Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 28

They mated.

Erick mated with my 16-year-old half-sister, Ronnie. This was not something I wanted sprung on me right now. The fact that one of Jonathan’s best friends mated with someone in my family that I don’t trust whatsoever. Now he’s all defending her and telling me I need to give her a chance.

Like hell, I’d do that.

“Arina?” Jonathan said, trying to calm me down.

I’ve been fuming and walking back and forth for the whole hour after they all left. I’m not even sure what to say at this point. This is all too much for me, and on top of that, I’m PREGNANT.

“Arina!” Jonathan said again, this time louder.

I stopped pacing to look at him.

“You are getting so worked up over this,” he said.

“He mated with Ronnie, Jonathan. Ronnie!” I yelled.

“I get that. I do. But maybe he’s right. Did you ever actually speak to Ronnie?” He asked.

Since all the years I’ve known Ronnie, we have never actually had a full conversation. So, I knew he was right. I never knew what to say to her. I hated to admit it, but Erick was right too. We don’t know if Ronnie is innocent or not. She very well could be, and I think that’s what bothers me the most. All these years I’ve had her pegged as the bad guy. But what if I was wrong?

“I didn’t tell you this, but the other day when we were at Rock’s house, as Ronnie was leaving, she looked… disgusted,” Jonathan said softly.

I shot him a look.

“Disgusted?” I asked.

“With Rock. She was giving him this disgusted look behind his back. I think she’s falling victim just like you did.”

(Ronnie)

Ronnie sat at the old oak tree in the center of the town; she understood this tree to be important to Arina and her mother. She wished she had something like this to connect herself with her own mother. Melissa stopped acting like a mother after she married Rock.

She brushed her fingers across the rough edges of the trunk and allowed some of the bark to fall to the ground. Emlin was supposed to be buried nearby this tree, but Rock kept her ashes. Using them to bate Arina.

If only Arina knew how dangerous Rock and Melissa truly were; but it’s not like Arina would ever listen to Ronnie.

She heard a sound from behind her, startling her as she turned around. A tall figure stood before her; his face reddening with embarrassment as they locked eyes. He brushed his fingers through his golden-brown hair and gave her a nervous chuckle.

Ronnie felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Erick?” She said as he walked out of the shadows and closer towards her.

“Hey,” he said, nervously.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“Just in the neighborhood,” he said; it was obvious to Ronnie that he was lying though.

“What are you really doing here?” She asked again, stepping closer to him.

“Um…” he began, hesitantly. “I had this meeting with Arina and Jonathan, along with a few others.” He placed his hand on the back of his neck and stared at the ground.

“Okay?” Ronnie edged.

“I might have mentioned the fact that we ran into one another,” he told her. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this, so she waited for him to explain further. “I might have mentioned that you might be my mate.”

Almost instantly Ronnie could feel her heart in her stomach.

Did she hear that correctly? His mate?

She knew there was an attraction, but an actual mate.

“I just…” he paused to collect his thoughts. “I just wanted you to know in case someone says something.”

She was only 16; was she even ready to have a mate?

“I’m sorry if that’s a lot,” he said; he was now assessing Ronnie’s face, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

But she was frozen.

“Ronnie?” He said, still eyeing her face.

“I have to go,” she said softly. “My parents will be wondering where I am.”

Erick’s face fell in.

“Of course,” he said softly.

She said nothing else as she walked in the direction of her home.

…

As she got home, Rock and Melissa were already arguing. Melissa recently found out that Rock has been sleeping with this woman named Piper. Ronnie has seen Piper a couple of times in town; she was a young woman, in her mid-20s. She was thin and beautiful, but she’s also known to sleep around town.

Someone she would expect Rock to know. How Melissa just figured out they’ve been sleeping together, Ronnie doesn’t know.

But Ronnie could see the hurt in Melissa’s tear-stained features. It broke Ronnie’s heart to see her mother like this. For a long time, Ronnie watched as Melissa bent over backward for Rock. There wasn’t anything Melissa wouldn’t do.

Even kill someone.

Ronnie shuddered at the thought of Melissa ending a life so she could be with a wolf like Rock. It also made her wonder what else Melissa has done for Rock.

Ronnie had seen what Rock was capable of; she watched as Rock beat Arina till she was practically nothing. She’s watched as he physically and verbally abused Melissa and knew that he did the same things to Emlin.

For a long time, Rock made it seem like everyone else was the problem. He made it seem like it was Arina that was causing issues and Emlin that made him unhappy. But over time, Ronnie has come to realize that wasn’t the truth.

Rock was the issue.

“Where have you been?” Melissa asked, wiping the obvious tears off her face as Rock stormed out of the room.

“I just needed to go for a walk,” Ronnie told her. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about,” Melissa said. “Just go on up to your room.”

“Mom, I know when something’s wrong,” Ronnie said, keeping her tone low. “It’s that woman again, isn’t it? Piper?”

Melissa’s eyes widened.

“How do you know about Piper?” Melissa asked in a loud whisper.

“You’d be surprised of the things I knew,” Ronnie said, dryly.

Melissa’s face fell as Ronnie brushed past her. She wasn’t about to out her mother for the crimes she’s done. However, she knew she couldn’t keep it to herself anymore.

Arina needed to know the truth about everything. Regardless of whether she chooses to listen to Ronnie or not, she had the right to know what happened to her mother. Arina also has the right to know that Rock is planning something big, and it has something to do with the baby.

But first, she needed to find a way to get to Arina.

(Erick)

Idiot.

I’m such a stupid idiot, Erick thought to himself as he stood at the old oak tree Ronnie had walked away from.

Why the hell did I think that was going to work?

He knew there was good in Ronnie and that Ronnie was just as clueless as the rest of them. Arina was furious with him when she found out they were mated. It’s not like he had any control over who his mate is. He wasn’t planning on it to be Arina’s 16-year-old sister. Just like Jonathan probably wasn’t planning on it being Arina.

Coming here and talking to Ronnie was a huge mistake. He had scared Ronnie and now he wasn’t sure if she’d ever speak to him again. Then again, considering they are mates, once she turned 18, she would be linked to him and start to crave him until he marks her as his. So really, she wouldn’t speak to him again until she was 18.

Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

So why did it feel like such a bad thing?

“Erick?” A familiar voice roamed through his head.

“I f****d up…” Erick responded to the voice, using their link.

“Arina just needs some time to adjust. It’s just a lot of stuff happening,” Jonathan said, trying to be reassuring.

“I meant with Ronnie,” Erick g*****d as he sat up against the tree. “I came to Ironclaw to talk to her, and I scared her away.”

“You told her?” Jonathan asked; he kept his tone even, but Erick could hear the shock just the same.

“I didn’t want her to find out from someone else,” Erick explained. “Arina was so mad. I didn’t want her to talk to Ronnie and…”

“She wouldn’t have done that,” Jonathan barked, cutting him off. “Erick, she’s only 16. She isn’t ready to have a mate yet.”

“I know,” Erick said, defeated. “I’m not sure what to do.”

“Are you still in Ironclaw?” Jonathan asked.

“Yes.”

“Go home, Erick. You shouldn’t be there. If Rock finds you there, he’s going to know something is up and it could make things way worse for Arina,” Jonathan said, urgency in his tone.

He knew Jonathan was right; he shouldn’t be there. He couldn’t risk being caught and it was stupid of him for being there in the first place.

“What do I do about Ronnie?” Erick asked. “She’s so upset.”

“Leave her alone until she’s ready to talk,” Jonathan told him. “Go back to Onyxfang. Tomorrow, Arina and I take off for Silverside and we will need some extra hands to keep a watch on Rock while we are gone.”

“Yeah, of course,” Erick answered.

“Good. Now go home.”