Chapter 47 A Suspicious Letter

Chapter 47 A Suspicious Letter
Later in the afternoon, the backyard of the pack house felt very warm, the flowers lining the path were in full bloom. The fish pond, with a small fountain in the center, added to the sense of comfort with the sound of trickling water.

In one corner of the garden stood a small iron table with two chairs facing each other. That was where Calix and Ruella were sitting.

The tranquility of the garden did nothing to ease the tension between them.

Silence.

It was extremely awkward and clearly uncomfortable. Even so, Ruella’s heart felt happy and fluttered because, for the umpteenth time, she was able to sit alone with Calix.

"Why am I so nervous? I just need to give her this letter," Calix muttered to himself. "She… she doesn’t need to look this pretty just to relax in the park."

"Why is he just staying silent?" Ruella thought, choosing to remain quiet herself because she didn’t know how to start a conversation.

Calix sat upright, his hands resting lightly on the table. His gaze was fixed entirely on Ruella, it was clear he was weighing something in his own mind.

Meanwhile, Ruella sat with her back slightly leaned back, her hands folded in her lap. She glanced at the flowers beside her from time to time, trying to look relaxed… even though Calix’s presence in front of her made her breathing feel a little heavier.

Seconds turned into minutes. Ruella finally cleared her throat softly before mustering the courage to look at Calix.

"Um… so, is there something you want to say?" she asked, her voice soft. "You came straight here to the garden to find me as soon as you got home from the office. It seems like something important."

Calix blinked slowly, as if just snapping out of his reverie. His gaze had changed, more serious and more present, no longer drifting off into his thoughts.

"Yeah," he replied briefly. "And maybe this is more important to you than it is to me."

Silence fell again.

Ruella frowned, slightly startled. "Important to me… what is it?" She pointed at herself. "Don’t be so hesitant, you’re scaring me, Cal. I was just enjoying the fresh air here."

"Of course, I’m sorry for interrupting your alone time."

Ruella didn’t answer right away. She just stared at Calix for a few seconds, trying to read the situation. It felt like something was about to go wrong.

Ruella chuckled softly. "It’s fine. Besides, I don’t have anything else to do here."

Without saying another word, Calix reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a cream colored envelope with a wax seal that Ruella recognized immediately.

Ruella watched it with a slight frown, her heart racing erratically and a sense of unease beginning to settle in.

"That seal… I-it can’t be a letter from-"

Calix placed the envelope on the table. Then, with a gentle nudge, he slid it toward Ruella.

Ruella stared at the envelope now right in front of her. It turned out her fears were true. That black wax seal brought her very close to home.

"This letter..." Ruella whispered, looking nervous.

"I received the letter today and brought it straight to you. Open it, it’s from your family, your older brother," Calix said.

Ruella hesitated for a moment but finally reached out and took the envelope. Her fingers touched the wax seal bearing the pack’s logo she hated so much, an image of a wolf and a crescent moon. The logo of the Bluemoon Pack.

As her eyes fell on the sender’s name, her body tensed instantly and her breath caught in her throat.

All this time, she had never realized just how deep her fear of Noah ran, but after some time away from him, Ruella realized that the trauma Noah had inflicted on her ran very deep. Even his name alone was enough to torment her and fill her with fear.

"Noah Xiomara," Ruella whispered, murmuring the name softly.

Her fingers trembled slightly without her realizing it.

Ruella didn’t move for a few seconds, as if her brain needed time to process what she was seeing. She refused to believe that Noah could have reached her.

Across from her, Calix watched every change. His eyebrows slowly furrowed, and he grew increasingly certain that something was wrong, something Ruella was hiding.

"Ruella," he called softly.

Ruella didn’t answer.

Her gaze remained fixed on the name at the top of the letter.

"Rue."

This time, a little louder.

Ruella gave a small start, then quickly lifted her face.

"Y-yeah? W-what?" she replied quickly.

"Are you okay?" Calix tilted his head. "You look pale. Oh yeah, I forgot that you had a fever this morning."

Ruella nodded quickly, relieved that Calix didn’t seem suspicious. "Yeah. I… I’m still feeling a little under the weather, but the fever’s gone. I’m just… just a little tired."

Calix nodded in understanding. "In that case, go ahead and open the letter before it tears because you’re holding it too tightly," he said.

Ruella fell silent.

She looked at the envelope again, then back at Calix.

"I… I think I’ll read it later, in my room, alone," she said with a stiff smile.

"No."

Ruella’s body tensed again. "Excuse me?"

"You’re going to read that letter now, right here, in front of me."

Ruella chuckled softly. "But why?"

"Read it now."

Ruella shook her head slightly. "This is a personal letter, so-"

"Read. It. Now."

Calix’s tone rose slightly and grew colder. It sounded like an order.

Ruella stiffened.

"Calix, I—"

"I don’t like it when someone disobey my order," Calix said firmly. "And I still don’t trust you, in case you’ve forgot."

Those words snapped Ruella back to reality, as if reminding her not to get carried away by Calix’s changing attitude, how he was starting to pay attention to her, acknowledging her presence and visibility.

Ruella fell silent. Something in her chest felt a little tight.

Calix looked straight at her.

"If you don’t want to make me even more suspicious," he continued, "read that letter in front of me."

Ruella gripped the envelope a little tighter.

"It’s from my older brother, there’s nothing important inside."

"Just read it, I want to make sure myself."

Ruella was still reluctant to read the letter because the truth was, it wasn’t just Calix who was afraid of its contents, Ruella was just as afraid. Ruella was afraid that Noah might have written something that would expose just how strained their family relationship was.

"I have a responsibility," Calix said calmly. "Please understand, I have to make sure the letter’s contents are clean. If the others find out you’re still in contact with the Bluemoon pack, they’ll get suspicious. But if you read the letter in front of me, I can defend you."

Silence.

A gentle breeze blew, ruffling Ruella’s hair so that Calix could see her face clearly. Her anxious expression was plain to see.

"What exactly are you hiding that you’re so afraid to read that letter in front of me?" Calix wondered to himself.

Ruella lowered her head. She didn’t have many options. Her relationship with Calix had only just begun to improve. It was still very fragile, and the suspicion was still there.

If she refused and hid the letter, everything could go back to the way it was before.

She let out a soft sigh.

"Alright," she said finally.

Slowly, she opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper.

Her eyes darted quickly over sentence after sentence, making sure the contents were safe to share with Calix.

Ruella lowered the letter slowly.

"What does it say?" Calix asked.

Ruella smiled freely. "He’s just asking how I’m doing."

"That’s it? Be more specific."

Ruella handed the letter back to Calix. "You can read it yourself."

"Ruella, my little sister, how are you doing there? How did Alpha Calix of the Silverpaw Pack treat you when you introduced yourself as his mate?" Calix read it slowly and felt no need to read the rest aloud.

"It’s safe, right? There’s nothing suspicious about that letter, is there?" Ruella smiled widely. She felt immensely relieved.

"Yeah. You looked really pale earlier and refused to read the letter in front of me. That made me even more suspicious," Calix said.

Strangely, Calix felt the same relief. He felt at ease after the letter’s contents proved to be harmless.

No hidden codes, no threats, nothing suspicious. The letter was clean. Ruella was grateful that Noah hadn’t spoken carelessly in the letter.

"I won’t reply if you don’t want me to," she said suddenly.

The sentence sounded simple, but Calix felt happy, yet he still had to remain vigilant, as it could be Ruella’s way of gaining his trust. No one knew whether they were still communicating behind his back or not.

Calix looked at Ruella. Then he shook his head and said, "You have to reply to it."

Ruella couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "What do you mean?"

"You have to reply to that letter because if you don’t, he might misunderstand and think I’m treating you badly, or even think the letter never reached you," Calix explained.

Calix continued, his voice much calmer and more relaxed. "You must miss your family too."

Ruella’s heart winced in pain, the fact that she didn’t feel that way about her family. Ruella was actually very grateful to have escaped that hell disguised as luxury.

If that mistreatment had come from a stranger, Ruella might not have felt it was so bad, but when it came from the family that was supposed to be her home, it felt incredibly painful.

"I’ll reply to this letter," Ruella said.

"Show it to me before you send it."

Ruella nodded in understanding. "I understand."

Calix finally stood up from his chair. Before leaving, he approached her and suddenly placed the back of his hand on Ruella’s forehead.

"It’s still warm. Go inside, the afternoon breeze isn’t really good," Calix said.

Ruella was a little startled, then nervously replied, "I’m feeling better now and will take a short walk before going back to my room."

Calix nodded.

"Don’t push yourself too hard."

After that, Calix left, leaving a warm feeling in Ruella’s heart thanks to the simple kindness she had rarely received before.

Ruella grabbed the letter again, then crumpled it tightly.

"Why now, why did you have to send this stupid letter?! You should’ve acted indifferent like you usually do," she muttered angrily. "Aren’t you satisfied with beating me up and still want to ruin my life here? Please stop, don’t bother me anymore..." she whispered, her heart aching.