Chapter 100
“You assume too much,” Ragnar shouts at me this time.
“Ragnar,” we both jump at the sound of his father’s voice.
55 vouchers
I’m the first to look away, but not because I’m backing down. Out of respect for his father. The last thing I want is for him to think that I’m disrespecting his son so openly. I brush my hands over my scrubs and decide that this isn’t where I want to be right now.
Without a word, I call on the energy I have left and let it consume me. I’ve been practicing my shifting with Kennedy every chance I get, even for just a few minutes. The shift rips through the fitted fabric of my scrubs, and all I can think of is going home.
“Sophia!” I hear Ragnar call after me.
When I get home, I feel lighter. A little calmer even. Eliza opens the door for me, and I rush inside as my pelt gives way to my skin. I don’t feel itchy anymore. I head straight for the bathroom and immediately start the water.
I’m fully aware that I left all of my belongings and that I have no idea what Ragnar had planned for us today, but it can all go to hell along with him. I’ve had a long day. Not a bad one, just long. My morning shift at the clinic went well, but classes have been a little heavy since midterms are coming up, and finishing open projects is all on timelines that are closing in.
“Miss?” I come out of my closet to see Eliza at my
door.
“Hey,” I greet her, and it’s only then that I see my things have been brought here.
‘Is everything all right?” she asks.
‘I don’t know,” I admit. “And that’s the problem.”
‘I understand,” she bows her head. “I’ve prepared dinner, and I took the liberty of setting the books and journals I promised in your study. If you like, we can take a look at them together once you’ve finished you dinner.”
“That’s perfect,” I agree.
‘Miss Kennedy called and said she wouldn’t be able to come over for a while because something came up with her family overseas. She said she’ll fill you in once everything is settled when she gets back.”
“Thank you. I was just about to call her,” I say, going over to my phone.
“Leave us,” I groan when Ragnar walks in. Elize excuses herself politely and leaves.
“Don’t ever talk to her like that again. She is a part of my grandmother’s family, and you will respect everyone under her household, especially when she’s away. I don’t care who the hell you think you are.”
“Where is all of this shit coming from?” he growls, slamming my door shut. “You told me to fucking leave you alone.”
“I asked you to stop acting like fucking bitch, and you made it your life’s mission to worsen your behavior,” I scream back, making him flinch. “You’re the one with the fucking problem, and up until you shut me out, I was perfectly fine.
“I am not going to sit here and allow you to treat me the same way Santiago treated me our entire mating. I’m not asking you to forget Clarity. I understand what matings mean to you and that your traditions are really fucking important. I’ve been working my ass off studying them for you.
“Just tell me the truth. Always be transparent with me. I’m not asking you to love me. I’m not asking you for money. I don’t
1/3
1:33 am D
Chapter 100
65 vouchers
even want to be your Queen. All I am asking is for you to be yourself and tell me what the fuck it is you want from me.” I take a breath when my voice breaks from screaming. “I don’t want you near me if you’re going to make me feel the way I have felt my entire life. I’m not door mat. So get the hell out of my face and figure your own shit out.”
“You’re running again,” he glares at me.
‘No, I’m setting a boundary. Something no one has ever taught you before. You’re not going to treat me this way because you’re mad at me. Especially when I have done nothing to deserve it. I have midterms coming up, I don’t need this shit. You have a pending war for a City you don’t even want. You should be preparing for that, not standing here making an ass of yourself because you didn’t get what you wanted.”
“No, I didn’t get what I wanted,” he says. His voice is neutral. Guarded. Things they’ve never been before.
“From me?” I ask when he doesn’t say another word. He just stares at me. “I don’t understand how we got here when things were going so well. I told you that if you weren’t ready to let go of the oath, that I understood. There was zero pressure. There’s no pressure now.
“We’re exactly where we need to be to fulfill our contract. Everything is on schedule. Why are you acting this way? Did I say or do something wrong when you came back? Tell me what happened to make you fucking hate me like this.”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
“Then why am I the one being punished?”
He stands there staring at me. His eyes glow, and for an instant, his mask breaks away, and I see the sadness in his eyes before he shuts it out. I reach out, taking his hand when he turns away to leave.
“I should go,” he says, clearing his throat and pulling away from me.
“You should talk to someone about what happened in that cave. It’s clearly hurting you. I don’t like this. I’m all for the banter and arguments between us, but not this. This isn’t us, and I never want it to be. In our time apart, I realized that we spend too much time together.”
“Don’t take it back,” he abruptly turns back to face me. “I don’t regret any of that.”
“Neither do I. But I need my own space to think. To figure out who I am alone. It made me realize that I rely too much on you, and it scares me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Soph. You keep comparing me to him-”
“It’s always going to sit in the back of my mind, Ragnar. Always. I was rejected for being who I am, and it started like this. Secrets, distance, manipulation of what I should be, and the gaslighting. He was an alpha, Ragnar. You are a King. You’re not the same, but the pattern matches sometimes. I can’t unsee it anymore. I almost died.
“You told me that if something ever happened to me, you wouldn’t survive it. It’s the same thing, and it starts with the way you make me feel. We were having dinner and talking about something that happened to you that was a huge deal, and you shut me down. Then you began to push me away, and then you disappeared for days. No calls or texts. Just silence. That is a clear rejection. If we weren’t mates, it would be called ghosting. You would just cut me out of your life without a second thought.
“I never expected something like that from you. You were there through all the rough shit. You saw the way he broke me. Everything I had to give up to breathe again. Then you turn around and do the exact same things he used to do to keep me on my knees. What else am I supposed to think or do in this situation?”
He lets out a heavy sigh and looks away.
“I’m sorry, Soph. It won’t happen again,” he bows his head and turns away to leave. “You can have all the space you need.”
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.
