Chapter 6: Ribbon-Tied

ARIANNA'S POV

I was still in shock, unable to fully process the meaning of that sentence.

"Do you think we should knock her out instead?" I heard the one who had announced say. Well, my would-be “savior,” it seemed, wanted to knock me out. 

I turned to see who it was, and I saw that he was walking with another man who looked exactly like him. 

The companion nodded. "She shouldn’t see the way to the palace."

I barely had time to comprehend their words. A fist from the werewolf warrior, hard as steel, connected with my temple.

The world went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t in pain. 

A breeze carried the scent of wildflowers and damp earth, and the sound of soft weeping reached my ears.

I blinked. The grave.

I knew it instantly as it was the same one I’d dug with my own hands.

And there, standing by it, was her.

“Mum?” 

She turned slowly, wearing that same bloodied dress they’d killed her in. Her expression was soft, almost serene—she had smiled. 

“Mum, what is happening?” My breath hitched. My legs felt like jelly, rooted in place. “Am I… am I dead?”

She shook her head. “No, Arianna. You’re not.” Oh, that soft voice of hers… and for a second, it felt like I was a child again, crawling into her lap after a bad dream. “But I will be with you… for a little while.”

My throat tightened. Tears burned in my eyes, “I miss you,” I choked out, “I miss you so much.”

“I know, love,” she said, stepping closer. She brushed my cheek, “But I’m with you. Every step of the way.”

My knees buckled, and I collapsed at her feet, sobbing like my heart was being torn apart all over again. “It’s so hard, Mum,” I cried. “Everything’s so hard, and I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

“You can, my child. Answers will come, in time. But you need to survive, Arianna. Survive, and find your mate.”

“My mate?” 

She nodded. “The one who will help you. They will guide you through this.”

I didn’t understand, not fully. But I held onto her words like a lifeline. “Mum…” My chest heaved with sobs. “Don’t go. Please.”

Her smile faltered, and for a moment, I saw the pain she was hiding. “I’m always with you,” she whispered.

And just then I heard Aster’s voice, "Wake up, Arianna! Something’s wrong. Seriously, get up—now."

I groaned, the sound rasping in my dry throat as my head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache. 

Forcing my eyes open, the blur of my surroundings sharpened into clarity, and…

What. The. Hell.

I wasn’t in the dirt anymore—that much was clear. Instead, I lay in a bed so soft it felt like I’d been dropped onto a cloud. 

And then I noticed my outfit. A sleek, sexy gown that left nothing to the imagination. My bruises and injuries were all gone, as if they had been covered up with foundation. 

Oh, and I was cuffed.

My wrists were bound to the headboard with cold, sturdy metal cuffs, and my ankles were tied with soft, silky ribbons. 

“Great. I’m a gift,” I muttered under my breath, the bile rising in my throat.

Aster chimed in, her tone dry as sandpaper. “Not just a gift, Arianna. A perfectly wrapped gift. Bow optional.”

I tugged against the cuffs but they didn’t budge. My ankles fared no better. 

Where was I? What happened? 

And my necklace! 

With a struggle, I managed to angle myself in a way that could hoist my chest up to a height my fingers could reach. 

I brushed against the chain of my necklace. I sighed in relief. 

Thank the goddess—at least that was still there, still safe. 

“Okay, what’s the plan?” Aster asked, “Because right now, we’re screwed. Tied-up gift screwed.”

Before I could respond—before I could think—the sound of the door opening broke through my thoughts. 

When I say the air shifted immediately after the door had opened, it might even be an understatement.  It wasn’t just that someone had entered—it felt like the room itself had bent to their will. 

My body stiffened instinctively. Heart pounding, I shut my eyes and forced my breathing to slow to feign unconsciousness. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than staring down whoever—or whatever—was coming through that door.

I clenched my fists, trying to control the tremor in my fingers. “Aster, what the hell is this? The aura, it’s too strong.”

I swallowed hard. My heart was racing so fast I was surprised it didn’t sprout wings and take off. 

I kept my eyes shut, praying whoever it was would think I’d passed out—or better yet, died.

But then I heard a deep, smooth masculine voice, “I know you're awake." The words hit me like a whip, and Damn it.

Slowly, reluctantly, I opened my eyes, and—oh. Oh no.

Standing in front of me was a man who looked like he’d been sculpted by the Moon goddess just to show off. 

Tall and broad, his frame filled the doorway like it had been built to contain him. Muscles rippled beneath his fitted black shirt. His hair was dark, perfectly disheveled, and his face? 

Sharp jawline, high cheekbones, lips that were somehow both cruel and inviting. 

But it was his eyes that undid me. Pale gray, like storm clouds, and just as intense. They didn’t just look at me—they pinned me down, peeled back layers I didn’t even know I had.

I tried to avert my gaze, to focus on literally anything else, but his entire aura filled the room and kept pulling me back like gravity.

A strange sensation was trembling through my body, but I knew it was dangerous.

‘Aster, help me stay focused,’ I told Aster, trying not to see his eyes. I knew exactly who he was. The Lycan King—the beast of legend. Only he could have this strong aura.

And then, to my horror, he closed the distance between us. His hand shot out, firm but not painful, wrapping around my neck. 

The feel of his skin burned against my own, and I froze, my pulse hammering under his grip. 

He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him again.

I wanted to protest, to scream, to run away, but the words got stuck somewhere between my brain and my lips.

"Your eyes," he began,"They look like the aurora.”

Before I could process what was happening, he leaned down, and his lips pressed against mine softly.

My brain went blank. Did he just…kiss me?