RubyAtwood’s words stick with me for the next few days.“I’m going to marry you first,” he had said.Before, when I had first been whisked away to the castle, the thought of marrying Atwood practically made me sick. Now, it only makes me excited.I don’t see Atwood much over the week, partly because I’m too busy with my midterm exams but also partly because he’s busy working to protect the hybrid villages and preparing a memorial for my village. I appreciate that he’s communicating with me on the matter; feeling connected to his work also makes me feel connected to him.It’s Friday now, and I’ve just completed my last midterm exam. Just one more semester and I will be finished with school entirely. I wonder if Atwood plans on marrying me once I’ve graduated.Once I’ve finished my exam, I hand it to the professor and head out of the classroom to go gather my things.Nancy is waiting for me at our lockers. She’s been living at home again this week since her parents have returned, but w

RubyThey emerge from the dancing crowd, sweat clinging to their foreheads and their faces rosy from the alcohol.Earl holds Beck’s hand as he pulls her behind him. He’s headed for the back rooms.They don’t see me as I quietly follow behind, keeping a safe distance. Beck stumbles a bit, but Earl catches her and holds her tightly around her waist as he weaves through the throng of people to take her somewhere secluded. As I watch her head loll over onto his shoulder, I know that he’s already given her the drug that he’s going to use to take advantage of her.In a way, as I follow them, I feel as though I’m following myself from that night during the student council party when Donna and Earl drugged me and took lewd photographs of me. I had nearly forgotten about it now that so much has happened since then, but now it all comes flooding back like a nightmare, and sobers me.Earl guides Beck past a group of people who are having a rowdy drinking contest, then down a narrow hallway.“Hey

RubyWhen I get back to the castle, I quickly grab a few slices of toast from the kitchen before retreating to my room to read the letters.Thankfully, the letters are still stashed safely away underneath my mattress. As I sit down on my bed and take a bite of my breakfast before untying the bundle of letters, I’m glad that Edith didn’t find them last night when she was in my room.The letters are old and yellowed, some wrinkled with water damage; but they’re still readable.I unfold the first letter and begin to read.“To M:I’ve fallen ill. The doctor doesn’t understand my symptoms. I’ve lost contact with my wolf, and I feel weak and vulnerable. Every day my fever grows worse, and my body aches. I can barely hold my pen as I write this…I don’t think this is any ordinary sickness. The Queen warned me of a curse last night. Could this be the curse that befell the Lycan King’s wife during the final summit when she ate the berries?Please let me know if you have any information that pe

RubyNancy’s eyes widen as I tell her my theory.“You really think she has something to do with it?” she says. “But she’s so nice!”“I know,” I answer, glancing over my shoulder at the herbalist’s shop. “Lately, I’m learning that the nicest people can sometimes be the ones we should worry about.”Nancy sticks her hands in her pocket and chews her lip. “So what should we do?” she asks. “It’s not like she’s gonna give us any information, and she already kicked us out.”“There has to be a back entrance to her shop,” I reply thoughtfully, twisting a strand of my long, white hair around my finger.. It’s officially grown to its original length before I cut it, thanks to the hormones that have been coursing through my body since my wolf emerged. I’d forgotten how much I missed my long hair.Suddenly, my stomach starts to growl, making me realize just how hungry I am.“Let’s get something to eat first,” I say, grabbing Nancy’s hand and pulling her toward the cafe. “I can’t eat anything at the

While the pain of Ruby not trusting me is terrible, the pain that I feel for not being open with her hurts even more. I know that I should have talked to her about all of this ages ago. I should’ve been open and up front with everything from the start, so that we could work together to figure this out… But I was afraid that if she knew about the curse, she wouldn’t want to mark me.It seems, however, that her love for me is far greater than I imagined, because she marked me even when she knew about the curse. And by herself, with no help from me, she learned far more about it than I ever did.I can’t even be angry that she went against my wishes and went into Vivian’s room, because I am simply so impressed by my mate’s incredible intelligence and ability to persevere. I know now that I need to follow Vivian’s instructions from the time that I spent in the void, because she was right. I do need to trust Ruby, and no one else.Someone killed my Vivian, and if I don’t act fast, they’ll k