I scowled at Ryker, looking between his eyes the spoon in front of my lips with disdain. “I'm capable of feeding myself," I said, glaring daggers at him.But Ryker remained adamant, his hand holding the spoon in front of my mouth steadily. "Open your mouth and eat," he commanded, his voice low and husky.I tried to protest again, but Ryker's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing. "Don't make me force-feed you, Arianna," he warned icily.I glared at him, but I knew I was no match for him. I was too tired, too weak, and I was experiencing pain all over my body. I gave in, not because I was scared of him, but because I just didn't have the energy to fight.I opened my mouth, and Ryker spooned the soup into my mouth. I ate silently, trying to avoid his gaze, but Ryker seemed determined to meet my eyes. He fed me like a child, wiping whatever drop of liquid off my chin at intervals, even when I protested."Stop it," I muttered, trying to push his hand away. "I can do that myself."But a ghost o
_Ryker’s POV\I stood in the gym, the sound of my fists pounding against the punching bag echoing through the room. The bag swung back and forth, its leather surface worn and cracked from countless hours of use, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before it joined the pile of broken ones on the ground. I hit it again and again, the impact sending shockwaves through my arms and into my chest.My wolf was close to the surface, my fangs bared and my eyes glowing. I could feel its power coursing through me, urging me to let go, to surrender to its primal instincts and let it make control. But I couldn't give in. Not now, not when Arianna was around. I had to keep control, had to keep my emotions in check. My wolf could be wild when unleashed and I didn’t want to risk anything happening to her.As I punched the bag, my mind replayed the events of the previous night or the early hours of this morning, depending on what 4 am was to you.Arianna's face swam before my eyes, her big doe eyes filled
I ignored the lustful look in Ryker's eyes as I spoke, wondering how men could be so weird. One minute they're growling and snarling, the next they're looking at you like they want to devour you whole.I took his hand, trying to ignore the jolt of electricity that ran through me at the touch. He felt it too because he tensed a bit, but to my surprise, he didn’t try to pull away as I led him out of the gym. He followed silently behind me, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.After that incident with Ryker early that morning, none of us had gone back to bed. We just sat side by side, staring at the television. “Staring” being the keyword because while the characters were moving, both our minds were miles away.Me, wondering what could be the problem with him. What could have hurt him so deeply to have tormented him in his dreams. Before now, I could have sworn Ryker didn’t have any problems, but my view of him had changed totally after last night. It made me
I was caught off guard when Ryker's lips captured mine. At first, I didn't react, my mind frozen in shock with my hands laying limp on his chest. But as his lips moved against mine, something inside me sparked to life. It was like a flame had been lit, and it was spreading rapidly, consuming me whole.I felt a rush of butterflies, flapping their wings ferociously in my stomach, and my heart began to pound in my chest. My lips, seemingly of their own accord, began to move against his. It was like I was melting into him, our lips molding together as one.That was my first, proper kiss. One where he wasn’t shoving his tongue down my throat to show me “show I belonged to”, and even though I tried to make it sound disgusting, I couldn’t help the way my body lit up at the thought of it.The world around us melted away, leaving only the two of us, lost in the moment. I felt like I was floating, like my feet had left the ground and I was soaring through the air.Ryker's lips were soft and gen
After kissing me, Ryker started to pepper kisses to my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine and leaving me breathless. When he reached my ear, he whispered, his voice dropped to a mere whisper. "I'm going to teach you a lot more than just kissing, Arianna."From his husky voice, I could hear the dirtiness in his tone, and could paint a clear picture of what he meant, and my face turned beet red. I quickly shimmied out of his hold and ran away, leaving him chuckling deeply behind me.My face was still red when I got to the room, and my heart was beating rapidly too. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Ryker seemed to be in a good mood, and I had to admit, I liked this playful side of him. A lot.After spending a few more minutes in the room, trying to catch my breath, I walked out of the room and to the dining. It was already past 10 am, and time for breakfast. In the dining room, the maids served the food, and I saw Claire with a tray of food. “Hey, Claire,” I g
I looked up to see a strange face standing in the doorway. The man was huge and muscular, standing almost at the same height as Ryker. He was just as good-looking, with chiseled features, piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through me, and a head of curly brown hair. From his aura, I could tell he was the pack's beta.He lowered his neck in submission as he greeted Ryker. "Alpha," he said, his deep voice rumbling through the room.Ryker's response came out curt. "Jason. What brings you here?"Jason turned to me, and he smiled lightly. "You must be Arianna," he said, his eyes narrowed in slits as he smiled. "I've heard a lot about you."I nodded, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks. "Nice to meet you," I said, trying to sound polite, while wondering what this stranger might have heard about meJason's smile grew wider. "The pleasure is all mine," he said. "You're even more beautiful than I imagined."I felt my face grow hotter, and I looked away, trying to compose myself. But bef
His eyes were bleeding black, his shoulders were slightly hunched over, and his hands were clenched in fists so tight.My mouth ran dry, and I tried to come up with something to say. Claire had told me before that that room was totally off limits, but the seed of doubt she had planted in my mind had grown so rapidly I couldn’t wait till Ryker wasn’t around to check it out.Ryker, who was already fuming, closed the distance between us in long strides. “How dare you…..”My instincts kicked in when he thundered at me, and I immediately raised my hands up to shield my face, ready for him to strike.I knew what happened whenever men got angry. I had experienced it far too many times with Ryker not to know when to shield my face.But the strike I was waiting for never came, and I slowly lowered my hands, and was met with a confused-looking Ryker. Realization soon flashed in his eyes, and an emotion I couldn’t place filled them, but it was gone before I could even decide whether I’d imagine
I woke up to the warm rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains and fanning my face with its warmth. I slowly opened my eyes to see l’d slept longer than I usually would.I yawned, stretching my arms over my head, but something made me pause. I realized that the pain on my elbow was gone. I looked down, and my eyes widened in surprise as I saw that the skin was smooth and supple, like there had never been anything there.I touched the skin, in case I was still sleeping, and that would wake me up, but I wasn’t. I was awake and the bruise was gone.I sat up, my mind racing as I tried to remember what had happened after I fell asleep, but my memory failed me. I vaguely remembered someone entering my room, but it was a blank after that. I couldn't recall anything else.It was probably one of the maids that applied a healing gel on my arm, and I guess I knew exactly who it was.I made a mental note to ask Claire about it later, so I could thank her properly. I threw off the covers and
Arianna’s POVI couldn’t breathe.The natural act of breathing suddenly became too difficult with the heavy scent of lavender—Claire— that was still permeated in the air, or the pictures laid bare and staring straight at me. My heart beat like it was trying to break through my ribs. My hand hovered over the photo of myself with the red X slashed through it, trembling so violently I had to ball it into a fist just to stop it. I didn’t even realize when I’d reached the photos.I turned to him.Ryker hadn’t moved. He stood like a statue beside Claire’s bed, his eyes fixed on the collage that had just shattered what was left of my sanity.“Say something,” I said but my voice came out as a hoarse whisper.He didn’t say anything. Just kept looking at the raised bed.“Please,” I begged, the word tasting like blood in my mouth. I honestly didn’t want to believe what I was seeing.And then he looked at me. It wasn’t just a glance, he looked at me like he wanted to search deep into my soul. His
Arianna’s POVI wasn’t sure.Not about him. Not about myself. Not about anything anymore.My hands were still trembling, my fingers cold despite how warm the room was. My lips tasted of salt and copper from chewing them too hard. My legs felt wobbly beneath me, and I wasn’t entirely sure if it was from the three days without food or what Ryker had just said.Claire… leading me to rogues?No. No, she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.But his voice echoed in my head. He didn’t sound angry or defensive. He just sounded very certain. “If you want to see who the real monster is… follow me.”I stood there long after he’d left, staring at the door like it would open itself and swallow me whole. My brain screamed at me to stay. That this was a trap. That I couldn’t trust him, not after everything.For all I knew, he could be luring me out to kill me and finish what where he’d stopped with Claire. Tie up the loose ends because if there was only one thing I knew about Ryker, then it was the fact that he
Arianna’s POVThree days.It had been three full days, and I still couldn’t believe it.Everything felt surreal, like I was suspended in the middle of a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. Time had stopped moving the second Claire’s body hit the ground. My mind kept looping back to that exact moment; her eyes wide in shock, her mouth parted like she was going to say something, the blood that burst out of her head and splattered across the wall behind her.And then the silence.I couldn’t comprehend it. No matter how many times my thoughts circled around it, it just didn’t make sense. Claire—who had held my hand. Claire—who had whispered instructions into my ear. Claire—who told me to run, to live, to never look back.Dead.Shot in the head.By him.I hadn’t left my room since. I hadn’t spoken a word to anyone except when absolutely necessary. I hadn’t eaten. I hadn’t drunk even a drop of water. Not that I hadn’t tried. I had. But everything felt like sand in my mouth. Everything tasted li
Arianna’s POVI let out a strangled breath the moment I saw her.“Claire,” I whispered, stumbling forward, barely able to believe she was real and standing right in front of me. My legs moved before my brain could catch up and I nearly collapsed into her arms, all of my thoughts throughout the last hour crashing over me like a wave.“God, I thought—” My voice broke. I clutched her sleeves. “I thought something happened. You were late. You said ten. I waited. I waited, Claire, and I thought he found you, or—”“I know, I know.” She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her face to my shoulder. Her voice was hushed and hurried. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I had to make sure no one was watching. I couldn’t risk it. Alpha has eyes everywhere and I had to make sure nobody was suspicious.”“No kidding,” I muttered, a little shakier than I meant to sound.She pulled back and looked me over. Her eyes were wild, darting around like we were already being hunted. “Are you okay? Did any
Arianna’s POVThe plan was simple.It was probably too simple, but I held onto it and kept replaying it in my head over and over again.Claire had promised me everything would be ready by ten. That was the deal. That was the one thing I was counting down to. Ten o’clock. All I had to do was be ready. But somehow, something so simple felt so so difficult for all the wrong reasons.And as I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers twisting the hem of my sweater, I couldn’t stop the flood of doubts that crept in like shadows under the door.The room was too quiet. In fact, the whole house was too quiet. The kind of quiet that screamed at you if you sat still long enough. Every tick of the old clock mounted above the vanity seemed to throb in my ears, syncing with the beat of my racing heart.I glanced at it again. 9:41 p.m.Nineteen minutes.It felt like nineteen hours.My palms were slick with sweat, though the room was cold. A strange, aching chill sat deep in my bones like it was waiti
Ryker’s POVShe was supposed to hate me.That was the goal. That was the plan.It had taken every ounce of strength I had to walk past her in the hallway and not react each time I saw her. Not grab her. Not slam her into the wall and make her feel how painfully hard I got for her. Not pull her close and bury my face in her neck like I used to. But I didn’t. I kept walking. Kept my eyes forward. Kept the mask on my face and shoved the knife twisting in my gut as deep as I could.It didn’t help.Because her scent clung to me long after I passed her. It haunted me. Teased me. And my wolf—fuck, he was barely holding it together. Pacing. Growling. Agitated in a way I couldn’t control.But this was the only way.Before Arianna, my life was simple. I killed when I needed to. I fucked when I wanted to. Women were nothing more than warm holes and needy mouths who were always willing—eager, even—to please their Alpha. Stressful day? Fuck it away. Rage boiling under my skin? Pick the tightest sk
Arianna’s POVIt had been two days.Two days since Ryker looked through me like I wasn’t even there. Since his eyes that were once so wild with fire of desire, had gone completely cold towards me.He hadn’t spoken to me. He hadn’t even said a word. Not even as much as a glance. Not even when I passed him in the hall yesterday morning. I’d rounded the corner, nearly bumping into him. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze like a deer caught in headlights, and to my own disappointment, my heart begged for some kind of reaction.But he just walked past me.He didn’t slow down. Didn’t look back. Nothing. Like a switch had gone off in his head.And I stood there for a good five minutes afterward, trying to make sense of the painful ache blooming in my chest.If anyone should be avoiding anyone, it should be me. I should be the one slamming doors and storming down corridors and spitting venom every time I caught the scent of him. He was the one who killed someone in cold blood. He was t
Arianna’s POVI don’t know how long I’d been sitting like that, on the edge of my bed, arms wrapped tightly around myself, rocking gently back and forth. But somewhere between the loud voices in my head, the gloomy night clouds had given way for brighter ones, yet the warmth of the sun didn’t bring any form of comfort.I hadn’t slept a wink. I didn’t even try after the first hour. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face.No. Not her face.Her skull.Crushed.Crushed like it was nothing. Like Ryker had forgotten it belonged to a person. Like her screams meant nothing. Like my voice meant nothing.And God… her blood.It had splattered, spraying like some grotesque fountain as he pressed down on her with all the force in his cursed body. I could still hear the crack of bone, the pop of pressure, the sickening squelch.I covered my ears as if it would somehow block the memory.But it was inside me now.And it burned behind my eyelids.I’d cried. I’d screamed. Then I’d gone completely
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