CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

The silence that fell in the room only seemed to annoy Ruby as she sat up on her couch with her eyes still trained on Hestia. She didn't dare look away or even blink in fear of missing the slightest chip in the front Hestia was putting up.

Hestia sat on a single couch opposite her. Ruby could feel her wolf grow uneasy under her stare. Her hands were balled up in worry in her lap, and her eyes shifted hesitantly from Ruby to the floor.

"I suppose you didn't ask me to let you in to stay quiet."

Ruby sat still but spoke, breaking the edge the silence donned in her space. Hestia stiffened in her seat, keeping her back straight and her shoulder leveled. Although her manner was still tamed, Ruby could still sense the pride she carried. The pride a child of Victor was meant to have.

"I think you know why I am here," Hestia muttered as she picked on her broken nails.

Ruby felt her wolf, which had grown calm after its earlier display of rage, huff at the empty statement.

"Do you think I would have let you into my house if I already knew?" Ruby spat out. "Or maybe I do. Are you here to remind me once again that I am not worthy to be with Noah?"

Hestia shook her head frantically as she wiped the new set of tears running down her cheek. Ruby stared at her blankly, shocked at how disconnected she felt from the situation. Only a slight anger rumbled through her, but other than that, no annoyance or pity towards Hestia. Had she grown tired of it all? Ruby thought. Had the constant rejection made her numb to everything pertaining to those who hated her? Even the sight of the woman, whom the pack would have readily accepted as their Luna, trembling in her presence didn't even spark a nerve of pleasure. The lack of satisfaction with the change in Hestia's attitude puzzled her. She never intended to make her and anyone else who was against her bond with Noah pay—all she wanted was acceptance, and she was glad she had gotten it after she helped the pack defeat Aiden. Hestia's presence in her house seemed like a significant disturbance to the peace she thought she would have henceforth.

"No, it may come as a shocker, but I didn't come here to insult or ridicule you as I have done in the past," Hestia started with her head low in remorse. "I know all I have done to you is wrong, and it wasn't fair after everything you had gone through. Noah brought us all together when he created Greyhound. He created it as a haven for— broken and lost people like you and me—to find a home. And I was so clouded by my feelings for him that I looked past what you were going through."

"Don't call his name!"

Ruby snapped. Of course, that was the only thing she had noticed in Hestia's whole speech, but she didn't like her addressing Noah in such familiarity. Her wolf also responded the same way; it stood attentively with its fur bristled and lip parting to showcase its canine.

Hestia's eyes widened at her tone. Ruby was sure she could feel her wolf's anger as she swallowed and shifted in her seat. Unconsciously, she let a minute portion of her energy out. Her wolf fed off the fear, drinking in the power as Hestia's wolf submitted inside her.

"I-I'm sorry," Hestia muttered. "I mean for that and everything else I have done to you."

Something was definitely wrong with her, Ruby thought. Was she dying? She almost laughed at her line of thought. She subtly sniffed the air. Hestia seemed healthy, so she didn't understand what was going on.

"Do you think crying a few fake tears will make me forget all you have done?"

"Ruby, please, I'm apologizing because I cannot leave like this anymore—the guilt of what I did to you haunts me. You have to understand that I was in love—I still am, but I didn't want to live a life without Noah. I had lost everything: my pack, my mother, and once again, you coming into Noah's life was like a threat to my happiness."

Tears gathered in Hestia's eyes. She covered her face and cried. Her sobs wracked through her as she took shaky breaths to calm herself. Pathetic, Ruby heard her wolf snarl, still not wanting to fall for Hestia's gloominess. But Ruby couldn't help a slight pang from erupting in her chest.

"But you overlooked the part where I was hurting too. Noah was my mate—you had no right to him, but you still wanted to destroy my happiness," Ruby fed from the anger of her wolf.

"I know. Yes, I was selfish, but I had been raised to fight for what I wanted. It was all my father! He brainwashed me to think I was destined to become the Luna of Greyhound. I have always lived up to his expectations, and I didn't want to let him and his dreams for our family down."

Ruby crossed her arms over her chest. Her wolf narrowed her eyes at Hestia's trembling form. It yelled in her mind, claiming Hestia was trying to play the victim. Like her whole ploy to kick her out of the pack and get Noah for herself was influenced by her father and not the cause of her unorthodox hatred and lust for power. But a small part of her, a naïve and foolish part, sympathized with Hestia.

Ruby knew what it was like to have a controlling father, although hers didn't cherish her the way Victor did.

"So you no longer desire to have Noah?"

Ruby watched her expression. Hestia clenched her jaw, and a tight expression marred her face. Her eyes darted to the side before warily rising to meet Ruby's.

"I have tried countless times to make Noah notice me long before you came here. I have done some dishonorable things because I loved him with all my heart. By the goddess, my only fault in the whole matter was falling in love!"

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she remembered the scene Hestia had made back at Noah's office. Goddess, just that thought alone ignited the knee-buckling hate she felt towards her.

"But still, he rejected me—he wasn't fazed. He has eyes only for you, Ruby, and as much as it pains me, I have to let him go. And now, after what you did for the pack, I realize you're more worthy to be the Luna than I would ever be," Hestia concluded.

Seconds went by with Ruby just staring at Hestia. Her wolf had fallen silent, but her distaste for the woman still flooded their bond. Hestia awaited a reaction—her eyes were pinned on Ruby's face to find a sign of what she was feeling. Ruby felt blank. Her insides were in turmoil as she tried to decipher whether Hestia was being truly honest.

"Your ten minutes is up. I would like to get some sleep."

The look of hope in Hestia's eyes fell at her words. Anyone watching would hate Ruby for making her look so broken, but she didn't care. A simple apology could not wipe away what she had done, and she needed time to think.

Hestia's mouth parted to say something, but her eyes fell to the ground as she thought again, deciding her words were better left unsaid. She nodded briskly before throwing a look at the front door.

"I understand we have wronged you so badly, and I am glad you listened to what I had to say—it means a lot to me, Ruby, and I hope this will be the beginning of a friendship between us."

Ruby furrowed her brows in disapproval but didn't say anything else. Hestia was delusional if she thought they could ever be friends. Ruby felt her wolf leap in relief when Hestia stood up and walked to the door.

"I'm sorry for everything," Hestia said one final time as she walked out of the house.

The door closed behind her with the softest click, and Ruby listened to her footsteps until they faded into silence. The air grew lighter in the room, and Ruby muttered the words her wolf had been yelling in her mind.

"You're not."