Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Drunken Rage and Desperate Escape
RAMON’S POV
"Ramon!" The growling doubled in strength this time around, making Ramon jump to his feet.
With a furious glare on his face, he stepped outside. The cool night air hit his skin, carrying the sharp smell of smoke from the bonfire and the distant sound of drums still beating in the background.
Seth and Sonia ran behind him, wondering what the chaos was about. Ramon stepped out to an angry Alpha, ready to pounce on him.
"You bastard!" He pointed his bottle at him.
It was barely an hour into the festivities, and he was already drunk out of his mind. They had yet to move into the hall where the celebrations would continue. The firelight danced across the older man’s face, showing his red cheeks and glassy eyes. The strong smell of alcohol filled the air around him.
If he was already drunk now, what would happen to the rest of the night?
On closer inspection, Ramon realised who it was.
It was the alpha of the MoonRay pack.
"Jack?" He raised a brow, as he approached the older man.
He was the oldest alpha out of the seven strongest alpha packs. He simply refused to retire, or die. Mostly because he wanted a male heir, but all he got over and over again were female children. He was the kind of man that considered female children useless when it came to inheritance.
That was after Ramon turned down his request to merge packs by marrying one of his daughters.
"Ramon!" The name rolled out of his tongue with bile and disgust. His voice was loud and slurred, cutting through the night like a broken blade.
"You do know you’re disrupting the peace of the festivities, don’t you?"
"I don’t give a fuck! You are going to pay for making a fool out of me. It’s the only reason I voted for you to host the festival!" He sneered, swaying slightly on his feet. The bottle in his hand shook, spilling a few drops of strong liquor onto the ground.
"Really?" Ramon asked in a bored tone.
They were not many alphas that could get a rise out of him. Even if there were many, Jack wouldn’t make the top twenty.
"Get him out of here, Blane."
He didn’t see his beta, but he knew he would be lurking around, waiting to jump in at the sight of any potential danger.
As he turned around to leave, he didn’t anticipate Jack lunging towards him. The older man’s heavy footsteps pounded the ground, his breath coming out in angry puffs.
But he felt him just before he got to him, and turned around swiftly. "You do not want to touch me!" He growled, baring teeth. His voice came out low and dangerous, vibrating through the night air.
Jack stopped dead on his tracks as if he had been frozen in time. He began to shiver, as he stared into the cold soulless eyes of Ramon. The firelight reflected in those dark eyes, making them look even more terrifying. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Behind them, Sonia subconsciously held on tightly to Seth. Her fingers dug into his arm, the cream-colored dress she wore shifting slightly with her movement. The light fabric flowed around her legs, the delicate embroidery catching small sparks of firelight. She looked small and fragile standing there, her auburn hair loose and shining under the night sky.
She had experienced first hand Ramon’s cruelty when he wanted to be cruel. If she was the other alpha, she would have scurried out of his sight before things even escalated to this point and saved herself the embarrassment.
Seth had a different thought. For Sonia to hold on to him so tightly only meant that she had been a recipient of the alpha’s anger before. The way her body trembled against his side told him everything he needed to know.
He didn’t think at that moment. All he wanted to do was protect his sister.
Pulling her with him, he broke into a run through the other direction. Their feet hit the soft grass, leaves crunching under them as they moved fast into the shadows.
"What are you doing, Seth?" Sonia whispered as they ran. Her breath came out quick and warm against his shoulder. The long dress tangled slightly around her legs, forcing her to lift the hem with one hand while holding onto him with the other.
"Getting you out of this pack!" He replied, his voice firm and determined.
What he didn’t know was that the second he dragged Sonia with him, Ramon had felt it. A sharp pull in his chest, like something vital had been taken away. His wolf snarled inside him, demanding he go after her.
He turned just as they jumped into the bushes. The leaves rustled loudly in the night.
As Jack was captured and led away by a few warriors, he had to stay behind to reassure the other alphas they were just going to take him to his room. Anything other than that could result in a war he wanted nothing more than to avoid at this point.
"Please, let’s keep on dancing and merrying. It would appear that one of us is a little intoxicated. Rest assured, we’re only going to take him to his room. When he gets over it, he’ll return. Excuse me."
He bowed, and swiftly returned into the tent. The fabric brushed against his shoulders as he entered.
Blane was by his side in a heartbeat.
"She’s gone!" He announced just as Cade and Daisy ran into the room. Their footsteps were quick and heavy on the mats.
"Where’s Seth? And Sonia?" Cade asked, looking around with sharp eyes.
"I should be asking you that!" He jumped to his feet, and marched towards Cade. The chair scraped loudly behind him.
"Stop it!" Daisy stepped in-between them.
"You just talked about peace and harmony. Are you seriously going to go against your word?" she screamed at Ramon. Her voice echoed inside the tent.
"Don’t tell that to me! Tell it to the bastard who came into my pack and tried to deceive me. If your brother thinks he can run away with Sonia, then maybe your entire family is really delusional!" He said in a thunderous voice. His chest rose and fell with anger.
"They can hear you. Lower your fucking voice, Ramon!"
"I don’t care. Find me Sonia, and bring her here!" He turned to Blane. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"No. She’s my sister. He’s my brother too. I’ll find them myself."
Before anyone could argue, Cade turned around, and dashed out of the room. The tent curtains flew open with force as he left.
Ramon couldn’t sit and do nothing. He didn’t trust Cade not to join in the escape plan they had smartly cultivated.
He ran out of the room too. It didn’t take long to pick up on her scent—that sweet, familiar smell that always pulled at something deep inside him. Following it, he ran through the bushes in search of her. Branches scratched at his arms, but he barely felt them. His heart pounded hard in his chest, each beat pushing him faster.
As they ran, Sonia tried her hardest to stop the motion. But every time she tried to slow down, Seth just dragged her forward. She understood his need to protect her. It was instinct at this point because he had always done so.
What she needed him to know was, Ramon wouldn’t take lightly this betrayal. Secondly, they couldn’t possibly escape.
The whole pack was interconnected. Sooner or later, they would be discovered, and she would be in trouble. The night air felt cold against her skin, the cream dress catching on low branches as they moved deeper into the bushes. Her heart raced so fast she could hear it in her ears.
"Please stop!" Sonia screamed. Her voice broke slightly from the effort of running. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"No way, Sonia. I’m not going to allow you to stay back with that monster."
"But—" her tongue locked when her legs kicked a tree, and the force propelled her into the air.
She let out a scream, as she came down. Closing her eyes tightly, she expected a heavy fall, but was surprised when she fell directly into an outstretched hand. Strong arms caught her, pulling her against a hard, warm chest.
"Where do you think you’re going to?"
Her eyes shot open. It stared directly into the darkened ones of Ramon. His breath was hot against her face, his body tense with anger and something else she couldn’t name.
"Ramon?" She whispered breathlessly. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
"Sonia," he said, and brought his lips down on hers.