Chapter 70: A Bite of Defiance.

Chapter 70: A Bite of Defiance.Ariana’s hands, already wrapped tightly around Zavren, clenched even more, her eyes widening in shock as she heard him speak. "You don’t have to worry, sweetheart. That was just me cracking my fingers. Don’t be scared." Her breathing quickened, eyes still wide as the lights remained off. Gradually, her breathing began to slow as she pulled herself closer to Zavren, hugging him tightly. The truth was, she had thought the floor had cracked—and oh Lord, did this man wish to remove her soul from her body tonight? But Zavren’s face looked different—his lips curled into a small smile. Who knew she could lean on him this much out of fear? So this wife of his really trusted him. Despite the "crack," she still clung to him. He knew she was going to be annoyed with him—after all, how many times tonight had he scared her? But still, the feeling of her body pressed to his was something else entirely. Ariana gasped softly just as she felt his hand gently caress her thigh. Her body shivered, and her eyes, which had been shut tightly, snapped open—wide—to meet his calm ones. "Don’t shut them. You’ll miss the fun," his voice rang out, deep and steady. Ariana pressed her lips together. ’Fun? What fun? This was definitely no fun at all,’ she thought to herself. Her head tilted slightly—not from fear this time, but something else—as his hand still lingered on her thigh. Her breath caught. Zavren turned her swiftly. She was still on his lap, but now her back was pressed against his chest. The moonlight cast a faint glow through the dark room. And just as she began to wonder why the lights hadn’t returned, she saw it—a flicker of candlelight coming to life. Her lips parted in surprise. What shocked her most was that it wasn’t in the room. The candlelight was under the glass floor. It had been covered by something before, but now, as it glowed, her lips parted in awe. She looked down—the scene was beautiful. Breathtaking, even. She couldn’t believe something like this was actually possible. There had to be a lot of water underground. "You don’t have to worry about the light going off. It’s covered," she heard him say. Just as she thought that was all, her eyes widened again as more light began to appear in a straight line downward. More and more candlelight. It kept moving—downward and downward. Another side lit up too. Candlelight again. That was what made it so shocking and breathtaking. No wonder they had turned off the main lights—the view below was even more stunning with only the underground lights on. She looked down as the water moved in sync. Her mouth opened and closed. She had never seen anything like this. Never thought she would see anything like this. Was she... having a glimpse of the future? "If you’re wondering how the lights manage to turn on—there’s a switch. The power of the water gives energy to the candlelight. Once the switch is pressed, it activates." Ariana’s lips parted again in awe. This was beautiful. Words couldn’t describe how she felt. She couldn’t believe she felt this... sweet. "Do you like it?" she heard him ask. She nodded. Like? She loved it. It was truly breathtaking. And then—one shark moved. Her body stilled as it glided gracefully in sync with the water. More came, swimming in rhythm. Ariana watched in awe. They were... at this point, she was at a loss for words. This man was really unpredictable. He kept catching her off guard in the most unbelievable ways. Before she knew it, Zavren held her waist and raised her up, turning her to face him. She was now sitting at the side, her legs resting on the sofa, while her shoulders faced his back. "I’ll be cutting the enjoyment short as I tell you the lesson for tonight," he said calmly, his expression unreadable. She looked at him curiously. What did he want to tell her? And what lesson? She turned to glance back at the swimming sharks, but Zavren’s hand moved, gently holding her chin in place. "No... I haven’t even told you what your moral lesson is," he said. Ariana stared at him in almost disbelief. If anyone wanted to give a moral lesson, Zavren should be the last. This brutal man? Giving a moral lesson? Was he serious? And right now—he had stopped her from watching the breathtaking sight underground? "Today’s moral lesson..." he drew out slowly. Ariana knew this man had only one plan today—to annoy her—and it was working perfectly. Because right now, her patience was running thin. She saw his eyes dance with excitement as his lips curled upward. "Are you listening?" he asked quietly. Ariana nodded. He should just go straight to the point. What was he beating around the bush for? Considering it was Zavren doing this, it was shocking—he rarely acted like this. The stoic Alpha... actually annoying her? Impossible. "Do not judge a book by its cover," he said calmly, watching her eyebrow raise in confusion. "You had judged... maybe there were no sharks." Then, in a low, almost ladylike tone which mixed with his deep voice, he continued: "This annoying man must have tricked me..." Her eyes flew wide. Was he mocking her? That was not how she said it. Well, not exactly. That wasn’t how she worded it in her head. Though... he got the annoying part right. At least he was aware of that much. She had gotten so annoyed, she hadn’t even realized that this stoic man had actually tried to mimic the voice in her head. She just wanted to see the sharks—and it seemed like a certain someone was making that very difficult. She gave him a glare, and just as she tried to turn her head again, his hand moved to her chin, holding her in place as if he knew exactly what she was planning. "Who told you I was done with the lesson? You’re getting really stubborn these days," he said quietly, eyes glinting mischievously as his gaze settled on her. ’And who’s to blame for that? You, Mister Stoic Cold Heartless Devil,’ she cursed silently, her lips curling upward slightly. Zavren’s eyes widened for a split second before his expression returned to normal. He knew her patience was running out—and the awe she’d shown moments ago had already faded into pure annoyance. His lips curled again. He was enjoying this far more than he should. Her defiant gaze met his, and Zavren’s body stilled. Her eyes spoke volumes—more like a warning—that he should let her enjoy this in peace. Or else, She turned again, and just as Zavren moved to hold her chin once more, before he knew it— She opened her mouth... And bit him. Ariana bit Zavren—hard—on the palm. His lips parted in speechless shock as she turned away again, still on his lap, and even rested her head on his shoulder like she hadn’t just bitten him. She watched the swimming sharks below with great interest. If it were anyone else, with how hard she bit him, they would’ve been injured. But what could she do? She had given him a warning look. Zavren’s body remained frozen as he stared at her—this bold woman who now sat comfortably on his lap like she belonged there, as if she hadn’t just left the great Alpha completely speechless. A disbelieving chuckle escaped his lips as he stared at the exact place she had bitten. This woman really had audacity. Her teeth marks were right there. Another chuckle escaped him—because instead of moving away after biting him, she had even rested her head comfortably on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Ariana’s heart skipped as she felt his chest vibrate from the chuckle, sending a flutter through her stomach. "I see the sharks have a long-lost sister," she heard Zavren say. Her body stilled. Was he... was he calling her a shark? After you bit him, what did you expect? her inner voice screamed at her. He leaned in, his gaze now fixed on her. "The only difference is... while they are well-behaved, you aren’t," he said, and Ariana tried her best not to glare. She continued to admire the scenery, even though this man was very hard to ignore. "I see you’ve already marked me, huh... my dearest Luna." Just as those words left his lips, Ariana turned to him. "Go on, how about you bite the other hand to complete it?" he said, his bored eyes dancing with mischief. Ariana couldn’t make out what this man was thinking. She pressed her lips together and just stared at him. But then—Zavren held her again, and his expression suddenly turned dark. Her eyes widened. W...was something wrong? She wondered. He moved her swiftly to the long foamy chair, making her lie on it. He was so fast that she barely realized she was no longer sitting on his lap. "Rest your head on my lap, Aria," she heard him say, a slight urgency in his cold tone. She did as he said, and before she knew it, his palm covered her eyes. She shut them, her body frozen. What was happening? The teasing glint she had seen earlier was gone—replaced by a deadly gaze. And then, a sharp sound rang through the air. Her heartbeat stopped. Curious, she opened her eyes, peeking through the small space between Zavren’s fingers that covered them— Her jaw dropped. An arrow. Held firmly in his other hand—caught just before it could pierce his heart.