Cursed Lycan's Scarred Mate
Chapter 108: Suppressing the beast

Chapter 108: Suppressing the beast

When Ronan sensed his Lycan half was on the loose on the forefront of their shared mind, noticing a foreboding feeling, he immediately fought to regain control. He suppressed the beast once more before it could attempt anything untoward against Vivian.

Still, when Ronan returned, he didn’t startle Vivian or announce his presence. He simply embraced her tenderly from behind, continuing the motion of nuzzling the bridge of his nose against her neck, which Caelum had started earlier.

And noticing the change in presence, Vivian’s body began to relax again. She never imagined she would have felt sheer fear in the moment for the Lycan. The beast whom she’d trusted wholeheartedly since the beginning resorted to a slightly sinister demeanour.

And Ronan, who constantly warned her about the true nature of his Lycan half many times before, couldn’t quite bring himself to reprimand Vivian for lowering her guard around Caelum.

As much as he wished to tell her, ’A Lycan will always be a mindless beast with no certain control of its actions. I warned you, Vivian. Do you now see that my warnings were not for naught? You should have listened to me.’

His mind ached to convey those words to her but out of consideration for her feelings, Ronan wouldn’t dare to show arrogance and prove the point he’d been stressing all this time. Perhaps it wasn’t as serious since Caelum simply spoke a few twisted words, but that is where it would begin.

This was the start of Caelum’s madness.

Ronan wanted to be blunt about his previous efforts to keep his Lycan away from Vivian, but knowing her as well as he did, she was still a fragile mess on the inside even if she toughened up on the outside.

How could he blatantly tell her how foolish she’d been for trusting Caelum since the beginning since it was the Lycan who initially stepped forward to be the mate she needed?

"Ronan...is it you?" Vivian broke the silence, her voice quivering with each word spoken.

"It’s me, sweetheart," he reassured her, his voice taking on a soothing and gentle tone. "I apologise for... my Lycan frightening you. He is still very much affected by what happened to us earlier...He is not in his right senses. I should never have let him out."

Ronan found himself doing something he never imagined he would do out of his own accord or will.

Defending his Lycan half.

For Vivian’s sake, he didn’t want her to lose the trust she built in his other half.

Even if she possessed no feelings towards Ronan himself, she was fond of his Lycan and he didn’t want her to lose that companionship with the beast.

Not when it was the beast who made her smile and gave her the affection she desired.

"I see..." Vivian mumbled under her breath and nodded solemnly, only half-convinced of Ronan’s defensive statement, but she didn’t want to doubt Caelum either.

She adored the beast more than she knew and she didn’t want to classify him as a monster just for a few twisted words.

"I’m sure Caelum didn’t mean anything ill by it," Vivian answered a moment later with a smile, blinking away the slight tears that formed at the corners of her eyes. She shifted around in Ronan’s lap to face him. "He must be exhausted because of what happened earlier. Anyone would spout foolish things when they’re tired."

Ronan observed her through pained eyes.

Vivian was trying very hard to convince herself that Caelum was not the rumoured monster Lycans were made out to be.

And Ronan was conflicted between safeguarding her from his Lycan and also proving that he was not a monster.

He didn’t agree nor argue with her excuses for Caelum’s words.

He simply cupped Vivian’s cheek and offered her the warmth and safety of his hand.

"You named him?" Ronan decided to shift the topic, arching his brow questioningly. "Did he ask you for a name?"

Vivian nodded, plopping her cheek against his shoulder.

"I promised him I would give him a name when he asked since he said he no longer remembers his own name," Vivian said, absentmindedly drawing circles on Ronan’s back. "I wonder why he doesn’t remember anything... or what happened to make him lose his memories."

Ronan’s gaze turned sharp.

Vivian was too curious for her own good.

It would be better if she didn’t delve any deeper into Caelum’s past.

"You need to rest," Ronan said, shifting the topic once more. He laid down flat on his back, laying her body on top of his. "You will need your strength for tomorrow if you decide to go through with the ritual binding."

Vivian had nearly forgotten about that whole stressful affair.

There was no sense in trying to evade it.

The morning would come soon and she would need to make her decision.

"Sleep now," Ronan advised, his fingers carding through her hair. "We will cross that bridge when we come to it in the morning."

Vivian didn’t argue with him.

She laid her head on his chest, her ear pressed against the region of his heart where she could hear its soothing beats. The rhythm lulled her to sleep not long after and Ronan remained awake, his hands massaging different spots of her body to ease out the tension while she slept.

There was still much he didn’t understand about his Omega mate.

At times, she was timid and vulnerable. A helpless rabbit who needed the safety of his arms, which he would gladly give her.

Other times, her tongue was like fire itself whenever she engaged Wickans. She seemed confident enough to stand up for herself around them despite her fears.

And lastly, she was daunting enough to always try and provoke him. She was mischievous enough to want to test his limits.

Which one was the real Vivian?

Ronan had yet to figure out that part.

The Lycan Alpha reserved the thoughts for another time of leisure. While sleep might have eluded him, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of the woes and burdens causing a ruckus there.

He needed to rein in Caelum.

He couldn’t allow the Lycan to slip away too far out of his control.

It wasn’t long before morning had arrived sooner than expected. It was still the early hours of dawn before sunrise and Ronan hadn’t slept a wink, but it mattered little.

He was content knowing that Vivian was fast asleep on his chest, her body rising and falling steadily with her breathing. His arms remained wrapped around her, gently combing out the knots in her hair.

It seemed she was quite a heavy sleeper since she didn’t notice or feel his motions, yet her expression was so peaceful.

"Breathtaking even in your sleep," he murmured to himself, resisting the urge to pepper her skin with kisses. She was much too irresistible. "You have me wrapped around your little finger, princess."

Ronan snorted softly to himself, just realising the irony of the situation.

He never bended his rules and principles for anyone.

Nor was he willing to break his neck and go beyond limits for anyone.

Vivian arrived in his life like a chaotic storm and he was being swept up in her whirlwinds.

And he let himself get swept up.

Vivian stirred a moment later, followed by a groan as she lifted her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. When she opened them, she found Ronan’s amber eyes looking at her softly.

"How did you sleep, sweetheart?" Ronan asked, his hand resting on the small of her back.

"Mhm," Vivian responded with a mumble, yawning. "Slept like a princess." She flashed him a lazy smile, which made him kiss her nose.

Vivian giggled but didn’t complain.

She liked when Ronan was sweet with her.

"How early is it? Do I have to wake up yet?" Vivian questioned, stretching out her arms and bending her body in strange ways that had Ronan raising a brow questioningly.

He was even more surprised when she twisted her body from side to side, cracking her joints and rubbing her shoulders.

Ronan resisted the urge to laugh, not from mockery but rather from how cute she seemed when she just awakened.

"It is still early, my little old wolf," he teased, his lips cracking into an amused smile.

"I’m not old," Vivian countered, pouting. "I just have creaky joints and your body is like a rock or an iron wall to sleep on."

"Oh?" Ronan smirked. "You slept more silently than the dead themselves without so much as moving, princess. You’re telling me you weren’t comfortable at all?"