Bound by Flame & Fang

Episode 17

ARIEL'S POV:

I clutched the heavy files close to my chest as I walked down the long, cold corridor. My heels clicked softly against the polished floor, and every sound echoed like it was mocking me. My heart pounded faster the closer I got to Damian’s office.

I didn’t want to see him again. Not after what he did earlier, touching me like I was some toy and then throwing files at me as if I was a maid. But I knew had no choice. He told me to rearrange the schedule, and I wasn’t ready to lose the only thing I had left.

I reminded myself again, "you are Ariel Morgan, the rejected daugter." You can survive this. No you must survive this.

When I reached his door, I paused. My fingers trembled on the handle. “Breathe, Ariel,” I whispered to myself. Then I pushed it open.

The moment the door cracked open. the air in the room shifted.

I froze.

Ethan was there.

My eyes widened, my lips parted. I almost dropped the files in my hand. I saw Ethan, my arrogant ex boyfriend now was standing near Damian’s desk. His face pale, his body stiff.

“What… what are you doing here?” the words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.

Ethan’s eyes shot to mine, and I could see it in his eyes, he was confused and shocked, maybe even guilt. He looked like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

Behind him, Damian sat in his chair, calm like a king on his throne. His golden eyes burned into me, unreadable and extremely dangerous.

He leaned back, one arm resting lazily on the armrest, but I knew him well enough now to know his stillness was never peace. It was the calm before a storm.

And then Marcus. Who I hadn’t even noticed leaning against the far shelf, cleared his throat deliberately. "Uh".

The sound cut through the air like a blade. He followed with a “So.” His voice carried a strange edge, too casual for the thickness in the room.

“Everyone knows everyone, I see.” he said nodding his head.

I wanted to scream at him for saying that, because no, nothing was clear, nothing made sense.

I felt the weight of three men’s eyes on me, and suddenly I wished the ground would open and swallow me whole.

But instead, I clutched the file tighter and walked forward, forcing my trembling legs to obey me.

“I… I brought the schedule,” I said, my voice small. I walked forward slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last. My hands shook as I placed the files on Damian’s desk, right in front of him.

No one said a word. Not Damian. Not Ethan. Not Marcus.

The silence was so loud it hurt.

I finally dared to look at Damian. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. His lips curved slightly, almost mocking, like he was enjoying the discomfort rolling off me.

Ethan shifted, his fists clenching at his sides. I could see the vein pulsing in his neck. He looked from me to Damian, then back at me, and the confusion on his face deepened.

“Ariel” he finally whispered, like my name burned his throat.

I snapped my head toward him, my chest tightening. His voice sounded like the Ethan I once knew—the boy I trusted, the one who threw me out like trash.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask why he was here, why he looked like a beggar standing in front of Damian, but before I could, Marcus cleared his throat again.

“Miss Blake,” Marcus said smoothly, “is there anything else you need to report?”

His voice jolted me back to reality. I shook my head quickly. “No. That’s all.”

I wanted to run, but I forced myself to walk out with some dignity. My back straight, my chin up. I wouldn’t let them see me crumble. Not here. Not now.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I let out the breath I had been holding. My chest ached, and my legs felt weak. I pressed my hand against the wall, trying to steady myself.

Behind the door, I could still feel Damian’s eyes on me, burning through wood and walls, following me even as I walked away.

Damian POV :

Ethan took a step forward the moment Ariel left, his lips parting. “Ariel”

But before he could reach the door, Marcus stepped in front of him, blocking the way.

“Move,” Ethan hissed, his voice sharp with desperation.

But Marcus was not someone you can command. He didn’t move. He stood tall, his body like a wall. His eyes were calm but carried weight, the kind that pressed on your chest until you couldn’t breathe.

“Not today,” Marcus said simply.

He's jaw tightened. “Why? She’s my” He stopped himself, realizing too late what he almost confessed.

That made me finally leaned forward, my voice cold but sharp. “Your what?” I demand for him to finish the nonsense he was about saying.

He turned to me, panic flashing in his eyes. He stuttered, but no words came.

My golden eyes narrowed, and my lips curved into that cruel smile I always wore so easily.

“That’s what I thought.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Ethan’s fists clenched, but his shoulders slumped. In that moment, he understood.

He wasn’t being punished for nothing. He wasn’t being stripped of his allowance and keys because of some random mistake.

It was because of Ariel.

Because Damian Blackthorne had claimed her, even if he hadn’t said it out loud, even if Ariel herself didn’t know it yet.

Marcus finally spoke, his tone low but sharp.

“Go home, Ethan. Be grateful you’re still breathing.”

Ethan’s face darkened, shame and anger mixing in his eyes, but he didn’t argue. He turned and left, his steps heavy.

The door shut behind him.

I sat back in me chair, my golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. My wolf stirred inside of me, restless, growling.

"Ariel."

Even the sound of her name in my head drove me insane.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge not to go after her.

But one thing was clear, Ethan was beginning to understand the truth.

And Ariel… Ariel was walking straight into a storm she didn’t yet see.