章 29: 28

R U B Y

My tongue felt like old sandpaper, my eyes felt glued shut by my dried tears. I felt sure

whatever the foul stench I was smelling was coming from me.

I rolled onto my back and winced as a stone poked me. Rolling back onto my side, I rubbed at my eyes, the sound of singing birds telling me morning had come.

I'd fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion. I tried to stay awake, to keep watch but sleep won the battle. My hand still gripped one of my daggers with Axel's book pressed to my chest. The events of the night before surfaced in my mind. I sighed and closed my eyes as they stung with tears.

I squeezed the book somewhat before sitting up and wiping at my eyes with an area of my top not covered in dirt. I looked to the side to ﬁnd my jacket lying beside me and no doubt while sleeping I had taken it off to cover myself.

After Natalie had told me to run, I did so. I ran until I felt like my feet would start to bleed. I only stopped when I could no longer hear Natalie's ﬁght or smell the vampires and also because I had become a wheezing mess.

Still panicked and knowing vampires might come after me, I found a puddle of mud and muck, stopping to lather myself in it before moving on. I ﬁgured it might hide my

scent. When I came across a small cave—I had almost walked by it, I crawled inside and pulled some broken tree limbs and bush over its opening. It was big enough for me to crouch down in or curl my body into a ball.

As uncomfortable as it had been, I ﬁgured I would be as good as dead if I kept running through the forest. If the gunk on me had done its job to hide my scent, the only thing the vampires would have to do was listen and they would hear me stomping through the forest.

I pushed the branches and bush away from the cave's entrance, pushed the book, and my backpack out and crawled out. Thank god, this wasn't a little critter's home. I would have had more problems than just hiding from vampires.

I shielded my eyes against the brightness of the Sun and sat on the ground. My stomach felt in knots and I had a headache the size of Asia.

Are they all dead?

The tears burning my eyes that had been ﬁghting to be free—ﬁnally escaped. I'd survived the night and while surprised, I was grateful. I wondered if the others had survived as well? I closed my eyes for a moment but couldn't keep them closed as images from the night before began to ﬂash within the darkness behind my lids.

I swallowed what drop of saliva had been produced in my mouth, the only source of water I had since I had ﬁnished my bottle of water last night. I then pulled myself up off the ground. My body ached all over. I walked slowly through the forest but I had to get back to the pack. I needed to know if the others were okay.

I came across a ﬂower with somewhat curved leaves and my eyes widened as I spotted water that had settled in one of the leaves. I dipped my pinkie ﬁnger in ﬁrst and tapped it on my tongue. I shrugged. It tasted like plain old water and so I

drank it, hoping it was just water from the light rain of last night.

I rocked back on my heels somewhat. It felt like I hadn't tasted water in decades. I was about to keep walking straight when my eyes caught something red splashed on some bushes to my left. I frowned and went in that direction. I began to realize it was blood.

My heart started pounding as I followed the little droplet of blood on the forest ﬂoor. I came upon a spot drenched in it. The metallic smell of blood had me pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth to stop myself from gagging. I looked around me and my knees grew weak because this was where I had left Natalie, I was certain of it.

I turned in a circle, looking at the blood-soaked ground and started running. I didn't want to wonder if this was all her blood. I kept running, pushing myself despite being tired and soon I spotted the house through the trees.

"Finally," I said while panting and I continued running.

I eyed the broken door, hanging at an odd angle and set the book and my bag down. I had no idea what I might ﬁnd. Just in case a vampire was lingering around, I pulled out both my daggers. The house was in shambles with blood on the ﬂoor and walls. Even with my normal human hearing if a pin dropped, I would have been able to hear it in the silence.

I went down the hall we had run down last night but didn't get far. The walls were covered in blood and the ﬂoor as well. I closed my eyes and stepped back. I need to ﬁnd them! I have to ﬁnd them!

What if the vampires took them?

I returned to the lobby and turned in the direction of the kitchen when I came face to face with Mathieu.

He looked me up and down.

"Where are they?" I asked instantly. I knew I looked like a wreck and smelled like the sewer, but I'd never been so

happy to see someone. "Where are they, Mathieu? Please, tell me they're okay?" I stepped forward, my hands now shaking. Somehow, seeing him made me emotional or maybe it was the regretful look in his eyes. I didn't want to start thinking the worst but if he didn't start talking soon, I would lose my shit.

His dark eyes, much like Xavier's drifted away from me. "Mathieu?" I asked.

"Come with me."

He'd been a man of few words since the moment I had met him, but his silence right now was giving me anxiety. If Xavier were badly hurt or dead, wouldn't he be losing his mind right now? He'd lost his wife and barely survived that. I didn't want to think about what would happen to him if he lost Xavier.

I exhaled. At least Xavier was ﬁne. I hoped.

"Can you just tell me what happened please?"

"Xavier was badly wounded and so was Axel but they are healing quickly," we arrived on the second ﬂoor and he turned to face me.

I waited for him to say something about Natalie but his silence was scaring me. "And Natalie?" I asked as I bent my head back to look up at him.

He combed his midnight hair back and turned away. He looked exhausted and his thick beard seemed to now have more grey hairs than black. "I'll take you to her."

I didn't like the sound of that. We walked in silence however until we got to her bedroom. He held onto the door handle before looking back at me. "Don't try to wake her okay?"

I frowned but nodded.

"You can go in." He opened the door.

I stepped around him but when I saw her, my hand ﬂew to my mouth. She was lying on her bed in a white nightgown and as I stepped into the room, I could see teeth marks on her ankle, wrist and arms.

She looked pale. I had to look closely to see that her chest was rising and falling slowly. She looked dead. I started crying. I couldn't stop the tears this time as they ﬂowed down my cheeks.

Mathieu entered the room and placed his hand on my shoulder.

I hunched forward as I covered my mouth to silence my sobs. "Is s-she—dying?" I whispered to him.

"No," he replied, and despite whispering his voice was still quite loud. "She's in a coma. They almost killed her."

I held both my daggers in my left hand as I used the back of my right hand to wipe at my tears. My hand fell to my side as I stepped away from him. I placed my daggers on the ground and carried a chair to Natalie's bed. I sat down, my eyes roaming over her body as my ﬁsts clenched.

Mathieu left, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

I reached out and held her hand, my eyes tearing up once more at the bite marks at her wrist. The wounds were closed and almost healed but the bruised skin around the punctures still looked bright, especially with how pale she was.

"I'm right here," I said to her.

Her hair looked as white as the pillow beneath her head. She looked angelic despite her current state. She was the ﬁrst true friend I'd ever had and after falling into this world, she had been someone I knew I could trust, no matter what.

I should have forced her to run with me or stayed and ﬁght with her. I shook my head as fresh tears fell from my eyes. I couldn't have fought with her! But I felt sick of always being the one who had to run and leave everyone else behind to ﬁght and die!

I wiped at my tears. "I hope you can hear me Natalie but I'm right here. I'm okay." I rubbed my thumb against her hand. "Wake up soon, please."

Ruby

woke up with horrible pain in my neck. I had fallen asleep sitting down beside Natalie with my head resting on the edge of the bed.

I stared at her for a moment before getting up and stretching. My clothes felt stiff and I was just about done with how horrible I smelled. Mathieu had said Xavier and Axel were okay and I doubt they would mind if I took a shower before looking for them.

It must have taken an hour for me to scrub my body and hair clean. The ﬂoor of the shower was black by the time I ﬁnished. Once out of the shower, however, I felt refreshed. I dried my hair with a towel and did a single braid down my back before searching the house for Xavier.

He wasn't on the second ﬂoor and as I walked through the halls on the third ﬂoor, stepping over ripped paintings and shattered décor, I soon heard talking. I sped up and stopped at a slightly ajar door to watch Mathieu and Xavier as they skimmed through the pages of the book I had carried back with me.

Xavier was shirtless with a large bandage wrapped around his abdomen along with other bandages on his left arm and right shoulder. I smiled as I continued to watch him and my smile widened as he looked up and saw me.

His long legs carried him to me within seconds as I entered the room and he pulled me into a tight hug and off the ground. If he squeezed any tighter, he would have

crushed me but I didn't care as I squeezed him with all my strength. I felt like crying again but held it in. I hated how I was becoming a cry baby but this shit was starting to get to me.

Maybe it was because I never had people I cared about this much. I never had to fear losing anyone. I never had to stress and wonder if someone I cared about was okay.

"I came to look for you but you were sleeping," he said to me as he placed me back onto the ﬂoor. "You looked like shit."

I laughed and shrugged. "I ﬁgured if I covered myself in mud, all the vampires wouldn't smell me."

He nodded. "I guess that makes sense. One might have come after you except they were all taken care of." He looked down at his abdomen. "It wasn't easy."

I ran a ﬁnger gently over the bandage on his shoulder, arm, and then his face. He didn't look like he was in pain with the smile on his lips but I could help feeling bad for seeing him like this.

"I'm all right." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "I'm glad you're safe. Natalie said you had gotten away before she fell unconscious. I was out cold after her." He walked back over to Mathieu. "Axel patched us up as much as he could until dad got here."

I followed him. "What are you guys doing?" I asked as I gazed down at the book. "Find anything useful?"

Xavier placed his hand on the table as he leaned over the book. Its pages were a yellow shade with gold designs around its edges. "Axel was right. Stakes don't work on them. Beheading and burning them works, so yes to sunlight and UV lights."

"Vampires were around in my great, great, great, great, great grandfather's time," Mathieu said as he turned one of the pages. Both left and right pages made up a large picture

of a battle between vampires and werewolves. "I never believed the stories about vampires. Some supernaturals have traits like a vampire. I always assumed someone simply mistook one of those other supernaturals for a vampire." He ran his hand over the page. "I didn't know Axel's family had this book." He sighed. "Either way, it makes sense they'd become stories if they've been gone…well, in hiding for all these years."

"The Council must have records on them and could have told us all the stories are true," Xavier said as he crossed his arms.

Mathieu nodded. "Yes, but they wouldn't have felt the need to come out and say yes, vampires were once real. They were thought to be extinct. The Council doesn't care if wolves believe they existed or not. It's not like having the ﬂu and taking shots to prevent it from happening again. The species was thought to be wiped out, gone…no longer a threat."

Xavier exhaled heavily through his nose and turned away.

I understood what he was trying to say but Mathieu was also right. Why protect oneself against something you thought would never happen. The thought wouldn't even cross your mind.

"It sucks that countless packs are defenseless now," Xavier muttered. "They're going to be picked off one by one. How can we get this info to everyone in time?"

"Make a video," I said. The words were out my mouth before I had even thought about what I was really saying. I cleared my throat as Xavier turned around. "I mean if the Council won't release any information, you have to share what you know. You've fought them and survived. Explain everything you know in the video and show them the book as well."

His eyes turned to slits as he held his chin. He looked over at his father.

Mathieu stared back at him and nodded.

"That's not a bad idea," Xavier said. "Sometimes, the simplest approach is the best. I'll have it sent to all the alphas I know and they can then help with distributing it."

"I suggest doing it while you still have those bandages on," I added.

Xavier frowned. "No. I am the alpha to be for the Blackmoon Pack, I can't show weakness, not even now."

I shook my head. "It's not a weakness. It'll help bring across the message that these creatures aren't to be underestimated but it'll be clear that neither should you, since you've already fought them and only came away with these wounds. You're not Alpha yet, but strong and once this is all over and you become the alpha, everyone will look up to. You would have given everyone information when the Council didn't."

"She's right," Mathieu said as he placed his hand on Xavier's shoulder. "It's about time the transfer is done, but with everything happening, it'll have to wait. I've served as Alpha long enough and have made my mark. It's time you secure your future. You know many packs don't like us because we still protect humans. Respect will be earned once we step forward and help them to survive this."

"Okay, I'll do it," Xavier said as he closed the book. He sent a proud smile my way. "I'll make the video now before we leave."

I smiled as my cheeks heated up. I'd make a good Luna, after all, I guess. "Where is Axel?" I asked. I wanted to see him as well. Xavier had said in the end, he was the one to help both him and Natalie.

Xavier frowned somewhat but said nothing as Mathieu replied, "He's helping Randoll with burying the bodies, the

wolves that were killed last night. The vampire bodies are being burned."

"Did any wolves survive?" I asked.

Mathieu nodded. "Two survived. They are helping Randoll and Axel." His face twisted with anger. "Those things destroyed my home. This house has been in the Blackwood family for years and now, all I smell is vampire ﬁlth."

"None of them escaped," Xavier told him.

I jumped for joy on the inside. I wished I could learn to ﬁght, so I could be of some help, but there was no time to spare to teach a human how to ﬁght a vampire. Xavier was only just learning how to ﬁght them as well.

"How did you kill them?" I asked. I knew what their weaknesses were so that could be a start for me. If I was ever attacked again with no one around to help me, I had to be ready.

"In wolf form, I aimed for the heads. Ripping it clean off.

Once that happens, they are done for." I nodded. "I need a gun."

Xavier raised a brow as the side of his mouth curved into a smile.

I knew what that look meant. I was just a girl so why would anyone trust me with a gun? "Yes, I know how to use a gun Xavier, so don't be sexist. I had to stay with some really messed up families while growing up. I had a foster Dad that worked for the FBI. He taught me how to shoot."

The smile on his face vanished and turned to surprise. "I can't bite a vampire's head off, but I can shoot one."

His mouth turned upside down as he made a face. "Hmm, all right then, fair enough."

They'd been just about the only family I had stayed with that I didn't hate. I had only stayed with them for a few months, but it hadn't completely sucked. Other than the men that stood here with me, Natalie and yes, Axel as well, that

family was the only one I'd ever given a shit about. "Is she going to be okay?" I asked suddenly.

Xavier's eyes darkened. "I don't know," he replied as he pressed his ﬁngers into his eyes. "Axel had gotten to her just in time before she could be drained."

None of us spoke and for me, I couldn't because I was too pissed to speak. Natalie didn't deserve this. No one deserved anything like this. A growl made me jump and I realized it was Mathieu.

His eyes turned black and he looked away.

I stared at him. She was his niece and he'd already lost so much. My heart went out to him but I dared not say anything to comfort him as he might think of it as pity. It had been made clear to me, Alphas weren't permitted to be too emotional.

He looked down at his watch. "It's 8 am. It'll take a few hours for us to drive to the location where the others are, so I suggest we leave within the next hour."

"Can Natalie travel in her state?" I asked him.

He sighed and walked away. "She has to," he replied and left the room.

I turned to Xavier and he called me to him. My body moved to him instantly as if he had stuck a hook inside me and was reeling me in. He wrapped his arms around me and I sagged against him. His body felt like a warm heating pad and I closed my eyes.

He kissed the top of my head. "Do you want to help me with making the video? We have to do it quickly."

I nodded. "Sure," I replied in a low voice.

He leaned away somewhat and forced me to look up at him. "I'm glad you're okay Ruby. I don't know what I'd do if those things had gotten to you."

"Oh, it would only be a matter of time before you got another girlfriend." I chuckled.

His face fell.

Mine did too, as I stared back at him. Suddenly, a wide grin appeared on his lips. "What?"

"So, you're my girlfriend?"

My eyes widened. Did I just say that? I tried to step away from him but he tightened his hands around me. His lips suddenly claimed mine and I stopped trying to get away from him. I moaned into his mouth as his hands found their way under my shirt to hold my waist.

He pulled away and I screamed on the inside for more. When I looked at him, his eyes were black and his fangs had appeared. My heartbeat sped up as I stared up at him.

"Don't be frightened. My wolf just wanted to taste you too." He kissed my cheek and then my shoulder.

I shivered as his tongue swiped against my skin.

"We should make the video before I lose focus entirely." I swallowed and nodded.

He pinched my chin suddenly. "And never joke about me replacing you or dying for that matter. Understood?"

I nodded, my tongue felt too heavy all of the sudden. Xavier smiled. "Good girl."

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