Bab 19: Anything you want

Sophia snuggled closer to Matthew as he held her against his chest. She was still shivering slightly, but his warmth slowly spread through her body, easing the cold that had seeped into her bones.

He gently stroked her hair, lulling her toward sleep, though she fought to stay awake. After the way Ronan had treated her, she couldn't let her guard down completely.

But Matthew wouldn't do that to her, would he? She wondered. He had been nothing but kind and sweet to her this whole time, and she felt like she could trust him.

"Are you feeling a lot warmer now?" he whispered into her hair.

She nodded against his chest. "Yes, but could you hold me a bit longer?"

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. "Of course. As long as you want me to."

"Why are you so nice to me?" Sophia asked softly, looking up at Matthew.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Matthew sounded surprised. "You're my mate. We are destined to be together and fall in love with each other."

"Then why is Ronan so mean to me? I'm his mate too!" she exclaimed, the frustration clear in her voice. She had asked this question many times, but it still baffled her. How could two men who looked exactly the same be so different?

"I don't know. I've been trying to figure it out," Matthew admitted. "But you know… Ronan isn't like you and me. He doesn't know how to love."

"He doesn't know how to love? How can that be? Everyone knows how to love someone. It's the most natural thing in the world!" Sophia breathed. She couldn't understand how someone could be incapable of such a basic emotion. Didn't he love his parents? Or his siblings?

"I mean… I'm sure he does, but he doesn't know how to show it, that's for sure. He's always been a loner. When Valentina and I played together, he kept to himself. Growing up, he didn't have any friends. Everyone feared him."

"If he treated them the way he treats me, then no wonder," Sophia said bitterly.

Matthew's expression darkened. "You're right. He did do bad things to other people. It's like he didn't want anyone to get close to him. Besides us, only Callan and Minerva are close to him."

Sophia sat up, curiosity piqued. "Minerva?"

"She's a hybrid too. I know you're not a fan of them," Matthew chuckled.

Sophia blushed. She hadn't meant to come across as judgmental. Growing up, her father had always spoken poorly about hybrids, and since she and Liz were homeschooled, she never had the chance to be around them. Her entire life had been confined to their neighborhood, surrounded only by werewolves.

"Is she half-Fae too?" Sophia asked curiously.

Matthew shook his head. "No, she's half-vampire. Her mother fell in love with a vampire, and they had a child."

Sophia gasped in surprise. "How can a wolf fall for a vampire?"

Matthew laughed. "You're suddenly a chatterbox. Are you feeling better?" He gently brushed her hair away from her face. Sophia looked down, blushing. She hadn't realized she was talking so much, but the idea of a vampire-wolf hybrid intrigued her. Who was this girl, anyway?

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. You can ask me anything you want," Matthew reassured her.

Sophia wanted to ask him more about Ronan. She needed to understand why he hated her so much. If anything, she had every reason to hate him—he had killed her family! She didn't believe her father or Liz were dead, but still, she couldn't forget what he had done to her pack members. She couldn't forgive him for that.

"Don't think about him so much. It makes me jealous," Matthew growled softly, pulling her closer again.

"How do you know I was thinking about him? Oh wait, you can hear my thoughts too, can't you? Ugh! I wish you guys would stop doing that!" Sophia cried out, pushing him away.

Matthew winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen in. I can't help it sometimes."

"Well, try harder not to," she barked back.

"Anything you want," Matthew replied, raising his hands in surrender.

Sophia couldn't help but smile. She was warming up to Matthew quickly. He was the complete opposite of Ronan. He didn't look at her with contempt or belittle her, nor did he pull mean pranks. Instead, he accepted her as his mate. Maybe he even loved her, though it was too early to know for sure.

Sophia wanted to believe that Matthew was right—he had to love her, didn't he? After all, they were mates. But what about Ronan? If he was her mate too, shouldn't he love her just as much? None of it made any sense to her.

"I'll do anything you want, Sophia. I've been waiting for my mate ever since I was young, and I finally found you," Matthew said, his voice thick with emotion.

He loves me, Sophia thought to herself. "You can kiss me if you want," she whispered softly.

Matthew looked at her with surprise. "Really? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Matthew. You've been so kind to me, and I can feel our bond—it's stronger than ever now. I accept you as my mate," she said. Despite her lingering reluctance about the Vikanders, which her father had ingrained in her, she felt like she could love Matthew as her mate.

Matthew's eyes lit up with joy. "You mean it?"

Sophia smiled and nodded. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. This time, she didn't hesitate, pulling him closer as she kissed him back. The bond between them truly felt stronger, and her body tingled at his touch. Warmth spread through her, pushing away the chill from earlier.

Sophia was the first to break the kiss, needing to catch her breath. "I'm not ready to… um… give myself to you yet," she admitted quietly.

Matthew smiled gently. "Don't worry. I won't try anything. Ronan was right about one thing—I shouldn't touch you until the official ceremony. My parents would kill me!"

Ronan. Sophia kept forgetting about him, but he would be back in the morning. Would he find another way to torment her then? "I want to reject him. I can't stand him! I'd rather be with you instead!" she cried, feeling overwhelmed.

Matthew pulled her into a comforting embrace and rocked her gently. "Shh… calm down. Don't say that. Don't reject my brother. He'll come around."

Sophia looked up at him in shock. "What are you saying? Don't you want to be my only one?"

"Of course I do. The thought of him touching you makes me furious," Matthew admitted, his voice tinged with anger.

"Then why…"

"Ronan is unpredictable, dangerous. If you reject him, he won't take it lying down. He'll likely try to kill you. And I… well… I don't want to have to choose between my twin and my mate. I love you, Sophia, but I also love my brother. Please don't make me choose. I don't want either of you to die," Matthew pleaded, his eyes filled with pain.

Sophia pouted, hating to admit that Matthew was right. She couldn't drive a wedge between the brothers. As much as she despised Ronan, he was still Matthew's family, and she could see that Matthew loved him unconditionally.

"You're too kind-hearted for your own good," she muttered.

Matthew shrugged. "Maybe. But he hasn't tried to kill me since learning we have to share you, so that means he cares about me too. I'll eventually convince him to be kind to you."

Sophia didn't believe that for a second, but she clung to the hope that Matthew could somehow change his brother.

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