02 Way out

Ruby.

I returned home and went straight to my room in tears. I was confused and scared and did not know what to do. My father and brothers would kill me if they found out. My father wanted me to be Luna badly, and this was going to be a massive disappointment on my part. I laid on the bed in fetus position and wept. I did not have a relationship with Randolph and he would reject me in a heartbeat. It was a breeding match and not a love match. If he wanted me badly, he would have to challenge Jasper to fight to the death to have me. I doubt if I was worth that trouble to him. If he happened to surprise me by wanting me that badly, I did not know where Jasper was, his pack or his last name. I didn't have his number, and the moment wasn't memorable enough for him to keep my number and call me. I was doomed. I lay in bed and wept, thinking of everything I could have done differently to avoid this. Soon I heard a voice calling me. It was Racheal. I must have left the front door open when I returned. I was too distraught to lock it up.

" Ruby," she called out, heading towards my room. She sounded a bit excited, and I wondered why. I quickly dried my tears before she could reach the room. She would know something was off because of my puffy eyes.

"Ruby," she said, gently standing by the door. I sat up, and she rushed to me immediately. I hugged her and began to cry.

" Ruby, what happened?" She asked, and I tried to control my sobs so I could speak. I broke the hug and looked away, wiping away my tears.

" I am screwed," I said to her.

" Of course you are; that man was such a hottie," She said, trying to joke, but I shook my head.

" I mean it in a bad way, Ray. I am screwed," I said, and she frowned at me.

"'Can you tell me why?" She asked with concern, and I looked at her, hoping I could trust her. Since kindergarten, we had been friends, and we have never betrayed each other. Rachael supported me greatly, and I supported her too. I knew I was in a mess, and I needed to figure out how to deal with it before my brothers and father got home.

" I am in trouble, Ray," I said to my friend, and she held my hands to help me relax.

"Tell me, we will deal with it together," She assured me, and I chuckled with a sad tone.

" I doubt you can help me with this, Ray," I said, and she frowned at me.

"Try me," she said, and I moved my hands towards the turtle neck collar of my shirt and tugged at it to expose the mark.

Rachael gasped and then shrieked from the horror of what had happened. She knew what my family was like and the mess I was in. She understood.

"What the fuck, Ruby, your joining is next week," She said, and I began to weep.

" I know, I know. That is why I am this way," I said.

" Why did you let him do this to you?" She asked, and I shook my head

" I did not let him, Ray, I didn't know. I can't even remember the sex. I was drunk. The painful part was that I did not know until I got home," I said, and she shook her head. 

"This is bad," She said and sniffed the air, "Is that the reason for the heavy perfume?" She asked, and I nodded. 

"It does mask your scent, but I am a Sigma; your family might still be able to pick the scent," She said, and I began to panic. 

"I need help, Ray. I need help," I cried. 

"Calm down, Ruby. We can't come up with a solution with you in panic mode," she said, and I tried to relax, then she looked at my turtle neck. 

"That guy is such a bastard," she said, and the feeling was mutual. I couldn't even tell her that the fuck was not memorable enough for him to keep my number. He fucked with my self-esteem and life. 

"Do you know anything about him other than his first name?" She asked, and I shook my head. She sighed and took a deep breath. 

"You need to tell Alpha Randolph and your brother," She said, and I was bewildered by her suggestion. 

"I can't do that. Randolph would reject me, and my family will kill me." I said 

"You have no choice. The mark and scent are there. It will be worse if they find out on the day of the joining. Besides, the whole virgin thing, too, will count against you. You need to flip the narrative." she said, and that was when I got the idea. 

"What if I tell them that we went out and I got drunk and went to throw up at the back of the club where this random dude took advantage of me and claimed me and left," I said, and she shook her head. 

"They aren't stupid. Why would this random dude single you out of the many ladies in the club and even go as far as claiming you? Sound like a lie already," she said, and I shook my head. 

"He isn't a random dude. His name is Jasper; I did not bother to get his last name, but he has been hitting on me for a while, and I kept turning him down. It was just a way of him getting revenge for rejecting him." I said, and she paused long and hard to think. 

"It might fly, but what about the part where your brother calls me, and I say you are sleeping because of a headache?" She asked, and I understood her concern. If my brother found out she had lied to him, he could punish her for it. Randolph could deal with her family for trying to sabotage me. 

"No, " I said, "I had a scarf and a jacket because it was chilly. You did not see the mark. When we got to your house, I complained I had a headache and passed out on the bed." I said, and she nodded. 

"Yeah, that seems plausible. But what if your family starts to search for him and find him?" She asked, and I got angry. 

"It would be our word against his," I said, and she nodded. 

"Yeah, but Randolph and Kevin might kill him. He is huge and seems like an Alpha, but he does not belong to our pack or the Brooksbridge Pack, which is the strongest pack in our world. The guy does not stand a chance with Randolph ranking the second of all the strongest Alphas. Can you have it on your conscience that they kill him?" She asked, and I nodded. 

"I honestly don't care," I said, and she shook her head. 

"You are only saying this now because you are hurt and angry. You were really into the guy last night. Honestly, Ruby, he didn't want to fuck you, but you kept pushing. It will be unfair for him to lose his life for this." She said to me, and I did not care one bit. 

"Are you trying to say it is all my fault?" I asked her, and she shook her head. 

"Not a hundred per cent but at least fifty. If you were not persistent, you wouldn't have ended up in that motel. I know the joining got to you, and you were only looking for an escape but look what has happened now," Rachael said, and I bowed my head in shame because she was right. I was drunk and persistent. Jasper tried to stop me from drinking, but I kept at it, and made him join in. Maybe he was too drunk to control his wolf, but still, this was wrong, and I was in big trouble. I could not handle this mess. 

"The story is plausible but let me suggest something else," she said, and I looked at her, hoping her solution would work like magic. 

"Come stay with me for two days. Let us search for this dude. If we find him, you two can talk and decide what to do. If we don't, you can tell your folks and Alpha Randolph your version of the truth." she said, and it seemed okay. 

"Then you will have to follow me to dinner; Randolph is organising one tonight. I would like to request to help you out with your interior decoration project for two days, so no one would refuse me," I said, and she nodded. 

"Great, but we have to find a way to add these two extra days to our lie if we do not find him, and if we do, he annoys you. We have to have an explanation as to why we did not report the incident immediately. 

"Simple," I said, "I was sick and scared of telling them. You were afraid for your life. We went to look for the asshole to challenge him to death." I said with ease, and Racheal looked at me. 

"That could work, but honestly, I hope we find him. I do not want anyone to die," she said. 

The truth was he was either going to die or chicken out of the challenge if Randolph deemed me worthy enough to challenge him. But there was no way I would be with him. He claimed me when I was drunk and did not appreciate the hospitality enough to keep my number. Fuck him.