RAMON’S POV
I didn’t recognize him imdiately. But the mont our eyes t, my wolf stirred.
Not curiosity. Not confusion. Recognition.
"Cade Fenris." The na ca out low, deliberate, not as a question.
Cade’s mouth tilted slightly. "Ramon."
A pause, then I replied. "It’s Alpha Ramon."
No one spoke. Not the warriors. Not the visiting Alphas. Even the drums in the distance seed to fall into rhythm with the tension, slower... heavier... deliberate.
Cade glanced around once, unimpressed. He stood tall and broad-shouldered, his dark auburn hair catching the firelight. A simple but well-made black tunic stretched across his powerful chest, the sleeves rolled up to show strong forearms marked with old scars. Dark pants and sturdy boots completed the look. No flashy robes. No entourage trying to impress. Just raw presence.
"Do I look like I belong to your pack?" he asked.
I didn’t answer imdiately but stepped forward instead.
One step. Gravel shifted under my boots. That was all. But it was enough.
"No," I said at last. "But you’re standing on my ground." Another step. "Everything and everyone here answers to ."
The space between us shrank.
"Where’s my sister?" He went straight to the point, because he had never been the type to beat around the bush.
My eyes clouded with a thick shade of darkness for a few seconds. But it quickly faded, replaced by a reckless smirk.
"Here with . Why?"
"I want to see her for myself." He took a challenging step forward, his jaw tightened into a sharp line. The firelight danced across his face, highlighting the tension in his neck and the way his fists clenched at his sides.
"I don’t think she wants to see you," I took a step forward too, so the only thing that separated us was a thin invisible line. "You’d find out she much prefers my bed," I whispered.
Cade hissed between his teeth. The sound was low and dangerous. But just as he raised his hand to land a punch, he felt a hand hold him back. He turned with a flash to see Seth holding him back.
"Please. People are watching," he said.
It took a few seconds for his features to settle into an expressionless mask. That long because I wouldn’t stop smiling sinisterly. I had successfully gotten under his skin, and if it wasn’t for Seth, he wouldn’t have been able to control himself.
"Could we talk in a more private area?" Seth asked a little more reasonably.
I didn’t know this brother. The most popular ones everyone talked about were the brave Cade, the mischievous Seth, and Wolf.
The last one in particular didn’t need any introduction. It was said he was the closest thing to a present day giant.
I would never admit it because I considered myself braver than most n. However, I was grateful it wasn’t Wolf that ca. His temper wasn’t sothing that would be pleasant to deal with.
I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t need to.
"Begin." The word barely left my mouth, but the effect was imdiate. Drums thundered. Firelight flickered higher.
Voices rose, movent surged, bodies shifting as the festival roared back to life around them. Control. Not chaos. Everything moved because I allowed it to.
Turning around, I began to walk away. The brothers took that as a positive sign, and followed behind .
By my orders, a tent had been built close to the sacred ground just so I could go in and co out as I liked. It was also to converse more privately with any Alpha who chose to converse with .
As I bent my head to enter the tent, I thought about how my first guests were not alphas. They were just the sons of one.
The chair sat at the center like it belonged to no one else. I took it without hesitation. No adjustnt. No second glance.
I sat like a man who had never needed permission. As I was sitting, the brothers stepped into the tent.
Cade didn’t trust himself enough not to blow off, so he decided to let Seth do the talking for now. He planned to search with his mind for Sonia, whilst he did that.
His biggest regret in that mont was that he didn’t foster a better relationship with her. It could have been way easier to sniff her out, if she was around.
"We want to see our sister," Seth began.
"You’ve said so already. I plan to put that into consideration. The sa way I need you to consider the possibility your sister may not want to see you."
"Bullshit!" Cade howled, unable to hold himself back.
"Sonia would be ecstatic to see any mber of her family. Anyone at all. That’s the kind of person she is."
"Well, considering I’m her family now, I think she’d rather be with ," I continued, taking pride in how easy it was to piss Cade off.
"What do you an she’s your family now?" Seth, the more levelheaded of the two asked.
I shrugged.
I rested back slightly, watching them. asuring, then I replied.
"Your sister," I said, almost casually, "is my mate." A smile danced around my face when I saw both brothers’ faces lift up in sync. I let it sit. Watched it land. Then added—"Not chosen." A faint smile. "Fated."
"That’s not true. You’re lying, right?" Seth questioned in disbelief.
"If you think I’m lying, you can just ask her yourself."
I closed my eyes and began to call for Blane. Cade swiftly recognized what I was doing. It was the exact sa way their father called for the brothers.
In no ti, the tent curtains slid apart, and Blane ca in.
"Alpha," he bowed. Lifting his head, he acknowledged the brothers with a nudge.
Silently, he prayed he was able to conceal his excitent at their presence. They were every bit as legendary as I was. It wasn’t a joke to give birth to seven sons. Especially to an alpha as iconic as their father was.
"They want to see their sister. They don’t believe I’m her fated mate. In other words, they think I’m a liar. To clear my na, I think they need to confirm from the horse’s mouth. Could you bring Sonia please?"
Seth’s heart skipped a beat. He missed her terribly and couldn’t wait to see her again.
"Yes, Alpha."
He quickly ran away to do as he was told.
"I thought Ferins would co?"
"Is that what you wanted? To provoke him into a confrontation?" Cade hissed.
"It wouldn’t be my fault if he was not sensitive enough to fall for it. If he couldn’t even protect his daughter from his biggest enemy, how can he protect his feelings from being hurt by the sa guy?"
Cade moved forward, but Seth was way ahead of him. He intercepted his path before he could move any further.
"Get out of my way Seth," he growled silently.
"Not yet. For Sonia."
"It’s exactly because of her that I need to teach this bastard so lessons."
I stared with amusent twirling in my eyes. It would be a fair fight between myself and Cade. My fist was tingling from the thought of hitting a hard surface.
Before I could make good use of that thought, the heavy tent curtains rustled and parted. Sonia stepped into the room.
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