RAMON’S POV 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Something was wrong, I thought as I moved far away from Sonia. The marketplace buzzed with life around me—laughter, the sizzle of meat on open fires, the rhythmic beat of drums pulsing through the night air like a living thing.

Masks hid faces, turning friends into strangers and warriors into shadows. Yet none of it could drown out the echo of her words or the way her body had felt pressed against mine moments earlier.

She was not the girl her friend painted her to be. Somebody was lying. It was either her being a damn good actress, or her friend being an extremely good liar.

The thought gnawed at me as I wove through the crowded stalls, the scent of roasted meats and spiced wine thick in the air. Lanterns swayed overhead, casting flickering golden light across masked figures hunting for the hidden buffet.

I had been convinced I’d be getting a brat who had a good life practically handed to her. Before I even met her, I resented her for the perfect life she lived. Unlike me, she didn’t grow up in hardships.

She didn’t grow up with the burden of taking the pack where the blood of her parents screamed for redemption, and turning it into the success it was today. Every scar on my body, every sleepless night, every decision that cost lives—all of it forged in fire while she was supposedly sheltered and adored.

I resented her for being her father’s daughter not just in name alone, but also in character. All of this was before I even met her. But the girl I had seen since I whisked her away wasn’t a bitch. She was sensitive to the plights of others, almost to a fault. She didn’t mind feeling pain, as long as she was relieving others of theirs.

The way she had thrown herself into healing my wolves, even at great cost to herself, refused to leave my mind. She made sure not to take sides with her father, even when I purposely brought him up to slander him. Was she supposed to be that way if she was indeed bad?

I knew I had thought to bring that Freya girl in again, but I had brushed that thought aside for more important things. Not anymore. I wanted her in the pack. I wanted to see how Sonia would behave when the person who knows her more than anyone else here could ever dream of knowing her finally arrived. The idea settled like a stone in my gut — part test, part weapon.

I was so deep in my head, not even my wolf could sense the crash ahead. I bumped into someone and almost tossed them to the ground. The impact jarred me back to the present, the mask on my face suddenly feeling too tight.

"Ramon?" My head shot up just in time, and so did my hand. Grabbing Ivy before she could fall, I straightened her. Her mask was slightly askew, but her familiar scent cut through the chaos of the market.

"Are you okay?" She asked, after pulling herself together. Her voice held genuine concern, even as she adjusted her mask.

"Why?"

"Why what?" She wriggled her nose, tilting her head in that familiar way.

"Why do you ask if I’m fine? Do I look like I’m not?"

"Well you almost knocked me out, after recklessly bumping into me. Seriously, you should watch where you’re going. You’re large enough as it is." She eyed me up and down, the mask doing little to hide her playful glare.

I stopped and chuckled. These were the moments I lived for. The moments we were not alpha and maid. Where she was my family in truth. The laughter felt good after the storm of thoughts about Sonia. "I’m sorry," I apologized, the word coming easier than usual tonight.

She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "Don’t apologize to me. Tell me what’s wrong."

I contemplated for a few seconds if it was best to lay my burdens on her or not. She liked Sonia, so would naturally take her side. It couldn’t be wise to tell her about my intentions, or she may unintentionally relay it to Sonia. If she did, Sonia would only have time to prepare on how to continue her act. Assuming it was an act.

"Nothing," I shook my head. "I just saw Sonia. Left her behind after saving her from a snake."

She gasped and covered her mouth as her eyes widened behind the mask. "A snake? You left her after that?"

"Yeah, you’re going to run to her now, aren’t you?"

She smacked me across my arm and shot me a glare. "How could you leave her after that? She did mention she was scared of snakes. Weird to me because she’s a healer."

"See!" I snapped my finger, feeling justified. "I said so too. How can a healer be scared of snakes?!"

"Hey!" She smacked me again, harder this time. "You shouldn’t have left her behind. Until when will you keep punishing her?"

"First of all, she was being annoying. The alternative would have been to carry her back to the snake."

"Ramon?" She growled between her teeth, the sound low and warning.

I chuckled. "Alright alright. But to answer your other question, I’m going to let her go when I get my revenge from Ferins."

"Revenge, revenge, revenge! That’s all you ever talk about. Why don’t you march into his pack, take your revenge so we can finally move on? Seriously!" She shook her head and walked past me, her steps quick and frustrated.

"Hey, you can’t—" but I was talking to myself. She was long gone already, swallowed by the masked crowd.

I sighed and continued on my way. So what if Ivy thought this whole revenge plot had gone on for too long? She was my sister, and I loved her, but it wasn’t lost on how disconnected she was to my revenge plans. I couldn’t blame her either. She never got to meet our father, the reason why we were even family in the first place. She had to live as a secret. It was destiny that reunited us, so I couldn’t be mad at her.

I needed my revenge for me and my parents. My father wasn’t the most exemplary man when it came to how he had another woman on the side whilst my mother toiled daily with him, but I couldn’t question the dead. The memories of their loss still burned, a fire I refused to let die.

I had gone deep into my head again. So deep, I almost crashed into someone incoming, the second time.

"Hey, why don’t you— Alpha"

Daniel was calling when the first aroma from the buffet hit our nose. Rich, savory, mouth-watering. He turned right around and began to run. "Bastard!" I called, running right after him.

He wasn’t going to win the bet this time around. If I had to, I’d—an idea sprung in my head, and I smiled. Through my alpha vision, I caught the direction of the buffet. I stopped on my heels and instead calculated the distance with my eyes. Daniel was closer, but I could get there faster.

Lifting my body into the air, I took a giant leap. The wind rushed past me, the masks and lanterns blurring below. When I dropped to the ground, I turned around and smirked as my eyes found Daniel’s. His eyes widened on seeing I had gotten ahead of him.

"Alpha Ramon, that’s cheating!" He screamed.

But it was to no avail. I entered the buffet ground first. The hidden clearing was alive with the best cuts of meat, fresh breads, and spiced wines. I turned right at the finish line, waving at him. He had given up running and just settled for walking, shaking his head in defeat.

I chuckled, feeling myself. But suddenly, he smiled mischievously whilst looking through me. I whirled, following the direction of his gaze, and found Beta Blane already standing there, plate in hand.

"What?!"

"I win," the other bastard said, waving at me too. His mask hid most of his face, but the triumphant grin was unmistakable.