Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Whispers of the Storm
SONIA’S POV
I was on my way back to the house Ramon had instructed me 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 something really off about the entire scenery. The air felt heavier, charged with an energy that made my wolf stir uneasily inside me. The birds had gone quiet, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Shaking it off, I continued to the house. As I opened the doors, a presence overwhelmed me. It was as if someone 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 me 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 me, 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 me, 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 me. And even if it was from her, how did Alpha Daisy get a hold of it?
Curiosity got the better of me, 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 something deep in my memory, 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 me. I quickly closed the book and brought it to my closet. Pushing it inside, I ran to the living room at the same time 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 me." The relief washed over me, 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 came easily, though guilt pricked at me 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. Come here." She patted the empty seat beside her.
I walked over and sat down. "Smells 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 came from the alpha’s kitchen?"
"I mean 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 me after the strange morning. I drank some water too and was filled to the brim. "Thank you so much, Ivy!"
"You’re welcome."
I helped with the dishes, Then it was finally time to return to the clinic. The walk felt lighter with her beside me.
"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 me 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 blame her. She’s used to having all of his adoration." The words came 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 me 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 some nerve on you, Ivy. You’ve just called me a bitch, and then you try to suck up on me? 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 moment 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 me? 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. Everytime Lorena was starting trouble, he always showed up. Good for him for his instinctive thoughtfulness.
But there was also something 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 me a bitch?!" Lorena screamed.
"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 me. Her chin lifted slightly, defiant.
"Ha! Hear that? She’s even smug about it!"
"Alright, you must be punished for reckless speech. Come with me," he said to Ivy.
"That serves you right!" Lorena called after her, laughing maniacally.
I watched them leave, with Ivy trailing behind Beta Blane. Something was off, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out.
