Bad Love: An Alpha's Regret (Leah and Aaron) novel Chapter 332

I’m on my feet and backing away in the next moment, on the defensive and glancing around, as if I’m scared other vampires are about to jump out and attack me.

“Emily, please,” Ronan says quickly, jumping to his feet and holding up his hands, like he’s trying to stop me or calm me down. “Just hear me out. It’s not what you think.”

“Oh yeah?” I snap in reply. “And what do I think?”

“That I’m your enemy,” Ronan replies, staying where he is and pointedly not trying to close the distance between us, as if he doesn’t want me to see him as a threat.

He is a threat.

He’s exactly what he just said.

My enemy.

“You assume I’m planning something bad, and that I want to hurt you. But that’s not the truth,” Ronan continues after a moment when I don’t say anything.

“Then what is the truth?” I demand, and now I’ve stopped backing away.

In fact, I’ve taken a step closer to him again, my curiosity winning out over my caution.

“The truth is I know what you are,” he replies, sending me a knowing look.

So, he knows I’m a wolf?

Big deal, he would have scented it or sensed it or whatever the hell vampires do to differentiate humans from wolves from other vampires.

Unlike me, who wasn’t able to scent him at all.

“That first day, I was out here just trying to get away from everything, same as you,” he continues, taking a cautious step closer.

“Because it’s so hard being a vampire,” I scoff, not sure I believe him.

He shrugs in response. “Probably about as hard as being a wolf. We have our Elder Enclave, just like you have your Council. There are rules we’re supposed to follow, and factions vying for power, and lineages that claim they’re more important or more pure than others. Things aren’t always straightforward, and sometimes I want to escape all that stuff.”

Well, I can certainly understand that.

I know I should be running back to the safety of Rathborn land, but for better or worse, it seems I’m at least willing to hear him out.

“I’m listening,” I tell him, but I cross my arms and keep myself tense, ready to flee if I need to.

The truth is, I don’t want to leave.

My curiosity is too strong to simply walk away.

There are things I want to know about vampires, questions I want to ask, and Ronan is right here, willing and talking to me.

I may never get another opportunity like this one.

“That first day, I almost ran when I saw you sitting on the trail and realized what you are. But then you looked so alone and so lost—the same way I felt. Something in me wanted to talk to you, to know what had made you feel that way, to know what had sent you running so far out of pack territory onto public human lands on your own. I didn’t have any ulterior motive, apart from my own curiosity.”