Chapter 11: I Don’t Have a Heart
Earlier…
Anger, lust, and confusion crashed over Ronan like a wave as he looked at her.
When Matthew had taken Sophia away, it felt as though a part of him was missing. It was ludicrous, really. How could he have gotten this attached to her so quickly? It had been barely a day since they'd met.
But there he was, feeling restless.
[Admit it, your mate already has your heart], his wolf mocked him.
[That's bullshit. I don't have a heart], Ronan barked back.
[Sure you do. And it beats for her. You need your mate, don't you?]
His wolf was taunting him, aware of how much Ronan hated the very concept of love and mate bonding. Growing up, he used to get irritated when his brother and sister talked about it. He'd decided then that he would reject his mate the moment he met her.
But when he laid eyes on Sophia, he couldn't do it. Instead of wanting to reject her, he was overwhelmed with the desire to possess her.
Luckily, she couldn't leave because she was at their mercy now. Her cowardly father had left her to die in Ronan's hands, so she was forced to live with him.
Ronan watched in secret as Matty brought her back, and then Valentina showed her to her room. But he didn't reveal himself just yet. He wanted to make his presence known when she least expected it.
He caught Callan hanging around the house and decided to stop him first.
"What are you doing here? I told you not to harass Valentina," Ronan snarled.
"Chill, bro. I'm here to see Matthew. I lent him shoes last week, and he still hasn't returned them. Where is he?" Callan asked.
"Fuck if I know," Ronan shrugged.
"Oh, well, I'll come back tomorrow."
"Hang on," Ronan stopped him before he could walk away. He could use Callan's help.
"What?" Callan looked at him curiously.
"Could you talk to Valentina and keep her distracted for a few minutes? My mate Sophia is in there, and I want to talk to her in private," Ronan said.
"Why do I need to distract Val? What are you planning on doing? You're not going to hurt the poor girl, are you?" Callan asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked Ronan up and down.
"No, of course not. Just do me this solid. I'll return the favor, I promise," Ronan said.
Callan sighed. "Sure, whatever. Just remember you owe me."
Ronan nodded, then headed to Sophia's room.
"D…don't touch me," she whispered as he trailed his fingers along her silky smooth skin. Her body was cool and damp, freshly out of the shower.
"What makes you think you get to order me around?" Ronan barked. She had a lot of guts for a little thing.
"I'm saying no. Are you going to force yourself on me because you're my mate?" Sophia snarled.
He chuckled. "I'm not that desperate. But who knows what I'll do if you piss me off, so try not to do that."
"Why did you do it? Why did you destroy my home?" she whispered.
Why? Even Ronan didn't understand why it felt so good to destroy things. It was this feeling of euphoria—something he couldn't explain. He fed off other people's misery. Even now, as he looked at his mate's tear-soaked face, he felt a twisted sense of happiness.
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you. No one does, so I won't waste my time trying. Let's focus on more important things. Now that you're stuck living with me, you'll have to figure out ways to keep me happy," he smirked. He had plans for her, little runt.
"Wha…what does that mean?" Sophia stuttered. He noticed she did that a lot. He wondered if it was because she was scared of him or if it was an old habit.
"Come to my room after midnight and find out," he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"N…no way! I don't ever want to be alone with you," she cried.
"Well, you can't avoid me forever," Ronan said.
"Stop harassing Sophia already!" Valentina said from behind him.
He turned around and grinned.
"I'm sorry it took me so long. Callan caught me on my way back, and he wouldn't shut up," Valentina apologized to Sophia, then looked at Ronan intently. "What are you doing to the poor girl now?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just giving Sophia a warm welcome to our pack. Because I'm such a nice person," Ronan said, winking at Val.
"Yeah, sure you are. Look at her, shivering in fear. Why do you always have to act like a hooligan, Ronan? You should go away now."
"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted," he said, but didn't move just yet. He concentrated on Sophia one last time, trying to hear what she was thinking. One of the perks of being mostly Fae was his mind-reading power, which was coming in handy now.
I hate it here. I have to figure out how to escape! But where will I go?
He smiled at her thoughts. Sophia had nowhere to go, and that gave him the leverage to control her. He would definitely take advantage of it.
"Why are you still standing here? Get out of here, Kon!" Valentina said, pushing him out the door.
"Don't forget what we talked about, little one. I'll be waiting after midnight," he shouted over Val's shoulder before she slammed the door shut.
Ronan returned to his room and took another cold shower. He always got overheated around this time, sweating profusely, especially when he spent a whole day without throwing fire at something.
It was rather annoying because by the time it was time for bed, he ended up taking several cold showers. Maybe he should just keep a tub full of ice and sleep in it instead of his bed.
He didn't actually think she would show up after midnight, so he was surprised when he heard a soft knock on his door. No one came to his room to visit him. He didn't have any friends, and he usually met up with the others in the morning in the dining room. His heart started beating fast when he sensed the presence outside his room. His pants felt tight, and he realized he was already hard.
That could only mean one thing: Sophia had accepted his invitation. Well, that was shocking!
He opened the door, and there she was. She wore a light green dress that complemented her fiery red hair and blue eyes. She looked down shyly when their eyes met.
"Oh, so you came. Couldn't resist me, huh?" he teased her.
Anger flickered in her eyes. "That's not why I came," she said.
"Then why did you come?" he asked, eyeing her from head to toe. She was kind of cute with those wild curls.
"I…I'm not sure why I came," she hesitated.
"Interesting… you don't know why. Maybe you're so attracted to me that you couldn't wait. Want me to touch you?" he teased her again. He wasn't interested in being with a woman all that much, but that didn't mean he would say no if she offered herself to him. He was a man, after all.
"It was a mistake. I'm going back to my room now," she turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand. He pulled her inside and shut the door behind her.
"Let me go! I told you it was a mistake, let me go back to my room," she squealed. "Or you could do the right thing and apologize to me for ruining my life," she added.
He laughed out loud. "HAH! I don't apologize. Your pack deserved their fate. You should be thanking me for getting you out of there."
"You're so disgusting! I hope you burn in hell!" she reached out and pressed her palms on his chest as if to push him, but he didn't move an inch.
Was that an attempt to push him to the ground? That was cute.
"I'm already in hell, sweetheart. Can't you feel it on my skin? Go ahead and touch me; you'll know what I'm talking about," he said. Then, without waiting for her to make a move, he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his naked chest.
She yelped and snatched her hand away. "What the hell? What are you, a furnace?"
"I guess you could say that. Now get out of here if you don't want me to do something bad to you."
She looked at him with surprise. "You're letting me go?"
"Sure. Unless you want me to—-"
She turned around and ran off before he could finish his sentence.
Ronan stood by the door and laughed. Tomorrow was a new day, and he was nowhere near done with her.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone