章節 13: 13
Ruby
I stared at the small window across the room that was too far up the wall for me to try and break through. Sure, I'd be able to reach it if I stood on the table, but what would happen after I got outside? I'd get chased by wolves that I could never outrun. Where would I even run to? I had no idea where I was to begin with. For all I knew, there was no one but wolves for a hundred miles in every direction.
It was morning, but I pulled the covers up to my chin and snuggled further into bed. The small old mattress that had passed for a bed inside my cell hadn't been much. While this wasn't great either, there was nothing for me to do, nowhere for me to go, so why not stay in bed a little longer?
I had eaten all the fruits and was still full, so I was fine for the most part. All I could do now was wait for Axel to make his next appearance.
I turned onto my side, but backed up with a scream on my lips as I came face to face with Natalie. She was lying beside me with her hand under her cheek, her blue eyes piercing into my green ones. I blinked rapidly, unable to believe what I was seeing, and she started to smile. She reached out and moved a strand of my hair out of my face, and happiness blossomed in my chest as her finger brushed against my face. She was really here!
"Hey babe," she said and my eyes widened. "Natalie, is it you? Is it really you?"
It looked like her. Her icy blue eyes were the same, but her platinum hair was now snow-white, more silver than blonde. I frowned at that but said nothing. He nodded to answer my question, and I moved to hug her but froze. No, I needed to think. This can't be real. How did she get in here? I
looked down at my wrist, and the scar that was there from my suicide attempt as a teen was gone.
"This isn't real," I said sadly, and the excitement I had been feeling vanished. "You're in my head again, aren't you?"
She gave me a sad smile, and I sighed before lying down again. "I figured. How are you doing this? Am I going to wake up and find you and Xavier in my room?"
"You're not. I'm sorry, but I know Axel is the one that has you."
"You lied to me, Natalie. You said mates can't hurt each other." I tried not to tear up, but I failed. "Get me out of here! You've told Xavier where I am, haven't you?"
She moved her hair behind her ears and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't say anything for a while, and I started to worry. I reached out to her and touched her hand, but she felt so cold that I quickly pulled away. I hadn't touched her the last time she had entered my mind like this. I wasn't sure if cold skin was normal, but I noticed she looked like she was in pain.
"Sorry." She said as she moved her hand away. "I've never done this from such a far distance. Finding you alone has been hard enough. I can't stay with you long, Ruby, but I want you to play along with Axel's game. He'll be coming for you soon to tell you he'll be taking you somewhere. Play along, okay? He's told the Council about you, about what's been happening, and now they'll be coming for Xavier."
"Shit."
She exhaled and began to fade and I sat up quickly. "Wait! You've told Xavier, right? Warn him about Axel and the Council. Axel said he was going to use me to finally get rid of the Blackmoon pack."
"It won't get to that, but yes, I'm heading to Xavier now to warn him. Axel is a fool to think the Council won't turn on him, too. You're his mate as well, no matter how much he denies it. The Council wants total obedience and control, so anyone that steps outside of that always suffers. Mathieu and Xavier broke the law by not killing you. It won't matter to them that you are Xavier's mate. All they will care about is the fact that you are human."
So, in the end, it really will be my fault. I never should have moved
here.
I felt like screaming, but she reached out and placed her hand on my cheek. Her hand was freezing, but I closed my eyes and allowed the cold to seep into my skin without moving away.
"I don't know if I'll get to Xavier in time, so I have to go."
By now, I was able to see through her as she faded more and more. Her hand fell away from my face. I didn't want her to go, I didn't want to be left alone, but I knew she had to leave. Xavier was now the one in danger.
"Axel won't hurt you, Ruby. He'll act like he can, but it hurts him even more."
I rolled my eyes.
Tell that to my arm that's still bruised.
"H-how is Xavier? Is he okay? Please tell me before you go. I-I…"
Could I say it? I wanted to tell her to tell him I miss him, but even though we had kissed and had been getting close, there was still so much left for us to say to each other.
"You'll see him soon. You can tell him everything yourself then."
She vanished, and I woke up with a start and took a large intake of breath. I looked around the room frantically before plopping back down.
Yes, finally some good news.
I rolled onto my side to stare out the window again as I began to smile, a genuine one. It's been so long since I've felt a pinch of happiness or hope. But my smile died quickly because I was now worried for Xavier. With the way Natalie and everyone else has been speaking about this 'Council,' it was clear they were to be feared. Natalie seemed to be on top of it, but I just hoped she would get to him in time.
◆◆◆
Anxiety had me pacing around the room, sitting on the floor, and climbing onto the table to see through the window, which revealed nothing but endless trees. Soon I settled for sitting around the table, my hunger returning. Compared to the torture I had endured up until last night, I could ignore the growls my stomach was making.
I've thought about going to sleep a few times in hopes of Natalie returning, but she had mentioned how hard it was to reach out to me. She
needed her strength to get to Xavier, so I resisted my impulse to nap just for the sake of talking to her again.
My fingers drummed on the stained surface of the white table as I wondered if she had warned Xavier yet.
I recalled the night I had been abducted, the bliss that had come before the chaos that is, and a heavy sadness settled on my chest. Xavier and I had laid in the woods in each other's arms. I was starting to feel the bond between us, I think. Just when I began to feel drawn to him, I was ripped away. That night he had told me about their goddess, an entity that created the very first werewolf, who decides on each and every wolf's fate. One who had clearly decided on my fate as well.
As far as I could see, she wasn't doing a very good job, considering she managed to link three people together that could never possibly work out.
I heard the door open and looked to the stairs to see the giant man from last night leading a woman down the stairs. She was wearing combat boots and had red streaks in her black hair. She nodded to the man, and he turned away to head back upstairs. He left the door open, however, and I stared at the woman expectantly while she looked me up and down with disgust. At this point, I was starting to get immune to those stares. I watched as she crossed her hands over her large bosom and walked forward.
"You don't belong here," she said, and I crossed my arms on the
table.
Had Axel sent this woman to scare me or something? He could do a
much better job with only a glance. Was she here to remind me how much I don't belong here?
I narrowed my eyes at her, and it clicked. No, she knows exactly who I am, who I am to Axel, and it's clearly killing her.
So, I have another Anna on my hands. Lovely.
"We can both agree on that, at least."
A deep crease appeared between her brows as if she hadn't expected me to answer. "It speaks." She said with a smirk, and I blinked slowly at her, doing my best to force a look of indifference onto my face.
"Can I help you with something? As you can see, I'm quite busy."
She hadn't been expecting that response, either. It clearly struck a nerve, because, within the next second, her light brown eyes turned black.
"You have no idea who you're talking to, human."
"That's because we don't know each other. Trust me, you don't want to know me, either. I have enough shit to deal with right now, so whatever issue you have with me despite us having never met before will have to be resolved at a later date."
I sat back and crossed my arms as she uncrossed hers. She hunched her shoulders a bit and her mouth opened to reveal that her fangs had come out to play. Her nails began to descend into claws, and I quickly got up from around the table.
I had nowhere to run, but I sure as hell would defend myself as much as possible. This girl wasn't like Anna–she was worse. Where Anna had been all bark and no bite, it was clear this girl was ready and willing to rip my throat out.
"A weak thing like you can never be a wolf's mate."
She charged at me. and my hand rose to protect my face. I was saved by Axel's thundering voice as it echoed through the room.
"Stop!"
I looked up to find the girl's claws frozen inches away from my face. There was a look of straining on her face, and she slowly lowered her hand and turned around.
Behind her, Axel was standing by the stairs with his hands clenched at his sides. His eyes were narrowed dangerously. His curly black hair, usually kept in a ponytail behind his back, was loose now, and it fell in waves over his shoulders. Even I couldn't deny that he was a handsome man, the kind with an aura of danger that draws women in.
"She doesn't belong here." The girl said through clenched teeth. "This weakling can't be your mate. A strong breeze can knock her over. She can't be your mate. She's not worth…"
Axel stepped forward, and the girl swallowed whatever else she was about to say. "Know your place, wolf. My business is not yours, so I'd suggest you leave before I kill you. You are not allowed in here."
She opened her mouth to speak, and Axel's eyes turned black. He growled at her, the sound filling the space around us, and she quickly bowed her head and backed away. She scurried from the room, and Axel's eyes slid to me when he heard the door close behind her.
He turned his body to face me, and his head tilted to the side. "I don't want you talking to anyone."
"You say that as if I get visitors often enough for me to even have the chance to speak to anyone. I wasn't talking to her. She came in here to throw a tantrum."
"So, you said nothing to her? Not one word?"
Why are we even talking about something so trivial? It's not like I had spilled secrets to her. What we needed to talk about was when the hell he'd be getting me out of here. Natalie had said he'd be taking me somewhere maybe that's why he was here now.
Good timing because a second later I would have been mincemeat. "No," I responded, and he inhaled before walking forward.
I stood my ground despite my heart hammering, and I tilted my head back to look into his black eyes as they slowly changed back to hazel. His eyes roamed over my face, and I frowned. Being so close to him was definitely something I didn't need. He was a gorgeous man, but there was no way I'd never ever let a handsome face make me forget what an asshole he is.
I looked away, my face twisting as my heart began to race. I wasn't attracted to this prick, I couldn't be. Hell no!
"You need to step back," I said with my head still turned to the side. "There is no reason for you to stand this close to me," I added, and his hand shot out to grab my face.
He wasn't squeezing me tightly, but merely holding my face to turn it back towards him. I grabbed his wrist and tried to move away, but he casually slapped my hand away with his other hand.
"I don't like being lied to." He said the words slowly, his minty breath fanning my face. "Do not lie to me, Ruby. Ever, about anything. Now I don't want you to speak to anyone unless I say so. Do you understand me?" I kept my mouth shut, and let the hatred in my eyes speak for me. "Good girl. We'll be going somewhere soon, and I suggest you be on your best behavior."
I had a million things to say in response, but Natalie's words echoed in my mind. I reminded myself that it was my job to play along with Axel's plan. I settled for pulling my face away, and his hand fell to his side. He didn't move away, and neither did I. He didn't look away, and neither did I. I might be weak in strength, but I would not be cowed by any man, wolf or no wolf. Strength isn't only physical.
I frowned when the corner of his mouth began to lift into a smirk, and he shook his head and stepped back. What the hell was he smirking at? Was this fun for him? I narrowed my eyes at him and realized it was. The punk was messing with me.
"Your fire is cute, Ruby, but you will end up getting hurt because of it. Werewolves like obedience. Disrespect and disobedience aren't tolerated, so remember what I just told you. Speak to no one, and you'll continue breathing."
He turned to leave, and I stared daggers at his back, my nails digging into the palms of my hands. What he didn't know was that I hated being told what to do and being given orders, and it didn't matter who was doing the ordering. That wasn't going to change even if the orders were coming from someone who could rip me to shreds if I were a mere sheet of paper. Trust me, I'd had more than my fair share of consequences as a result of my inability to shut the hell up, even when it was probably in my best interest to do so.
Maybe one day my mouth will get me killed, but at least I'll die standing up for myself.
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