Chapter 7 Almost Dead
Ruella sharpened her gaze toward the center of the lake, confirming she hadn't been mistaken. She had clearly seen something moving beneath the surface. The ripples were far too large to have been made by fish.
"Your Highness, don't get too close," Claire warned anxiously.
The wind blew, hitting the hat Ruella was wearing, blowing it away until it fell into the lake.
"Ah! My hat!" Ruella failed to reach it.
Claire knew that the hat was Ruella's favorite because it was the only thing Alpha Yuto had given her before Ruella was taken away.
"I'll get it, just wait here, your highness." Then Claire hurriedly climbed down closer to the slippery and muddy edge of the lake.
Ruella shook her head. "You don't need to get it, Claire. Just leave it, I still have other hats."
But Claire ignored that and felt she still had to retrieve the hat.
"Be careful! It's slippery there!" Ruella added hastily. "If you fall in, it’ll be hard for me to reach you."
"I'll be okay, your highness."
Just as Ruella warned her, Claire suddenly lost her footing, and her body lost its balance. Before her body touched the lake water, Ruella quickly grabbed Claire's hand and pulled her with all her might.
The pull was too strong, causing her body to bounce forward.
Byurrr!
In an instant, her petite figure splashed into the lake with a loud noise. The layers of her heavy dress made it almost impossible for her to stay afloat, the soaked fabric dragging her down again and again.
"Your Highness! No, oh the Moongoddess, pleaseee..." Claire screamed in panic, rushing to the edge of the water. She reached out desperately, trying to grab Ruella’s hand as the girl struggled in the freezing water. "It's my fault..."
The waterlogged dress clung heavily to Ruella’s body, weighing her down more and more. Every time she surfaced, she gasped for air, her hand weakly reaching for Claire.
"Grab my hand!" Claire cried out.
"I got you! Hold on, I’ll pull you up!" she shouted once she managed to grasp Ruella's hand tightly.
Claire pulled with all her might, but it was useless. Ruella barely budged, her soaked dress turning into a nightmare of dead weight.
Suddenly, Claire’s eyes caught movement again beneath the water, and this time she saw it clearly.
"No! Your Highness, you have to get to the shore now!" Claire screamed in terror. "Help! There's a crocodile! Help!!! Alpha Calix, help Her Highness! She's in the lake! She's drowning, please help…"
In the distance, Calix, who had been sitting relaxed under a tree, froze. He almost stood immediately, but Orion gripped his shoulder, forcing him down.
"Let it go," Orion said quietly. "She’s not one of us. You don't intend to keep her by your side forever, do you?"
But the girls' desperate cries grew louder, piercing the heavy afternoon air.
"Help! Alpha!" Claire cried, her voice breaking into sobs as she watched the crocodile move faster and faster toward them.
Calix’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching.
"Where are you going?" Orion asked sharply as Calix suddenly stood up.
"You know damn well," Calix growled. "If that girl dies here, the Bluemoon Pack will take it as an act of war. Yuto Xiomara won’t sit quietly if her daughter dies on her second day in our territory."
"But--"
Without another word, Calix shoved Orion’s hand aside and bolted toward the lake.
"Ruella...?" Calix vaguely saw Ruella, who was almost tangled up in her own dress. "Fuck, what the fck...!" He cursed under his breath, his red-colored eyes widening in horror as he saw the crocodile's head breaking the surface, speeding toward Ruella.
Without hesitation, Calix plunged into the water. Orion and the warriors, who had coldly stood by, finally began to move, alarmed by the chaos.
Claire, exhausted and furious, shot the warriors a venomous glare.
"You're all useless! You don't even have the heart to help because she was born in another pack!" She spat angrily.
Calix reached Ruella swiftly, yelling, "Hold your fcking maid’s hand tighter!" as he gripped Ruella’s body from underneath, lifting her effortlessly.
Ruella, half-conscious from shock and terror, clung to it with every ounce of her strength. Moments earlier, she had already accepted the idea of becoming crocodile food-- but at the last second, the Moon Goddess had sent her savior.
Calix hoisted Ruella up with ease, then swam powerfully to the tree near them, pulling her along.
"Slow down! Your legs are way longer than Her Highness's, Alpha. You’ll trip her!" Claire shouted. "And it's not her fault, it's... It's my fault."
Ignoring her.
Calix carried Ruella quickly across the grass and sat her down under the shade of a large tree.
Ruella was trembling violently, soaked through, and clinging to consciousness.
For a long moment, Calix just stared down at her, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Maid, take her. Change her clothes," Calix ordered. "Dress her in something that won't be a hassle."
Claire immediately went to the carriage to bring a change of clothes. Then she helped Ruella change behind the tree she was resting on.
After changing, Ruella sat back down, wrapping herself in a warm coat. Her face was pale, her brown hair messy, and her blue eyes blank with shock.
"Calm down, you're safe now, Your Highness..." Claire continued to soothe her. "Alpha Calix saved you."
Then, from the front, Calix walked up to them.
"Look, it's Alpha Calix heading this way," Claire said, hoping that Calix could calm Ruella down and assure her that she was safe.
"Feeling calmer?" asked Calix flatly.
Ruella nodded slowly. "Y-yes... Feel better."
Calix gave a small nod, then his tone grew louder. "Good. Now listen to me carefully."
Ruella lifted her face, looking up at him with big eyes that were still glazed over. "W--what is it?"
"Can't you just... for once act like a proper lady?" He snapped. "Stop running around. Stop touching things so carelessly. Stop being reckless!! Huh? You hear me? Your carelessness can cause trouble for others. You do realize that, right?"
Ruella flinched, her body stiffening. She lowered her head, staring at the ground, her fingers clutching the hem of her coat tightly.
For a moment, she felt very close to home. The yelling, the screaming, and the glaring stares, it was all familiar, reminding her of how her father and brother treated her at home. Not just the family, even the servants treated her badly.
"I-I... I'm sorry," she whispered. "Sorry... sorry... I didn't mean to..."
"You want to harm me by harming yourself, is that why you rush to come see me?" Calix continued to lash out at her. "You?! Damn it."
Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She looked up, her voice trembling with fear. "Are... are you going to hit me?" she asked so softly, her voice barely audible.
Calix stiffened, caught off guard. "What?"
He looked at Ruella, who was now sobbing, her small body shaking violently, as if she truly believed she was about to be hit. There was something in Calix's chest that felt strange... like a tightness he couldn't ignore.
"Y--you can hit me, I... I just have to endure it until you are satisfied," Ruella said as she held out both hands.
Calix paused. Is she offering her hands to be hit? What the hell is she thinking?
He let out a long breath, holding back his emotions. "I'm not going to hit you," he said finally, his voice dropping to a heavy growl.
"But I already made you angry..."
"What do you think I am, huh?" Then Calix looked away and said, "Get ready. We will continue our journey."
Calix turned around without waiting for a reply, walking towards the warriors who were starting to pack up. But even as he left, the sound of Ruella's stifled crying could still be heard faintly in his ears.
"She's still," Calix grumbled. "I didn't act too harsh, but she reacted like that. Tch, what do I expect from a princess who's been spoiled her whole life?"
Ruella stared at the broad back of Calix as he moved out of her sight. She had just gotten out of danger, and instead of being comforted, she got yelled at.
She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "Y-you'll see. I'll win the bet. No… not only that, I will win your heart. Calix, one day you will stop seeing me as the daughter of the enemy pack and start seeing me as your mate, your destiny," she muttered to herself.