Ruby "Steady," Dad warned as he watched me maneuver myself in the self-propelled wheelchair. "Watch the doorframes ... jeez!" His voice hit a higher pitch than usual, then he winced, bringing his hands up to hold the sides of his face as I scraped past with a millimeter gap to spare. He blew out a relieved breath through puckered lips, then let out a strained chuckle. "Dylan, remind me to pick up some learner stickers, will you? I'm getting flashbacks from her very first driving lesson." I rolled my eyes at Dad's dramatic ramblings. "You almost caused that accident, yelling that there was an injured rabbit in the middle of the road. I made an emergency stop, only to find out it was a stuffed toy that had fallen out of some kid’s pushchair."

RubyMom was dressed in an expensive black cocktail dress and stilettos. She curled her hair and pinned it into an elegant style with smaller curls framing her face.There was a long pause as I sat there looking back at her, partly baffled by her question and also awestruck by how beautiful she looked. Mom knew I hated having to guess anything. She slumped, placing her hand on her hip."Your grandma ... she's agreed to come here." She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes. "Honey, are you feeling alright? You look a bit peaky."My jaw was beginning to lock as I bore the brunt of the pain. "I need my meds," I told her.Mom yelled over her shoulder for Dad, and asked Dylan to show the girls to the guest rooms. "Two can bunk in together. One w

Caleb "Yes, they're all Alphas like me and your dad. Oh, and Aaron says hi," I added, passing on his good wishes. "Look, Ruby, I just wanted a chance to explain everything," I began, mustering the courage that I'd been plucking up for the past couple of days. "You don't have to, Caleb, I accept you for who you are," Ruby blurted out, stealing the air from my lungs. "I guess in a way I've always loved you," she revealed. I could still hear the smile in her voice and I couldn't help but feel that it was undeserved. Not until she listened to what I had to say first. I continued, needing to get it all off my chest, "That night, when we first met, I didn't plan how it all turned out." I paused, hearing her exhale softly as she listened. "

Caleb "Alpha and Luna Garcia," I addressed them formally, standing to my feet out of a mark of respect. "We are not here to hurt you, or anyone else in your community. What we're offering is a sanctuary for your people." It was now or never. They were hanging onto every word I said. "We're not here to seek retribution for what happened in the Northern packs, past or present. That's not what this is about," I explained, witnessing their surprised exchange as they glanced at each other with a newfound hope in their eyes. "We're answering your plea face-to-face. The solution is not to rip families apart by taking pups away from their parents. That's not going to solve anything in the long term. However, we have something better in mind. What we're offering is a place in our communit

Ruby "What's the plan for today?" Mia asked, looking between each of us for ideas. Sarah sighed, then turned her attention to me. "It depends whether Ruby feels up to doing anything. She's been rather exhausted lately." Tegan perched herself on the edge of the bed. "Oh, I hope we're not wearing you out." Her brows knitted together as she spoke. I scrunched my lips and shook my head. "Nah, don't be silly. I'm fine." Those were famous last words because no sooner had we eaten some breakfast, I started to feel drowsy again. I hadn't even done anything strenuous, and my eyelids were drooping with fatigue. A quick phone call to Caleb was all I could manage before I excused myself to go take another nap. The mattress dipped and someone cur