Red sighed, feeling confused and a little afraid of such a massive commitment. She wanted to keep her independence, and she still knew nothing about him.
"This isn't me. I don't like the feeling of being owned," she said, raising her tone of voice and getting up. "Maybe you should go and we’ll just forget that this ever happened."
"Why are you so reluctant to even discuss it? Tell me about this wound that you keep carrying inside your heart," he said with anger, but then added, "It's obvious that there’s something that keeps holding you back. Our connection will only keep growing stronger and you can’t escape it. Ever."
Red was sitting on her bed that used to belong to her parents, thinking about what he was saying.
"My parents were killed by a giant wolf over twenty years ago. My gran believed for a very long time that the wolf could actually turn into a human man," she said, not wanting to talk about it, but maybe she had been harbouring those feelings for far too long. She thought that her apprehension about mating had nothing to do with her wounded past. She didn't trust men in general. This was her life, and her business.
Silence fell between them and she knew that Will was trying to deal with the bomb that she’d just dropped on him. Red was considering telling him that she needed time, and yet she didn't want him to leave her alone.
"I'm sorry to hear that, honeycomb. I can find out exactly what happened for your own piece of mind," he suggested and she shook her head. It seemed like he had answers for everything.
"No, I don't want to dig up old memories. Besides, this has nothing to do with who I am now. I'm just not a relationship person, William. This, whatever is going on between us, wouldn't work out in the long term," she said.
He was off the bed before she could say another word.
"Stubborn. Seriously, honeycomb, you need to stop lying to yourself. Of course we would work. I need to go check on your gran. She's all alone in the tavern," he said, sounding annoyed. "I’ve lost a woman that I loved once before because I was too egotistic. The sooner you open your eyes the better."
Then he was gone, and a moment later Red heard her front door shut. William left her house pretty much naked. She went to the window but she couldn't see him, it was too dark. The truth was, she had never truly accepted that her parents were gone. She refused to go to their grave, refused to remember them.
She was wrong about him. William too had lost someone that he loved, his previous mate? Red couldn't believe it. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, and her body turned into one giant open wound. Yes, she was already missing him, but refused to admit it, even to her better self.
She was willing to compromise; they could still enjoy the explosive sex now and again. Relationships weren't her forte, even Ruby knew this. In the end, she lay back down and stared at the ceiling. A cold draft caused her heart to ache even more. She needed to consider it for herself.
The tavern was her whole life and William could help her. She just needed to suggest another option, not a long-term commitment.
"No, it’s either all or nothing," she said to herself, knowing that he would only want all of her.
Chapter Eleven
Red woke up early the following morning, feeling refreshed for the first time since she could remember. She finally had a good night’s sleep, and as soon as she opened her eyes, the night with William began flashing in front of her. She smelled him on the pillows and sheets. It was blissful, but she told herself that her unbelievable night with the alpha king didn't change anything. Red was planning to carry on as normal, but couldn't deny that he made her happy.
Everything happened so fast as the night progressed. They found Milly and then he followed her home. Once he was in her bedroom, she lost her head. She was a little nervous about how he expected her to act around him from now on. It wasn’t like she was agreeing to be his mate, and it wasn't a decision that she was willing to take on lightly.
Later on she took a long, hot shower, feeling less anxious than usual. There was a lot that she shared with the alpha king and now she wasn't sure if opening up to him about her parents’ death had been such a good idea. Normally she didn't talk about it, because the past made her feel too vulnerable.
Around eleven o'clock, she put her red cloak on and headed back to town. She decided not to tell her gran what happened between her and William. She felt that the less people who knew about it the better. The sun was shining, people were greeting her on the way, and she felt good. Maybe they didn’t make any progress last night dealing with One Eye, but at least she helped reunite a mother with her child again.
She was going to find the money to cover her mortgage this month, she had no idea how, but she would figure it out. In a way she was a little apprehensive that she told William so much about herself. Her gran always believed that Red's parents were killed by a werewolf, but Red wasn't convinced, now she was uncertain. Maybe William was right, maybe she had never accepted what happened to them and now she couldn't move forward.
Red shook her head, telling herself that her past didn't dictate her future. Soon after, she reached the centre of town. Through the window of the local coffee shop, she saw Mrs. Crawly with her daughter Milly. Her mother was keeping a close eye on her, and warmth crawled over Red's chest instantly. She was hoping that Milly's mother was telling people that the highwaymen were responsible for what happened to her daughter, not the alpha king and his pack.
Red knew that William's wolves were obedient to him, and she noticed that he was widely respected amongst his kind. In the past several weeks, One Eye had been ruining his reputation and now Red was hoping that people in town were finally going to open their eyes.
She carried on heading towards the market, holding her basket in her hand. She had to get some groceries for this evening and run a few errands while she was out. Several weeks ago she hired a full-time cook. Adam worked for her mostly in the evenings and on the weekends. That was when the tavern was the busiest and a lot of people were ordering food. Many travellers had been passing through Farrington lately and Red wanted them to spend their gold in the tavern. It was the only way that she could survive.
Red went to the market and started picking up fresh vegetables, still unable to forget about her mind-blowing night with William. She was smitten, but she wasn't planning to do anything about it for now. Then from the distance she saw her ex-boyfriend, Charles, and her stomach tightened. They had barely exchanged a word with each other since their dramatic breakup several months ago.
Red wasn't in the mood to talk to him, and luckily he didn't notice her. She turned heading in the opposite direction, looking to buy some cheese. Her heart pounded deeply in her chest when she thought about William. She never imagined that she would enjoy being with a man like him. For now, she wanted to avoid him, but she knew that it wouldn’t be possible. Red wanted to believe that once everyone in town learned the truth about One Eye, they would all work together to expel him and his people from Farrington forever.
"Hey, Red, your gran bought fresh rosemary earlier on," Andrew, one of the herbalists told her when she passed his stand. She looked at him a little confused. It was pretty early and she thought that Ruby was still in the tavern. She normally didn't go out on Fridays. Maybe her gran was meeting Mr. Ridley for breakfast and got a few things on the way.
"My gran? Was she alone?" Red asked.
Adam, the cook, kept telling her that he needed all the herbs that she could get her hands on in order for him to keep creating something special for their customers. Since Red hired him, more and more people had been stopping by the tavern to try his delicious meals. That was before the highwaymen started spreading untrue stories, scaring people in town.
"Yes, she was alone, walking around with a basket full of pies. It looked like she’d ordered them earlier from the bakery," Andrew explained and Red thanked him, suspecting that her gran was planning to add something to the menu tonight. The market was busy today and Red wanted to get back to
the tavern a little earlier. She needed to stock up the bar and look through her accounts again, although the thought was depressing enough.
She spotted a few girls from the brothel who looked busy shopping. She smiled and waved, feeling a bit nervous inside. Normally her grandmother didn't like changing her usual routine, so it was strange that she was in town this morning. Red carried on walking all the way to the end of the market stands, then heard someone screaming. For a split second, Red could have sworn that the panicked voice belonged to Ruby. She dropped her basket, and started running, knowing that her grandmother was most likely in trouble.
Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw her gran being held by two squarely built men. They were trying to drag her inside an old carriage. Ruby was putting up a good fight, attempting to whack the men with her umbrella.
"Leave her alone, you scumbags!" Red screamed, as blood rushed to her ears. She reached out for her knife and took off speeding towards them.
Ruby was screaming, and Red lost her bearings a second later. She tripped over a rock and fell on her face, bruising her left knee. When she looked up, she realised that it was already too late. Ruby was pulled inside the carriage. One of the men whistled and the coachman whipped the horses. They jolted and the carriage was abruptly pulled forward. By the time Red was back on her feet, she lost sight of them on the road ahead.
"No, Gran… No, you can't. Take me instead!" she shouted, desperately looking around for help. She was behind the market, and there was no one around. No one saw what happened.
She ran in the direction where the carriage had vanished, but after a mile or so the road split into a y-intersection. Red had never felt so hopeless. She pulled her hand through her hair, trying to catch her breath. Ruby was gone, and Red didn't do enough to stop it. She couldn't believe that anyone could’ve taken her. Then she saw something lying on the ground a few meters ahead of her. It was an eye patch, the same one that Robin One Eye wore when he showed up in the tavern for the first time, offering her his protection. Anger rolled off of her in violent waves.
The leader of the highwaymen was the one that was behind Ruby's kidnapping. Red should have suspected that he wouldn't just stop at idle threats. Red refused to pay him for his supposed protection that he was providing her, and now her gran was gone. Red was lost, she had no idea what to do with herself. She didn't even know where to go. One Eye was no doubt planning to use her grandmother, because he knew that Red would be willing to do anything to save her.
Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest as she started to walk back to town. Her vision was slightly blurred. She felt like the past was slowly catching up with her, and her thoughts were racing away. She was only eight when her parents were murdered in the forest by a wolf. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. She’d only just come back from school when she realised that her mother wasn't waiting for her like she normally did.
"Mum, I'm home. I need to bring some mushrooms for class tomorrow," she shouted, throwing her bag on the chair.
"Over here, Pamela," said the voice that she didn't expect to hear today. When she walked into the living room she spotted her gran and grandpa sitting on the sofa.
Red visited them often enough in the past, because they didn't live far from her parents’ home. Her mum once told her that Ruby moved back to Farrington Kingdom to help out when Pamela was born.
"Gran, Grandpa, what are you doing here? Where is Mum?” she asked.
In fairness Pamela didn't like surprises. She could instantly sense that there was something wrong, because she spotted a carriage outside her home that didn't belong to anyone that she knew.
"Pam, come on sit with me, we have to tell you something sweetie," Grandpa said, smiling at her.
She backed away to the door and then started running around the house, calling for her mother and father in desperation. She went upstairs and checked their bedroom, then her room and attic. No, they weren't there and all of a sudden her heart was beating frantically in her chest.
"Mum, Dad, where are you?" she shouted once again, ignoring her gran who was calling for her from downstairs. She didn't like this, she didn't like that her mother didn't wait for her in the kitchen with dinner like she had done every day since she could remember.
"Pamela, calm down, your mother isn't here. We arrived to speak to you about something very important. Please come here, sweetie," her grandmother said, still waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
"No, I don't want to speak to you. I want to see my mum. This isn't the way. She wouldn't leave me like that," she shouted, as tears started streaming down her cheeks.
"Something terrible happened, Pammie. Your Mum and Dad were attacked while you were in school. I'm sorry," her gran was saying. Her Gran went upstairs and embraced her in her arms. Pamela could feel her heart beating fast, and then she couldn't catch her breath. "They aren't coming back, they passed away and went to heaven."
"There isn't such a thing as heaven. You're lying. Mummy wouldn't just leave me," she screamed, trying to push away her grandmother, but Ruby was holding her tightly.
"It wasn't her fault. They were attacked by a vicious wolf and they were killed instantly. We rushed here to be with you, please calm down," her grandmother was saying, but Pamela wasn't listening to her any longer. She was crying hysterically, not wanting to believe that her parents weren't coming back ever again.
Red heard someone talking to her, and she realised that she wasn't eight years old anymore.
"Are you all right? What the hell are you doing?" Martha's voice brought her back to the present. Red was sitting on the side of the road, holding her face in her hands. She glanced at Martha who was staring at her in shock.
"That bastard, One Eye, took my grandmother. I saw how his men dragged her inside the carriage," Red shouted, trying to push away the images from the past that were galloping right in front of her eyes.
She didn't even remember how she got there.
That day, Ruby replaced her beloved mother. Ruby told her that she needed to take all her things and leave the house that she grew up in. The funeral arrangements needed to be made and her grandparents told her that she would be living with them from then on. Red didn't understand any of it; for the most part she was in shock.
Days later, she refused to attend her parents’ funeral. Ruby begged her to change her mind that she needed to say goodbye, but Red was stubborn. She was only a child, but Ruby couldn't force her into going. Deep down, Red believed that it was her fault that her mum and dad were gone.
"Crap, we need to let the wolves know straight away," Martha said, then took something out of her coat pocket. Seconds later, she shoved a small bottle of vodka into Red's hands. "You need to drink this right now to pull yourself together. Don't worry, we’re going to rescue Ruby. She’s one tough cookie, so she’ll be all right."
Red was staring at Martha, trying to think, but her mind was blank. She was ready to throw the bottle, but then thought better of it. She unscrewed the top and took a few generous gulps. The alcohol burned her throat, and she told herself that she needed to stop panicking.
"No, I’ll talk to William myself. The tavern doesn't need to be open for another few hours," Red explained, ready to run back to the house. She suspected that One Eye must have already left her a message.
Now she felt incredibly guilty. She spent the night with William, when she was supposed figure out a way to eliminate One Eye. Now her gran was gone and it was all her fault.
"I heard that the highwaymen moved their camp late last night. They’re over by the mountains now," Martha said, and Red instantly knew that Robin One Eye must have realised that his threat wouldn't make any difference. Red wasn't planning to give him anymore gold.
Instead, he decided to hit her where it would hurt her the most. He kidnapped the one person that she cared about more than anyone else in the world—her beloved grandmother.
Chapter Twelve
"Are you happy no
w? This was why I wanted to keep Gran away from this whole mess," Red shouted, barging inside William's abandoned house that she was way too familiar with already.
She was furious, and didn't really care that she might have interrupted an important meeting. His other pack members were with him, and they all looked annoyed. As soon as she saw him the temperature in her body spiked, and a bead of sweat surged down her spine. She was having trouble dealing with her overwhelming emotions all of a sudden.
She threw down a letter that One Eye had left on her porch, shaking with anger. The future of her tavern was questionable, but now she didn't give a damn if she was going to lose her business or not. The life of her gran mattered more than anything else. William grabbed the letter off the table and for a moment his gaze moved over the text. He widened his eyes and glanced at her. Red was ready to burst into tears, despite what she had been telling herself in the past several hours. So what if she came across weak and broken—her gran had just been kidnapped right in front of her eyes.
William wrapped his arms around her before she could protest. For a long moment she couldn't move, she couldn't make a sound. She inhaled his musky scent that already drove her bonkers. The familiar heat started building in the pit of her stomach.
"You have nothing to worry about. I will find One Eye, kill him and bring Ruby back," he assured her in a whisper. His voice instantly calmed her down, made her feel secure. The problem was that she wasn't supposed to feel like that. Red had been trying to preserve her independence all her life, and William was able to shatter it instantly. He caused her heart to vibrate faster than ever before. She never wanted to be with anyone else, just with him listening to the beating of his heart.
It took her a while to gather herself, to remember that they weren't actually alone, and when she finally pulled away from him, six pair of eyes were staring at her.
Alpha King: Red Riding Hood Page 9