Chapter 4

Ronan POV

She gave a loud giggle in return, and I tried not to wince at the sound.

How could such a noise come from something other than a squealing rabbit?

The next sound she made was a soft whisper in my ear, and that was much more pleasing. Until the words registered. “I see you glaring at my dad. Stop it.”

I growled, a deep rumble that shook my chest. I loosened my grip on her waist.

She blinked, a quick moment of fear radiating from her eyes.

I hated how they were all afraid of me, but it wouldn’t stop me. Someone had to take control of the situation and protect my mother and the rest of the pack. “Tell your father to stop being such a useless bag of shit—”

“Stop it,” she said, and my wolf flared at the mild challenge.

The urge to make her submit to me was strong, but I pushed it away. “You stop it, Bex. How can you defend him after what he did?”

Rebecca’s pale skin flushed, and her gaze dropped to the ground in embarrassment. “You promised not to bring it up again,” she hissed, claws bursting through her nail beds to grip the small of my back.

Arousal prickled into my awareness as her small claws bit into my skin, and almost as quickly she released me, her face flushing. Technically, she could be punished for drawing my blood. Which was unfortunate, because nothing turned me on more than a woman who wasn’t afraid of me.

If such a woman even existed.

Rebecca whimpered, convinced she was in trouble.

Sighing and releasing my anger, I ran a hand gently through her blonde hair. “I’m angry at your father. Not you.”

She nuzzled her face into my neck, and a surge of protectiveness rose in me. I might not have been stupidly in love with Rebecca like I’d seen with other mates, but I was content to protect her. It was what was right, and what duty called for. It was expected.

It was the only thing in my life that was apparently going as planned.

My plan certainly hadn’t been to become Alpha, but after Victor lost his mate, he came after my mother. That didn’t even come close to the fact that he’d killed my father a year ago to become Alpha in the first place. Stepfather. Fuck, what did it matter? He’d been the one who’d raised me, and Victor had easily beaten him in a challenge. Too easily. I’d always suspected foul play, because my father had always been the strongest Alpha in the pack. There was no way Victor could have fairly beaten him. I didn’t believe it then, and I still don't believe it now.

It was bad enough Victor had stolen my birthright and my father in one fell swoop. But to sniff after my mother, who had still been grieving at the time?

Alphas were supposed to lead and to protect the pack, not murder their way into the position because they wanted someone else’s mate. It took me only minutes to pound him to a bloody pulp, at which point Rebecca had begged for his life, offering herself up as my mate in return.

And now here we were, eating cake and hotdogs and pretending life wasn’t just one giant series of fuckups.

Rebecca huffed, exasperated. “You can’t be angry at him forever, Ronan. It’s over and you won.”

My grip on Rebecca tightened as I tried to control the rage. “How about someone in the pack murders me to get at you? Then see how you feel about the situation.”

She cringed at the nasty tone in my voice, but I wouldn’t budge on this. Rebecca would learn not to bring it up, or she’d get the nasty Alpha wolf. I hated that side of me, but accepted it was now a necessary evil. Other packs were nasty.

I just wished I didn’t hate it so much.

My mother hadn’t been too thrilled when I became the new Alpha, even though he’d murdered her mate. I wasn’t sure what hurt more; that I’d lost the man who’s raised me, or that my mother didn’t believe in me.

“I should go. See you tonight?” Rebecca shimmied out of my arms, giving me a suggestive twitch of her hips. Our contract specified that we couldn’t consummate the bond until the ceremony, but I also knew it was mostly for show. Rebecca would do whatever she needed in order to keep me from her father’s throat. Screw the contract.

“Perhaps tomorrow,” I muttered, ignoring the disappointment in her eyes. I wasn’t in the mood for her company, even if it was likely to cheer me up. Despite everything, Rebecca always tried to please me. Yet it didn’t feel right. It had never come close to the way my mother had described her own mate bond.

I supposed it was because Rebecca and I weren’t actually mated yet. Regardless, I made a mental note to discuss it with my mother. She’d had two mates already, so if anyone was likely to have insight, it would be her.

Her stature was poised, confident as she spoke with the other females, putting a hand on another’s shoulder to offer help or a bit of advice. Gods above, that woman’s strength left me breathless. I couldn’t imagine fleeing your pack with your child and leaving your mate behind, then being forced to take a new one for your own safety.

I shook my head, not able to comprehend it. I barely remembered our flight from the islands and the ensuing whirlwind that ended up with us landing with the Yellowstone pack. We weren’t exactly accepted as easily being foreigners. It wasn’t our brown skin and hair, the pack was diverse enough, but English wasn’t our first language. At least my mother had had protection as our new Alpha’s mate. That protection hadn’t extended to me when it came to the other cubs in the pack, so I quickly learned to become better than all of them—smarter, faster, stronger.

I sighed, trying to breathe out my stress. I missed my father, even if he had been my stepdad. Semantics be damned.

Looking around at everyone talking, laughing, and playing, I was flooded with a sense that everything would eventually come together. Rebecca would be my mate. I’d protect the pack and keep one eye on her murdering father. If my mother could make a mateship work that hadn’t been her fated mate, then so could I.

After all, Victor clearly couldn’t be trusted. The only reason I knew he wouldn’t kill me was because he wouldn’t jeopardize his daughter’s position. She couldn’t rise any higher in the pack hierarchy than being my mate, after all. He may be a murdering piece of shit, but all signs pointed to him truly loving his daughter.

I threw Victor one last snarl before I stormed off into the woods, seeking nothing other than my own company to be alone with my racing thoughts. Those closest to me followed me with their eyes but didn’t say anything. They were mostly used to my moods, and knew I needed more time to run and settle my thoughts than the others did. Besides, Rebecca and my Beta would soothe everything over. They always did.

I let the darkness embrace me.