The rhythmic hum of the engine was the only sound inside the SUV.
Outside, rain streaked across the tinted windows, blurring the world into muted shades of gray and green.
Towering pine trees rushed past in endless rows, their branches swaying beneath the afternoon drizzle as the convoy climbed farther north.
Ariella rested her temple against the cool glass.
She hadn’t looked at Grimshaw once since they left the Hayes estate.
She didn’t need to.
She could feel his presence across from her—steady, composed, almost unnervingly calm.
The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was tense.
Every mile the convoy traveled carried her farther away from the only home she had ever known.
Calling the Hayes estate a home felt strange after everything that had happened, yet grief had never been logical.
It didn’t matter that the walls had witnessed more rejection than love.
They were still familiar.
Now they belonged to someone else.
Just like she did.
Her fingers curled unconsciously against the fabric of her dress.
She wondered if Arlo was still standing outside the house.
If Aiden had finally looked up after she left.
If Atlas had gone back to pretending none of this bothered him.
She wondered whether anyone had gone into her room yet.
Whether her mother had already ordered the servants to clear away every trace that Ariella Hayes had ever existed there.
The thought stung more than she wanted to admit.
She closed her eyes.
*Don’t think about it.
Think about something else.
Anything else.*
Almost instinctively, her thoughts drifted somewhere familiar.
Her group presentation at school.
She had volunteered to present the financial projections because no one else wanted to stand in front of the class.
Plus her midterm revision.
Professor Ellison had promised to upload the mock questions before the weekend.
And Thursday was the attendance.
She had already missed enough lectures this semester.
Another absence and she’d have to explain herself.
Then the realization struck her.
Her eyes opened slowly.
She wasn’t even sure she was still a student anymore.
Everything had happened so quickly that she had never asked.
Her family certainly hadn’t cared enough to tell her.
The rain grew heavier, drumming against the roof like impatient fingers.
The car slowed as it took another curve in the mountain road.
Ariella’s gaze dropped to the door handle beside her.
It wasn’t locked.
The thought came uninvited.
Intrusive.
The rain was loud.
The road was narrow.
The drop beyond the shoulder looked steep and unforgiving.
If she jumped now, she might actually make it into the trees before they could stop the convoy.
Her heart began to pound.
*Don’t.*
But the thought wouldn’t leave.
It grew louder, louder than the rain, louder than the engine, louder than the voice in her head telling her this was insane.
Her fingers moved before her mind could catch up.
The door clicked open.
Cold air and rain rushed in like a slap.
Ariella threw herself out of the moving vehicle.
She hit the wet asphalt hard, rolled, and scrambled to her feet.
Her heels snapped.
The tailored dress tore at the knee.
Rain soaked her instantly, washing away the last of her mother’s makeup in dark streaks down her face.
She ran.
“Damn it.”
Grimshaw’s voice cut through the rain behind her—low, rough, and unmistakably thrilled.
Guess the hunt finally began, he thought.
Boots hit the ground.
Heavy and fast.
Ariella didn’t look back.
She sprinted off the road and into the trees, branches whipping her arms, mud sucking at her bare feet.
She felt stronger than she should have after everything that had happened today.
Faster even.
But Grimshaw was faster.
He caught her in less than thirty seconds.
One powerful arm banded around her waist like iron.
He lifted her clean off the ground as though she weighed nothing.
Ariella screamed, thrashing violently in his hold.
“Let go of me!”
She twisted, elbow flying, nails raking across his forearm.
When that didn’t work, she sank her teeth into the thick muscle of his shoulder.
Grimshaw didn’t flinch.
Instead, a low, dark laugh rumbled from his chest—rough, genuine, and entirely too pleased.
“That’s it, ginger head,” he murmured against her ear, voice laced with something dangerously close to delight.
“Fight harder, kitten.
I like it when you bite.”
Ariella bit down harder.
Blood touched her tongue.
He still didn’t let go.
If anything, his grip tightened, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head as he turned and began carrying her back toward the convoy like she was a feral cat he had decided to keep.
“You’re insane,” she snarled around his shoulder, voice muffled by fabric and rain.
“Probably,” Grimshaw agreed, sounding almost cheerful.
Rain poured down his face, plastering dark hair to his forehead, but his eyes were bright with something wild.
So maybe we’re both a little insane.”
She kicked her legs wildly, one heel catching him in the thigh.
He didn’t even grunt.
“Put me down!” she demanded.
“No,” he replied, his voice a low rumble.
“I swear, I will make your life a living hell.”
He chuckled, a sound that was almost too pleased with her choice of words.
Her feistiness, he thought, only fueled his possessiveness.
“You already are,” he said, voice dropping into that low, rough register that sent unwelcome heat through her despite the rain.
“And I’m enjoying every second of it.”
The words stole some of the fire from her chest.
She stopped struggling for half a second, just long enough for him to reach the open door of the SUV.
The driver stood there, expression carefully blank, as though this was completely normal behavior for his Alpha.
Grimshaw didn’t put her down gently.
He simply slid into the backseat with her still trapped in his arms, pulling the door shut behind them.
And the click echoing in the cabin.
Rain drummed against the roof.
The interior lights cast sharp shadows across his face.
Only then did he loosen his grip enough for her to sit upright—though he kept one arm locked around her waist, anchoring her against his side.
His shoulder was bleeding where she had bitten him.
He didn’t seem to care.
Ariella glared up at him, chest heaving, rain and ruined makeup streaking her face.
“You’re a sadist,” she accused.
Grimshaw’s smile was slow, dark, and entirely too satisfied.
“And you,” he purred, his gaze devouring her, “will be so much more interesting to break.”
He reached out with his free hand and brushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek.
The touch was almost gentle.
Almost.
“But not tonight,” he added, voice dropping.
“Tonight you’re going to sit here, stop trying to throw yourself out of moving vehicles, and let me take you home.”
Ariella stared at him, breathing hard.
She had expected anger.
She had expected violence.
She had not expected this—this dark, claiming amusement, this thrill in his eyes like her defiance was the best part of his day.
She hated him.
But as the SUV began moving once more, Grimshaw’s arm stayed locked around her like he had no intention of letting go anytime soon.
Ariella realized with a sinking feeling that the man she had sworn to make miserable was going to enjoy every single second of the war she planned to wage.
And worse… some treacherous part of her was already looking forward to it too.
Suddenly, his thumb traced the curve of her jaw, and he whispered, “This is only the beginning, Ariella.
And you’re going to beg for more.”
But it wasn’t his words that sent a shiver down her spine.
It was the look in his eyes—a predatory gleam that promised not just pain, but a pleasure she was terrifyingly afraid she might actually crave.
Have been thinking…writing in third person POV for this book has been the hardest thing I have ever done!
Forgive me, I’m not used to it, I usually write with first person POV’s, so I’m thinking of switching it to first person POV in the future chapters (this is just a thought!
I might actually continue writing this way, but updating will be slow)
Thank you for choosing this book once more…please encourage me with comments, and gifts, Thankia <3