SONIA’S POV
I was on my way back to the house Ramon had instructed to stay in when the sky suddenly changed. Looking up, I saw a thick dark mass of clouds rolling in fast. It was a sign of the full moon, but that wasn’t all.
There was just sothing really off about the entire scenery. The air felt heavier, charged with an energy that made my wolf stir uneasily inside . The birds had gone quiet, and even the wind seed to hold its breath.
Shaking it off, I continued to the house. As I opened the doors, a presence overwheld . It was as if soone had been in the house before I arrived.
Instincts kicked in, and I began to search all over the house for whoever it may have been. My heart beat faster as I moved from room to room, checking corners and shadows. My search led from the back of the house to the front. I didn’t see anyone, but my eyes found their way to the cursed ground.
Strangely, I wasn’t as afraid of it as I had been previously. Its sight didn’t cause shivers all over my body. I even found myself smiling, as if I was communicating with the land.
"You’re losing your mind, Sonia," I shuddered, and ran into the house again. The door clicked shut behind , muffling the strange pull I felt toward that patch of earth.
I made it to my bedroom where I found the outline of the book Alpha Daisy left , under the bed. Bending, I picked it up and cradled it on my chest. The worn leather felt warm against my skin, almost alive. I had not gotten the opportunity to settle into the book yet. I still couldn’t understand how it was from my mother directed to . And even if it was from her, how did Alpha Daisy get a hold of it?
Curiosity got the better of , and I dropped to the bed. I opened the first page and read the part that said, "To my daughter, Sonia," over and over again.
Maybe I was overthinking things. Could it be from another person, and I was just thinking it was from my mother? I wasn’t the only Sonia in the entire world. But on the flip side, the writing felt familiar. Like I had once been a part of it. The elegant curves of the letters tugged at sothing deep in my mory, pulling at threads I couldn’t quite grasp.
My trembling fingers flipped the pages to the first Chapter. I was about to read through it when the sound of light footsteps distracted . I quickly closed the book and brought it to my closet. Pushing it inside, I ran to the living room at the sa ti the door opened.
"Sonia?" Ivy called with raised brow. Her presence filled the small space, warm and familiar.
"It’s you," I dashed forward and hugged her tightly. "For a second there, you scared ." The relief washed over , easing the tension that had built in my shoulders.
She laughed softly, returning the hug. "What are you up to? I thought you were at the clinic?"
"I needed to take a shower, and the bathrooms were in use. I thought to return here quickly and do just that." The lie ca easily, though guilt pricked at for hiding the book even from her.
"You’re in luck then. I brought a change of clothes." She lifted a small bag with a grin.
We laughed together as she brought out the bag. I stepped out of my room after I was done dressing, and found Ivy setting the table in the living room. The aroma of warm food filled the air, rich and comforting.
"Are we going to eat?" I asked, my stomach already rumbling.
"Yeah. Co here." She patted the empty seat beside her.
I walked over and sat down. "Slls delicious."
"Yeah. It tastes even better. I was so tired of eating clinic food," she confessed, spooning generous portions onto our plates.
"But I thought the food ca from the alpha’s kitchen?"
"I an the surroundings make the food depressing to eat. Doesn’t matter how delicious it is. Pain adds no flavour to food." Her words carried a quiet weight, a reminder of everything we had both endured.
"I don’t mind it," I shrugged. "As long as it’s food, I’m happy to eat anywhere."
She laughed and added more food to my plate. "Eat up then."
I did eat up and even finished every last grain. The flavors were rich and satisfying, grounding after the strange morning. I drank so water too and was filled to the brim. "Thank you so much, Ivy!"
"You’re welco."
I helped with the dishes, Then it was finally ti to return to the clinic. The walk felt lighter with her beside .
"You really like it there, don’t you?" She asked on our way. The path was familiar now, the clinic building coming into view ahead.
"I do," I nodded. "I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do. Perhaps I like it so much because it has shielded a lot from Ramon’s anger."
"Yeah, he’s warming up to you. Little wonder Lorena is spiralling. She can’t take it when his attention is not on her."
"Still, I can’t bla her. She’s used to having all of his adoration." The words ca out softer than I intended, a mix of understanding and quiet ache.
Ivy scoffed. "You give so much grace to that bitch, and I would never understand why."
"I believe you’re not calling a bitch, Ivy." We both turned around to see Lorena behind us. I gasped and took a step back. Her presence was like a storm cloud, dark and charged.
"Lorena," Ivy called, and lowered her head in a bow.
Lorena cackled mockingly. "You really have so nerve on you, Ivy. You’ve just called a bitch, and then you try to suck up on ? Who do you think you are to try to manipulate things?" She hissed, stepping closer. Her eyes burned with fury.
"I wasn’t—"
"Shut it! I don’t want to hear any explanations from you. Ramon protecting you through the trauma you went to has gotten into your head. You now think you can rub shoulders with your superiors."
"It’s Alpha Ramon, Lorena," Ivy corrected. Her voice was steady, but I could see the tension in her shoulders.
"Ivy!" I howled in my mind, seeing the exact mont Lorena’s eyes reddened with rage.
She likes to get under her skin a little too much. A slap or two was certainly going to follow now. I just didn’t know which one of us would be its recipient.
"Who are you to correct ? Who the fuck do you think you are?!" She stepped forward angrily, her hand rising.
"That’s enough, Lorena. It’s too early to be this annoyed." Blane suddenly appeared from nowhere.
I had seen him earlier, and now he was back. Everyti Lorena was starting trouble, he always showed up. Good for him for his instinctive thoughtfulness.
But there was also sothing else I noticed. Ivy went quiet. She always grew quiet and weird around Blane.
"Are you here again to police my reaction when this good for nothing wench started by calling a bitch?!" Lorena scread.
"She did that?" Blane asked.
"Do I look like I’m lying?"
"Is that true, Sonia? Did Ivy call her a bitch?"
"Uhmm," I bit my lips because I wasn’t expecting to be put on the spot that way.
"I did," Ivy replied, saving . Her chin lifted slightly, defiant.
"Ha! Hear that? She’s even smug about it!"
"Alright, you must be punished for reckless speech. Co with ," he said to Ivy.
"That serves you right!" Lorena called after her, laughing maniacally.
I watched them leave, with Ivy trailing behind Beta Blane. Sothing was off, but I couldn’t for the life of figure it out.
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