Chapter 16

Ruby's POV

I sat up on the bed, the morning light filtering through the window. It had been a restless night, plagued by the nightmares of Gonzalo. The way he had treated me, the threats, and the violence – it was all too vivid in my dreams. I shivered at the memory of his sinister grin.

I had needed multiple cups of coffee to stay awake through the night. Coffee had become a friend. a small comfort that helped me push through the darkness of the past. As I sipped my morning coffee, I reflected on Elena's question from the previous night.

"Was he someone you loved?" Elena had asked me. My answer had been clear and unequivocal: "No, he wasn't." Gonzalo was far from a person I had loved. He was a menace, a monster from my past, and Alpha Ralph had saved me from his clutches.

I gazed around the room, still unfamiliar to me. The Night Howlers Pack, Elena, Alpha Ralph – it was all so new, and I knew it would take time for me to adjust. The old life in Silverwood felt like a distant memory