For the space of one glorious season, Roisin had known her future. She knew what she wanted. She knew where she wanted to be. And most importantly, she knew who she wanted to take along with her. And in one disastrous moment it was over.

She didn't know the bachelor that had come to own her, as if she were no more than a pet to be leashed and collared and dragged where he saw fit, but it didn't matter that he remained nameless to her. He was a bachelor. A villain. A bad guy. Just like Cullen. And Nyimara. Without even batting an eye, the monstrous spotted stallion had shredded her hopes and plans and chased her into the ocean with bared teeth, heedless of Lorcan's attempts to bargain on her behalf.

She hated him already. If not for the loss of her own future, than for the worry that she saw reflected on her parent's faces as she was driven away. She may not be strong enough to make this bastard pay for his crimes yet, but as she swam for the muggy Lagoon shores, she swore that someday he would regret ever forcing her away from the warmth of the Ridge.

Fury kept her pace fast, and she had no more than sloshed angrily from the water before turning around to glare balefully at the massive stallion with her ears tightly pinned. Thankfully, Fall had long since passed and with it, this stranger's capacity to force her into a role she did not want, but that didn't mean his intentions with her were pure. In fact, his lack of regard for her choice in any part of this encounter assured her that he didn't care what she wanted at all.

"Congratulations," she hissed sarcastically, her tone caustic and implying anything but sincerity. She hesitated for a moment, torn between a massive desire to lash out at the stallion verbally with insults and hatred, and a wary curiosity as to what the hell he even wanted. Why pick her out of the crowd when she was the least likely to ever give him a child or anything else of use?

"Why?" She finally demanded, her petite head lifting to glare upward at him. "You don't know me. I certainly don't know you," she reiterated, eyes narrowing with seething hatred. "But you clearly have no problem ruining my life, and I want to know why."

MARE | MUTT | 14.3 HANDS WFG | BAY DUN SABINO | THE RIDGE | BJORN x SIOBHAN | LOVEINSPIRED | CREDIT