RubyI could hear muffled voices through the darkness around me, but I was comfortable. I didn’t want to give in and wake up. I wanted to remain asleep, swaddled in the warmth around me.I wanted to tell the voices to be quiet, but my eyes cracked open regardless. The talking around me stopped. I groaned as I swallowed. My tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of my mouth and I sat up, rubbing at my temples.“You’re awake.”No shit, can I go back to sleep?That’s what I wanted to ask Xavier, but I remained quiet. The moment I had opened my eyes I remembered some of what had happened. I just wasn’t sure if everything I remembered was from reality or a dream. I inhaled deeply and swung my legs off the sofa to curl my toes on the cool marble floor, my eyes wandering from Xavier to Mathieu. Xavier was standing beside the chair Mathieu was sitting in. Mathieu crossed his legs, his steady eyes watching my every move.I preferred sleeping forever over facing what I’m about to. “What di
NatalieI closed my eyes as I listened to Ruby’s soft sobs.I could tell she was trying to be quiet since she knew she could easily be heard. If I hadn’t come to her door, I wouldn’t have heard her crying. Instead of knocking, I pulled the door open slowly and entered the room.With the evening sun lighting the room I easily found her. She was face down on her bed with her face pressed into one pillow and another pillow over her head. I sighed as I approached her bed and sat down. Despite her heart skipping a beat from her fright, she didn’t physically jump. She fell silent and I waited for her to sit up. When she didn’t, I tapped her leg.“Ruby, it’s only me.” She sat up then, the pillow on her head falling to the floor, and I could see her swollen and bloodshot eyes. “I’m so sorry.”“You could have told me,” she said weakly, and I shook my head.“I couldn’t babe. Alpha’s orders. But I wish I could have.” I reached out to smooth down her hair, but she suddenly swatted at my hand and
RubyColorful leaves floated down around me as I walked through the woods. I figured with the pack now knowing that I’m Xavier’s mate, I could walk around more freely without thinking someone might kill me.I was sure the moment I ran into any wolves I’d still get cold stares, but honestly I wasn’t so bothered anymore. I had more important things to think about, like Axel jumping out from behind a tree to reject me.I needed fresh air. I couldn't handle being trapped in the house another second with my chaotic thoughts, not after what had happened yesterday.So here I was, out of the house, following a path I had noticed a few days ago. The woods around me were filled with the melodic calls of birds and the wind whistling in the trees above me. I needed this. I needed a moment alone to collect my thoughts and try to piece everything together.I'm Xavier's mate.I smiled as I bent down to pick a flower and secure it behind my ear. I then ran a finger over my lips as I remembered the wa
I laughed. I liked this guy. He was like the male version of Natalie, although he seemed a little more animated. “Yeah, I know.”I looked up and found a few wolves looking our way, but Xavier’s back was turned as he spoke to another wolf. I had forgotten that they could all hear me clearly, and surely now they could hear by my heartbeat that I was panicking because of their sudden attention.Randoll placed his hand over mine and my head whipped his way. “You’re not what I expected, Ruby.” I smiled at him gratefully.In the distance, a loud growl could be heard. Randoll rolled his eyes and didn’t even look. I started looking around frantically only to find Xavier staring daggers at Randoll. His shoulders were moving up and down with his heavy breathing and a few wolves stepped away from him.What’s his problem?“So,” I drawled as I tore my eyes away from Xavier. “This Council I keep hearing about, what’s up with that?”"Hmm. Humans have a government and wolves have a Council. There are
My fingers glided along the railing of the staircase as I made my way downstairs. Amid the chaos that is my life, I've found a reason to smile.I wasn’t entirely sure what was between Xavier and me, but after the day I had with him I was eager to find out. I was petrified of Axel and the Council and the future in general, but in the here and now I had a reason to be happy.For the first time in a long time I wasn't being swept away by sadness or thoughts of dying, but from the memory of Xavier's lips on mine. Where my appetite had been off for a while, it had decided to return at 1 a.m.I finished my sandwich, did the dishes, and was having a glass of water when a girl walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the island. I recognized her as the girl who had accompanied Xavier the day at the diner.Why is she wearing a full face of makeup at 1 a.m.?“You’re not his mate.”I inhaled and placed my glass into the sink. I knew sooner or later someone would no longer hide behind their sta
He tapped my thigh and I untangled my legs from around his waist so he could place me gently onto the ground. My eyes were wide as they looked around, but whatever Xavier was seeing or hearing, I couldn’t.“Ruby, I want you to go back to the house.” He stepped away from me. “Now.” He began removing his shirt and instead of backing away I approached him. He stopped me with just a look. “Run!”I jerked my hand away as he yelled. His voice was contorted and deeper as his shoulders hunched forward. Before I could ask what was going on, I got my answer. A werewolf barreled out of the bushes and Xavier stepped protectively in front of me, punching the wolf in the face and sending him flying backward.Xavier began to shift, his skin tearing and ripping, his body growing in size. With it, his pants began to rip until there was nothing but shredded clothes on the ground. My body was shaking with terror, my eyes wide, and my hand clutching at my heart. My brain was telling my legs to get the he
RubyMy bones ached as if they had all been broken and then reset and were on their way to healing. I was at a loss for why my body felt so fucked up, but I remained still until my throbbing headache eased.I inhaled and my nose crinkled from a horrible stench.What the hell is that?I cracked one eye open, but surprise soon had my other eye popping open as well. Why was there a stone ceiling above me?I bolted upright as I realized I was in a dimly lit dank cell and not my room at Xavier's house. An odd heaviness on my left leg pulled myattention and my heart started pounding harder at the chain attached to my ankle.What the fuck is going on?My headache returned in an unpleasant wave and I hunched over and held my head. Images began flashing within my mind, of me running into the forest, of Xavier’s wolf hitting me with his tail, of a strange werewolf attacking me and sending me flying through the air.“Fuck,” I said under my breath as all my memories returned to me, and my mouth
NatalieWillow hadn’t been able to locate Ruby and it had only enraged Xavier further. However, using the scratch that Xavier gotten on his arm from brawling with one of the strange wolves, she had been able to locate that wolf.Xavier hadn’t waited a second before he was out the door with Randoll and six others.I was left behind to help Mathieu with creating a mental link with the entire pack to see who had gone against his command and told someone about Ruby. Creating a mind link is allowed only under specific circumstances. Alphas demand total obedience, and once an order is given it's almost impossible to disobey. But some wolves are strong enough to overpower the will of their alpha. In circumstances like this, a mind link through an Enchanted may be done.It’s taxing on an Enchanted, however, having all the thoughts and memories from the pack flowing through their minds to then be sent to the alpha. No one was guilty of talking about Ruby, though, and it left us with more quest
That's what I wanted to say, but I kept quiet instead. For the first time, he was speaking to me as if he was talking to another person. He wasn't giving me orders or talking down to me, and I couldn't help looking at him.His expression was still one that screamed ‘talk to me and get punched,’ but his voice didn’t hold as much exasperation. However, I didn’t respond. I couldn’t fault him for looking out for his pack’s interests, but I was certain there were other ways for us to handle this situation without resorting to abduction and involving the Council.“Who was the man that came into my cell?” I asked after a while.He looked over at me, a confused look on his face as he shook his head. “What man? I was the only one that visited you in your cell.”Had I been hallucinating or dreaming? No, someone else had visited me.“There was someone else. I know that was real.”The car slowed at a stoplight, and his hand fell away from the steering wheel. “I remember you asking who else would b
RubyAxel woke me up while it was still dark outside and ordered me to take a bath. He gave me new clothes, told me to brush my hair, and then gave me toasted bread and an apple before dragging me outside.The cold air nipped at my exposed arms and face as we walked briskly to a black SUV. My eyes danced from left to right but it was useless to try to see anything. It was too dark for me to make out anything other than the house we had just left.He opened the door for me, which had been surprising. I had expected him to throw me into the backseat blindfolded and handcuffed with the way he’s been treating me, yanking and throwing me around as if I’m a bag of potatoes. After two and a half hours after driving what seemed like endlessly, I realized where he was taking me.The sun had finally come up, and the world around me was finally visible. We were heading back to the Blackmoon Pack. I could tell that’s where we were going the second we drove past the Witches Brew Tavern Xavier had
He then turned to Xavier, who was standing beside me and took his hand. “And you must be Xavier.”Xavier shook his hand firmly. "Welcome to our pack, Mr. Crescent.I hope your flight was a smooth one.”“It was.” The side of Olcan’s mouth curved as he spoke. "It was.And if it wasn’t, this was still a…necessary trip.”Olcan turned away to stand by the Enchanted’s side, and Xavier narrowed his eyes at him, then her. He glanced over at me before lookingher way once more. “You’re an Enchanted, yes?”She nodded. “I am–you can see that from my hair. However, not many Enchanteds have white hair, especially young ones.” Her eyes drifted to me as she said that, and this time, I arched a brow in response.From what I understood, the stronger the Enchanted, the more white in their hair. She could sense the strength of my power when I should be nothing but a fledgling, so that comment was a jab at me. She looked to be in her early thirties, so she was young to have white hair as well.“Well!” Ol
Natalie“Axel’s a fool to think the Council won't try to dissect him as well for having a human mate. Whatever judgment falls onto our pack because one of us is mated to a human will happen to him, too” Xavier said.I watched him as he paced back and forth, his hand on his chin. We were filling Mathieu in on what was happening, and word had been sent to the rest of the pack to stay indoors until their alpha said otherwise.All that really needed to be said was that the Council would be visiting, and all wolves would scatter without being told to anyway. Everyone avoids contact with the Council as much as they can. No one wants their lives looked into, their privacy invaded and stripped down to nothing. That's what the Council likes to do. They feed on knowledge like rats feed on garbage.“Axel thinks he’s acting in the interest of his pack,” I said and Mathieu, who was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his hand over his mouth, looked my way. “But he isn’t seeing the bigger pict
XavierI could hear a bird chirping in a tree a few meters away, but it sounded like it was resting on my shoulder. My ears twitched as another bird answered the first one's call, and I tried my best to tune them out. I focused on the wind in the trees instead as I continued to walk along the path in the forest. I was heading to the cliff where Ruby and I had sat and talked so long ago.No, it wasn’t so long ago, I thought as I shook my head. Only a week has passed with her being missing. While it was only a week, it was far too long for comfort. It felt like an eternity.Natalie has been missing for just as long, and I’m not sure how much longer I can survive not knowing what has happened to either of them. My hands clenched at my sides as my rage began to consume me yet again.Being without Ruby and not knowing if she was hurt or not was taking its toll. My wolf has been clawing under my skin to the point that I’ve woken up with my sheets and clothes ripped by my claws and fangs out
Anxiety had me pacing around the room, sitting on the floor, and climbing onto the table to see through the window, which revealed nothing but endless trees. Soon I settled for sitting around the table, my hunger returning. Compared to the torture I had endured up until last night, I could ignore the growls my stomach was making.I’ve thought about going to sleep a few times in hopes of Natalie returning, but she had mentioned how hard it was to reach out to me. Sheneeded her strength to get to Xavier, so I resisted my impulse to nap just for the sake of talking to her again.My fingers drummed on the stained surface of the white table as I wondered if she had warned Xavier yet.I recalled the night I had been abducted, the bliss that had come before the chaos that is, and a heavy sadness settled on my chest. Xavier and I had laid in the woods in each other's arms. I was starting to feel the bond between us, I think. Just when I began to feel drawn to him, I was ripped away. That nig
RubyI stared at the small window across the room that was too far up the wall for me to try and break through. Sure, I’d be able to reach it if I stood on the table, but what would happen after I got outside? I’d get chased by wolves that I could never outrun. Where would I even run to? I had no idea where I was to begin with. For all I knew, there was no one but wolves for a hundred miles in every direction.It was morning, but I pulled the covers up to my chin and snuggled further into bed. The small old mattress that had passed for a bed inside my cell hadn’t been much. While this wasn’t great either, there was nothing for me to do, nowhere for me to go, so why not stay in bed a little longer?I had eaten all the fruits and was still full, so I was fine for the most part. All I could do now was wait for Axel to make his next appearance.I turned onto my side, but backed up with a scream on my lips as I came face to face with Natalie. She was lying beside me with her hand under her
His tight hold on my arm would leave a bruise, but I was too scared to care. He was dragging me out of the cell and outside, my weak legs struggling to keep up with him. Fresh air filled my lungs, and my eyes closed for a second before I was yanked forward to keep up with him.“Where are you taking me?” He didn’t answer. “Axel, where are you taking me? Please, you’re hurting me!”I channeled what little strength I had left into pulling away from him. He released me, but within seconds he grabbed me by the hair. Fire blossomed at my scalp, my hair felt like it was going to be ripped out, and I clenched my teeth to stop myself from screaming. My eyes grew teary as I reached up to hold his hand, and I felt him loosen his hold. I could barely see his face, but his eyes were like headlights.He continued walking, and I dug my heels into the ground to not move and started screaming. If he was going to kill me, I wasn’t going to die quietly. Oh, hell, no! I didn’t ask to be mated to him, and
RubyHave you ever been so hungry that your stomach feels like it’s caving in on itself? So thirsty you can barely pry your tongue from the roof of your mouth? Your mind focuses on nothing but food and drink, drink and food. How a stale piece of bread, a glass of water, or a single French fry might save your life.If you’ve never felt that, you’re lucky, and I hope you never do. I wasn’t suffering from hunger only. My hair was matted to my skull, and I was getting sick of my own foul odor. I’d lost track of how long I’d been chained up in Axel’s dungeon, and I was passing out more frequently due to hunger and dehydration.My eyes cracked open as I listened to the dripping water coming from somewhere inside this dark dungeon. It was making this situation a hundred times worse. Every time I heard it, I thought about how even one tiny drop in my mouth might make this situation a little more bearable.My tongue felt like sandpaper, and my back felt sore from lying down for so long. I, how