Chapter 95

Atwood

“It’s the Queen and the others,” the guard says. “Sometime during the night, they escaped. They’re nowhere to be found.”

Of course they did.

“What happened to the guards posted at their doors?” I ask.

“They were injected with some sort of sleeping potion,” he replies. “They were found sleeping on the floor when the new guards went to relieve them this morning.”

My head throbs a bit at this information. Clearly, Alice was going around with all sorts of potions last night. I had always thought that she was loyal to the crown; just not my crown, I suppose.

“So be it,” I respond, tightening my grip on Ruby’s small hand. “Send out a search party once the blizzard clears. For now, just make sure that they can’t get into the castle. If they’re found, arrest them immediately.

“Yes, sir,” the guard replies with a bow.

With a sigh, I open the parlor door and pull Ruby inside.

Polly has already lit the fire and set up the blankets and hot drinks for us, so all Ruby and I have to do is sink into the couch and get comfortable. Ruby is still shivering a bit, but stops soon after I pull her onto my chest and hold her tightly.

I want to talk to her about her wings and her brooch, but exhaustion takes over me far too quickly.

Soon, we’re fast asleep in each other’s arms on the couch.

When I wake, the fire has died down to embers and the room is dark. Ruby is still fast asleep on top of me, even snoring softly, so I lay there for a bit and stroke her hair until my legs become too restless to stay there any longer. Gently sliding out from under her, I place her head on a soft pillow and tuck her into the blanket, planting a kiss on the top of her head before leaving and heading to my study.

Just as I requested, the remainder of my pack is waiting for me in my study. It’s hard to believe that there are only four of us now, including myself. We used to be bigger and stronger, but the events of the past few months have dwindled our numbers. Sure, I have countless guards and an army at my disposal, but my pack is special to me. I don’t trust anyone, except for Ruby, as much as I trust my pack members.

“Nice of you to show up, finally,” Freya growls, standing from her seat by the fire. Her arm is in a sling and her curly brown hair is pulled back into a loose bun. I remember there was a point in time, when we were just barely teenagers, when Freya and I thought we had feelings for one another. Soon, though, I fell for Vivian, and Freya discovered that she preferred women anyway.

“Stand down,” I growl in return. Despite her anger, Freya sits back down in her seat with a frown, pulling her cigarette case out of her pocket and sticking one between her lips. Paul, her twin brother, leans over and lights it for her.

In the corner, Lawrence sits solemnly and stares into the fire. His jaw is clenched tightly as he leans forward with his elbows on his knees, wringing his hands. With his shaved head and muscular frame, Lawrence has always looked stoic and militant.

“Listen,” I say, crossing over to where the rest of my pack is seated and taking a seat on one of the armchairs. “I know we’ve lost a lot of our brothers and sisters these past few months. There isn’t a single second that I don’t think about them. I mean it.”

There’s a long silence. Finally, Lawrence stands from his chair, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Where were you?” he says. “The night Kayne died, when Noah came back carrying him.”

I open my mouth to answer, but Lawrence cuts me off. “I’ll tell you where you were: getting ready to go to some stupid play for your mate, when you knew fully well that the Bears have been advancing on our territory for months. And for what?”

“Lawrence, just cool it,” Freya says.

Lawrence turns on her, all while pointing a shaking finger at me. “Don’t tell me to cool it,” he growls. “An alpha should be there for his pack. Not cavorting around with pretty girls.”

“You know that I had no choice,” I reply calmly. “I needed to be marked. Who would be running this kingdom if I died from my condition? Who would be alpha, hm? I did what I had to do to make Ruby mark me so that I could survive, plain and simple.”

Lawrence drops his hand, looking past me. Behind me, the door creaks.

Shit.

When I turn around, just as I suspected, Ruby is standing there. She still looks half-asleep, with her hair a bit messed up and her nightgown still on, but the tears in her eyes says it all.

“Ruby-”

Without a word, she turns and runs off.

“Go on,” Lawrence says angrily. “Go to your mate. Screw your pack, right?”

“You know what, Lawrence?” I growl, standing from my chair and advancing on him. “Fuck you.”

He stands his ground as I approach him, fists clenched and nostrils flaring. Behind me, Freya urges both of us to stop.

“Guys, this is not the time!” she shouts, trying to force herself between us. “Come on, pull it together!”

Lawrence puts his hands up and backs away, although I can tell that there’s a lot more that he wants to say and do right now. Freya lets out an exasperated sigh and returns to sit next to her brother, who simply stares into the fire silently, his curly hair falling down into his dark eyes.

None of us have heard Paul say a word for the past five years. Ever since the Bears attacked his hometown when we were in high school, he’s been mute. Freya is always there to speak for him, but I can tell that it’s been eating away at her over time.

“Go apologize to her,” Freya says, nodding her head toward the door. “There’s nothing you can do for us right now, anyway.”

With a sigh, I leave the study to follow Ruby. I find her in her room, laying face down on her bed with her face in her pillow.

“Ruby?” I call out quietly, crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed. She doesn’t move away when I stroke her back, although I can feel her tense up a bit.

“Did you really only do all of those things just to make me mark you?” she mumbles into her pillow. “Did you only want me to mark you so you could get better? Not because you actually loved me?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I say softly, stroking her hair. “Yes, I originally just needed to find my mate to cure my illness; but as soon as I saw you, it became much more than that. I love you, Ruby. I want to make you my wife.”

Ruby rolls over and sits up, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve. I reach out and brush a bit of hair out of her eyes, then kiss her forehead.

“They’re right, though,” she says. “If you weren’t so preoccupied with me all this time, all of these horrible things wouldn’t have happened. Kayne dying, the attack on my birthday, all of it… I’m just a burden.”

“Don’t you dare say that,” I respond, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into a huge. “It’s not true.”

Ruby doesn’t say anything else. For a long while I just hold her while she sobs quietly into my shirt, until she finally cries herself to sleep.

As I tuck her into her bed and exit her room, however, I know that Lawrence’s words were at least a little bit true; I’ve left my pack to fend for themselves lately, and that has to change. I can’t let anyone else die.