Chapter 36 She is My Mate

Chapter 36 She is My Mate
Under the moonlight and the silence of the night, the refugees gathered around the tent where Calix and Ruella were resting. Then they made such a commotion that it forced Calix to open his eyes again, as did Ruella, who had only just fallen asleep, the pain in her body had made it difficult for her to get any rest.

Calix sighed, straining his ears to hear more clearly what the commotion outside his tent was about.

"Get out, you criminal!"

"Drag that woman out and send her back to where she came from!!"

"Right!!" others chimed in unison.

"Alpha, get out there and chase her away! Stop protecting that slut!" The shouts finally made Calix lose his patience, and he climbed down from the bed.

Ruella, still weak, reached for Calix’s hand, causing him to turn toward her.

Ruella shook her head slowly.

Calix pulled his hand free from her grip, then stepped down from the bed. He grabbed the thick coat lying at the foot of the bed and hurried out of the tent before the commotion grew any worse.

From where she lay on the bed, Ruella could only watch Calix’s broad back as he slowly walked away and vanished from her sight.

"Will my chance to stay here be gone tonight?" Ruella whispered, wondering with a heart filled with anxiety. "Even so, I am still grateful and thankful that you have shown your care, even if it is often wrapped in sarcastic words, Cal."

Ruella smiled through her pain, then her tears flowed freely. "I intend to leave someday, but… but why does it still feel so sad to watch your back walking away…? I know you hate me, but-"

"Your voices woke my mate from her sleep, and as you know, she needs to rest!" Calix said in a loud, firm voice.

Those words left Ruella silent for a moment, hoping she had not heard wrong.

"He… said what? Did I hear wrongly? Or is my mind playing tricks on me?" Ruella muttered.

She had not heard wrong.

Outside, Calix stood before everyone with a flustered expression on his face. His tall, sturdy frame exuded a charismatic aura, even though his hair was a mess, typical of someone who had just woken up.

Calix looked at the women and men of all ages who seemed ready to devour him alive. They looked furious.

"Oh my goodness, why tonight…?" He let out a long sigh. "Alright, what is going on here? What brought you all to gather in front of my tent?" he asked as calmly as possible.

They all started speaking at once, their voices rising in a frenzy. Their overlapping sentences made Calix’s ears ring, and his head felt like it was about to explode.

No one was willing to back down, they kept shouting, turning the usually chilly night into a seething cauldron of anger.

"ENOUGH!" Calix shouted, his patience finally snapping.

Silence. It only took one firm shout, and they fell silent immediately.

Calix shook his head in disbelief. "One person, anyone, tell me what you want that is worth sacrificing your sleep like this."

This time they pointed at each other and jostled to speak. It was utterly sickening.

"Excuse me, are we going to stand here all night? Speak up. I SAID SPEAK UP!!" he snapped. "You were so eager to shout insults at Ruella, who is now lying sick because of your actions. And a moment ago... WHO JUST CALLED HER A SLUT?! Step forward and say it to my face. You like it or not, she is my mate, have some respect."

"Our anger has a reason, Alpha," someone called out from the very back of the line.

Calix tilted his head to see who was speaking.

"You in the front, step aside. I want to face the one who spoke directly," Calix ordered.

The front crowd parted, revealing a woman who appeared to be around the same age as Ruella.

"What is your name?" Calix asked.

"Yuria."

Calix nodded. "Okay, continue what you were saying, Yuria."

Yuria took a breath, then said, "We recently found out that Ruella is your mate, which means she is the daughter of our enemy. Is it true that Ruella is the daughter of Alpha Yuto from the Bluemoon pack?"

"That is correct."

Hearing the confirmation directly from Alpha Calix caused the crowd to erupt into commotion once more.

"You traitor!" someone shouted.

"That’s right, you should have expelled her, but instead you brought her here and let her mingle as if her father weren’t our enemy!" another person retorted.

Calix was reminded of what Rogue, the one who had kidnapped Ruella had said. The Rogue had claimed that it was his father who had sparked the last war and not Bluemoon Pack. He began to waver and resolved to find out the truth once he returned to the capital.

"A peace treaty has been agreed upon. Doesn’t that mean something? No? We must focus on moving forward so the past doesn’t hurt us again. And is it fair to blame a child for their parents’ mistakes?" Calix said in response. He didn’t have time to think, so he just blurted out whatever came to mind.

"What if she was sent here on purpose to spy on our pack?"

Calix nodded in understanding. "I’ll make sure nothing like that happens, you can take my word for it. I’ve restricted her communication with the Bluemoon Pack, and so far, there has been no contact at all."

"But still, she’s from the Bluemoon Pack! Her father is so cruel and-"

"Have you seen Ruella do anything bad while she’s been here? How many times has she made a mistake or hurt someone? None. Aren’t the facts on the ground more important than your wild assumptions? Assumptions aren’t reality!" Calix retorted. "Please, go rest now, and we’ll continue this discussion later if you’d like."

Silence. No response.

"Ruella is seriously injured, a rogue kidnapped her," Calix added.

The news shocked them all, this was the first such incident in years since the last rogue attack.

"She nearly lost her life, so I ask for your understanding. Let her rest so she can recover as soon as possible," Calix pleaded.

"Everyone, let’s go. We mustn’t act violently or recklessly, we mustn’t become the very people we despise," Yuria said. "It would be best for us to reflect on ourselves so we can stay calm and think clearly."

Surprisingly, Yuria’s words succeeded in getting everyone to disperse without further resistance.

"Yuria, thank you. I appreciate that. Good night," said Calix, then returned to the tent.