SONIA’S POV
I was shaking like a leaf floating around on a windy night, even though I was glued to Ramon’s body. His warmth seeped through the thin fabric of my dress, steady and reassuring, but my heart still hamred wildly against my ribs. The mask on my face felt suffocating now, the strings digging into my skin as I trembled.
"Sonia, I need you to move behind ."
I didn’t need to be told twice. Jumping behind him, I buried my face in his back. He faced the snake that had raised its ugly head. I hated snakes. Their skin was potent for healing, but other than that, they creeped out. The way they moved, silent and unpredictable, always sent chills down my spine.
I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I knew to trust him. He was the alpha, and would protect . His body was tense in front of , muscles coiled like a spring ready to strike. The night air around us felt charged, the distant drums and laughter from the market seeming miles away in this isolated corner.
"Hey buddy, I’ll need you to calm down just a little. See our friend here? She’s scared of you. Crazy I know, seeing you’re just minding your business. Perhaps, you’re searching for the buffet too. You could just go that way, and we’ll go another way."
He was crazy, I thought. There was just no way he was really talking to a snake. Was the snake going to respond to him? If at all, the possible response would be a very venomous attack. I clung tightly to his body, waiting to hear that the snake had been gotten rid of. My fingers dug into the back of his shirt, knuckles white.
"Oh, you’d rather remain here? Yeah, that’s fine too. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, we’re cool."
I felt him shrug. He had the nerve to shrug. What was wrong with him? Could he not see it was a freaking snake?! My mind raced with images of fangs sinking into flesh, venom spreading like fire.
"We’ll just leave you alone then. Take care."
I felt him turning around, and then he tapped lightly on the shoulder.
"Is it gone?" I asked, hoping he was just ssing with , and had really gotten rid of the snake.
But when I heard a loud hiss, I jumped into his body and began to scream. The sound tore from my throat, raw and terrified. He wrapped his hand around , carrying properly. Safely in his arms, he carried out of that spot. His steps were sure and strong, muscles flexing under my weight as if I weighed nothing.
As he walked, he chuckled intermittently. The sound vibrated through his chest against my ear.
"What’s so funny?" I asked, my voice muffled against him. My heart was still racing, but the fear was slowly ebbing in the safety of his hold.
"You’re afraid of snakes?" He chortled, the amusent clear in his tone.
"What’s there to not be afraid of? They’re creepy." I shuddered at the mory of the creature’s scales glinting in the moonlight.
"They’re our friends," he countered lightly, his breath brushing the top of my head.
I scoffed. "Snakes? That’s a first."
"You’re a healer. Shouldn’t you be more kind to snakes?"
That made pause, as my wolf jumped in excitent. He was fully admitting I was a healer. I felt so good, my scrunched face widened into a big smile beneath the mask. The words wrapped around like a warm blanket, chasing away the lingering chill of fear.
"What are you smiling for?"
"Nothing." I shook my head, then buried it in his body again. The closeness felt dangerous, but I couldn’t pull away. His scent was everywhere, intoxicating and safe.
But that didn’t last too long. A couple more steps in, he dropped to the ground. My feet hit the soft earth, steady now but still a little shaky.
"You’re safe now. You should walk."
I cleared my throat and nodded my head. After the ordeal, I was beginning to feel sha now. How could I have scread that way because of a snake? It didn’t help that I had asked to split up with Ivy. Sohow, my mask had flown off my face in a bid to escape the snake. The cool night air brushed against my exposed cheeks, a reminder of how ridiculous I must have looked.
"Are you fine now?"
"I guess. I would have been able to handle it, if it didn’t start chasing unprovoked," I said, trying to save face. My voice ca out steadier than I felt, but the embarrassnt still burned.
He chuckled, causing that protruding point right underneath his chin on his neck to wobble. It was so fascinating to witness, I stopped just to stare at it. I had not seen it before. Maybe this was just the first ti he genuinely laughed around . The sound was rich and low, warming sothing deep inside .
"You’re staring strangely again."
To further embarrass , my wolf purred in response. The sound vibrated softly in my chest, impossible to hide. I bit my lips and turned around, ready to fly away from the humiliation.
As I moved, he drew back and turned to face him. His hand on my arm was firm but gentle, sending sparks across my skin.
"You do know you’re headed back to the direction of the snake, yeah?"
My eyes widened as it fully dawned on . The path behind looked darker now, shadows stretching long under the moonlight.
"You can’t, because we promised the snake to go our separate ways."
My brow lifted. So he was more concerned with keeping a promise to a snake than my actual welfare? Well, why was I even surprised? He didn’t care about . In how many more ways did he have to tell before it finally stuck, and my wolf stopped embarrassing herself?
Ugh! I just wanted to find the at and be done with the entire day. The market sounds drifted faintly in the distance—laughter, drums, the shuffle of masked figures hunting for the hidden feast.
I made to move past him, but he stopped again.
What now? I thought, racking my brain to find why he wouldn’t just let leave.
"You’re forgetting sothing," he said, when he spotted the curiosity on my face.
"Huh? Sothing like what?" I hung my head to the side, further confused. The mask felt heavy now, the strings pulling at my hair.
"When soone helps you out of a terrible situation, there’s usually sothing you say," he explained patiently. His voice was low, almost teasing, the moonlight catching the edge of his own mask.
"Sothing—" I muttered, further cracking my brain. The words felt stuck, my mind still reeling from the snake and the dream earlier.
"Please tell you’re not really thinking about what you’re supposed to say to soone who—"
"Thank you!" I scread out the second it ca together in my head. The relief of rembering flooded . To show my gratitude even more, I pushed myself into his body for a warm embrace. My arms wrapped around his waist, holding tight for a mont. "Thank you so much. I cried, you heard, and you ca."
Sowhere deep in my mind, I still thought he only helped for his selfish gains, but I needed to show my gratitude sohow. His body was solid and warm against mine, the steady beat of his heart thumping under my cheek.
"You’re always needing help. What are you? A damsel in distress?" His voice rumbled above , half teasing, half sothing else I couldn’t na.
"My father used to call his princess, or the damsel the few tis he caught trying to escape from my bedroom."
I felt his body stiffen right after those words left my lips. The warmth that had been building between us cooled instantly, like a door slamming shut. What have you done now, Sonia? I questioned myself in my head. If there was sothing I knew how to do perfectly, it was to ruin a good mood.
"Why do you call it escaping from your room?" He asked, just when I started losing hope of him speaking to ever again. His voice was careful now, guarded.
My wolf kicked giddily again. "I guess it was his way of protecting . Having locked up all the ti with strict instructions not to step out, except he gave the permission. That didn’t stop from going out to heal as many people as I could. It also didn’t keep you from—"
He pulled out of my body and began walking away. His steps were abrupt, the grass crunching sharply under his boots.
"Alpha Ramon?!" I called after him, confusion written all over my face. The night air felt colder without him close.
And the only response I got was the hard trodding of his shoes against the ground.
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