by Sara Snow
I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable knowing that some part of her belongs to him. I can’t help it; I want all of her to myself.
“Look, I’m sorry to hear that this Lovette person died. She was clearly important to all of you, and I would freely share with you anything I knew about her. The fact is, I just don’t know anything about her. ” She shrugged as she turned to face us, her eyes droopy and bloodshot from exhaustion and unshed tears. “I mean, maybe I do, but I can’t remember. There is one thing I do know for sure, and that is that I sure as hell did not kill anyone. You came here to see if I’m really Axel and Xavier’s mate, and I am.” She said to Olcan and Reika before looking at Axel. “Xavier broke a law by saving my life and revealing to me that werewolves are real. So, what’s going to happen now in terms of that?”
She looked Olcan’s way once more. His face was now an unreadable blank canvas. “Those are the things you’re here to clear up. Let's clear one thing up at a time, please, and tell me what’s going to happen next. What’s going to happen to me? Will I be spared because I’m a mate, or will I be killed because I’m a human that knows too much?”
No one spoke as they waited for Olcan’s response. I sighed and looked away before walking to the window. The sun was now out and the world outside was bright and alive.
“I came here myself because I hadn’t wanted this to get to any of the other Council member's ears. I wanted this issue resolved and put to sleep quietly.” He made a soft chuckle as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “A human mate is unheard of, but here we are. Neither Axel nor Xavier will be forced to reject you because we don’t know what effect that will have on you, or them, for that matter. You will be spared, Ruby, but now I have no choice now but to involve the other Council members. This is much bigger than it originally appeared to be. You will be coming back with Reika and me to Romania.”
I felt like a cold hand had wrapped around my heart and was squeezing the life out of it the moment those words left Olcan’s mouth. I glared at Axel, and I wished he could see the images in my mind of me ripping his fucking tongue out. Now, look at what he did! There will be no end to this any time soon, and Ruby is still in danger.
“I’m sorry, what?” Ruby announced as she stepped back, her eyes wide. “I’m not going to Romania. Fuck that! If I go anywhere with you, I don’t need anyone to tell me that means my life is over. Whatever needs to be done will be…”
"Shut up!" Olcan yelled, and Ruby clenched her fists. I bit down on my tongue to stop myself from speaking, to hold back the urge to bite this man's throat out for speaking to my mate like that. The tension within the room was starting to become stifling, and Olcan closed his eyes and held his head back. "Know your place, human. Be grateful even being given this chance to live and come with us." He said calmly. “You don’t have a choice in this matter, and neither does Xavier or Axel. They will both be coming with us as well. " He said this as he opened his eyes to stare at my dad, daring him to object. Despite the anger evident on my father's face, he remained silent. I love my father and have a lot of respect for him, but I hate how easily he rolls over sometimes.
“A witch is needed to get through whatever wall is in your mind. Hopefully, we will find out who created the wall in the first place, and that will all be done in Romania. You might have vital information about Lovette, so I can no longer keep this a secret from the others. You will be coming, and we will be leaving tomorrow. All of us. You all have one day to get your affairs in order.”
He turned and left the room, and Ruby’s wide teary eyes jumped from me to Axel and then back before she too ran from the room. Natalie sighed and leaned forward to palm her face, while Reika got up and left wordlessly. Axel remained standing by the door, but now he looked close to exploding. None of this had been t the outcome he had wanted. I had to admit, even though things were now fucked for everyone, I was secretly happy the smug prick was caught up in it, too. He made his bed, and now he was going to have to lie in it.
◆◆◆
Ruby
That bald fucking asshole wants to take me to Romania. Romania!
I kicked at a stone outside and watched as it bounced away from me. The only place I felt like I was alone was in the forest, although I knew, in reality, there were werewolves for miles around. I wasn’t really alone, and it was clear I probably never would be again. Come to think of it, I still haven’t received a tour to see any of the other houses. There was a whole community here, and all I’d seen so far was the main house and the training area. I guess that no longer matters. At this point, I’ll be lucky to ever see this place again. I’ve been alone my whole life. There was always a part of me that had yearned for that to be different, but now with all this chaos and being constantly surrounded by people I wasn’t sure if I could trust, I missed being alone. The fact was, I missed my old crappy life. As horrible as it had been, it was nothing close to this madness. Olcan had spared my life, but had he really? Dealing with one Council member had been bad enough. I just knew the moment I set foot into Romania, I’d have two other pompous asshole Council pricks gunning for me and whatever secrets I have hidden away in my mind. Once they find what they are looking for in my head, and once the story of Axel, Xavier and I start to spread, that'll become another whirlwind of problems. My impression of the Council is that anything that became too big of a problem to them tended to disappear conveniently. I was not excited to discover just how the Council intended to take care of me and all the problems I represented for them.
I sighed heavily and continued walking, the morning sun shining down through the gaps in the trees. As I hightailed it out of the house as fast as my legs could carry me, I had felt the intense urge to sob uncontrollably with all the anger and frustration that had built up over the course of the trial, but the moment I entered the woods I felt much calmer. Well, I wouldn’t qualify it as calm exactly, but at least no longer on the verge of spontaneous combustion.
Birds and insects sang around me, but all I could hear were Olcan’s words replaying in my mind.
I have no idea who this Lovette woman is…or was. And the more I thought about it, the more my head began to hurt. I stopped walking and held my head. My headache was becoming unbearable. It was at the point where I felt like it would be less painful to slam my head against a tree to just stop the overflow of thoughts, which continued to intensify the pain. There are things from my past that I no longer know. There are people I’ve met; things I’ve said and done that I don’t know. Am I who I even think I am?
I felt like screaming.
The shadow of a bird above passed over the forest floor before me, its high-pitched cry echoing through the forest. I looked up in time to see brown wings before it vanished, and a tear finally slid down my cheek. I wish I could fly away from my life, from myself.
I have no idea who I am.
An image of what I had seen within my mind, of the running and screaming people, resurfaced, and more tears began to cascade down my cheeks. Was that a memory? It must have been, but what had happened? Who were those shadow people? Who took my memories from me?
"Fuck!" I screamed at the blue sky above, my body shaking. "Fuck!"
A twig snapped behind me, and I spun around and came face to face with a wolf, his black eyes narrowed with his massive tail swishing behind him. The last and only time I had seen Xavier in wolf form it had been night time, so now I could truly admire his size and beauty with the light of day. His paws were massive, his nails black and pointy. No one would mistake him for a normal wolf if they ever came across him. He was simply too massive.
He shook his body, and his fur ruffled somewhat. The jeans and shirt in his mouth swayed from side to side. He stepped forward, his paws digging into the ground as I dried my tears. I staggered back as he pushed his snout into my chest and dropped his clothes into my hand. His heavy breath fanned my face as he towered over me, and I giggled as he licked my cheek.
“Why do I need to carry them?”
“What?” I asked and he stopped at my side and plopped down. His black eyes blinked at me, and I shrugged. “What?” He shook his head and licked his shoulder before growling. “Do you want me to get on your back or something?”
He shook his head again and looked away as he angled his body more towards me. I made a face as I stared at him for a moment. So, I’m about to ride a werewolf. Well, okay then. I sniffled before tucking his clothes under my blouse, and he turned his head to look at me. I swallowed as I grabbed his fur, worried I might yank on it too hard, but after two tries I finally made it onto his back.
He got up suddenly, and I screamed, clenched my legs, and pressed myself to him. I’ve never ridden anything in my life, so it was hard to get past feeling like I could fall off of him any second. And it wasn’t exactly a short distance to the ground. “Hey, hey, you’re not wearing a saddle, sir. Please be careful.” He shook his head and leaned forward, causing me to slide down closer to his neck. The ground was so far down. All I had was his fur to hold onto, which I didn’t want to yank on too much for fear he might throw me off. “This was a bad idea.”
He moved off, slowly this time, and I swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in my throat. I could feel the power in his body with each step he took, and I soon relaxed and leaned forward until I was lying on the back of his head. I could feel his heartbeat, strong and fast, and soon I closed my eyes before I realized it.
"Thank you," I whispered as the vibration from his heartbeat calmed my thoughts. He growled in response, and I smiled, when suddenly he jumped. I grabbed onto his fur and sat up to see what was happening, but he had only jumped over a log.
He started to walk faster. I gripped his fur and lowered myself the way I've seen people do while riding a horse. He slowly began to pick up the pace until he set off on a run. At first, I panicked, scared that I would be thrown off him, but soon the wind in my hair, his heartbeat beneath me, and the freedom I felt had me laughing and urging him on.
We zoomed through the trees, leaving the house, the pack, and my mysterious past behind. If I could freeze time and create an endless loop, this would be the moment I would choose to repeat. I could be free forever with Xavier.
He slowed down until he was walking again, and I frowned as the sound of water met my ears. I was panting as if I was the one that had been running as I looked around, and soon a waterfall came into view. My eyes widened and excitement set in as he crunched down and I slid off him. We walked together down a small hill down to the waterfall, and I placed his clothes on a rock as I walked forward to see the falls and pond surrounded by vibrant bright flowers and full bushes. It was like an oasis in the middle of the forest, This was what I needed.
I scratched him behind his ear, a face splitting smile on my face. “Thank you.”
He made a sound and walked forward into the pond. I watched as he dove in, and I waited as seconds went by and he didn't resurface. I frowned and began removing my clothes.
"Xavier?" I called as I entered the pond. I closed my eyes for a moment as I bent down to scoop up the cool water. "Xavier? Stop messing around. You're a wolf, not a merman."
Something brushed against my leg and instead of screaming in surprise like I’m sure he had intended, I dived in to grab him. We resurfaced together, his arms around my waist.
"Well, look at you, trying to be a badass. I could have been a piranha or something. "
“Or something,” I replied as I wrapped my hands around his neck. The smile on my face fell as I stared at the falls behind him. “Too bad you’re showing me this now when we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
He released me and moved a strand of hair that was stuck to my face before pushing off, “Don’t think about any of that right now, Ruby. Right now, nothing else matters. After today, whenever you feel down, you will always have this memory to think back to. ”
And I know I have a lot of sad days ahead. "On the upside, you'll be there with me."
“So will Axel,” he added before he submerged himself and reappeared again. He combed his hair back and swam to me. “Although I’d rather him not be there at all, he needs to be there for you.”
I frowned. “Be there for me? You’ll be there for me. He’s the one responsible for bringing in the Council, to begin with, which is the only reason we have to go at all. Everything is going sideways thanks to him.”
“When it comes to blaming Axel, I’m happy to be first in line, but I don’t think we can lay this completely on him. I think this would have all happened eventually, to be honest. You have some kind of connection to a Grand Elder. I don’t think that would have stayed buried forever. I think it has to mean something.”
I sank lower into the water until my chin was covered. "You're right, let's not talk about any of this." I swam away from him towards the falls and took a deep breath as I dived under.
I came out on the other side of the falls where there was a dip in the rocks, almost like a little cave. I climbed onto the rock and sat down, and soon Xavier popped up out of the water.
He nestled his way between my legs, and I couldn’t stop myself from combing his hair back, the wet strands gliding through my fingers. “Can I ask you something?”
He nodded lazily, “Sure, as long as you keep doing that.”
“Are mermaids real?”
He pulled back, his lips curving into a smile. “Seriously?”
I shrugged as I laughed. ‘What? I wanna know.”
He nodded, and my eyes widened. "But they aren't gorgeous women with long hair and seashells for a bra." He reached up and moved my hand from his hair to kiss my palm, and the action sent a burst of electricity up my arm. "I'll take you to meet one someday."
“Angels?”
“Yes, they’re real,” He replied as he kissed my wrist.
“Demons?”
He nodded as he kissed the dip at my elbow, and my toes inadvertently curled under the waterline. My lips parted to ask him another question, but he pressed his lips to mine before I could. I swallowed my words and my eyes fluttered closed as I wrapped my legs and arms around him.
He gripped my waist and pulled me closer as his tongue explored my mouth, and I moaned into his. I had missed him so much. The sky could open up at this very moment to rain meteorites down on the earth, and I wouldn’t let him go.
He pulled away and pressed his lips to my cheek and then my neck. “I missed you,” he whispered. I sighed and pressed myself to him even more, his words music to my ears. “Even if Olcan hadn’t ordered me to go to Romania as well, I'd still find my way there just to be with you." He pulled away to stare into my eyes, and I pouted as sadness set into my heart once more. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, Ruby, and I don't care if you get tired of me."
I shook my head. “I’ll never get tired of you. But Xavier, no one knows what’s in my head, what’s in my past. I don’t…”
“Nothing from your past will ever change how I feel about you. We’re in this together.”
Chapter Nine
Ruby
I could still feel Xavier's lips on me and his strong hands holding me, even hours later. Amid this chaos, he had made me forget everything so easily even if it had only lasted for a few hours. I had needed the distraction, a break to experience some form of normalcy. I know now that, if given the choice to go back and time make different choices that would allow me to live my life as I had been, I would still make the same choices again. That might be the selfish thing to do, but I'd still want to know Xavier, Natalie, and Mathieu. I’d still want to know about werewolves and witches.
I paused as I looked from left to right, my mouth twerked to the side in contemplation. I’m not sure I’d want to meet Axel. That prick has single-handedly ruined everything. Well, at least now he’s been pulle
d into the madness against his will, which he deserves, of course. I don’t get how he thought he could walk away from this unscathed. This is just further proof of what I’ve thought all along - karma’s a bitch.
One thing I did fear was the idea that perhaps Xavier might come to resent me one day for all the trouble I have caused him and his pack. Yes, he wasn’t feeling that way now and professed to be ready to leave his pack for good to be with me, but the trouble certainly wasn’t over yet by any means. Axel has proved he’s ready to reject me or pawn me away for his pack. Was it only a matter of time before Xavier came to feel the same?.
Will he eventually hate me because he picked me over being something he was born to be? Maybe he’ll learn to hate me long before that because no one knows what’s in my past. I shook my head to be rid of those thoughts and continued walking down the corridor.
I’ve been locked away in my room since returning to the house with Xavier, a different room than the one I had been sharing with Axel. I didn’t want to see or speak to anyone, and the last person I wanted to run into was Olcan. I had only eaten when Natalie had turned up with dinner. She had finally filled me in on how an Enchanted named Adolfa had transferred all her power to her and the significance of her hair color change.
I was still blown away by the fact that she’s a descendant of a goddess, a real goddess. It had been hard to follow everything that Olcan and the others were talking about this morning, but that bit of information had been mind-blowing. I hated the fact that I would be leaving her behind, but at the same time, I was happy she wouldn't have to be dragged to another country as well on account of me.
Considering it was already 10 pm and we all had a dreaded day ahead of us tomorrow, everyone had retired to their own spaces early. This was the perfect time for me to roam around or whip something up in the kitchen. It really wasn’t hunger driving me to leave my room. I was just too anxious to stay in one place any longer, and I was eager to stretch my legs. I wanted to take one last long look at this place. Despite everything I’ve been through here, this was the best home I have ever lived in. I hoped my socks were allowing me to move around without being heard and that was proved to be accurate when I walked by a slightly cracked door and heard Axel talking.