Chapter Ten
Luca
I drop back onto my couch as soon as Sofia storms out the door. My head falls into my hands. What the fuck am I going to do about her? And why the hell did I tell her to reject me if she wanted?
Jackson saunters into the cabin like he owns the place, yanks open my fridge, and pulls out three beers. He tosses one to Ryan, who has barely moved a muscle.
“You’re really okay with this?” I ask Ryan. “Don’t you think it’s messed up? I’ve known her since she was a baby.”
“I mean, it’s going to take some getting used to—and if you could never touch her in my presence, that would be great—but it’s fate,” he says, twisting off his bottle cap before shrugging his shoulders. “And honestly, it makes sense.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. That’s the second time he said Sofia and I make sense, and I have no idea what he means. As much as I want to disagree when others comment about how Sofia and I hate each other, I’m not even sure what’s real anymore.
We used to get along—before I pushed her away.
Back when she was a kid, Sofia followed me around like my shadow.
Ryan hated her constant presence at first but I was the one to tell him to quit being a dick and let her tag along.
I loved her laugh, the way she made everything lighter.
Even when Ryan and I were buried in training and pack responsibilities, she had a way of brightening the room.
But then she grew up.
Now she’s… fuck. She’s stunning. Long legs, curves that fill out every inch of those tiny outfits she insists on wearing to training, dark eyes that cut sharper than claws.
She’s fierce, too—never backing down from a fight, never letting anyone tell her she’s not good enough.
That sass of hers? Goddess help me, it drives me insane.
Infuriates me. Makes me want to shut her up in ways I should not be thinking about when it comes to a female nine years my junior.
And I hate myself for it.
But I barely know her anymore. I started it by distancing myself.
She definitely upped the ante. Batting back whenever I said anything, even when I was just being protective.
Truth is, the only version of her I see these days is her sassy brat side.
We haven’t spent time together in over five years.
All I really know about her is that she drives me crazy.
“She’ll come around,” Ryan assures me, or maybe it’s himself he is reassuring, because he seems pretty damn invested in me and his little sister getting together. “No one rejects their mate.”
“Well, not no one,” Jackson says as he sports a shit-eating grin that makes me want to punch him.
Emily rejected her original mate, and the mate bond between her and Jackson snapped into place as soon as she did.
But this is not the same. I might be an asshole but I’m not a sadistic monster. “What did she say?”
I scrub a hand down my face as I contemplate my answer. “Basically, that I’m too much of an asshole and she doesn’t want to be with me because she thinks I don’t even like her. She’s being a brat about it and needs to grow up. It’s not as if I’m happy about this either.”
They both growl at my words. Even my wolf snarls at me. He wants me to follow her, to chase her down, dominate her and make her accept the bond. Accept me.
“Watch it; that’s still my sister you’re shit-talking,” Ryan says with a snarl, his voice laced with alpha authority.
“You know what I mean. I can’t see Sofia that way.
She’s way too young for me.” I’m lying through my teeth, and I have no idea who I’m trying to convince; me or them.
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth could crack.
I want to let my wolf out so he can chase her down and force her to listen to me.
But honestly, I don’t even know what to say other than to shout at her to accept the bond.
“Or maybe she’s not the one who needs to grow up,” Jackson offers. His face is serious, and yet his eyes dance with delight at my current predicament. I guess this is payback for my not supporting his being so drawn to Emily when they first met.
“What are you talking about? I’m ready for a mate. Been ready for years. I just… I didn’t think my mate would be Sofia.”
But the truth is ugly and undeniable. I’ve never wanted anyone more. Not Rachel. Nor any of the women I’ve dated or fucked, shifters or humans. No one holds my attention the way Sofia does. Even when I can’t stand her, I want her. Even when she’s pushing my buttons, I love her fire and sharp wit.
But I can’t tell them that. They’ll think I’m such a fucking creep. Because that’s exactly what I think of myself. Fuck! I’ve known her since she was a damn kid.
My head spins, and my jaw aches from clenching it while I try to process what to do.
It’s the mate bond. I can say that’s why I want to be with her now.
Act like this is the first time I’ve considered Sofia as anything other than a little sister.
Yes, that makes sense. My wolf huffs at me the way he always does when he thinks I’m being stupid.
He doesn’t get that the rules are different for our human parts. He doesn’t give a shit about any of it.
To him, she belongs to us, and that’s that. Find mate, claim them, live happily ever after. End of story.
Ryan studies me as if he can see straight through the lies I’m barely holding together. He can probably smell them. “Okay, but what’s the real issue here? You want her or not?” Ryan asks.
“Yeah, Sofia is a great catch. She’s smart, strong, beautiful,” Jackson adds, and now it’s my turn to growl.
Even though I’m aware he’s ridiculously happy with his mate, I don’t want to hear him talking about mine.
His wink and smug smirk let me know I’m going to hate whatever he says next.
“If you don’t want her, I’m sure there were a few visiting ranked wolves who would snap her up as a chosen mate.
She had plenty of offers from what I saw tonight. ”
He’s purposely antagonizing me, but I still can’t keep my wolf contained.
Before I can stop myself, I’m lunging for him, my fist connecting with his face with a satisfying crack.
He stumbles back, laughing even as blood drips from his lip.
The scent of copper soothes my wolf ever so slightly as Ryan jumps in to separate us.
“Okay, now that we’ve established that you do, in fact, want Sofia, how are you going to get her?” Jackson asks.
I consider my options, contemplating hitting Jackson again to wipe that smug smile off his face.
I’ve never had to work for a girl before, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to have to work for my mate.
It’s just not the way for shifters. It’s supposed to be instant.
Biology. Fate. The one female in the world who is supposed to be made for me.
“I have no idea,” I finally say. “She’s not the same girl who used to look at me like I hung the moon. She doesn’t even like me these days.”
“No, she definitely doesn’t,” Jackson says with a laugh, and I shoot him a glare. “I can ask Emily for inside information? If anyone has the inside scoop, it’s her. You got any ideas, Alpha?”
“I don’t know. Sofia is stubborn as hell at the best of times.
But I can give you time, and you’re going to have to make it up to her.
Win her over,” Ryan encourages before his mouth turns down and he recoils.
“Fuck, I can’t believe I’m helping one of my best friends get together with my little sister. ”
We sit there for hours, tossing around ideas that are half-assed at best but are all I’ve got. In the end, one thing is clear: I can’t just wait for Sofia to come to me. I have to fight for her. Earn her.
For tonight, I’m going to scrub every inch of my cabin free of the scent of other females and order new furniture. When I finally get my mate back here, I don’t want anything standing in my way or posing as a reason for her to bolt again.
My wolf is restless. He’s pacing back and forth, snarling at me to hunt Sofia down.
He has wanted to chase after her since she left; drag her back here and lay claim to his mate.
Leave her with no doubt that we are perfect for her, but Jackson and Ryan are right.
She needs space. So, I’ll give her tonight, but then I’m going after her.
I strip the sheets from my bed and toss them into the laundry. I’ll burn the furniture if I have to. Every trace of another female’s scent will be erased from this place. When I get Sofia back here—and I will—there won’t be a single excuse for her to walk away.
Because she’s mine. And I’m done pretending otherwise.