Chapter 49 Decision has been Made

Chapter 49 Decision has been Made
At the end of the second floor hallway near Alpha’s private room, at his private office, a stack of files filled the large desk in the center of the room, positioned with its back to the window. Even though the sun had begun to set, the room still buzzed with its owner’s activity.

Calix sat behind the desk, his hands carefully flipping through the pages of documents. His brow furrowed several times as he read an unpleasant report. He looked tired but was still trying to finish his work.

An hour had passed since the meeting in the throne room ended, and Ruella had been waiting all that time because Calix had forgotten to tell her, even though he had promised to speak with her.

Then, suddenly, a knock on the door was heard.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Quick, unhesitating, even somewhat hurried.

"Come in," said Calix without taking his eyes off the papers in his hands.

The door slowly opened, revealing Ruella, who looked displeased.

Ruella walked into the room, approaching Calix, who was engrossed in his work at his desk.

"Calix," she called.

Calix finally looked up. He was a little surprised. "Hey, you're here. Oh yeah, I forgot that we were supposed to talk after my meeting earlier."

Ruella stood right in front of the desk.

"I heard you finished the meeting an hour ago and you didn’t tell me, so I came here," said Ruella.

Calix let out a small sigh, glanced at Ruella briefly, then lowered his gaze back to the documents in his hands.

"That's true."

Ruella stared at him sharply.

"You said we'd talk after the meeting was over."

Calix nodded slowly. "I know. I forgot to tell you because I had a lot of work waiting for me."

"But you said we'd talk and promised you wouldn't make excuses to avoid it." Ruella wouldn’t accept that.

There was a moment of silence.

Calix closed the file in his hand, then set it down on the desk carelessly.

"I really did forget. I didn’t mean to not tell you or avoiding you, Ruella." Calix said with a soft sigh. He was already exhausted from work and didn’t want to feel even more stressed by an argument.

He glanced briefly at the pile of files. "See that? I came straight here and got buried in those files."

He spoke honestly and didn’t try to defend himself, but he didn’t apologize either.

Ruella was silent for a few seconds. "So should I come back later?" she asked.

Calix shrugged lightly. "You're here now, so we can talk. It seems like there's something important that made you rush over here after finding out I was here."

Rush?

That remark made Ruella take a deeper breath. Calix made it seem as though he hadn’t promised her a time to talk and that Ruella was the one forcing the issue.

"You already promised to talk with-"

"Okay, let's sit down first." he said, cutting her off.

Ruella hesitated for a moment but finally pulled out a chair in front of the desk and sat down.

Calix opened the files again and said, "You can speak. I'll listen."

Ruella watched him.

"You are going to listen while you work?"

Calix nodded without looking up. "Yeah, don’t worry, I can stay focused and listen to you."

Ruella let out a small sigh, but it seemed she had no other choice because even if she pouted, Calix wouldn’t care.

"I heard there's going to be a festival."

That sentence made Calix slow his hand movements slightly as he opened the file.

"Yeah," he replied casually.

"When?"

"In three days."

His tone was light, as if it weren’t a big deal.

Ruella stared at him in disbelief.

"In three days?"

Calix nodded.

"Three days from now and you didn’t tell me."

"I am going to tell you," Calix said.

Ruella stared at him in disbelief. "When? After the festival is over?"

Calix finally glanced at her. "Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to tell you in person yet."

Ruella lowered her head. "Alright... I understand. I just didn’t want to miss it because I really love the festival."

"I know," said Calix.

"You know?" Ruella looked up with a smile, but in an instant the smile vanished. "Then why didn’t you tell me from the start? I almost missed the festival. I have to get ready too," Ruella continued.

Calix let out a small sigh.

"I did plan to tell you," he said. "But it seems you don’t need to get ready."

Ruella frowned. "What do you mean?"

Calix closed the file in his hand, then finally focused on Ruella.

"You won’t be coming to the festival."

Ruella fell silent. For a moment, she wasn’t even sure she had heard correctly.

"What?"

"Except for the banquet after the festival ends," Calix continued. "It will be held at the pack house. You can attend that."

"W-wait," Ruella cut in quickly. "Why can’t I go to the festival? It’s bound to be so much fun. Everyone will be there, celebrating and having a great time."

Calix looked her straight in the eye and said, "I initially thought you’d enjoy it," he admitted honestly. "But after giving it some thought, I think it would be better if you didn’t come."

Ruella stared at him, disbelieving. "Y-you’re serious? But why?"

Calix leaned back slightly in his chair.

"Because it’s dangerous."

Ruella’s shoulders slumped. She felt deflated and sad.

"The festival is held in an open area," Calix explained. "Many pack members will be there, including those who’ve never seen you in person. Like you said, everyone will be gathering."

Silence.

"They don’t know me, do they? I’ve never been out in public, and you haven’t officially introduced me yet, so it should be safe for me to go enjoy the festival like everyone else," Ruella said, trying to persuade Calix.

Calix nodded in understanding, but it was too risky. "Remember what happened at Frostfang? Their reaction when they found out about you made you run off in a panic and you ended up getting kidnapped by a rogue. You don’t want that to happen again, do you?"

"But that was because Rubina told them. If-"

"If you show up in public and someone recognizes you, what then?"

Ruella’s eyes began to well up. "Of course they’d attack me, but the chances that they won’t recognize me are just as high, Cal. I just need to disguise myself."

"I don’t want to take that risk."

Ruella shook her head. "Please, let me go see the festival. I can go with the guards and Claire."

"No." Calix’s answer was immediate. "I can’t trust anyone to watch over you right now. If Kyle were back, maybe I could assign him to accompany you, but no."

Ruella stared at him more intently. "I want to go."

"No."

"You can’t keep forbidding me and locking me up in this pack’s house, Cal."

"Of course I can," said Calix.

Ruella fell silent for a moment, then leaned forward.

"I’ve been living here for half a year, even longer," she said. "And all that time, I’ve just been hiding."

Calix didn’t answer.

The words sounded heavier than they should have.

Calix sighed softly. "It’s for your own safety."

"Until when?"

Silence.

"How long do I have to keep doing this?" Ruella continued. "If I never go out, never show myself, when will they accept me?"

Calix looked at her.

"You can’t force acceptance. We can’t be reckless. You could get hurt, Ruella. Please understand," Calix pleaded.

"I’m not forcing anything," Ruella replied quickly. "I have to show them that I’m not what they think I am."

Calix ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated.

"No. That’s too dangerous."

Ruella shook her head. "You just want me to stay hidden like a dead rat. I’d forgotten that."

"I want you to stay alive," Calix replied. "That’s all."

Ruella fell silent.

"If something happens to you," Calix continued more firmly, "the Bluemoon Pack might see it as an invitation to war. Their daughter injured or even killed by their enemies would spark a new conflict. Am I wrong?"

Ruella looked at him.

Then she slowly stood up from her chair.

"Alright," she said.

Calix sighed.

"Ruella-"

"I know anyway," Ruella cut in, lifting her face. "I won’t stay here forever. Sooner or later, you’ll find a way to get rid of me."

The words just slipped out, leaving Calix silent for a moment.

"Listen to me, I’m forbidding you to leave because-"

"Thank you for your time. I’m sorry for taking up your precious time. I’ll take my leave now," Ruella cut in, then hurried toward the door as quickly as she could.

Calix remained standing where he was, watching Ruella disappear behind the door.

To be honest, it made him uncomfortable to see Ruella sad, but he always tried to ignore any feelings that arose whenever he was with her.