“Collin, we need to talk.” I managed to choke out under the tears. Collin Woods is the dreamy 29-year-old who every girl in the pack wants to get their paws on. He stands at 6 foot 2 with a muscular body, strong arms, dark oak hair and blueish gray eyes. My name is Ruby Hale and, unfortunately, I've been his secret hook-up for little over 3 months now. I wasn't bad looking for a 19-year-old. I’m athletic, slightly curvy, with long raven hair and emerald green eyes, and because of a crazy pack party with Collin and a few too many drinks we ended up making a mistake. Whenever Collin and I hooked up we’d always use protection. Unfortunately, we were too drunk to remember that night. I started feeling weak and nauseous after a few weeks, afraid my family might find out, I kept it to myself, left work early, picked up a test and waited.
Collin stood tall next to his father, Alpha Michael, who casted a disturbed look towards me. The pregnancy stick in my back pocket confirmed my fears and the reason for my tears, the heavy weight bearing down on me. “I have nothing to say to you, as you can see, since I have yet to find my mate, and you have yet to discover your wolf. My father has decided to choose a chosen mate who will become my future Luna for our pack.” Collin spat through clenched teeth.
Those words struck like a slap in my face. Yes, it's true that most males and females discover their wolves around the ages of 10 to 16. I’d seen all of my friends get their wolves, yet here I was 19 and no wolf, not even a feeling. I got nothing. My mother Rayna Hale always told me I was a late bloomer that I'd get my wolf soon because, like her, she didn't get her wolf til she was 19. That same day, she also found her mate, my father, Rick Hale. She said she could smell him all the way across the field, he smelled of baked apples and cedar, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. My mother also told me that the fated mate bond was so strong that you could sense your mate even miles away.
My father is Alpha Michael's Beta. In other words, he's the right-hand man who does all the running for the alpha, and I am just a disappointment in his eyes! I can still hear my father's words echo in my head.
"Your brother, Jordan, just turned 10 and had his first shift with his wolf, and here you are with no wolf."
Ya I'm a disappointment, a failure. I knew something was off when I didn't get my wolf right away like the others. I also noticed I looked nothing like my father. I always questioned my mother but she managed to push it off like it was nothing each time. Maybe that's why my father disliked me.
"Collin please, I just need two minutes of your time, and I'll leave you alone after that." I said once more, reaching for his arm as he tried to walk away. " Ruby Hale, that is quite enough from you, my son is obviously done talking to you, so I suggest you walk away before you make this worse and I make you regret it!" The alpha yelled " I'm already regretting things in my life, but it's urgent I speak with Collin, sir!" I spat out making sure he could see my anger and frustration this time.
" young lady, you have pushed enough, you are hereby banned from the pack effectively immediately. You are to gather your belongings and will be escorted off the pack grounds.!" Alpha ordered.
My mouth fell open, did he just....no... tears fell harder and faster down my cheek. This isn't happening. I go from finding out I'm pregnant to being banned from the pack for nothing.
Fine, I can play this game. He will never know about us, I thought to myself. Not even a second later, my father drops a backpack with everything I own in it. "I will escort you out of the pack." My father said wasted no time. I took one last glance at Collin before I left and said "I’ll never come back, even if I'm ordered to, mark my words, you will regret this!" I cried through clenched teeth. I turned and started walking towards the entrance of the pack gate. The air felt so heavy, I wanted to cry and scream out loud. I knew I couldn't, not yet at least. I walked with my father down the long stretched road to the gate. My father handed me what looked like a large manila envelope. I took it without looking at him. I opened it and inside was a passport, legal documents, and a ton of cash. Confused, I looked at him and started to speak but was cut off immediately "tell no one where you're going. Do you understand? There’s a phone with mine and your mother's number inside. This phone can not be traced. One day you will understand why I was always so cold towards you. I do love you Ruby, go south, trust no one, and be safe." he placed a peck on my forehead, turned and left. When my father was out of sight, a weird sensation hit me, making me feel slightly dizzy...
What the hell was that? I thought to myself....
Hello Ruby, I am Flora and you need to run... The voice said purring.
"who...who said that? Show yourself." I yelled.
It is not safe to reveal myself yet. Do not fear Ruby, I am your dire wolf!
What is a dire wolf?
We are a rare and yet almost extinct breed, we are stronger than regular wolves and we are gifted. I will explain everything but you need to run and don't look back!
Everything seemed to be going so fast that I couldn't wrap my head around it, so I started to run. I ran so fast I didn't notice the pregnancy test falling out of my back pocket. I didn't care. All I knew was I needed to get out of town or out of the country. Flora would explain everything to me. Maybe then things will make sense, at least I hoped.
Run…don’t look back… keep going… As long as we keep going we can remain safe, he will never know about us. Safety is priority for me, my dire wolf and my unborn pup.