Chapter 3

I swallowed hard. He knew. All this time, he knew.

"That level of control," he continued, "is remarkable in one so young. It speaks to your heritage."

"I'm just an orphan," I said, the lie bitter on my tongue. "Just a pack servant."

Alpha Marcus leaned forward, his massive hands flat on the desk. "We both know that's not true. And after your shift, everyone else will know it too."

Fear coiled in my stomach. My carefully constructed plans were unravelling before my eyes.

"The quintuplets," he said, watching my reaction closely. "They don't know who you really are. What you are."

"And what am I?" I whispered.

"A threat," he said simply. "Or an asset. That depends on the choices you make after your birthday."

I thought of my transfer request, already drafted and hidden beneath my mattress. "I don't want power. I just want..."

"Freedom?" He gave a humourless laugh. "There is no such thing for our kind, Ruby. Especially not for Alphas. We are bound by duty, by blood."

The clock on his wall ticked loudly in the silence that followed. School had started by now, but that seemed insignificant compared to this conversation.

"What do you want from me?" I finally asked.

"Stay," he said. "After your shift, after your birthday. Give the pack—give my sons—a chance."

I thought of Peter's cruelty, of Francis's leering, of Nelson's pushing me around when no one is looking, of Declan’s snide comments, and Seth’s indifference.

“A chance for what? They hate me, you…you’ve been hoping for a political mating between us or at least one of your sons,” my eyes go wide, and I begin to shake. “No, no, no. They’d kill me.”

“They wouldn’t dare,” he said.

“Yeah, right, then you really don’t know what happened a month ago when I ‘fell’ down the stairs, excuse me, Alpha, or I’ll be late to class.” I pointed out.

Alpha Marcus's expression darkened. He stood from his chair, towering over me with a presence that made the air in the room feel suddenly heavy.

"What happened a month ago?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

I took an involuntary step back, cursing my loose tongue. "Nothing. I misspoke."

"Ruby." My name became a command in his mouth. "Tell me."

I weighed my options quickly. I'd kept silent for years, but in two days I'd be gone. What did it matter now?

“Perhaps you should check the cameras, then you might understand why I want nothing to do with any of them. However, Alpha, I really must go, I’ll be in trouble if I’m late, it's just how this pack is with me, and the fact I’m with you won’t stop me from ending up in the principal's office.”

His eyes narrowed, fingers drumming against the polished surface of his desk. Something flickered across his face, surprise, perhaps, or anger, before he schooled his expression.

"You will not be late today," he said finally, reaching for his phone. "I'll call the school."

"That's really not necessary..."

"It is." He punched in a number, his gaze never leaving my face. "And this conversation isn't over, Ruby. Far from it."

As he spoke briefly to someone at the school, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, desperate to escape the suddenly claustrophobic office. The walls seemed to press in around me, and my wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin.

When he hung up, Alpha Marcus studied me with new intensity. "You've hidden much from me."

"With respect, Alpha, you never asked." I clutched the strap of my backpack tighter, anchoring myself. "And it wouldn't have mattered if I had told you."

"You don't know that."

"Don't I?" The words spilled out before I could stop them. "For eleven years, I've cooked your meals, cleaned your floors, and been your sons' favourite target. If you wanted to know what was happening, you would have."

His jaw tightened. "My sons will answer for their behaviour."

"Please don't," I said quickly. "That will only make things worse for me."

"You fear them." It wasn't a question.

I looked away. "I fear what they might do if they learn who I really am. What I am."

Alpha Marcus moved around the desk, closing the distance between us. I resisted the urge to back away.

"I made a promise to your father," he said, his voice softer now. "The night your pack was attacked. He knew he wouldn't survive, but he wanted to ensure you would."

My breath caught. "What are you saying?"

"That I've failed him." He sighed heavily. "I thought keeping you close, keeping your identity hidden, was protecting you. I never imagined my own sons would..."

He trailed off, and for the first time since I'd known him, Alpha Marcus looked uncertain.

“It’s fine, Alpha, it’s just better if I just leave after I turn 18 and get my wolf, just please, just let me go. I’ll leave and never return. That’s what’s best for everyone.”

His face went rigid, and something flashed in his eyes, pain, maybe regret. "That's not what your father would have wanted."

"My father is dead," I said, the words sharper than I intended. "He doesn't get a say in what I do with my life."

"Ruby..."

"No." I backed toward the door, my heart racing. "I've made up my mind. Two days, and I'm gone. You can't stop me."

"I could," he said quietly. "As your Alpha, I have that right."

The blood drained from my face. "You wouldn't."

"I don't want to." He ran a hand through his greying hair. "But if you leave now, unprepared, untrained in your true nature... you'll be vulnerable. There are those who would use you, or worse, eliminate you as a threat."

"What threat?" My voice cracked. "I just want to be left alone."

"Alpha bloodlines don't get to be left alone, especially not pure ones. Your scent will change after your first shift. Other packs will know what you are the moment they catch wind of you."

Aurora stirred restlessly inside me, feeding off my rising panic. I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to calm both of us.

"Then I'll learn to hide it," I said. "I've gotten good at hiding."

"For eighteen years, yes. But not anymore." He moved closer, and I could smell the authority rolling off him in waves. "Stay, Ruby. Let me teach you what you need to know. Let me honour the promise I made to your father."

"And your sons?"