Midnight Intruder

Ronan's Pov

I hated how easily she cowered. I hated the fear in her eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to end those who brought it to her… but no, not the lady—Derek's mate.

Maybe Firefly could learn how to fight back from her—a lady like Vera. Unhinged, sassy, and crazy. That was what I hoped for in a mate. But Firefly wasn’t bad; I could tame her until she succumbed to my darkness.

When she shut the door behind her, my wolf growled in disapproval, and my feet grew a mind of their own, moving hurriedly to her door—until it came to me that she wasn’t meant to know me. This was a fucking game, and I hated it, but I would win.

All Father wanted from me was to extend my cover-up business here. He had been on my neck for ages, and he was surprised when I suddenly gave in, telling him I wanted to stay here for a few more days before moving back to Italy…If only he knew it was all for his little wife, the mad king would find ways I and Firefly don't end up together like he did to Derek and Vera…He wanted Vera as his, his fucking son's mate, and the bastard Derek would do anything to gain father's favor, but Vera won't even after I heard her family was killed and her pack was brought here to become slaves to make her succumb.

The Nightshade Pack has always been like this. I had missed how lively it used to be at night.

I sat on a lonely balcony, people frequently visited. It was dark up here, and no one could see me, but I could see everything happening downstairs. Father's throaty laugh as his mistresses served him from the glass I had spiked rang across the room. In no minute, he would be trapped in an illusion, thinking he had the best fuck of his life—like last night.

I could remember hearing him tell his beta how mind-blowing his fuck was, bile rising in my throat and anger coursing through my veins, but funny enough, he had been snoring deeply in his bed all night.

Smoke from the cigarette escaped my lips as I made to leave—to leave and go to the reason I had chosen to stay in this fucked-up pack in the first place. A pack with civilization drifting slowly away from it because Father woke up one morning saying he missed how the world used to be.

As I intended to take my leave, a certain brunette-haired woman caught my attention from below, a sheep amidst wolves with bared teeth… I could bite through her nervousness from where I stood, and a slight growl of disapproval tore from my lips seeing the clothes she had on. Anger, jealousy, and lust bit in deeply for the first time, my body temperature rising to match my fury, wanting to do the most insane thing—grabbing her inside a room and marking her so no hungry eyes would watch her, even if she was in no fucking clothes.

If she moved too much, I feared the tiny piece of net holding her firm breasts would slip even lower past her cleavage. I could only fist my hand on the rail tightly, noticing how the skirt she wore barely covered her ass, and by just squinting my eyes a little, I could see the black thong she had on.

“I have been searching all over for you, Ronnie." A choking lady’s perfume distracted the air around me, a small palm placed on my back moving up to the back of my neck. "Your father told me you came back to stay.”

I felt nothing but the urge to snap this woman's neck. How dare she come here at this fucking time when the air seemed to be constricting around me? “I just guessed you'd be here, and I…'”

"Get your hands off me!” I warned.

My eyes still failed to leave the brunette-haired woman whom Father had urged to come closer as he traced light touches on the side of her waist, even when I could see her body stiffening from up here. “Dance for me, darling." Father's lips moved, peering hungrily at what was mine.

"Didn't you miss me?”

The bitch behind me was yet to notice the impending storm before her, and when it swept her away, her head hanging somewhere outside this pack like the remains of Father's guard—who no one was yet to find—I wouldn't be blamed.

Firefly’s tiny waist moved so tamely under Father's control. I puffed the air out of my lips, the cigarette smoke now looking like the breath of a dragon… The more my jaw clenched watching his hand on her waist, the more I could feel my dick stiffen through my pants, begging to feel Firefly's touch even if it was just a slight caress.

"Why are you ignor….”

"I. SAID. GET. YOUR. HANDS. OFF. ME."

I panted lightly, turning to face her, my hand cutting her airflow as she tugged on my wrist to let go.

“So... ah.”

I slammed her into the wall before turning back angrily, watching the scene before me end more quickly than I expected, the drug already working its way into Father's head, as he left Firefly alone.

A look of shame crossed her face as she began running hurriedly back to the corridor that led to her room. She jolted on her way as lightning flashed through the windows of the corridor before a roar from the sky and the violent tapping of rain on the roof.

A few minutes later, I was in her room, a mask covering half of my face—since one of us needed to have their face covered to play this game. The sound of water splashing aside from the rain came from the room door, which had been closed—her washroom. Only God knew how I still tried to stay sane without knocking the door over and stepping into the washroom with her.

The sound from the shower died before the creaking of the washroom door as it swung open, the fine scent of lavender mixing with the earthy scent of rain hit my nostrils. The room was dimly lit, with the light from the lantern almost fading out, and I loved it—that she didn't notice me immediately as she came out.

I couldn't tear my gaze from the slight swell of her ass in the towel, her milky-white long legs making me want to say, "Fuck it," and take what’s mine.

I stalked closer, slow and deliberate, as she backed me, standing still and staring down at her own waist before clutching her towel slightly. Water dripped from her still-wet hair to her exposed shoulder blades, and I swore it took all the restraints in me not to give her a fright.

A fucking predator in her room. Then she suddenly went even stiffer, and I knew she felt my presence. But before she could turn back to see who it was, I had her back slammed into me without warning, curses spilling out of my lips at the way her ass grazed my bulge.

"Wh…”

"You know who I am, baby? You fucking know, Firefly… The man who came to your room when your husband was dozing off last night, the man who sent you that sweet letter.” My fingers trailed the side of her neck, feeling her gulp slightly.

"What do you want?”

Like a mouse, she squeaked.

“The Alp…”

"Fuck the Alpha…"

My hand wrapped tighter around her neck, but not enough to snap this delicate, pretty little thing. At the mention of the Alpha, anger that had been washed away renewed, remembering Father touching her.

"He touched you…” I said between gritted teeth. “Tell me you didn't like any of it…”

She tensed even more.

"The fucking Alpha's touch, baby. Tell me you didn't like any of it. Tell me you didn’t like their gazes on you.”

Something wet touched my hand as I heard her sniffling.

“I don't know you, but I am scared of what would become of you if I scream and you get caught."

“I would love it if you try when you have answered my fucking question."

A gasp left her lips as my hand tightened on her neck, another trapped between her inner thighs.

"DID. YOU. LIK…”

“He is my husband."

I couldn't help the dark chuckle that slid past my throat with her words as the lantern went off.

"Your husband…”

"Don't pl…"

My hand glided up her thighs, spreading them more, and a shiver wrecked through her body.

“You have never been his…” I could feel her pulse hammering beneath my hand around her neck. “I feel so fucked up seeing you close to him tonight. I wanted nothing more than to chop those fucking hands of his into chunks and have him eat them. And did you know what I wanted to do to you seeing you dressed and dancing like that? I wanted to spank your ass cheeks so hard and worship them again.”

My hand stopped, her heartbeat doing the same when I was close to touching that new world beneath her. As much as I wanted to see how wet she was, I loved the suspense burning through both of us.

"Please stop," her voice barely a whisper as another beautiful tear hit my hand.

"So perfect, so fucking mine."

“Stop from what? Stop from touching my little gift from the Moon Goddess? Stop from touching my fucking mate?”