Knotting His Rejected Breeder

RAMON’S POV

"Do you want to leave me?" His breath caressed her skin, the same way his words caressed her lips. The night air around them felt cooler now, but the heat from his body pressed close made her skin tingle.

"I—" she was breathless for a few seconds. It was the effect he had on her. Her heart beat so fast she could feel it in her throat. "No." She shook her head slowly.

In a spur, she was powerless. All it took was just one kiss and she was back to craving him. His lips had been firm and demanding, pulling her under like a strong current she couldn’t fight.

"Good, I know you don’t. But your brothers don’t know that. Tell them. They need to know."

Slowly, he turned her around, his hands placed on her shoulders. The warmth of his palms seeped through the thin fabric of her dress. "Tell them."

His voice so very close to her ears caused goosebumps all over her skin. The simple cream-colored dress the maids had chosen for her felt suddenly too light against her body. The soft fabric hugged her waist gently and flowed down to her ankles, the delicate embroidery along the neckline brushing against her collarbone with every small movement. It made her look delicate and almost innocent under the lantern light, but right now it only made her feel exposed.

"I—" she shut her mouth, and gathered her words before she tried again. "I like it here. With my mate, I mean. I want to stay with him. This is my decision."

She was torn. The girl who yearned for freedom to sail into the world, and see things she had only read about. That girl was in a fierce battle with her wolf. Her wolf, despite every pain Ramon caused her, still wanted him with a pitiable desperation. The pull felt like a rope tied tight around her chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Are you sure, Sonia? Please don’t be afraid to let me know the truth," Seth pleaded desperately. His eyes searched her face, full of worry and love.

"I don’t know how else to tell you this, Seth. You’ve always cared about me the most, so I understand you wanting to protect me now. But there’s no point, Seth. I’m fine with alpha Ramon."

A single tear rolled down her face, as the words left her mouth. It felt hot against her cool cheek, and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"That’s enough," Cade stepped in.

Although he didn’t buy the act from his sister, he knew when it was time to shut it down. Sooner or later, he was going to find out if Ramon had hurt his sister. If he did, which he believed with all his heart he had done, only death would stop him from killing him.

"You’ve heard from your sister. She wants to stay with me," as he spoke, he caressed her neck. His fingers brushed lightly over her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. Her wolf was highly at attention. She was close to purring, but she silenced her with great expertise. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"I’m her mate, so it’s a given," he bragged. His voice carried a note of satisfaction that made the air in the tent feel heavier.

"Yes. I want to stay with him," she muttered. Her voice came out small, almost broken.

Ramon was going to tussle with Seth when he found him, but now seated back in the tent room, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The wooden chair felt hard under him, the fabric of his robe sticking slightly to his back from the tension in the air.

"You shouldn’t have done what you did," he said cautiously.

Emotions were running high, despite the veil of settlement. The lantern light flickered, casting long shadows on the tent walls. The distant sound of drums and cheers from the festival outside felt far away now.

They had dismissed Sonia, and were now seated in private. The air smelled of burning wood and the faint trace of Sonia’s scent that still lingered.

"You would have done the same thing if you had a sister that was kidnapped," he replied.

He wasn’t lying, and that was the reason Ramon didn’t push it. She was only his half-sister, but if Ivy was in trouble, he would drop everything just to save her.

Judging from their perspective, he could understand their anger. His only wish was that they understood him. Their father had taken away his peace. What kind of man would he be if he didn’t do everything in his power to avenge himself?

"What do I tell my father when we return? What is the story?" Cade questioned. His voice was low but firm, his broad shoulders tense under his dark tunic.

"Whatever you want to. I really don’t care," Ramon answered with a smug shrug of his shoulders.

Cade held back his tongue. Something told him he was in a position where he had to lead by example. He had never seen Seth act so impulsive before. Any unthoughtful move on his part could result in a fight. For Sonia’s sake, it wasn’t worth it.

"You’re lucky Ramon. The moon goddess is surely by your side. That’s why she made my sister your mate. We all know how the fated mate bond works. It’s harder on those who are very emotional. They obsess harder. Sonia is like that. She probably can’t think because the bond affects her mind," he paused dramatically, so his words could sit in the air for a few seconds.

"But don’t think you get to treat her the way you like without any repercussions. We all couldn’t save our mother. There was nothing we could do even if we wanted to. She’s our only sister. My only sister. I’ll burn the world for her, Ramon. I’ll burn your world. Settle your scores with my father, if that’s what you desire. And for your sake, don’t take it out on Sonia."

He walked out, daring Blane who had entered into the room to stop him from going to the spot he had seen Sonia, to say goodbye to her. His footsteps were heavy on the ground as he left.

Ramon’s hand squeezed into a fist. He didn’t like to be threatened. No one did. It irritated him. Made him feel powerless. The veins on both sides of his head hardened, pulsing with frustration.

He wasn’t even being threatened by a fellow alpha. It was just a wolf. Just another wolf.

"My father wants to handle things himself, and we’ve all decided to respect his decision," Seth picked up where Cade left off. "But Sonia has always been special to me. I’ll damn father if it comes down to it. You have a duty to protect her, Ramon. Don’t let your hatred for my father keep you away from the best thing that could ever happen to you."

He turned around too, and walked away. The tent curtains swayed behind him.

Ramon tightened his clenched fist, as the veins on both sides of his head hardened. For someone who had a big plan for the arrival of delegates from silverpaw, he had been subdued.

He hated it so much, all he could think of was siding out his frustrations in a rewarding way. The problem was that the person he needed to achieve that was someone he forbade his body from taking.

Lorena wasn’t going to do it for him. She just wasn’t.

"Damnit!" He hissed between his teeth. The word came out rough and tired.

"What do I do to the girl when they leave?" Blane asked. His voice was calm, but careful.

"Bring her to my room," he answered without thinking things through.

"Are you sure that’s something you really want?" Blane persisted just to clear all doubts.

"Bring her," he replied in a heartbeat, his eyes adorning a darkened expression.