Chapter 5

Alpha Marcus nodded slowly. "Take the day. But Ruby..." he hesitated, then continued more firmly, "...don't make any decisions yet. Give me two days to prove I can make this right."

"Two days until my birthday," I pointed out.

"Yes. After your shift, after you've come into your power, if you still want to leave... I won't stop you."

I searched his face for any sign of deception but found none. Still, eleven years of disappointment had taught me caution.

"I need your word," I said. "Your Alpha's oath."

Something like respect flickered in his eyes. "You have it. Two days. If you still wish to leave, then I will sign your transfer request myself."

I nodded stiffly and turned to leave, my mind reeling with everything I'd learned. As I reached for the door handle, his voice stopped me one last time.

"And Ruby? Stay away from my sons until I've dealt with them. All of them."

I didn't bother to respond. We both knew that was easier said than done in a pack house this size.

The hallway was mercifully empty as I made my way back to my small room in the servants’ wing. With no school today, I had no idea what to do with myself. The kitchen staff would handle lunch without me, and my usual chores had already been completed before breakfast.

For the first time in years, I had time to think, to process. And I had no idea what to do with it.

I closed the door to my small room and sank onto the narrow bed, my mind spinning with everything Alpha Marcus had revealed. The worn quilt beneath me smelled faintly of lavender, a remnant from whoever had lived here before me. I'd never bothered to learn their story, just as no one had bothered to learn mine.

My father had been Alpha Marcus's friend. The thought felt foreign, impossible to reconcile with the years of neglect I'd endured. If they'd truly been close, how could he have allowed his sons to treat me so poorly? How could he have stood by while I scrubbed floors and served meals like a common servant when I was supposedly the daughter of someone he cared about?

I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. The dream from this morning felt like it had happened weeks ago rather than hours. *You must remember what you have forgotten.* But I didn't want to remember. Some memories were buried for good reason.

A soft knock at my door made me freeze. Nobody ever came to the servants' quarters, especially not during the day. I held my breath, hoping whoever it was would assume I wasn't here and leave.

"Ruby?" The voice was quiet, hesitant. Seth.

My stomach clenched. Of all the quintuplets to show up at my door, he was the last one I'd expected. I considered ignoring him, but something in his tone made me reconsider.

"What do you want?" I called through the door, not bothering to hide my wariness.

"Can I... can I come in? I need to talk to you."

Every instinct screamed at me to refuse. Nothing good had ever come from being alone with any of the Alpha heirs. But curiosity won out over caution, a dangerous combination that had gotten me in trouble before.

I opened the door a crack, keeping the chain latch engaged. Seth stood in the narrow hallway, his auburn hair dishevelled and his usual careful composure nowhere to be found. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his clothes looked like he'd thrown them on hastily.

"You look terrible," I said before I could stop myself.

A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "Thanks. That makes me feel so much better."

Despite everything, I felt my lips twitch. I unlatched the chain and opened the door wider, stepping back to let him in. He was still one of them, still someone who'd stood by while his brothers tormented me, but something about him seemed different today.

He entered my small room awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable in the confined space. There was nowhere to sit except my bed, so we both remained standing, the tension thick between us.

"I saw Father call you into his office," he said finally. "And then my brothers came back from patrol early, looking for you."

"So?"

"So they're planning something." His green eyes met mine, and I saw genuine concern there. "Nelson and Francis were whispering about teaching you a lesson for skipping school.”

“Of course they are, you know what, it doesn’t matter in two days I’ll have my wolf and I’ll be gone, so I’ll no longer be here for any of you to throw me around like a chew toy anymore, so please just leave.”

Seth's face went pale. "Gone? You're leaving?"

"Why do you care?" I crossed my arms over my chest, hating how defensive I sounded. "You've never cared before."

"That's not..." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. "It's complicated."

"No, it's really not." I moved toward the door, ready to end this conversation. "You stood by while your brothers made my life hell. You said nothing when they 'accidentally' tripped me down the stairs. You watched them destroy the one photo I had of my parents and did absolutely nothing."

His face crumpled. "I know. God, Ruby, I know, and I hate myself for it."

"Then why?" The question ripped from my throat before I could stop it. "Why didn't you ever say anything? Why didn't you help me?"

"Because I'm a coward," he said simply. "Because standing up to them meant risking becoming their target instead, and I... I couldn't handle that."

His honesty hit me like a physical blow. I'd expected excuses, justifications, anything but this raw admission of his own weakness.

"At least you're honest about it," I said quietly.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness," Seth continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I couldn't let you leave without knowing that someone in this family sees what they've done to you. Someone knows it was wrong."

"Knowing isn't enough." I sat heavily on my bed, suddenly exhausted. "It was never enough."