Chapter 46 Chapter 46
Chapter 46 Chapter 46
RUBY
“Why is it doing that?” I whispered, reaching up to touch the stone.
The gemstone, usually a steady blue, was blinking faintly. I had never seen it do that before.
“What’s that about?” I asked my wolf.
She was silent for a moment before finally responding. “I don’t know. But it feels... important.”
Of course, it was important. Since I was little my mom had always told me to keep the necklace hidden beneath my clothes. But she’d never explained why.
As I returned back to the bedroom, I dressed in a simple gown that concealed the necklace, just as my mom had instructed. Then I went downstairs to join Sebastian at the dining table.
The atmosphere was quiet, and I could see Sebastian glancing at me from time to time, as if he wanted to say something.
Was he really feeling bad that I could be hurt for seeing him with Annalisa?
"My mom asked me to remind you that there’s Luna training tomorrow, but I’ve told her you’re not coming," Sebastian said, finally speaking out as he looked up at me.
"Why?"
"You don’t look too well, Ruby. If you aren’t telling me..."
"I’m fine now," I said sincerely, but he didn’t look convinced.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." I nodded.
"But what if Alpha knows?"
I said, remembering what Annalisa had said about Alpha Maximus, that he wouldn’t like it if I kept missing the training. And the fact that missing Alpha training could have got Sebastian being removed from the hockey team.
"Don’t worry about him. Trust me, Mom would cover for you."
"Okay."
After dinner, I left Sebastian there and went to my room.
As I collapsed onto the bed, my phone pinged with a text, and I checked it to see a message from Cassie. She was worried about me, noticing I hadn't seemed well during our last class.
The ache in my chest from seeing Sebastian with Annalisa had made it impossible to focus. I hadn't heard a word of the lecture, too consumed by the pain gnawing at me. Did they really kiss, or had I just imagined it? Did they do more than that?
I couldn’t believe Sebastian was even trying to explain himself, as if he knew how much it would hurt me.
The memory of his kiss earlier returned, and before I even realized it, my hand instinctively touched my lips. Shaking my head to push the thought aside, I opened my phone and replied to Cassie.
"I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry about me," I typed before sending it.
I dropped the phone beside me and turned onto my side. Exhaustion finally overtook me, and I fell into a deep sleep without meaning to. But the peace was fleeting.
In my dreams, I was dragged back to that night that had been haunting me for years.
“Mom… please wake him. Don’t let him die…” My voice echoed, weak and broken, through the dream.
I could see the man's eyes wide open with shock as my mom dragged his lifeless body on forest floor. I fell on my knees on my knees , trembling, staring at the blood in my hands.
My breath quickened, my chest tightening as I tossed in bed, caught between nightmare and reality.
Tears soaked my face, the pain as raw as if it had just happened.
Then, a warm hand brushed my arm, gentle and soothing. The nightmare began to fade, the sharp edges dulling under the comfort of that touch and the familiar scent that rushed into my nose.
Without thinking, my hand shot out, gripping him. My fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt, and without opening my eyes, I whispered, “Stay… please.”
A moment later, the bed shifted, and I felt him settle beside me. The steady rhythm of his breathing calmed the storm in my chest. For a moment, the darkness that always followed me took a step back.
But then, I heard a low deep voice, asking
“Who did you kill?
My eyes snapped open, my heart pounding as if it might burst out of my chest.