Dark Obsession

The Third Alpha

I thought Damon would be the end of it.

I was wrong.

Damon had claimed me in his office, had marked me as his in every way that mattered. But there was something restless in me now, something that craved more than one Alpha could give.

I started going out at night. To clubs, to bars, to places where no one knew my name. I danced with strangers, let them touch me, let them want me.

I was looking for something. I just didn't know what.

Then I met Ryker.

He found me at an underground club, the kind of place where the wolves roamed free and the rules didn't apply. I was alone, nursing a drink at the bar, when I felt his presence behind me.

"Pretty little thing like you shouldn't be here alone," a voice murmured in my ear.

I turned to find a man watching me with wild, amber eyes. He was tall and lean, with shaggy dark hair and a scar across his jaw. He looked dangerous like a wolf who had never been tamed.

"I can take care of myself," I said.

He smiled, a slow, predatory grin. "I bet you can. But that doesn't mean you have to."

"Who are you?"

"Ryker," he said, his voice rough as gravel. "And you're Aria. I've heard about you."

I was tense. "From who?"

"Your brother's friends. Kael. Damon." His eyes gleamed. "They all talk about you, you know. The little sister who grew up to be irresistible."

"Who are you to them?"

Ryker leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear. "Let's just say I'm an old friend of the family. And I've been dying to meet you."

Something about Ryker was different from the others.

Kael was possessive. Damon was controlled. Ryker was wild, untamed, like a storm waiting to break. He made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall.

"Come with me," he said, offering his hand. "I'll show you what real freedom feels like."

I hesitated. But deep down, I already knew what I was going to say.

"Okay."

He took me to a rooftop overlooking the city.

The wind whipped around us, cold and sharp. Ryker stood close, his eyes never leaving my face.

"Why me?" I asked. "Why are you so interested in me?"

Ryker chuckled, a low, rough sound. "Because you're the most fascinating woman I've ever met. Kael wants you. Damon wants you. And they're both terrified of what you're becoming."

"What am I becoming?"

He stepped closer, his hand cupping my chin. "You're becoming something dangerous, Aria. Something powerful. Something they can't control."

"And what about you? Can you control me?"

He smiled, his wild eyes blazing. "I don't want to control you. I want to set you free."

He kissed me then, wild and hungry, his hands gripping my waist like I was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. I kissed him back with equal fervor, losing myself in the chaos of him.

He was nothing like Kael or Damon. He was free. He was in danger. He was everything I had been craving without knowing it.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily.

"Now what?" I asked.

Ryker grinned. "Now, I will show you what it means to be truly alive."

We didn't go back to the club.

Ryker took me to his apartment, a spartan place high above the city. He made me forget about Kael and Damon, about my brother, about everything except him.

"I've never met anyone like you," he admitted, lying beside me in the dark. "You're not like the others. You're not afraid to want what you want."

"And what do I want?"

He turned to look at me, his amber eyes glowing in the dim light. "You want everything. You want all of us."

I should have denied it. I should have told him he was wrong.

But he wasn't wrong.