Chapter 29

Atwood

Ruby emerges from her hiding spot looking rather embarrassed. I’m not upset with her for snooping, though -- how could I be? She’s a naturally curious girl, and besides, after what happened in the auditorium, I can’t blame her for wanting to follow when she saw the headmaster and I storming off with my men at my heels. I just hope that she didn’t overhear too much.

My suspicions are confirmed, however, when we get into the back of the car to go back to the castle and the first thing out of her mouth has to do with the Bears.

“Why are we going to be attacked?” she says. Her voice quivers a bit. She sounds frightened, rightfully so.

I sigh as Kayne pulls out of the school parking lot. There’s no beating around the bush or trying to hide this now. The girl deserves to know the truth.

“They want to overthrow me,” I say, matter-of-factly.

She looks confused.

“But… why?”

“Because,” I answer, “the Bears… don’t agree with my method of rule. They’ve never sided with the Lycans.”

Ruby looks out the window for several moments, pondering, before speaking again.

“Why can’t they just meet with you? Why resort to violence?”

Suddenly, Kayne lets out a laugh from the driver’s seat.

I turn to glare at him in the rear view mirror. He meets my gaze and instantly drops his smile.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Frowning, I turn toward Ruby and take her small hands in mine so I can look her in the eyes. “The Bears resort to violence for everything,” I say. “They’re brutal. It’s in their nature. But I don’t want you to be afraid, do you understand? I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

Ruby looks down at our intertwined hands. I can see the gears turning in her head, but she doesn’t speak for the rest of the ride back to the castle.

I want to take her in my arms. I want to make her feel safe, safe from the hybrid-hating bigots, safe from her bullies, safe from the Bears. Will there come a time when I can’t make her feel safe anymore?

When we arrive back at the castle, Ruby hops out of the car and runs inside without a word, her coat trailing behind her like a cloak.

As I watch her run away, the thought crosses my mind that her wolf won’t appear before the Bears attack, meaning that she won’t be able to defend herself if she needs to. While I’m confident that myself or my men would be able to protect her, the thought still worries me.

Even with all of the omens of her wolf emerging lately, it still doesn’t mean that it will appear by the first snow -- or by her nineteenth birthday, for that matter. It’s only two months away now, and while her animalistic growls and her fit of rage the other night are both signs of her wolf awakening, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will fully show itself anytime soon.

Such is the blight of countless hybrids. All of the signs point to their wolf emerging, but at the last minute, it just… doesn’t.

Not only does this frighten me for Ruby’s safety if the Bears attack, but it also worries me in regards to my own wellbeing. With each passing day, Doctor Yang’s words from the day he gave me my warning flash louder and louder in my mind.

If Ruby’s wolf doesn’t appear and mark me soon… will I even be mentally fit to rule my kingdom and protect my people, and Ruby, from the Bears?

“Sir?” Kayne says, snapping me out of my deep thought. He looks a bit concerned.

“I’m alright,” I say, shutting the car door behind me as the other car with the rest of my men pulls up. “Just thinking.”

“Thinking? Or worrying?” Kayne smirks at me in his usual manner.

“You know me too well, Kayne,” I say, rolling my eyes. Still, I can’t help but to smile at my beta’s teasing. If it was anyone else I would likely be annoyed by such a comment, but Kayne and I have known each other our entire lives. I wouldn’t rather have anyone else as my right hand man.

“Come on,” I say, sticking my hands in my pockets and striding toward the castle. “We’ve got work to do.”

We spend the afternoon going over battle plans and preparations in my study, and it goes well into the evening. When I look at the clock and realize that dinnertime has long since passed, I let out a sigh and dismiss Kayne and my men for the night. I was hoping to have dinner with Ruby and Tamara again tonight, but it seems that work took over my mind completely. Ruby is probably already fast asleep.

Realizing now that I’m absolutely starving, I decide to walk to the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat. The corridors are quiet, lit only by the torch that I carry in my hands.

As I turn the corner toward the east wing, however, I see a light peeking out from under the library door. I can’t think of anyone else who might be inside at this hour, so with a smile, I open the door.

Just as I thought, Ruby is hunched over at a desk. She’s in her robe, and she’s got a large book open in front of her that she’s poring over vigorously. I didn’t know that she was this scholarly, but something about it warms me.

She doesn’t notice me enter. I quietly walk up behind her to get a peek at what she’s reading.

“The History of the Clans, huh?” I say. Ruby jumps and snaps the book shut, standing up so abruptly that her chair topples over. She flinches at the sound and scrambles to pick it up.

“I-I’m sorry,” she says, sliding the chair back under the desk. “I know it’s late. I just…”

“Hey, it’s alright,” I say softly. “I have my sleepless nights, too.”

She looks down at her feet, then over to the book.

“I was curious about the Bears. I don’t know much about them.”

I walk over to the book and run my finger along the embossed leather cover. “This is a good book,” I say, flipping through some of the pages to look at the illustrations. “It’s good to brush up on your history, especially at a time like this.”

Ruby doesn’t say anything. I turn toward her, doing my best to appear open and comforting. “I’m just going to get something to eat. You hungry?”

I can tell that she’s considering saying no, but then she seems to think twice and accepts my invitation.

We sneak off to the kitchen together, where I make us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and glasses of milk.

“Nothing fancy,” I say, setting her plate down in front of her, “but still delicious. Don’t tell Alice.”

We eat in silence in the dim kitchen. Truthfully, it’s not uncomfortable at all. It’s a good sort of silence. For the first time, I feel as though Ruby has let down her guard with me a bit.

I guess that’s why she feels comfortable suddenly asking this question.

“Who’s Luna?”

I freeze.

“How do you know that name?”

“Alice and the Queen keep mentioning her.”

I can feel my blood begin to boil. Alice and my mother should know better than to bring up my first mate around Ruby. She’s not ready to know that she’s my second chance mate. I’m not ready for her to know that she’s my second chance mate.

“Luna… was…” I stammer, but I can’t bring myself to continue. “...Nobody. She was nobody.”