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
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
Chapter OneRubyLife is finally about to stop kicking me in the ass and the world is going to know my name. Everything is about to change.I repeated my morning affirmation three more times as I exited the cab and looked around at my new school. I am in college. I, Ruby Saunders, have made it to college. I’ll still have to work my ass off to maintain my grades and qualify for my full ride, of course, but nothing is going to deter me from my path. I’ve worked too long and too hard to get where I am now, so all distractions can go to hell. I’m not saying I won’t attend the occasional party, but I know the opportunity I’ve been given will be gone forever if I lose it. I can’t pay for college on my own; I can barely pay for lunch.“Damn babe, nice ass.”My eyes narrowed as I stopped walking. I sighed as I turned around while pulling my hands out of the pockets of my leather jacket. The distractions were starting earlier than I had expected and I wasn't in the mood. Five minutes. Only fiv
Rosette gave me an hour break instead of fifteen minutes. I stared up at the ceiling in the office where I’d been lying down for that hour. I’ve never thrown up so much in my life, but the feeling was almost gone. With my stomach now empty, I felt drained of all my energy.I tried to remember what I had eaten that could have made me sick, but all I've had since morning was a sandwich and then a muffin when I got to work. Maybe what I needed was a proper meal.I grimaced. The thought of food was making me feel sick again, and I decided with the feeling passing I’d better get back to work. Rosette had argued with me for ten minutes that I should go home, but I need the money. My scholarship covers my school expenses, but I still have to eat.I made my way back into the diner to take over from Brittany when my eyes landed on Xavier.What was he still doing here?He was alone but sitting in the exact spot he had been before. He looked up as I was putting my apron on and his eyes lowered i
RubyThe third time I woke up I felt like myself. I felt rested, but I was still in a room that wasn’t my own. I laid there unmoving, but my sleepy eyes were on the black ceiling. The rest of the room was shrouded in darkness, only illuminated by one lamp that was standing by the door. I waited patiently until I felt truly awake before untangling my hand from the sheet to wipe at the corners of my eyes.I replayed the events that had led me to be in a bed that wasn’t my own and fisted my hands. How many days have even passed I wondered?I wasn’t dead, so that was something, but how long would that last? What had happened in that alleyway hadn’t been a dream. Xavier had transformed before my eyes and killed three men. Natalie had then created some kind of world inside my head and had then magically put me to sleep. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply before exhaling and then repeating the act once more. I could easily imagine that everything that had happened was impossible, but I woul
NatalieI balanced the tray in my left hand as I knocked and opened Ruby’s door. I frowned at the shattered lamp by the door before poking my head inside.“Ruby? It’s Natalie.” I closed the door behind me when I found her sitting on the floor at the back of the room, her head against the wall. “I brought something for you to eat. You must be hungry.”She opened her eyes slowly, her cold stare making me rethink approaching her. I placed the tray on the coffee table before the sofa and sighed. Her eyes and nose were red from crying and her hair was wild and tangled. She looked a mess and my heart went out to her. The hatred in her eyes cut me deeply, but I deserved it as much as Xavier.She had witnessed three men being ripped to shreds and now she was locked away in a room awaiting her own death. I’d want to rip some fucking limbs off myself if I was her.Sighing, I pulled a chair closer to her, but stayed at a polite distance so she wouldn’t feel crowded. “I know you must be confused
Ruby“You’re not going to die, Ruby, but I can’t guarantee you’ll ever be able to leave this pack.”Natalie’s words ran through my mind in an endless loop. With eachrefrain I felt another piece of my life crack up and slowly disintegrate. What had she meant? I can’t stay here with a bunch of werewolves! Where even is here?She had come to me to shed some light on my situation and I had given her the cold shoulder. It was killing me. She didn't have to come to see me. She didn't have to offer any explanation, but she had. She’d even brought food for me, and I still pushed her away, the only friend I might have here.But she’s still one of them. It makes no difference that she’s an “Enchanted” or whatever she called herself. She’s still one of them. If Xavier’s attempt to spare my life doesn’t work, she’ll have to stand by and watch me be killed.Xavier Blackwood.I rolled onto my back as that name echoed in my mind. I definitely thought he was strange, even before I learned he has fan
RubyAnother sleepless night had me restless, my thoughts keeping me awake despite my tired eyes.My new room would be ready tomorrow, the start of a new life as a guinea pig to werewolves. Mathieu had said his wolves would learn from me, but what was I supposed to teach them? Don't they all live alongside humans anyway? What had he meant when he said one day humans andwerewolves would have to come together? He had also said again. Did that mean humans used to live alongside werewolves?“I see what Natalie saw in you.”What had she seen? I still couldn’t believe she had taken a deep dive into my mind. Maybe if I hadn’t told her to leave me alone I could find her and ask her to put me to sleep the way she had before. In the daytime I can force myself to think of other things, but night causes my doubts and fears to come alive to plague me.I wasn’t even sure if I was handling this all correctly. What’s the correct way to deal with something like this? First I’m to be killed, and now I