RAMON’S POV
"Continue training," I ordered my wolves. My voice carried across the open field, deep and firm.
The sound of fists hitting pads and feet pounding dirt filled the air as they kept moving. Sweat glistened on their skin under the morning sun, and the sharp sll of earth and effort hung heavy around us. "You, and you, co with ."
I walked back to my quarters, my boots crunching on the gravel path. The sun ward my shoulders, but it did nothing to ease the tight knot in my chest. I went straight to my office room. The door creaked softly as I pushed it open.
The familiar scent of old wood, ink, and leather greeted . I ant business now, and didn’t want any distractions. I had not given any specific instructions to the pack security guards, except that they needed to train. By the ti I returned, I hoped they were still there. This was part of their punishnt for allowing the pack to be so easily accessible. The thought of the fire still made my jaw clench tight.
The door opened after I had taken a seat behind my desk. The wood felt cool under my palms as I rested them on the surface. They walked into the room too, their footsteps heavy on the floorboards. I didn’t look up imdiately, letting the silence stretch between us.
"I don’t have ti for any other thing that doesn’t involve the security breach, so start talking." My voice ca out low and sharp, cutting through the quiet like a blade.
I didn’t offer them a seat, and noticed they didn’t take one out of their own initiative. They stood straight, shoulders tense, eyes lowered respectfully. It was good to see that they had common sense. I was still royally pissed at everyone. Especially Blane. The mory of him carrying Sonia away burned fresh in my mind.
If he wasn’t one of the few people that actually knew most of my plans, and understood the way I did things, I would be in search of a replacent as soon as possible. The thought made my fingers drum against the desk, the rhythm matching the anger pulsing in my veins.
"No you won’t. You can’t hurt him, because of Sonia," a voice in my head said. I didn’t understand what it ant by that, and I didn’t even plan on investigating. The mate bond tugged again, unwanted and persistent.
My eyes went to Daniel who had started to speak. I didn’t catch his first few sentences, but I was paying full attention now. His voice was steady, though a little tired from the long night.
"I couldn’t sleep, so naturally, I returned to the barn. What was left of it, anyway. I traced it back to where the fire actually started, and where our boys battled strange warriors, before they all fled away. I discovered this." He pushed his hand into his pocket and brought out a red piece of clothing. The fabric looked slightly singed at the edges, the color deep and rich like fresh blood under the lantern light.
He handed it to . As I brought it to my line of vision, twisting and turning it around so I could get a proper look, I wondered what I was supposed to be seeing. The material felt smooth between my fingers, heavier than normal cloth, with a faint scent of smoke still clinging to it.
"It’s not that it’s a cloth, it’s the kind of material it is," he said when he saw the confusion in my face. His voice was patient, waiting for to catch up.
"What does that an?" I questioned, still not catching his drift. I held the cloth tighter, feeling its texture against my palm.
"The material is from MoonRay pack. They use that specific material because they produce it themselves. The piece itself is sothing a warrior wolf’s mate gives him as a sign of their bond, especially when he’s going away for battle," Blane stepped in to explain. His tone was careful, like he was walking on thin ice.
I had not asked for his explanation, and wasn’t planning to tell him either, that because of him, I rembered that culture. The mory of old traditions flashed in my mind—mates tying red cloth around wrists before battles, a silent promise of return. It used to be the norm in most packs, but as the world turned, many people now consider such practices outdated. The thought made my chest feel tight for a reason I didn’t want to na.
I brought the piece to my nose and sniffed. Yeah, that was a woman’s scent. Faint but clear, mixed with sweat and smoke. It lingered on the fabric like a ghost.
"What’s a piece of clothing from MoonRay doing in my pack?" My voice ca out rough, the anger rising again.
"That question kept up all night too, alpha," Daniel continued. "It wasn’t until I woke up, I figured it out. MoonRay was the pack that actually attacked ours. They made it seem like it was Silverpaws, banking on a thoughtless retaliatory attack." His words hung in the air, heavy with implication.
"Why would they do that? I know I put Jack in his place at the festival of alphas, when he stepped out of line, but at the eting, we squashed everything out. He knows better than to attack my pack." My fingers tightened around the cloth until the fabric creased.
"Does he?" Blane asked. His voice was quiet, but it carried weight.
"If I respond to you, would you take my response as law, or would you go behind my back and do whatever you choose?" My gaze trailed towards him. The fury in my eyes was unmistakable, hot and unfiltered.
He bowed in reverence before our eyes could et, and he could see the fury in mine. His head lowered quickly, shoulders tense.
"I know you’re mad at , and you have every right to be. However, I’ve never failed you before, and I need you to listen to now. Other packs have seen just how deep your hatred for Fenris runs. Although justified, it could also be destructive. They’ve seen you’d do anything for revenge, and are now using that to set you up. If you had attacked Silverpaws in retaliation, what do you think would have happened now? We may be winning at the borders simply because they’ve withdrawn their best of n, but if you had brought the fight to their pack, you would have lost."
"Are you trying to say the wolves of Silverpaws are stronger than mine?" I gave him a cool calculated stare. My voice was low, dangerous.
If my initial feelings were right, and Lorena’s accusations were true, I could see why he would take Silverpaws side. It would be the side of the man he would love to consider an in-law. Paraventure it was true, I would have to be dead for that to happen. The suspicion coiled tighter in my gut, making my claws itch to extend.
It would then beg the question: is my beta planning to steal my girl, and also kill in the process? Only very few people knew Ivy was my sister. If I die as things stand, he has a greater chance of becoming the next alpha. There were so many motives, and it was beginning to raise my suspicion to an unnatural level. The room felt smaller, the air thicker.
"This isn’t what your beta should be saying, but you chose because you knew I’d always tell the truth. They’re stronger, and greater in number. Until we’ve trained our new recruits, we don’t want a full blown war with Silverpaws. The only reason Fenris hasn’t attacked is because he thinks you have more of the wolves at the borders, in the pack. If he knows that’s the last of the real fighting-to-the-death warriors we have, he’ll attack."
I hated how much sense there was to everything he was saying. He was right in many more ways than one, and I hated it. The truth tasted bitter on my tongue, like ash from the fire.
"What do you suggest be done?" I turned to Daniel. My voice was calr now, but the anger still simred underneath.
"I say you give a couple of n, and we pay a visit to MoonRay."
"That’s it?"
"If you like to suggest, I’ll say you call Lorena. Ask why she was so eager for you to believe Silverpaws was behind the attack," Blane said.
I turned sharply to Blane. "You’re sure you just don’t have sothing against her?" My eyes narrowed, searching his face for any sign of deceit.
He kept silent, because he realised he didn’t want to test further. His head lowered again, shoulders tense.
"Take the n, Daniel. Rember, this is a warning attack. At the end of it, I require a confession."
I rose to my feet, and it was clear to them they had been dismissed. The chair scraped against the floor as I stood, the sound sharp in the quiet room. My mind was already turning to the next steps, the weight of leadership pressing down harder than ever.
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