Chapter 106: Unfinished Business
"Riven will spend just as many days at my house as he spends here. Remember that."
Soren didn’t flinch, his eyes gleaming with a dark amusement as he casually placed his hand on Ronan’s wrist. "Oh? Are you trying to make it fair? How noble of you. But I doubt our little wolf will last a day away from me. I’m not the one who broke his heart, remember?"
Ronan’s grip tightened, the leather of Soren’s collar creaking under the pressure. Riven could feel the pain and frustration radiating off of Ronan, and it was suffocating. His wolf instincts roared to comfort his mate, but he bit down the urge, knowing that doing so would only feed into Soren’s twisted satisfaction.
"Soren," Riven said sternly, his tone firm and leaving no room for argument. "Stop provoking him."
Soren huffed and shrugged, clearly unbothered as he let Ronan’s hand fall away. "Whatever you say, little wolf." He was bothered... But he saw Riven clutching his chest and understood that stupid dog was affecting his Riven.
He hated this, he hated that mating bond between them. He was going to stand by what he said. He was going to employ all his resources into finding a way to safely severe the bond.
Ronan straightened up, his hands trembling slightly from the pent-up emotion. He looked at Riven, and his shoulders slumped, his eyes filled with a mix of longing and regret. "I just... don’t want you to feel forced into anything," Ronan murmured. "I want to make this right. I just... I want to prove myself to you."
Riven let out a slow breath, his gaze softening despite himself. "I know," he said quietly, his voice gentle. "But it’s not about proving anything. It’s about moving forward without tearing each other apart."
Ronan hesitated, then gave a faint nod, though his eyes remained glued to the floor. He was still riled up, his emotions raw and exposed.