Bound by Flame & Fang

Episode 19

Ariel’s POV:

It was early in the morning when I woke up, stretching tiredly as yesterday’s scene played back in my head. I remembered the way Damian grabbed my breast and sucked on it until I begged him to stop.

“Oh, Damian, you’re confusing me. I don’t know what to believe anymore." "I don’t know if you love me or not. Speaking of love, I’ve never heard him say those words I Love you" Why?” I thought aloud.

But I shakes my head and sighed. I scolded myself. "Ariel, can you stop thinking negatively and try thinking positively for once? But Just then, Damian walked in carrying a tray of food and fruit. My lips curved into a smile.

“Good morning,” I said, but he wasn’t smiling. I knew him by now, he didn’t need to smile for me to know he was in a good mood. He set the tray of food on the table beside the bed. My gaze flicked to the clock, and my eyes widened. 9 am.

“Holy crap.” My smile faded instantly as I tried to scramble out of bed.

“Where are you going?” Damian asked, raising his brow as if he didn’t already know.

I cleared my throat. “I’m going to work. I can’t be late or I’ll get fired by my shithead boss. That was when he did something rare. He smiled, i froze. Wow. The cold Damian smiled.

I was about teasing him for it when a knock came at the door. “It’s must be one of the maids,” I muttered under my breath.

And I thought Damian will not let her in, but to my utter shock, Damian actually agreed and said, “Come in.”

“What the hell” I whispered harshly, glaring at him. Did he forget I was half-naked in his bed?

He didn’t even glance at me. He just spoke to the maid like nothing was wrong, then dismissed her with a wave of his hand. She bowed politely and left. I didn’t care what they said—it was none of my business.

I got up and started reaching for my clothes when Damian’s commanding voice cut through the air.

“Sit. And eat. I cooked. Or didn’t you notice the breakfast I brought you in bed? His tone left no room for argument.

“I want to go to work. I’m already late, Damian.” His golden eyes sharpened, the kind of look that said, Don’t you dare question me.

“That’s not up for discussion, Ariel. Sit and eat.” He pushed the tray toward me. I sighed. I knew arguing with him was useless. He was too dominant, too damn good at making my legs weak without even touching me.

So, I sat, and ate.

Ethan’s POV: I woke up with my head pounding, the taste of last night’s alcohol still on my tongue. Empty bottles littered the floor, and Lilly was cleaning up my mess. She wore a black strapless dress that barely covered her cleavage.

Normally, the sight of her dressed like that would turn me on instantly. But not today.

“Damn,” I muttered, shaking my head, trying to snap myself out of it.

Lilly noticed I was awake and rushed to me.

“Ethan, you drank yourself to sleep yesterday. Why would you do that?” she asked in a worried voice. She leaned closer, blinking her eyes at me like a doll trying to soften me up.

“If you were having a bad day, you could have called me to relieve your stress.”

Of course, I knew she was always ready to satisfy me. That was her specialty. But I wasn’t interested right now. I had bigger problems.

I let out a long, frustrated sigh and dropped the news.

“My dad is f***ing Ariel now.” Her mouth fell open in shock. I continued bitterly, “And I’m no longer getting any money from him. We’ll have to win his favor back somehow.”

Lilly just sat there like a fool, processing what I’d said. Then finally, she spoke.

“You mean Damian Blackthorne? The owner of the most powerful business company in the whole of New York?”

I didn’t even answer her. She’d heard me the first time.

But she kept babbling.

“How did Ariel even meet someone like him? I mean, she’s an introvert."

"We were the only people she knew. So how the heck did she get to know your father? A man of such status would look her way?”

Her endless questions grated on my nerves. I stood up and left her there talking nonsense.

Now that Damian was no longer willing to support me, I had to be a man, prove myself, and find a way to survive. Maybe then, I’d win his favor back.

But the thought hit me suddenly—I missed Ariel.

And I was getting tired of Lilly. The only thing she was good at was s*x. Sure, it was sweet at first, but it got boring when she was always at my call, doing everything just because of money.

She betrayed her best friend for cash. That kind of woman wasn’t worthy of me.

Damian’s POV:

The driver called me to confirm he’d dropped Ariel at work. I hung up.

It wasn’t like me, but last night after she fell asleep, I’d warned him never to get too close to her. If he valued his job—and his life—he’d better keep his distance.

The driver knew better than to think I was joking.

This morning, I cooked breakfast for the woman who was slowly changing me. But as I chopped onions, my mind wandered back to her behavior.

The way she’d resisted my Alpha tone. The way she blocked me from sensing her presence.

No. She couldn’t be an ordinary human. Something about her wasn’t normal.

I stopped what I was doing, wiped my hands on a towel, and took out my phone. I called Marcus. As usual, he picked up immediately.

“Good morning, sir,” he greeted. I didn’t waste time. “Get me a full background check on Ariel. Everything you can find.” “Yes, sir. I’ll gather as much as..”

“Not as much as you can, Marcus. I want every detail about her. Her spiritual background especially. Leave no stone untorched.”

He didn’t argue. “Understood.” he said. I ended the call and went back to cooking, like nothing had changed, But in my mind, the question burned hotter with every second. "Ariel Morgan, who are you?"