55 vouchers
The smell of freshly made food greets me when I arrive at my apartment. I walk in to find Luna Romano in my kitchen and Santiago setting up the table. I look between the two of them, knowing that they’re going to ambush me over what happened last night. I didn’t think that my mate was a little bitch boy that needed his mommy to fix his life for him, but then again, he ended up marrying the woman she picked for him.
“Sophia,” she beams with way too much enthusiasm for my liking. “It’s a little late for you to be out and about on your own, isn’t it?”
I stare at her, not knowing how to answer that. How dare she come into my home and say anything against me? She has no right, not even as the Luna of the City. I hold my tongue this once because, despite the shit show she’s turned my life into, I once respected this woman almost the same way I respected my own mother. I kick my shoes off, and I head to my room.
“Dinner will be ready in a bit,” Santiago blocks me.
“I already had dinner, thank you,” I say, rolling my eyes and trying to get past him.
He grips my arm in the same spot he had last night, pressing his fingers into the bruises I already have. I try to pull my arm out of his grip, but he only tightens it. I look up at him, wishing I had the strength to hurt him back with my entire
existence.
“Get cleaned up for dinner, Baby. My mom made us dinner. Take this off,” he says sternly, motioning my scrubs.
The two of us stare at one another for a long time before he releases me. I glance back at his mother to see her smiling proudly at his actions. She doesn’t meet my gaze, and I don’t argue. I rush into my bathroom as my heart beats faster than it ever has. I reach for my phone immediately and turn on the water.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” my Grandmother answers right away.
“GG, Luna Romano is here,” I try my best not to cry. “I don’t feel safe.”
“All right,” she says calmly. “Just do as you’re told, I’m on my way.”
“Hurry,” I try to calm myself.
“Sophie,” I almost jump out of my skin when Santiago bangs on the door.
“I can at least have a moment to shower, can’t I?” I call back and stuff my phone between the towels beside me.
The door swings open, and I back away as he storms towards me. He’s pissed. His eyes are dark, and the veins on his forehead are visible,
“What did you just say to me?” he demands.
“I just got off work. I want to take a shower. You don’t need to be here for that,” I hold his gaze. I know that he’ll get suspicious if I become complacent. I’ve never been one to keep my thoughts to myself.
His expression softens, and he reaches for a strand of my hair.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he says, placing his hands on my waist and lifting me to sit on the sink,
This isn’t the first time he’s done this, but it is the first time I feel repulsed by it. It’s killing me, but I’m repulsed by the man I thought was everything to me. He reaches for the hem of my scrubs and pulls the top over my head. I’m trapped, and he doesn’t see that this is wrong or that I don’t want him touching me. I stay still, not knowing what to do.
1/2
3:55 pm
Chapter 3
55 vouchers
“I’m sorry,” he leans into me. He buries his hand in my hair to pull my head back enough, so I’m looking up at him. “I keep fucking this up,”
He brushes his lips to mine, weaponizing our bond against me. My body reacts to his because of it. Tears slip from my eyes as he kisses me. He catches one on his tongue and lifts me enough to reach between us to get my scrubs off.
“Please,” I cry, not wanting to do this. “I don’t-”
“It’s okay,” he wraps my legs around his waist and covers my mouth to keep me from making a sound.
“Stop, I mumble into his hand, trying to push him off me.
His lips crash against mine, and he reaches between us. My omega traits are alive and well. He takes my reaction to our bond as an opening. Panic starts to set in because no matter what I do or say, he’s not going to stop. It’s in this moment that I realize too late that maybe I was never a person to him. Just an object no better than the shiny car his parents got him for his birthday this year.
“It’s only you, Soph,” he mumbles into my mouth. “You’re the only one I want.”
My mind blanks when he enters me. My body screams in protest, but he doesn’t stop, and he’s taking my struggling as fuel to get rougher. He presses his hand over my mouth again to keep him silent.
“You’re mine, Sophia,” he repeats over and over until he’s finished.
I sit here for a while once he’s done processing what just happened. When he knocks again, it’s gently this time as if everything that’s happened is now behind us. I didn’t answer, but I ended up taking a quick shower mindlessly.
He’s not going to leave me alone. This woman is only going to make this a whole lot harder. She’s standing in front of the dining table, her hands folded neatly over her belly. The smile on her face is one I’m all too familiar with.
Before now, I used to take solace in it. Luna Romano has been like a mother to me since my mother passed. She would tell anyone who would listen that I, Sophia Helvig, was her only son’s fated mate. Things changed when Santiago told them that I was an omega. They sent him away, and I was no longer invited to Sunday dinners in the main house. I was no longer a part of their family.
If I’m such a disgrace on her family’s bloodline, then why the hell does she want me here? I could just leave when the semester is over. I wouldn’t make a fuss, and I wouldn’t ask for a single thing in return. No one in their right mind would allow this humiliation, even if I am simply a lowly omega.
“Why don’t you come take a seat, Sophia?” She takes a step to her right and pulls out the chair to Santiago’s left. She looks down at the chair and then at me. The action is almost threatening. “I think we need to have a serious talk.”
2/2
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
