STELLA snatched the ring from him and looked at it with already tearful eyes.
Valeric gnashed his teeth, his hands balling into fists. "You have a ring on your finger, you don't need that."
"You don't know anything!" she yelled at him, the tears in her eyes breaking and falling down her cheeks.
The ring was the one Vincent had given her. She'd always kept it with her, and if she had known the man would be returning that morning, she wouldn't have brought it out. Why did he have to crush it? What did it matter to him that she had something that wasn't given by him?
"You're my wife, My. Wife... You can't have that." Valeric's lips pressed together in frustration. "Why are you crying because of this? Why?"
"Why—why did you have to take me?" Stella choked out, tasting her salty tears. "I didn't want to marry you! Why did you have to? Why did it have to be me? You could have chosen my sisters or anyone else. Why me?" The entire situation had only settled in that morning.
Valeric pinched between his brows. "Do you hate me that much? Why? Because of the rumors?"
"You made my life worse than it already was." She kept backing away from him, sniffling.
The man snatched her wrist and yanked her onto him. "Did you have a lover? Is that it?"
Stella pulled her head back and sunk her teeth into his exposed wrist. Harder, harder, harder, she squeezed her jaw, salty iron dribbling down her canines into her mouth.
"Stella!!" An animal growl rumbled from the back of Valeric's throat.
The force pressing down on her wrist lessened for a second, and she broke free, backing away to the wall with her sharp canines bared defensively.
He was sure to kill her for what she'd done, that much she knew.
But much to her surprise, the man took a deep breath and whipped out a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his vest. He wiped off his bloody wrist and asked, "Why didn't you eat?"
Stella didn't answer him. She was rather confused. Why wasn't he mad at her? Why was he acting like she didn't just bite him?
"Why didn't you eat?" he repeated his question and stood up to his feet.
Her eyes followed his movement, and she looked away once they crossed gazes. "I didn't feel hungry."
Valeric released his clenched jaw and forced himself to crack a slight smile, something he'd never once done in his entire life. Perhaps, to make her feel less fearful of him?
However, when he saw the grimace on her face, he stopped immediately, realizing it must have been a very ugly smile. After all…this was his first time smiling at someone, not that she would know such a tiny thing.
He set his suitcase aside and took his bloody gloves off. His hard gaze, now a bit warm, swept over her, and for a second, she saw the hesitation flash through the faint colors.
"You need to eat." He grabbed her hands, lifting her and throwing her over his shoulder.
"P-put me down, please, I can walk on my own," Stella pleaded and clutched onto his suit vest, afraid she may fall. "I told you, you don't have to have to do this every time."
"You hardly listen to me," Valeric said, tone even and without the slightest turbulence. He shut the door and left to head downstairs to the dining room.
Stella was set down on the chair at the long glass table. Next to her, he sat. She stared at the delicacies in front of her and looked at him. "I'm not hungry."
He studied her for a fleeting second and cocked his brow. "Eat."
"But I'm not-"
Her stomach growled loudly, earning the rise of a brow from the man. Valeric breathed softly and stood up from his seat. He moved closer and sat on the edge of the table next to her. "Do you want to start another rumor?"
"Huh?" She lifted her head to meet his eyes behind his half-mask.
"We don't want to start another rumor about me killing my omega."
She tensed immediately, and the small, light ease in her chest crashed beneath a leaden weight. "How long…" The words were stuck in her throat. "How long till..."
"How long till what?"
"How long till you kill me?" she murmured under her breath.
Valeric tilted his head with a frown. "Kill you?"
"Isn't that what you do?" Stella asked, clenching her hands in a mix of frustration and fear. "You got rid of every omega that has ever been with you, and not one of them was ever heard of again. I'll be next, won't I? I'll be on the news sooner or later, no?"
Something changed in Valeric's gaze instantly. She could swear he would reach out, grab her by the neck, and snap her head off. But instead, he sighed audibly, coldly amused for reasons she couldn't tell.
"First of all, those omegas are alive and with their family, even if you don't believe me."
"But tell me something, little wife," he said tonelessly. "You're a rebel, you are very stubborn, you cry a lot, you scream a lot, and no, you never listen to me. Still, I haven't killed you. How long do you think you can last?"
"What…?"
Stella's heart pounded against her rib cage, and every gulp of air scraped sharply against her throat. Was he testing her?
"Can't answer?" The littlest of the light in Valeric's eyes died, having received no answer from her. "I've never talked this much, it's exhausting. You should eat, you're already skinny enough, I might break you unintentionally."
He left the edge of the table to take his seat. "You will look much cuter than you are with more flesh. Though, I suppose you are very cute either way."
Stella blinked rapidly at him. She wanted to say something to him, but even she couldn't comprehend what it was she wanted to say. So, instead, she reached for the crackers on the plate and grabbed the jar of Nutella. She opened it to dip the cracker into it.
"Stop!" Valeric slapped a knife over the bottle.
She looked at him, perplexed.
"You don't care if the crackers leave crumbs inside the jar?"
Stella blinked. "Does it matter…?"
"Messy." He glared as if she'd committed an abomination and extended his hand out. "Give it."
Though reluctant, she gave the jar and crackers to him, then watched him spread Nutella all over the crackers for her.
"Is this enough? Do you want more?"
Although it was very obvious that she was afraid of him, looking at the way she talks very bluntly and boldly had become his new interest.
…something that fascinated him, yet amused him at the same time.