Matthew walked in just as Sophia's hand connected with Ronan's face, sparing her from what could have been a disastrous outcome.
Ronan stood in front of her, his jaw clenched, his face red with fury. Raw anger radiated from him like an electric charge, and Matthew could feel the intensity of his emotions.
Ronan wanted to crush Sophia, and Matthew was surprised he was holding back. He didn't think Ronan had that kind of self-control, but it was slipping. Matthew could sense it, and he knew he needed to intervene before Ronan lashed out.
"Ronan… she didn't mean it," Matthew started, his voice calm but firm.
Sophia's expression shifted from anger to fear. She finally realized what she had done and the potential consequences.
"You're going to pay for this, little runt," Ronan said in a slow, menacing tone, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
Sophia, however, refused to back down. "You deserve it. You killed my family and think it's one big joke? I want to do worse things to you than just slap you," she cried out, her voice trembling.
Ronan let out a roar and slammed his fist into the ground in front of her. A fireball exploded at her feet, narrowly missing her. Matthew's heart raced—he needed to get her out of there before things escalated further.
"Stop her, brother. She doesn't know what she's doing to Ronan," Valentina whispered urgently to Matthew.
She didn't have to tell him twice. Matthew strode over and grabbed Sophia's arm. "Come with me, Sophia," he said, his voice gentle but insistent.
Sophia hesitated, her eyes still locked on Ronan. "But he—"
"Sophia, look at how angry he is. He's losing his grip on reality. He doesn't like being challenged. If you keep pushing him, he will lose control and hurt you. Come on, let's get away from him and let Valentina calm him down," Matthew whispered into her ear, trying to reason with her.
Ronan growled, his gaze now fixed on Matthew. "Let me deal with her," he demanded, his voice dark with fury.
Matthew met Ronan's eyes, sensing the danger but refusing to back down. "Ronan, calm down. She didn't mean to slap you. You said some horrible things about her family, so she got angry. You can't blame her for that, can you?" he reasoned, hoping to defuse the situation.
Ronan's chest heaved as he struggled to calm himself. Slowly, the tension began to ebb, though his jaw remained tight. Matthew tightened his grip on Sophia's hand and slowly backed away, relieved when she didn't resist.
"Just take me back to the house," she whispered, her voice shaky.
Once they were back in Sophia's room, she broke down. "What is wrong with him?" she cried.
Matthew sighed, trying to find the right words. "Ronan… he was born a little different. Our mom says he inherited some of the darkness from our grandmother, who was an evil Faerie," he explained. As Sophia's mate, she had a right to know everything about Ronan.
"Well, he's the devil, alright," Sophia muttered bitterly.
Matthew chuckled softly. "I wouldn't go that far. It's complicated. I'm not sure why our mother hasn't tried to fix him, but I'm sure she has her reasons. Until she figures it out, we all need to be careful around him. Especially you," he warned her gently.
"For some reason, having you as his mate pisses him off even more. He's going out of his way to make you miserable, and I don't understand why."
"You don't have to tell me twice! I'm staying away from all of you," Sophia said with a pout.
"All of us?" Matthew smirked, teasing her.
"Yes, all of you, with your crazy magic powers. I can't take it anymore. I want to go back to living with normal werewolves," she huffed.
"Even me? But I'm nice to you," Matthew said, feigning a sad face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, relieved when she didn't push him away. Encouraged, he held her tighter. "You don't like me at all? Not even a little bit?"
Sophia hesitated before answering. "You're okay, I guess," she finally said.
Matthew chuckled and cupped her cheek, causing her to fidget. But when their eyes locked, she stilled. "You won't hurt me like him, right?" she whispered.
"I'd never hurt you. And I won't let him hurt you either," Matthew assured her, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
Sophia jolted slightly at his touch, as if something inside her had awakened. Her eyes darkened with emotion. "I'm going to kiss you now," Matthew growled softly.
She closed her eyes and parted her lips, allowing him to kiss her deeply. Her fingers gripped his hair, pulling him closer as she moaned against his mouth. Matthew's desire, which he had kept buried, surged to the surface. He moved his lips to her jaw, then to her neck, kissing and nibbling on her skin as she pressed herself tighter against him.
His arousal grew, straining against his pants as he struggled to contain his need for her. He kissed her shoulder, his breath hot against her skin. "I want you so much. Don't you want me?" he whispered near her ear.
Sophia buried her face in his chest and nodded, understanding his raw desire. Matthew lifted her face and kissed her again, unzipping her dress with his other hand. He stepped back to admire her body as the dress fell to the floor. "So lovely," he husked, drinking in her beautiful curves.
She didn't protest as he carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. But as Matthew began to undress, her eyes widened with fear. "Wait, this is my first time," she whispered, trembling slightly.
"I know, love. I'll be gentle. I want to make you feel good," he assured her, leaning down to kiss her neck.
Suddenly, she screamed, "UGH! NO!" and pushed him away with all her strength. Matthew jumped back, confusion clouding his mind. He thought she wanted this too—what had gone wrong?
"Tell him to go away!" she squealed, pointing behind Matthew.
He turned around and groaned loudly. Ronan was standing there, grinning like the bastard he was.
For fuck's sake…