NatalieI closed my eyes as I listened to Ruby’s soft sobs.I could tell she was trying to be quiet since she knew she could easily be heard. If I hadn’t come to her door, I wouldn’t have heard her crying. Instead of knocking, I pulled the door open slowly and entered the room.With the evening sun lighting the room I easily found her. She was face down on her bed with her face pressed into one pillow and another pillow over her head. I sighed as I approached her bed and sat down. Despite her heart skipping a beat from her fright, she didn’t physically jump. She fell silent and I waited for her to sit up. When she didn’t, I tapped her leg.“Ruby, it’s only me.” She sat up then, the pillow on her head falling to the floor, and I could see her swollen and bloodshot eyes. “I’m so sorry.”“You could have told me,” she said weakly, and I shook my head.“I couldn’t babe. Alpha’s orders. But I wish I could have.” I reached out to smooth down her hair, but she suddenly swatted at my hand and

I laughed. I liked this guy. He was like the male version of Natalie, although he seemed a little more animated. “Yeah, I know.”I looked up and found a few wolves looking our way, but Xavier’s back was turned as he spoke to another wolf. I had forgotten that they could all hear me clearly, and surely now they could hear by my heartbeat that I was panicking because of their sudden attention.Randoll placed his hand over mine and my head whipped his way. “You’re not what I expected, Ruby.” I smiled at him gratefully.In the distance, a loud growl could be heard. Randoll rolled his eyes and didn’t even look. I started looking around frantically only to find Xavier staring daggers at Randoll. His shoulders were moving up and down with his heavy breathing and a few wolves stepped away from him.What’s his problem?“So,” I drawled as I tore my eyes away from Xavier. “This Council I keep hearing about, what’s up with that?”"Hmm. Humans have a government and wolves have a Council. There are

He tapped my thigh and I untangled my legs from around his waist so he could place me gently onto the ground. My eyes were wide as they looked around, but whatever Xavier was seeing or hearing, I couldn’t.“Ruby, I want you to go back to the house.” He stepped away from me. “Now.” He began removing his shirt and instead of backing away I approached him. He stopped me with just a look. “Run!”I jerked my hand away as he yelled. His voice was contorted and deeper as his shoulders hunched forward. Before I could ask what was going on, I got my answer. A werewolf barreled out of the bushes and Xavier stepped protectively in front of me, punching the wolf in the face and sending him flying backward.Xavier began to shift, his skin tearing and ripping, his body growing in size. With it, his pants began to rip until there was nothing but shredded clothes on the ground. My body was shaking with terror, my eyes wide, and my hand clutching at my heart. My brain was telling my legs to get the he

NatalieWillow hadn’t been able to locate Ruby and it had only enraged Xavier further. However, using the scratch that Xavier gotten on his arm from brawling with one of the strange wolves, she had been able to locate that wolf.Xavier hadn’t waited a second before he was out the door with Randoll and six others.I was left behind to help Mathieu with creating a mental link with the entire pack to see who had gone against his command and told someone about Ruby. Creating a mind link is allowed only under specific circumstances. Alphas demand total obedience, and once an order is given it's almost impossible to disobey. But some wolves are strong enough to overpower the will of their alpha. In circumstances like this, a mind link through an Enchanted may be done.It’s taxing on an Enchanted, however, having all the thoughts and memories from the pack flowing through their minds to then be sent to the alpha. No one was guilty of talking about Ruby, though, and it left us with more quest

RubyI jerked awake and looked around. When I realized I was still in the dreary cell, I closed my eyes and turned onto my side. I had hoped that the man in the shadows and the chain around my ankle were just a bad dream.But as usual, I never get what I want. The universe has been dishing out shit to me since the moment I was born.Waking up and finding Xavier watching me while I slept was something I’d pick over this any day of the week. I missed him. I missed him so much fresh tears sprang to my eyes. I squeezed my eyes closed to stop them and tried to remember what it felt like to have his warm body close to mine.Whoever abducted me might be watching me right now, might be listening, and I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing or hearing me cry. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but what would that change? My hair was tangled so badly my fingers could not run through it, and I didn’t need heightened senses to know that I was starting to smell funky.None of that