Chapter 50

Ruby

I might be planning another escape, and I may have pushed Atwood away when he kissed me, but I still have feelings for him -- feelings that could not be replicated with Cayden despite our kiss in the forest. Seeing Atwood with Edith again only solidified those feelings.

The feeling of anger that I’ve become all too familiar with bubbles up inside of me. It makes me want to tear the room apart again, but I manage to quell that urge and instead let my pain come out through the form of tears.

I curl up on the bed, clutching a pillow to my chest and sobbing into it uncontrollably.

I must drift off at some point, because when I wake up, it’s dark in the room. I sit up and groggily rub my eyes, reaching for my phone. It’s eleven o’clock at night. How did I sleep for six hours like that?

Unsurprisingly, I’m starving. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand, crossing to the window to look out at the waxing moon for a moment. The moon is nearly full, its bright light casting a blue glow on the castle grounds below.

Something in me stirs to go outside. I feel compelled to follow my instincts and quietly sneak out of my room and down the stairs, still in my bare feet. The guard at the back entrance is snoring, so I have no problem quietly walking past him and out the door.

The smells of the forest ahead of me fill my lungs, compelling me to follow. It feels as though my night vision is stronger than ever, as though my pupils are fully dilated. I can hear everything, see everything, and smell everything.

My footsteps are completely silent as I walk across the lawn toward the forest, my body moving as though I’m in a trance. With each step, each moment spent under the light of the moon, I feel stronger.

Am I going to shift?

I stop to look over my shoulder once more at the castle. All of the lights are off; even Atwood’s study.

As I turn back to the forest, something suddenly comes over me. I feel the uncontrollable urge to run, so I do just that. I run at a full sprint into the forest, leaping over tree roots, fallen logs, and rocks. My bare feet don’t slow me down; if anything, they make me feel more agile.

Within seconds, I come to the clearing where I met Cayden. I walk over to the spot where we kissed, and it feels as though I can almost smell him still.

Hello, Ruby, a female voice echoes in my mind. It causes me to jump. I whirl around, looking for a source of the voice, but see no one.

Don’t be afraid, the voice says again. Her voice is low and soft, like a cold wind blowing through the trees.

“Who are you?” I say out loud.

I’m your wolf.

Suddenly, my body is overcome with a rush of emotion that is so intense I can barely breathe. Anger, hatred, pain, love, lust, sadness, and joy take over me all at once, causing me to fall to my knees and writhe on the forest floor.

Just a few moments, the voice says.

“Stop, it hurts!” I whine. A growl escapes my lips. I dig my fingers into the soil, groaning in agony, then roll onto my back.

The moon shines above me.

For a moment that seems like an eternity, it feels as though the moonlight is beaming directly into my dilated pupils, filling me with its blue light.

Where is Atwood?

I squeeze my eyes shut, gritting my teeth.

When I open them again, I’m… different.

My pain is gone. All of the emotions that flooded my body before have now been replaced with a feeling of peace and tranquility. I roll over and push myself up from the forest floor.

I’m no longer human.

I look down to see white fur that practically glows in the moonlight. My body feels stronger than ever, like I could take on a thousand men.

But still, something is missing.

My wolf wants her mate.

“That was quite a show,” a male voice calls out from the forest.

I spin around to see someone emerging from the trees. But it’s not a human, nor is it a Lycan.

It’s a Bear.

I bare my fangs at him, backing away with my hackles raised.

“A Lycan girl, freshly shifted,” he says, approaching me. He’s massive, towering over me. One swipe from his giant, meaty paw and I would be done for.

“You don’t belong here,” I growl. My voice has become a combination of my own and my wolf’s, like two voices layered over one another.

“You think I don’t know that, little girl?” the Bear says, still approaching. I back away further, using my sixth sense to check my surroundings for any other Bears. I don’t sense any others, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not in grave danger.

I try to circle around the Bear, but he cuts me off.

“Trying to go back to the castle?” he says, baring his sharp teeth in an animalistic grin.

Another growl escapes my mouth. A wolf growl, far deeper and more guttural than the ones that came from my human form.

“Aw, you’re growling at me,” the Bear says. “How cute. I can growl, too.”

The Bear lets out a snarl that makes the hairs on the back of my neck raise.

Then, before I have the chance to get away, he lunges for me. He pins me to the ground so hard that I can barely breath under his weight, his paw pressed down on my throat.

Something in me takes over suddenly, and I find myself having the strength to kick him off. My kick sends him sliding across the forest floor. I jump to my feet and circle around him. He snarls and slashes at me with his massive paw, but I easily dodge his attack and go for his throat.

He’s big, but I’m faster. My jaws latch onto the thick skin around his neck, and try as he might to shake me off, I only bite down harder.

His huge paws slash at me, creating a gash in my shoulder, but I persist with my bite and force my jaws down until I taste warm blood in my mouth.

A pained whimper escapes his throat before he falls limp.

I continue biting down even though he’s not moving, afraid to let go in case he suddenly jumps back up.

When I pull away, I bring a chunk of his throat with me. Blood sprays everywhere, all over my white coat. I spit out the chunk of flesh and look down at the dead Bear. His trachea lies exposed on the forest floor, free from the confines of his neck.

I’ve killed the Bear, but something more important is on my mind.

I have to tell Atwood.