4: Venomous mating

WREN’S POV

We arrived at the island right before the sun set. The sky was so beautiful in deep purple and orange. I sighed and stretched while Alpha Ronan talked to the driver then collected keys from him. 

We were staying at a cabin close to what looks like a private beach. The cabin was simple but cozy. There was a little living room with a comfy couch and a small fireplace. The kitchen was off to the side with just enough space to cook without bumping into anything.  

Down a short hall were two bedrooms. One was bigger, with a bed that looked way too soft and a balcony you could step out onto to see the ocean. The second was smaller but still nice. It felt peaceful, like a place you could really relax in.

I hope I get to do so. 

I fell on the bed closing my eyes with tired muscles trying to get some rest but a knock on the door startled me up. I made my way to the door and opened it. Alpha Ronan stood at the other side looking as masculine as ever in sweats. 

“Take this” He handed me a large orange box with a well-known designer logo stamped on it. “We leave in an hour.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off, leaving me standing there with a furrowed brow and the box in hand. Oh, well. 

Walking back inside the room, I shut the door quickly and peeled the lid off the box. I was so curious that I almost tore the box off. 

Inside was a stunning black, one-shouldered dress with a dramatic thigh-high slit. A cape-like detail flowed from the single sleeve trailing elegantly to the floor. It was the kind of dress that screamed luxury, beauty, and the kind of sophistication I wasn’t used to.

I was used to wearing jeans, sundresses, flannels and sweaters. But this dress? I stared at it for a moment, torn between awe and dread. This was clearly not a vacation for lounging around.

I stared at the dress for another minute, debating my options. But the idea of testing Alpha Ronan’s patience didn’t seem wise so I dragged myself into the tiny bathroom to shower.  

The hot water was a relief, washing away the exhaustion from the trip. I took my time letting the steam clear my thoughts even though I knew I was on a deadline. It feels good to be clean. 

The dress sat waiting for me in the box on the bed. I slipped it on carefully then smooth fabric hugging my skin in all the right places. How did he know my freaking size?

The one-shoulder design felt elegant but foreign on me. I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress. The slit down the side made me hesitate for a moment. Too much skin is showing. 

I turned to the small mirror on the wall. The dress looked... incredible. It transformed me into someone I barely recognized, someone who belonged in a world far from mine. I wear scrubs. 

Maybe that is what this vacation is meant for. Living another’s life. 

I ran my fingers through my damp auburn hair attempting to tame it as much as possible. No makeup, no fancy shoes but the dress alone was enough to make me feel out of place.  

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. Alpha Ronan was probably ready to go and I wasn’t about to keep him waiting. I let my hair down, slipped my black sandals and stepped out. 

He stared down at me then pushed high heels into my hands. Fucking hell. I haven’t worn that one too in ages but I accepted them and wobbled till I was stable. 

Alpha Ronan started walking out of the cabin. I huffed and followed. A car was waiting outside with a driver. Soon we arrived at the party, it was inside a house where so many other wolves were mingling. 

Despite this place not being our pack, Alpha Ronan still commanded so much respect from everyone around. He smiled and charmed the people around and introduced me just by my name. Wren. No stepdaughter whatsoever. 

Interesting. 

He abandoned me at a table to go socialize. Bored out of my mind, I told a waiter to get me their strongest liquor and he did just that. I sat on the table slowly getting drunk without knowing. I lost count how many times the waiter refilled my drink. 

When I could barely lift my glass with my hand, I leaned my forehead on the table. It feels good. Being out of the world for a second. 

I felt someone sit on the table I was sitting on but had no strength to raise my head. The girl giggled seeing me struggle to rise then she stuck her hand in for a handshake. 

“I’m Camille!” She grinned, showing her entire teeth. She looks drunk too. 

“Wren” I returned her beam. 

Soon we found ourselves in the middle of the dance floor dancing with no care in the world. She even asked for a microphone for us to sing. We were so drunk that people stopped laughing and continued their business. 

I felt someone come from behind me, wrenching me away from Camille. I was dragged out of the place to God knows where. I kept giggling happy I wasn’t wearing those stupid high heels. I have thrown them away. 

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Alpha Ronan’s voice pierced my ears and my eyes widened. 

Shit. 

He shook me hard, forced me to take three cups of water back in the cabin to sober me up. Nothing worked. He kept going on and on about me ruining his image. That he will deal with me. 

“If you ruin this for me, Wren, I swear to Go—” he trailed off and stood still just like I did. 

We both froze as the word left my lips.  

“Mate” It was barely more than a whisper but I felt it in every fiber of my being. The bond. The pull.

His reaction was immediate and venomous. He felt it too. I’m sure he did. It can never be one sided. I have seen it happen multiple times to know that. 

“Mate?” he repeated his voice dripping with disgust, the word sounding like a curse in his mouth.  

I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face despite my drunken haze. My mate. The one man I had secretly admired from a distance, the man I had dreamed of for so long stood before me. Alpha Ronan.  

But the joy was short lived.  

He pushed me back as I stepped towards him, his eyes cold and heartless. I knew what he was going to do before he even did it. My eyes welled with tears and pain radiates through my chest. 

“I, Ronan Darknight, reject you, Wren Brown, as my mate” he growled between gritted teeth. 

The words pierced through me, the pain sobering me instantly. It felt like my heart had been ripped out and thrown to the ground but before I could react, something shifted in his expression.  

I wasn’t able to fully process the rejection and the pain before he grabbed me, his lips crashing into mine with so much force that left me breathless. The kiss was raw, desperate and filled with emotions I couldn’t feel.  

I kissed him back, my body responding to the bond despite my confusion and pain. I tightened my hold around him wanting to feel his body in mine.  The pull between us was so raw as we stumbled into his bedroom blindly. 

He stripped me down with a hunger that burned through the rejection I feel because despite everything, he has said the words. There was no room for gentleness though. It was rough, punishing, and nothing like I had imagined my first time would be.  

“This is what you wanted huh?” He gritted in a lust induced voice. 

“Yes. Yes yes” I moaned, grounding hard to feel anything. 

“I can’t hear you. Louder” he demanded then nipped at my neck. 

“YES”

I let myself believe this was what I wanted. This was how I envisioned my virginity taken away from me by him. It was the most emotions I have ever seen the alpha shown in my entire life.