twisted grin that revealed yellowed teeth. His eyes were sharp, predatory, drinking me in like I was already his. The other man was bulkier, his head shaved, a jagged scar cutting through his eyebrow. His arms were covered in ink, the designs crude and dark against his pale skin.They weren’t just looking at me. They were sizing me up.My fingers curled into fists at my sides as I forced myself to turn away.Just ignore them. Just walk away.“Hey, sweetheart.” The greasy-haired man took a step fo
_Ryker’s pov_Damn it.I ran a hand through my hair, gripping hard enough to hurt as I paced the length of my room. My chest was tight, breathing ragged, the walls pressing in on me like they wanted to crush me because of just how stupid I was.I had overreacted.I knew it the second I saw the look on Arianna’s face. The second she flinched. The second she stuttered out an apology she didn’t even owe me before rushing out of my room like she couldn’t get away fast enough.I had overreacted. And then I had made it worse by shutting her out after that.I should have said something. Should have gone after her instead of avoiding her like a goddamn coward. But the truth was, I didn’t trust myself not to make it worse. One wrong word, one sharp edge to my tone, and I could’ve snapped. I could’ve proven her right—that I was something to be afraid of.And I couldn’t handle that.But now she was gone.And it was a terrible fucking mistake.I pulled my phone out for the hundredth time and dial