RAMON’S POV

I looked toward the door, already hating whoever had decided to interrupt us at this moment. The full moon was pulling at me hard, making every nerve in my body aware of Sonia lying beside me—her scent, her warmth, the way her body had felt under mine just seconds ago.

"Whoever you are, go away!" I called out.

"I’m sorry, I can’t. It’s me, Alpha," Lorena’s voice came through the door.

I felt Sonia stiffen beside me. She was really afraid of Lorena, and I couldn’t blame her after everything that had happened.

"Stay put. I’ll be back," I told Sonia softly.

As I stood up from the bed, I felt a gentle hand on my back. I turned my head. Sonia was staring at me with something urgent in her eyes, like she had something important to say.

"What?" I asked.

"Don’t go with her even if she insists."

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for more. That sounded less like a request and more like an order.

"I said I was going to teach you not to hurt me, didn’t I?" She smiled, and those dimples appeared. For a second, I almost lost my mind. There was something so pretty about the way she smiled. It lit up her whole face in a way that made my chest tighten.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself, Sonia," I said sternly, forcing my voice to stay firm.

The smile on her face faded. I felt a pang of regret for bursting her small moment of hope, but I still couldn’t let her think she had any real control over me. Not yet. Not when everything inside me was still fighting this pull.

I slid out of bed and walked to the door. I opened it just as Lorena raised her hand to knock again. My brow lifted as I took in her expression.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"It’s about the preparations for tomorrow," she explained, trying to step into the room. "I came to tell you I haven’t seen Sonia yet. Everyone’s busy with one thing or another, and she’s just nowhere to be found."

I stepped directly into her path, blocking the entrance. She moved back, tilting her head up with a questioning look as she gave me a slow once-over, noticing I was still shirtless.

"You can’t come in."

"Why? You never stop me from coming into your room before."

"That’s because you always barge in. Not today."

"But I need to talk to you about this important thing."

"Lorena, we have over a hundred servants in the pack. They’re more than capable of planning the full moon celebration, just like they’ve done every other time. Who cares if Sonia joins them?"

"I care, okay?" Her voice sharpened with attitude. "After you swooped in to save her earlier today, I think I need to know that you’re not actively taking her side. It’s one thing to save her from a whipping, but another to keep her from doing the very reason she’s here in the first place."

I grew curious. Did she already know Sonia was in my room and was just putting on a show?

"You need to return to work and stop worrying about my feelings for Sonia."

"That’s exactly why I can’t stop worrying. Feelings for Sonia?" She scoffed. "Do you even hear yourself? You don’t sound like those feelings are just because of the full moon. You sound like you actually enjoy them."

"And what am I supposed to do if you refuse to believe me? I said it was the full moon. Why won’t you let it go?"

"Because—"

She paused suddenly when a small sound came from inside my room.

"Is someone there with you?" she asked, suspicion thick in her voice.

I almost denied it, but something stopped me. Denying it would only encourage her foolishness and sense of entitlement.

"What business is that of yours, Lorena? You’re getting way too comfortable. I keep telling you not to cross your boundaries, but you never listen."

"Well, forgive me then!" she screamed, bursting into tears. "Forgive me because I can feel you drifting away. Do you remember what every eve of the full moon used to be like for us? We would lay under the open sky and make love until we were out of breath. Now what?!" She screamed the words into my face.

"Leave," I warned, my anger simmering low and silent.

"She’s in there, isn’t she?"

"Oh, you knew? Why do you like to suffer?"

"Why do I—" She scoffed and turned around sharply. "You’re making a mistake. And when that mistake bites you in the ass, don’t come to me," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

I shut my eyes tightly and let out a long sigh. Things were spinning out of control faster than I could manage. Lorena was getting restless, and there was nothing more dangerous than a restless and vindictive Lorena. I planned to keep her in check, but she needed to stop making everything so difficult and just trust me for once.

Turning around, I closed the door firmly behind me and walked back to the bed.

Sonia crept out from under the pillow she had pulled over her head and looked up at me with my raised brow.

"I didn’t want to eavesdrop on your conversation," she said quietly.

She kept surprising me with everything that came out of her mouth.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"It’s rude," she replied simply.

I dropped onto the bed and moved closer to her. "How did you learn such manners, growing up with a ruthless father and seven savage brothers?" I asked, truly wanting to know.

"I had a maid who drilled into me that I was a lady, and as such, should always act like one," she said with a small giggle.

"Why is that funny?"

"Well, her daughter eloped with her mate after finding out she was pregnant. That wasn’t very ladylike now, was it?" Her giggles turned into soft laughter.

I couldn’t help the amusement that lifted the corners of my mouth. She was so beautiful and so very ladylike. There wasn’t an unsophisticated bone in her body. She was the perfect picture of what a true Luna should look like.

My heart skipped a hard beat the second that thought formed in my head. I pushed it away quickly.

"What’s that?" she asked.

"What’s what?"

"Your heartbeat. I felt it," she said softly.

"I thought ladies don’t eavesdrop?"

"Ladies also don’t lay on the bed of a man." She shrugged, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Yet, here you are."

"Yet, here I am." She nodded.

I smiled, stopping myself just before I could lean in and lose control completely.

"What are you trying to distract me from, Sonia?" I asked.

Her eyes widened when she realized I had seen through her act. As it turned out, she really was a poor actress.