Chapter 47

Ruby

As I leave the library with Hybrid History & Other Stories tucked under my arm, I bump into Noah. He looks somewhat distracted, and simply acknowledges me with a quiet “Sorry, Princess,” before continuing down the corridor.

My curiosity gets the better of me, however, and without thinking I reach out and grab his wrist. He stops and looks at me with a confused look on his face.

“Everything alright, Princess?” he says.

I quickly drop his wrist and bite my lip, nodding. “Yes,” I answer, “but I was just wondering… Have you seen Atwood? I haven’t seen him in a couple of days.”

Noah looks around, then shrugs. “He’s just been working, that’s all.” He starts to walk away again, but this time I call out to stop him.

“Noah.”

He turns to look at me, and as soon as our eyes meet, I use my dazing ability in the same way that I used it on the guard the day I went to Greenwood. Ever since my eyes changed color, it seems as though my ability has become stronger.

“What is Atwood working on?” I ask, lilting my voice slightly. He seems to resist my ability at first, much unlike the guard from the other morning, but soon gives in when I bat my eyelashes at him. His pupils begin to swirl ever so slightly.

“He’s preparing,” Noah says in a monotone voice.

“Preparing for what?”

“The attack. On your birthday.”

There’s going to be an attack on my birthday?

As I walk away, leaving Noah feeling confused in the corridor, I can’t help but smirk a bit.

An attack on my birthday under any other circumstances would normally be horrifying, but I think that I can use this to my advantage when it comes to my escape.

It is nearly midnight on Friday, which means that it’s time to meet Cayden in the forest. I’ve spent the day making sure that no one will notice when I slip out; I feigned illness for most of the day, claiming that I have a severe cough and that no one should come near me unless they want to get sick, and asked Tamara to cover for me just in case anyone notices my absence. If anyone starts to head toward my room, Tamara will start screaming about nightmares.

At 11:30, I climb out of bed and change into all-black clothes. I bundle up some towels to place under my blanket to make it appear as though I’m sleeping if anyone happens to come in. Hopefully, no one will come close enough to notice.

Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to slip out of my room unnoticed. Most of the guards have been stationed at the gates, and those who are left inside the castle are on a patrol that doesn’t necessarily prioritize my room.

However, I’m nearly given a heart attack when I’m walking down the hall and nearly run into a guard.

I manage to duck into a dark alcove before he sees me, holding my breath so as not to be heard. He looks around for a moment before continuing, and once I can no longer hear his footsteps, I continue on my way.

There are guards stationed at the main entrances, so my only option is to sneak out through the garage. I quietly head down the stairs to the garage and dart between the rows of cars toward the small side entrance, then I’m free.

The spot where Cayden and I are supposed to meet is just past the edge of the castle grounds. Looking all around me, I sprint across the lawn, keeping to the shadows, until I get to the perimeter. Another guard patrols past, causing my heart to race, but is completely oblivious to my presence.

Once the guard passes, I sprint the last few meters to the forest and slip into the shadows. The ground is covered with twigs and pine cones, so I need to tread carefully, but it feels as though my sixth sense kicks in again and I find myself able to deftly tiptoe over the forest floor without making a sound.

After just a few more minutes of walking, I arrive at the meeting spot: a small clearing surrounded by pine trees. Just in case someone shows up who shouldn’t be here, I decide to stay in the shadows until Cayden comes.

What feels like an eternity passes with no sign of Cayden. Eventually, my heart sinks and I begin to consider turning around and going back to the castle. I can feel hot tears prick at the backs of my eyes as disappointment overcomes my body.

Suddenly, I’m alerted by the sound of a twig snapping in the forest. I duck down behind a log, focusing my eyes and ears on the location of the sound.

A tawny head of hair emerges from the pine trees.

“Cayden!” I half shout, half whisper, darting out from my hiding place to run to him.

He grins from ear to ear, holding his arms open for me. My heart flutters as I fall into his arms and feel him envelop me in a tight, warm hug.

“I was worried you wouldn’t come,” I mumble into his chest, breathing in his scent. It’s not as exhilarating as Atwood’s scent, but it’s familiar and safe and curse-free.

“I could say the same,” Cayden says softly.

We hold each other for a few moments before I step away, looking sheepishly down at my feet as my face flushes red.

However, despite my racing heart, there’s no time to waste. I have to get back to the castle before anyone finds out that I’m gone.

“The Bears plan to attack the castle on my birthday,” I say.

Cayden’s eyes widen with a look of concern, but I simply shake my head in response.

“No,” I say, “this could be helpful. We can make it look like our disappearance is the Bears’ fault.”

“How?” Cayden says, crossing over to a stump and sitting down. I scratch my head, pacing a bit.

“Tamara and I will destroy our rooms,” I say. “We’ll leave all of our things. Make it look like a kidnapping. Then, once the fighting starts, we’ll escape through the back door and meet here.”

“Aren’t you worried about the Bears finding us out here?” Cayden asks. Admittedly, it’s a good question, but I’ve spent the past two days working this out.

“The Bears aren’t looking for me,” I answer. “They want Atwood and the Queen. They won’t pay any attention to two little girls running into the woods. And if they do, I have some means of protection for Tamara and myself.” I pull out the protection charm that I bought for Tamara and show it to Cayden.

“Alright,” he says, standing. “I’ll be here on the night of your birthday. And what’s the plan after that? Atwood will be looking everywhere for you. You are his mate, after all.”

“I have money to buy us train tickets,” I answer. “We’ll have to get as far away from the Lycan Kingdom as possible.”

Cayden nods. I can practically hear the gears turning in his head. He doesn’t bother to ask if we’ll go back to the village; that’s likely the first place that Atwood will look.

“You know it pains me to leave my pack behind,” Cayden says softly, standing from his seat on the stump and walking toward me. “But I’ll go anywhere with you.”

I look up into Cayden’s blue eyes. His face looks almost angelic in the moonlight, save for the large scar across his face from a fight with a Lycan years ago. It’s only been a few months since I’ve seen him, but he looks hardened, and no longer looks like a boy. He looks like a man.

I step closer to Cayden, breathing in his scent. He may not be my fated mate, but it’s not unheard of for wolves to go against fate.

“I have to go back to the castle,” I whisper as I look up at him. “Before anyone notices that I’m gone.”

Cayden nods solemnly, shutting his eyes for a moment as we stand together. Our hands brush, and he intertwines his fingers with mine.

Then, he kisses me.

His lips are soft and sweet, just like the night that we kissed in the barn all those years ago. Although his outward appearance has changed, his lips are the same.

I can’t help but kiss him back. He places his hands on my cheeks and pulls me closer, his kisses becoming more fervent.

My panties become wet at his touch, but then…

The image of Atwood’s pained face flashes through my mind. The sight of his blood on the ground the night that I found him in the forest, the feeling of his fur in my fingers as I pushed my energy into him, healing him.

There’s something between Atwood and I that Cayden and I will never have. It burns into the back of my mind, and without entirely meaning to, I push Cayden away. His blue eyes smolder with pain and disappointment, but also understanding.

“I’ll see you on the night of my birthday,” I whisper, backing away from him and heading back to the castle.

The entire way back, I can still taste Cayden’s kiss on my lips.

But as I fall asleep in my bed, the only thing on my mind is Atwood.