บท 18: What did you do?
Matthew felt a sharp pang in his chest, a clear sign that his mate was in trouble.
His heart pounded in fear and anger. Had that bastard Ronan gotten to her again? If he had, Matthew swore he'd kill him. There was no way he'd let Ronan hurt her, not when he was around to protect her.
He jumped out of bed and stormed toward Sophia's room, his mind racing. Earlier, he had promised himself he wouldn't push her or force her to love him. He had been trying to keep his distance, to give her space. But if Ronan kept bothering her, Matthew knew he'd have to stay close to her at all times, whether she liked it or not.
When he reached her door, he pounded on it with urgency. "SOPHIA! Are you okay in there? Is there something wrong? Open the door!" he shouted.
There was no answer.
Panic surged through him as he tried the door and found it locked. "Sophia!" he yelled again, but the silence on the other side only heightened his worry.
Now, he was truly worried.
Matthew couldn't wait any longer. He had to act. With determination, he cast a spell to open a portal directly into Sophia's room. For years, he had practiced this skill, striving to master it, especially since he had never been as adept at it as Ronan. But now, he could finally teleport himself wherever he needed, even if it was where Ronan was.
When he stepped through the portal, rage boiled within him at the sight of Ronan standing smugly in the middle of the room, smirking like the devil Sophia had often called him.
"Ronan! What the hell are you doing in Sophia's room?" Matthew snarled, his voice thick with anger.
Ronan's smirk only deepened as he feigned innocence. "Why can't I be in my mate's room?"
"I told you to leave her alone, didn't I?" Matthew cried, his frustration mounting.
"Calm down, Matthew. I saw her first. I'm the one who brought her here. She was supposed to be mine from the beginning," Ronan scoffed. "You wouldn't have even known she existed if I hadn't brought her here, so just relax."
"That's not true," Matthew shot back. "She's my fated mate. I would've found her sooner or later."
Suddenly, a scream pierced the room. "MATTHEW! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
Matthew's heart leaped as he heard Sophia's voice, but something was wrong. Her voice sounded faint, almost…small? "Sophia? Where are you?" he called out frantically.
"I'm in here!" came her desperate reply, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Panic gripped him as he scanned the room, searching for her. What had Ronan done? Had he made her invisible?
Matthew turned to Ronan, his eyes blazing with fury and confusion. "Where is she? What's happening?" He could feel her presence but couldn't see or even smell her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
Ronan stared at Matthew in silence for a moment before erupting into laughter. His mocking cackle filled the room, intensifying Matthew's fury. Suddenly, Valentina appeared at the door, her expression worried. The commotion had clearly woken her up.
"What's with all the noise?" Valentina asked, her eyes darting between the two men.
"Ronan did something to Sophia, and now I can't find her!" Matthew cried out, his voice thick with panic.
"What did you do!?" Valentina exclaimed, her gaze narrowing at Ronan.
"In here… I'm in here…" Sophia's voice was faint, barely audible.
Ronan grinned wickedly and pointed to a small snow globe on the nightstand. Matthew's heart raced as he hurried over, only to gasp in horror when he realized what Ronan had done. Inside the snow globe, Sophia was shrunken to a miniature size. "What the hell, man? Get her out of there!" Matthew demanded, his voice shaking with anger.
"She wanted her own private room, and she got one," Ronan replied smugly.
"Oh my god, Ronan! You made her tiny?" Valentina gasped in disbelief, covering her mouth in shock.
"Get… her… out… right now!" Matthew growled through gritted teeth. Rage boiled within him, but he fought to keep it under control. He needed to focus on rescuing Sophia.
"If you love her so much, why don't you do it yourself?" Ronan barked back, his tone taunting.
Matthew's anger flared, but he quickly realized Ronan was right. In his outrage, he had momentarily forgotten that he could use the same magic. Focusing on Sophia's tiny form inside the globe, he flicked his fingers. The snow globe shattered like a delicate egg, leaving her exposed on the nightstand. Without hesitation, he cast another spell to restore her to her normal size.
Sophia lay on the ground, shivering violently. Matthew rushed to her side, panic flooding his chest. "What happened? Why is she so cold?" he demanded as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to warm her.
Ronan shrugged nonchalantly. "Because she wasn't dressed for the cold weather," he said with a smirk.
Matthew's blood boiled. He held Sophia closer, vowing to protect her from Ronan's twisted games.
"Ronan, you jerk! What is wrong with you?" Valentina's voice trembled with shock as she glared at him. But honestly, Matthew wasn't sure if this was all that surprising. Ronan had a history of doing terrible things to others. Nearly every wolf in the pack feared his very shadow.
"Are you kidding me right now? You made it snow for real?" Matthew stared at him in disbelief. Ronan was always notorious for pulling pranks on him and Valentina, but this time, with Sophia, he had gone way too far. How could he leave her to freeze in a makeshift snow globe?
"Of course, it's real snow. Only the best for my mate." Ronan's laughter echoed through the room, the sound grating on Matthew's nerves.
"This isn't funny, Ron. Look at her—she's shaking like a leaf. Her lips are blue, for crying out loud!" Matthew snapped, glaring at him before scooping Sophia up in his arms. He held her against his chest, trying desperately to warm her, but her teeth wouldn't stop chattering. "You really went too far this time."
Ronan's eyes darkened, and the laughter vanished from his face. "Oh, stop being so dramatic, Matty. She was only there for a few minutes."
"Without warm clothes and bare feet. Just look at her and tell me she's okay, because she's not," Matthew growled, his protective instincts raging.
"I didn't do anything wrong," Sophia murmured weakly against his chest, and Matthew pulled her even closer.
"Of course not, love. You did nothing wrong," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
"Well, damn. I was just joking. How was I supposed to know she couldn't handle the cold? She's a wolf, for crying out loud," Ronan grumbled.
"I… I couldn't shi… shift in there," Sophia stammered, her voice trembling. "I'm freezing, Matthew. Please help me."
"I'm right here, my flower. I'll keep you warm, don't worry. And I won't let Ronan hurt you anymore," Matthew assured her, his voice gentle. He heard Ronan grunting in the background but ignored him. His only concern was making Sophia feel better. "I'll use magic to warm you up faster," he offered.
"No! No more magic!" Sophia protested, her voice filled with fear.
"Let me hold her. My body is always hot, so I can—" Ronan began.
"Keep him away from me!" Sophia screamed, cutting him off before he could finish.
Matthew tightened his hold on her and shot a glare at Ronan. "I think you'd better leave now, Ron. You've made her suffer enough. Let her rest."
Ronan's expression soured, but he relented. "Fine. I'll leave you two lovebirds alone for now. Just don't try anything funny," he muttered before stalking out of the room.
Valentina shook her head in dismay. "I'm sorry, Sophia. We don't know what to do about him. He's always been a bit… crazy."
Tears welled up in Sophia's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "Why does he have to be so mean to me? Why?"
Matthew's heart ached at the sight of his mate crying. He held her tightly, wishing he could take away her pain. "I don't know, flower. But I'll figure out a way to make him pay. Now, let's get you into bed." He glanced at Valentina. "You can go back to sleep. I'll take care of her."
Valentina nodded and quietly left the room.
"You'll stay with me all night, right? What if he comes back?" Sophia's voice cracked with fear.
"I won't leave you alone," Matthew promised, his voice firm.
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