8

TROY

Ruby didn't answer me right away, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. She rarely did anymore, and like that wasn't enough, she barely bothered to look at me now. I almost laughed at the irony. 

A couple of years back, she would literally live in my skin if there was any means to make that possible, but now, I doubted she even wanted to be in the same room as me. I wasn't one to jump into conclusions without getting my facts right first, but at this point I knew for a fact where the problem was. 

Austin. 

He was the cause of all of this. A brief moment of silence settled between us before Ruby finally let out. 

"That's not how this works." Her eyes lifted to mine, and when she spoke, her voice was calm, professional, and detached in a way that scraped under my skin. "I need to see the pack first. I can't draft anything blind."

"We don't have time for that," I snapped. "Rogues will run through the borders by evening. People could die, and we've had enough of that already."

"Really?" She crossed her arms, not looking the least bit interested or sympathetic. "And rushing bad planning will save them?" This isn't my Ruby.

"You already know what the pack looks like, Ruby," I argued. "Nothing has changed, not since you left."

"No, Troy." Her expression stilled into something sharp and cold. "Everything has changed."

I clenched my jaw, and somehow that was all I needed to pass across an extra message. 

"But since you insist, fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you," she said abruptly, already turning away. "Austin, pack up. I'll go do the same."

Relief flickered through me, until I opened my mouth. "I knew you still cared. I just knew…"

Before she could answer, he cut in, interrupting what could have been a moment shared.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Ruby." Austin's voice was icy, and a frown made its way to my face immediately. "And you know how these feelings can get…" 

His eyes were glued on her in a way that made my stomach twist. I too had a bad feeling about this. And it was because of him.

"We need to get going, Alpha. We don't have time…" Chris was in my mind as though he had been waiting. I cursed myself for letting my walls down. He must have perceived what I was thinking. 

"You know if you're going to be a distraction, it'll be better you stay and let her come with me alone…" I cut in this time. They seemed to snap back from whatever daze they were in.

"I already told you, I'm only going if Austin and my team come with me." Ruby didn't even look surprised. "Otherwise, you can take your money and shove it up your ass."

Sure, sure. Wait until we get there and the barrier is up, Ruby. I'm not letting you out of my sight again.

Her words hit hard, then, damn it, she smirked. Seeing the corner of her lips curl upwards did something to me, something I hadn't felt in a while. 

I let out a low chuckle before I could stop myself. That fire, that sharp tongue, that spine of steel… fuck. That side of her had always been dangerous, sexy as hell, and even after all this time, she still hadn't lost it. 

I nodded. "Understood..."

In my head, my wolf was already pacing. As long as she came back was all that I could think about.

Chris and I waited while they loaded their cars. I watched her from a distance, my chest tight in a way I refused to name.When everything was ready, I stepped closer.

"Ruby." She turned to the sound of her name. "I know you used to like riding with me. How about I take us there?"

The words had barely slid past my lips before she frowned immediately. Her gaze flicked to my bike, the one she used to love, the one she'd cling to me like I was the only solid thing in her world. For a moment, I could swear I saw memories flash in her eyes, and just as her face softened, it disappeared again, almost as if I'd imagined the whole thing. 

"No, thank you." She shook her head once, like she'd just stepped out of a trance. "I'll pass." 

And without so much as another word in my direction, she walked straight past me to Austin's car. Something ugly twisted in my chest. I recognized it as jealousy, and even my wolf growled in acceptance. 

I said nothing as she got in, and even as they moved past us and towards the direction of the pack, it took me a little while to snap back into the present. Call me crazy or whatever, but I could swear I caught Austin smirking at me as he drove past us. 

By the time we reached the pack, the sky was already bleeding into evening. Shadows stretched long and uneasy, and I just knew that was a bad sign. They were probably closer than we actually thought. 

"Give me a report." I turned to Chris, his bike was trailing behind mine. He had his head turning in directions, watching and sensing the same danger I "Mind link the watchers, I want to know exactly where they are…" I almost bellowed in my mind.

Chris nodded, brought his bike to a stop and stilled in response, zoning out as he mindlinked. While he did his thing, Ruby stepped out of the car. I watched her eyes sweep the land. Her gaze was sharp, assessing, almost unreadable, and I couldn't help but want to know what she was actually thinking. 

I wanted to ask her if she missed it. Before I could, Austin spoke.

 "Does it feel familiar?" his voice held a certain taunt underneath it, and if I wasn't so in control right now, then best believe I would have punched him in the face. 

I shot him a glare, one he didn't acknowledge. 

"No, Austin." Ruby snorted. "I don't miss this shithole. Not one bit. I would give everything to never come back here again." 

I parted my lips to speak, but pressed it close again. She'd already answered that, at least. And it fucking hurt to know the place I longed to see her in again, she wanted no part of. She hated this place. Who could blame her though. A couple more seconds passed, before they all turned to me expectantly.

 "Take us to the center," Ruby said. "If you're certain about the rogues, I don't think we have much time on our hands." 

I nodded and led the way. It wasn't far, it was close to her father's house. Too close if you asked me, but I knew she knew that. How couldn't she? 

When we arrived, her team moved fast, and efficiently. When they'd been trailing after us on our way here, a part of me had thought they were too much, but as I watched them work, I was actually impressed. They all rallied around before they pulled out a funny looking device. It looked too much like a dish plate, but it was connected to a rod. I watched them with genuine interest as they drilled it into the ground with practiced precision.

Then Ruby stepped forward, without a word. She didn't so much as look at me as she tugged her shirt over her head. Austin immediately turned away, taking a few steps back without being told.

Something about that hit me wrong, but I followed his lead, looking away, but barely. Then the air shifted.

A beam of light burst from her body, pure and blinding, shooting straight into the dish. The ground hummed beneath my feet, and the air thickened, sending waves of vibration all around us. 

A gasp slid past my lips in awe, and I turned back fully just as the barrier snapped into place around us.

My breath caught.

I stared at her, at the glow fading from her skin, at the way she stood there, steady, drained, and powerful. It didn't take too long before realization slammed into me like a fist.

She wasn't powering the shield. She was the shield.

Shit. 

My chest tightened painfully. All this time, she had all this power, all this sacrifice, and I had let her walk away. Even my wolf went silent, like he could remember the torture we put her through all those years ago, and for the first time since she left, I had no words at all.