Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Blood in the Ashes
RAMON’S POV
I was acting out of character, but I couldn’t help myself. My legs felt heavy as I stood beside the bed, staring down at the wrapped figure.
My wolves would see me and wonder if I was this worried over a maid. How could I tell them she was more than that to me? How could I tell them this was my sister in such a critical condition? The secret sat like a stone in my throat.
I could barely see her. The pack doctor had wrapped her up to her face, layer after layer of clean white bandages covering almost everything. Only her eyes remained visible, closed now in deep unconsciousness. Her breathing was shallow, barely lifting the thin sheet over her chest.
My hand reached for her eyes, and I stroked the delicate skin around them gently with my thumb. It felt too warm, feverish. She was still fast asleep, or unconscious. Whichever it was, I couldn’t feel her wolf. It was so weak, maybe even nonexistent. That scared me more than anything. The silence inside her where her wolf should be roaring felt wrong, empty.
I would burn the world to find the people who hurt her. If Lorena was right, and Ferins had something to do with this, peace be damned. He’d rue the day he was born. The thought made my blood run hot, fists clenching at my sides until my nails dug into my palms.
I didn’t hear the door open, but I felt a presence behind me when they drew closer. The soft creak of the floorboards and the familiar scent of the pack doctor’s herbs announced him.
"She’s in a very critical condition," the pack doctor said behind my shoulders. His voice was low and tired, heavy with the weight of failure.
I didn’t hide from him or conceal my distress in his presence. He knew my relationship with Ivy and respected our decision to keep things private. He had been one of the few I trusted with this truth for years.
"What do you suggest we do?" I asked, driven by desperation to save her whichever way I could. My voice came out rough, almost broken.
My eyes trailed towards him when he didn’t speak right away. I saw the moment he hung his head in surrender, shoulders dropping like the fight had left him completely.
"I hate to say this, Alpha Ramon. I’ve done everything I should do in a situation like this. I’ve used all of the knowledge at my disposal. I even prioritized her by staying up all night to research, just because I know the relationship you two have. There’s just nothing I can do."
My hand folded into a hardened fist, and I felt my blood begin to boil. Heat rushed up my neck. There had to be something he could do. He was one of the best pack doctors there was. When I found out about Daisy’s lover Tyler, I was going to suggest that my pack doctor go see him. But her insistence on having Sonia stopped me from pursuing that train of thought.
"Sonia—" I muttered under my breath. The name slipped out before I could catch it.
She insisted she could do something about the situation. I wondered if I would be walking into a trap if I accepted her offer. Wouldn’t it just be a case of working with the devil you knew? The doubt gnawed at me, sharp and persistent.
"Did you say Sonia?" The pack doctor’s voice pulled me back.
"Why?" My brow lifted with curiosity as I turned to face him fully.
"That’s the girl that saved Ivy, no? The one that’s supposedly your mate?"
I hissed through my teeth. "Careful. I don’t consider her my mate." The words came out harsher than I meant them to.
Despite the conviction I was feeling in that moment, my wolf rebelled against my will. It tugged at my heart, pulling hard until I hissed loud to silence it. The internal struggle made my temples throb.
The pack doctor looked like he didn’t believe what I had just said anyway. But he knew better than to push it. He simply nodded once, eyes lowered respectfully.
"Okay. Anyway, she says she can heal her. I would suggest you give her the opportunity to do it."
"Lorena says her father is behind the attack. How do I let her touch my sister? What if she’s found out and has a vendetta against me? What if she wants to use Ivy to carry out that vendetta? I’ll just be delivering my own blood into the hands of a murderer."
So many thoughts ran through my mind even as I spoke. I knew I sounded paranoid. I just couldn’t help it. The theory was too real not to consider it. If I didn’t, and I took that leap, then ended up being wrong, how could I ever forgive myself? The image of Ivy lying here wrapped like this haunted me.
"Rumor has it she healed Alpha Daisy’s lover. You can’t write something off until you actually try it." His voice was gentle but firm.
"Not in this case. I don’t want to take the opportunity. First thing in the morning, I’ll make an announcement. I need the best doctors from far and wide that I can get. One of them would definitely have a plan to heal my sister."
Without giving room for a response, I turned and walked out of the room. My footsteps echoed loudly in the hallway. The scent of smoke still clung to the walls, reminding me of the destruction outside.
I knew what I was going to do when it came to her. It was time to go make a plan for an in-depth investigation on what the fuck happened. My mind raced with questions, each one sharper than the last.
I arrived at the door to my personal office and found a woman with a child waiting for me. Two of my guards stood beside her, alert and straight-backed. The boy looked small next to his mother, his clothes still carrying traces of ash.
"Alpha Ramon," she quickly bowed, and made her child do the same. The movement was hurried, almost nervous.
The boy didn’t look a day over ten. Soon he would be ready to fight for a place in the warriors’ table. Judging by his build, it would be an entertaining fight one day.
"What do you want?" I asked, not exactly thrilled to be having unexpected visitors. My patience was already thin.
"There’s something I need to tell you. Something I saw with my own eyes. My son saw it too. Right, Clay?"
The boy was reluctant to answer. One shove from his mother, and he opened his mouth.
"Yes, Alpha," he said. His voice was small but clear.
"What is this thing you have to tell me about?" I asked, a little impatiently. The smoke from outside still burned in my nose.
"It’s about the fire. We saw who started it. We were on our way to the pack market when it started," she replied.
My eyes went to the boy again. He was too stiff for someone who was about to give information to the alpha. Helpful information at that. Something felt slightly off, but I pushed the feeling down for now.
"Alright, let them in," I said to the guards.
The door was pulled apart for me, and I walked in. The familiar scent of my office — old wood, ink, and leather — greeted me.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up for nothing. It could be they were just talking to talk. Probably fishing for a favor from me and thinking using this situation would be the best way to go about it.
I wasn’t going to get my hopes up until they walked into the room, and the boy ran to me. His small feet pattered quickly across the floor.
"He looked like he enjoyed causing a fire. He turned, and I saw his eyes."
I blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? Who did you see?"
"I can only describe him like I’d describe the moon," he said. His voice shook a little at the end.
"The moon—" I thought for a few seconds before my brow snapped. The inverted moon symbol flashed in my mind. "Blane, Daniel!" I screamed, already walking out of the room. My voice echoed down the hallway as I moved, heart pounding with new urgency.
