I stood there, frozen in place, my mind reeling with the meaning of Claire’s words. Ryker? Applying healing balm on me? It didn't make any sense. He had been so angry with me, so furious that I was certain if my head had been served to him on a platter at that moment, it would have made up a nice meal for him.And yet...and yet, it seemed that he had taken the time to tend to my wound, to soothe the pain that he himself had inflicted.I didn’t even realize he knew he’d hurt me. He had been so blinded by his rage to stop to notice my pain. So how did that happen?I tried to chalk it down to my imagination, to tell myself that it couldn't possibly have been Ryker. But I knew what I had heard, what I had felt. Someone had entered my room that night, and the next morning, the bruise was mysteriously gone. It couldn't have been a coincidence.Claire's words came back to me, her statement that only Ryker had access to the healing balm. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized that it
I walked downstairs, my heart racing as different questions swirled in my mind. The mere thought of this visitor being Derrick filled me with a sense of dread that threatened to consume me and it felt like ice seeping through my veins.My palms grew sweaty, and my legs felt like jelly. I held my breath, my eyes fixed on the floor as I descended the stairs.My heartbeat spiked, and the maid turned to me with a curious look, but I ignored her, not wanting to break down.As I reached the bottom step, the guest stood up, and I raised my eyes to meet his gaze. Time seemed to stand still as our eyes locked. My mind went blank, and all I could do was stare.The man stood proud and tall, his muscular build towering over me, and I subtly pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.But all I got was the painful sting, yet, I didn’t wake up. I was still standing right there in front of him, definitely not dreaming.Too lost in my thoughts, I vaguely heard the maid excuse herself and leave.Th
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
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
Ryker’s POVI didn’t go far when I left her. I couldn’t. My legs barely carried me past the threshold of Claire’s room before the weight in my chest forced me to stop walking. I gripped the edge of the hallway wall, my knuckles white and my jaw clenched so tightly it ached. Her voice still echoed behind me, and I could still feel his broken it was.“Please, Ryker. Please. I didn’t mean to…I didn’t know—”I closed my eyes.I had to keep walking.But when I finally made it back to my room, it was like I’d entered a tomb. The silence wasn’t comforting. It wasn’t peaceful. It was suffocating. Every inch of space seemed to squeeze the breath out of my lungs.My wolf was pacing inside me, agitated and very unsettled. He didn’t understand. Or maybe he did, and it just hurt too much to accept.She believed everything.His voice growled low inside my head. She chose her.I ripped the shirt from my back, needing something, anything, to tear apart. The fabric split under my hands, but it didn’t
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