_Ryker's POV_I felt like my skin had been scorched by a hundred hot knives, each tugging and peeling at my skin excruciatingly slowly. And all of that, I felt from Arianna’s wordsIt wasn’t the first time I’d heard those words, in fact, I’d heard way worse, but what I didn’t expect was to feel the way I did, like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and I was left to bleed out.I couldn’t remember the last time I let anyone’s words get to me, never mind getting hurt by them. Even my wolf took a blow, and recoiled into my mind. I could sense him silently blaming me for being too hard on her all this while, and pushing her away, now, she was only giving me a taste of my own medicine.It had been minutes since I left the room, but her words still stung kike she’d just said them, and maybe what stung the most was the fact that she was actually right, and I would have remained the same shitty person if that accident hadn’t made me discover who she was, and change my perspective of her
My shock level shot up the roof as soon as I stepped into the room. It was dimly lit, but just enough to make me stare with my mouth wide open.From the way the maids had whispered about what was behind this door like it was some top secret, and coupled with Ryker’s reaction to me going close to it the other day, I thought the room would be some sort of torture chamber, slaughter house, or worse, some kind of kinky red room with chains and handcuffs.So imagine my shock when I saw it was a room filled with canvases, painting brushes, and a mix of colors. I turned to Ryker to express my shock, and his eyes were fixed on me, his lips set in a thin line.“Can I….can I look around?” I asked cautiously, careful not to set him off.To my surprise, he shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded. “Take your time.”I turned back around, and hobbled deeper into the room with the help of my clutches. The room was filled with the scent of paint, and it looked like I’d stepped into another world,
“That one’s not finished yet,” he said with so much emotion to evoke only one emotion from me. Curiosity.I stared at the covered canvas and my mind wandered. There were a lot of questions on my mind, but from the way Ryker’s lips thinned, and his eyes grew dark, I didn’t need to be told that that was the end of that conversation.“Ryker….” I started but stopped mid-sentence when something caught my attention behind him.It was a huge painting, not as huge as the unfinished one, but equally big. It was hidden behind an array of broken canvases, with only a small, imperceptible part of it sticking out.I could have easily missed it, but there was something about the neatly-styled raven hair that was visible in the painting that struck me.“That one,” I said, pointing a finger towards the painting. “What’s that one?”My curiosity was piqued by the fact that unlike other portraits that were hanging and scattered across every inch of the wall, covering up all of its dark brown paint, this
My eyes slowly peeled open, and the first thing that greeted me was the warmth from the sunlight streaming through the slightly parted window.I twisted my body to the side, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through my sides, a more than subtle reminder that I was yet to heal from the accident.Taking a deep breath, I decided to stop trying, and just laid on the bed, my eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.I took in a breath, and was relieved when I was neither greeted by the stench of antiseptic and drugs or the sight of the sterile white walls I’d grown used to at the hospital.It was almost laughable that Ryker’s house, the place I’d hated so much, was now a place I was so happy to be in.I closed my eyes, soaking in the warm air, and the feel of the soft sheets beneath me. But my moment of bliss was soon cut off when a series of thoughts attacked my mind.Everything that happened last night came rushing back in a slideshow, and I felt the familiar tug of pain in my heart.Everyo
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
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 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
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
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 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 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
My eyes slowly peeled open, and the first thing that greeted me was the warmth from the sunlight streaming through the slightly parted window.I twisted my body to the side, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through my sides, a more than subtle reminder that I was yet to heal from the accident.Taking a deep breath, I decided to stop trying, and just laid on the bed, my eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.I took in a breath, and was relieved when I was neither greeted by the stench of antiseptic and drugs or the sight of the sterile white walls I’d grown used to at the hospital.It was almost laughable that Ryker’s house, the place I’d hated so much, was now a place I was so happy to be in.I closed my eyes, soaking in the warm air, and the feel of the soft sheets beneath me. But my moment of bliss was soon cut off when a series of thoughts attacked my mind.Everything that happened last night came rushing back in a slideshow, and I felt the familiar tug of pain in my heart.Everyo
“That one’s not finished yet,” he said with so much emotion to evoke only one emotion from me. Curiosity.I stared at the covered canvas and my mind wandered. There were a lot of questions on my mind, but from the way Ryker’s lips thinned, and his eyes grew dark, I didn’t need to be told that that was the end of that conversation.“Ryker….” I started but stopped mid-sentence when something caught my attention behind him.It was a huge painting, not as huge as the unfinished one, but equally big. It was hidden behind an array of broken canvases, with only a small, imperceptible part of it sticking out.I could have easily missed it, but there was something about the neatly-styled raven hair that was visible in the painting that struck me.“That one,” I said, pointing a finger towards the painting. “What’s that one?”My curiosity was piqued by the fact that unlike other portraits that were hanging and scattered across every inch of the wall, covering up all of its dark brown paint, this
My shock level shot up the roof as soon as I stepped into the room. It was dimly lit, but just enough to make me stare with my mouth wide open.From the way the maids had whispered about what was behind this door like it was some top secret, and coupled with Ryker’s reaction to me going close to it the other day, I thought the room would be some sort of torture chamber, slaughter house, or worse, some kind of kinky red room with chains and handcuffs.So imagine my shock when I saw it was a room filled with canvases, painting brushes, and a mix of colors. I turned to Ryker to express my shock, and his eyes were fixed on me, his lips set in a thin line.“Can I….can I look around?” I asked cautiously, careful not to set him off.To my surprise, he shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded. “Take your time.”I turned back around, and hobbled deeper into the room with the help of my clutches. The room was filled with the scent of paint, and it looked like I’d stepped into another world,