Chapter 186: Chapter 186: The Note
RAMON’S POV
"What do you want to talk to me about, Ivy?" I asked, my voice low as I watched her closely.
Liam excused himself, going into my quarters, while I stayed back to chat with Ivy. The hallway felt narrower than usual, the torchlight flickering against the stone walls and casting long shadows that danced across her face.
"I’ve been waiting for you. How did it go?" She asked, her arms crossed tight over her chest.
"How did what go?" I countered her question, rubbing the back of my neck where the muscles still ached from the fight.
"I assumed you went to find Sonia?" She asked, her eyes searching mine.
"Oh, yeah I did. But something entirely different happened. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked, a little disappointed that this conversation was already heading in a direction I did not want.
She scoffed. "I wish! It’s more than that," she said, and began pacing back and forth, her boots echoing softly against the floor.
I was exhausted, and needed to recuperate. But I couldn’t leave Ivy alone, because she obviously had a lot on her mind. Her shoulders were tense, her steps quick and restless, like she was trying to outrun her own thoughts.
"Do you want us to go in and find a seat?" I asked, gesturing toward the door.
"No!" She answered almost too quickly. "I just need to get my thoughts together first," she said, continuing her pacing.
It was the same thing Blane had said. I just wished more people would gather their thoughts together a little faster. The weight of the day pressed on me, every muscle in my body screaming for rest, but I stood there, waiting.
"I want you to be sincere with me, Ramon," she suddenly paused, and turned to face me, her eyes intense.
"Alright, go ahead," I encouraged her with a nod of my head.
"Would you send Lorena away if I asked you to?"
My forehead creased as I frowned. Was that supposed to be a tricky question? Lorena was pregnant for me. I couldn’t possibly send her away.
"Why would you want me to send Lorena away?"
"Because she’s the architect of all your problems. She’s the one that tried to kill Sonia. She framed Moon too."
I started to laugh, and paused when I saw she hadn’t broken even as much as a smile. The hallway suddenly felt colder.
"Wait, you’re serious aren’t you?" I asked, confused.
"Damn serious, Ramon. She’s lying to you. She’s manipulating you, and I need her gone."
I racked through my brain, searching for the best possible way to handle this situation.
Whatever I said could be grossly misinterpreted.
I didn’t want Ivy to feel that her thoughts didn’t matter. I also couldn’t send Lorena away without concrete proof of everything she was being accused of.
"I’m sorry, but you’ll have to convince me more."
"Moon overheard her talking with those maids she paraded around. She confessed to killing Sonia, and was bitter that it didn’t work."
My whole composure collapsed at the mention of Moon.
"Seriously, Ivy? That’s your source? Moon who is on the run? Moon who you and Sonia refused to release for interrogation? Common, Ivy!"
"No, listen, Ramon! She’s using you. Do you know there’s even another entrance into the pack? Moon saw Hazel go through it. Hazel is the spy!"
This was getting really ridiculous. All of these were just hearsay from Moon. He had no evidence, which was making me start to believe he had something to hide.
"You’re not telling me to take a servant’s words over the mother of my child, are you?"
"Well if you can’t, then take mine!" She screamed.
"I can’t, Ivy. I just can’t. Why do you hate Lorena so much? Sure she has her excesses, but you forget that if it wasn’t for the shelter of her pack, you would never have survived."
"Don’t throw that in my face, Ramon!" She warned, her gaze spitting fire.
"But it’s the truth. So instead of wasting your time regurgitating everything Moon says, find me concrete evidence. And if you can’t, I’m sorry. Lorena stays."
I walked past her, ignoring her as she tried to call me back.
All I kept hearing was how horrible Lorena was.
She annoyed me too. Occasionally at that. But Lorena was no murderer. She just couldn’t be.
I walked into my room, and plopped on my bed.
It had been such a long day. I didn’t even know how long it was, until I saw the day had darkened.
I bent my head, as I thought of everything Ivy had said.
She looked like she had more to tell me, but I was just too irritated to listen.
It was easy to criticize things. But criticism could never justify punishment.
I palmed my face, as a sign of exhaustion escaped my throat.
Sonia was back at her father’s pack. Lorena was waiting for a party which unfortunately couldn’t be held today. Ivy was convinced Lorena was the devil. And Blane couldn’t gather his thoughts.
What a rollercoaster of a day this had been.
I needed a shower, and a good night’s rest. At first light tomorrow, I would deal with Sonia being in Silverpaw.
I had risen to my feet, when my door pushed open, and Liam stormed in.
He walked straight to my stash of drinks, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.
"What are you doing?" I asked as he opened it, and drank straight from the bottle.
Puzzled by his sudden change of mood, I was compelled to wait for him patiently.
He drank two more times out of the bottle, before he turned to face me.
"Sonia is back at silverpaw," he said.
I didn’t tell him that, so maybe someone else had?
"How do you know about that?" I asked.
He paused, and gave me a once over.
"You knew?"
"I did, of course. I told you Jack was only too excited to sing like a bird."
"Well, he wasn’t lying, that’s for sure," he said, and drank out of the bottle again.
"Could you at least calm down, and tell me what is going on? How did you know?" I asked.
He took a deep breath, and reached into his back pocket.
Pulling out a note, he walked up to me, and handed it over.
"I was in my room when one of the guards knocked. They said they had a message from home. From my mother. That’s what I saw when I opened the piece of paper."
I began to read through the note. It was a plea for him to return home, because apparently, his mother had found him the perfect mate.
My heart skipped a beat, when I saw the name of the mate that had been found for him.
"What are the odds?" I muttered a little loudly.
"Oh, I thought so too, so I immediately called home. Sonia of the Silverpaws pack, daughter of Alpha Ferins. That’s what mother said. Worst part, they said she has agreed to the arrangement."
My hand squeezed the paper, until it almost turned into chaff in my hands.
"There’s no way," I whispered, staggering back, and falling on the bed.
