I did not want to see Ronan again. Not after what happened outside. Not after he tried to lock me down like some fragile porcelain doll. Not after he acted like the Alpha of my life instead of the Beta of the pack.
I went upstairs to get away from him.
I only made it halfway down the hall before fate decided to laugh in my face.
He stepped out of one of the side rooms at the exact moment I came around the corner.
We stopped dead.
Ronan froze like he had walked straight into a wall. His eyes ran over me quickly, checking for injuries, checking my breathing, checking my pulse through the damn bond.
I hated how he did that.
His jaw tightened. “Ayla.”
“No,” I snapped. “Do not start.”
He exhaled slowly, like he had been bracing for this, and stepped toward me. “We need to talk.”
“I do
