Chapter 16: Breakfast with you

Rue mumbled in her sleep as she tried to break out of a dream. Her brows knitted in fear and she started to thrash about.

It was the same recurring dream, the one where she was in the middle of a barren land filled with thick, white fog.

A plain, white dress adorned her, the hem swishing around her ankles. She was barefooted, and the cold air caused goosebumps to dot her skin.

"Hello," she called out, her voice echoing eerily. There was no response. The dark sky was filled with clouds which floated lazily, obscuring what looked like a half moon.

Then out of the blue, a figure materialized in the distance. She frowned, taking a slow step backwards.

In all her other dreams, she was always alone. This was different.

Then a voice called out, a soft, female voice.

"Rue Lowell."

Rue stepped back again, squinting through the fog.

"Who's there?" She called out.

At first, the figure appeared to be a woman walking towards her. Then as she drew closer, her form melted, transforming into an enormous white wolf.

Rue gasped and fell backwards, awed at the size of the magnificent wolf before her. She felt she was in the presence of some diving being.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

The white wolf stepped forward, its form towering over her. Then that same soft voice rang out in her mind.

\[I am Xora, your wolf.\]

Rue's brows drew into a deep frown. The white wolf just communicated with her through the mind link. How was that possible?

"I don't have a wolf."

\[Of course you do. You're not an omega as you think.\]

"I know I'm not an omega." Rue murmured. "But you're not my wolf. I was born wolfless."

\[Is that what they told you?\] The voice of the wolf appeared amused, and this further confused Rue.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

\[It isn't time for you to know.\] The wolf continued. \[When the time is right, on the night your mate marks you, I will awaken.\]

"Wait... I don't understand..." Rue yelled as the white wolf started to retreat. "I don't have a mate. You've got the wrong person."

\[We will meet again, Rue Lowell.\]

The voice echoed in Rue's mind, growing louder and louder until it was pounding in her head.

She fell to her knees, holding her head tight and screaming from pain.

Suddenly she opened her eyes, and she was back in Eryndor. The barren field and white fog were gone.

And what was worse, she wasn't in the cage Thane locked her the previous night. She was on his bed, alone, with the covers draped over her.

She sat up abruptly, holding the sheets to her chest when she realized she was naked. Fear seized her. Had he violated her while she was asleep?

She jumped off the bed, taking the sheets with her, and rushed to the bathroom. Placing one foot on the toilet seat, she stuck a hand between her thighs and moved it around.

No pain. No forced entry, and no blood. She was still untouched.

A sigh of relief escaped her as she leaned against the tiled counter. Her reflection stared back at her as she drummed her fingers on the counter.

He hadn't touched her, which was a good thing, so why did she feel a sort of... emptiness? Wasn't she attractive enough to him?

"Oh, stop it Rue!" She chided herself and turned away from the mirror. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn't supposed to care if he found her attractive. In fact, she didn't care.

"Ughhh." She scoffed and turned to go back to the bedroom. She would take her clothes and return to the harem before he came back from wherever he went.

As she stepped back into the room, she shrieked. Thane was standing beside the bed, shirtless and sweaty. She didn't hear him come in.

It seemed he had just returned from his morning run. His hair fell in damp waves over his forehead and down his shoulders. His torso gleamed like marble, structured and slick with sweat.

His trousers hung low on his hips, and when her gaze started to lower, she jerked and looked away, wondering if finding him half naked was becoming a habit.

"G–good morning." She stuttered, looking everywhere else except his eyes. Those ruby orbs were too calculating, too intense.

"Morning." He answered calmly. "Did you sleep well?"

She looked at him in surprise. Did he really just ask that?

"Uh, remind me again who locked me in a cage last night." She said.

Thane didn't respond immediately. He simply tossed his shirt aside, pulled out the belt which held his daggers, and dropped it on the bed.

Then he walked towards her. She started to back away, but she stopped, not wanting him to notice how much his presence affected her.

"I asked you a question, Rue." He murmured softly. "Did you sleep well?"

If he said her name like that one more time, she didn't trust her knees to hold her up. She gulped and nodded slowly.

"Use your words." He commanded.

"I did, thank you."

"Good. And your ankle? How is it?"

She had forgotten all about that. She looked down at it, noticing that the swelling was completely gone. The ointment Yolanda gave her worked like magic.

"It's... it's fine now." She answered.

"Good. Yolanda will be here soon. She'll tidy you up and bring you to me. I want to have breakfast with you."

Rue's jaw dropped open. What the hell was happening? Was this the same man who had locked her up in the cage last night? The same man who had threatened her? Where did this sudden change come from?

He started to move towards the bathroom, then he paused and turned around, taking in her dumbfounded expression.

"Is there a problem, Rue?"

She almost pleaded with him to say her name differently. Each time he said it in that relaxed, deep tone, it made her stomach flutter.

"I..." She paused, licked her lips and tried again, failing to notice the way his eyes lowered to her lips and darken. "I'm just wondering..."

"About what?"

"Last night, you were enraged. You threatened to kill me..."

"I threatened to lock you in the dungeons and starve you." He corrected her.

"There's not much difference."

"What's your point exactly?"

"Why are you being so nice?" She asked. "Why are you acting like you didn't lock me up last night?"

He remained quiet for a while, his gaze roaming over her figure clad in the bedsheet.

"I figured we started off on the wrong foot." He said finally. "You are part of my harem after all. Might as well treat you better, as long as you promise to behave."

His answer didn't ease her confusion. Before she could respond to him, a knock sounded on the door, followed by Yolanda's voice.

"Go with her." He muttered and turned away.

She stood there, watching as he disappeared into the bathroom. Something about him had changed, and she had no idea if that was a good thing.