CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

“You!”

Ruby yelled, and her wolf growled as Hestia crouched beside her between cars. Her chest rose and fell as if she had run a marathon, and her eyes moved from Ruby guiltily to behind her—as if checking for someone.

“What do you think you are doing, Hestia?” Ruby asked, shifting away, not liking being so close to the woman.

Hestia peeked from above the cars they were hiding behind before facing her. “You need to be quiet. I don’t think they are gone yet.”

Ruby threw her a weird look. At the mention of the men stalking her, her wolf perked her ears to pinpoint where they were. She had to find a way to reach her driver—she already had the two men to deal with, and she couldn’t add Hestia to the list of her problems.

“What are you doing here, Hestia?” Ruby asked, but Hestia didn’t give her an answer but kept looking around.

The parking lot was quieter than the inside of the mall. Just moments ago, she felt safe in the area crowded with people, and now, she felt like a mouse in the almost desolate lot. The thought that the tiniest noise from her would alert the men about her location was disheartening. Ruby raised her head once more. Her eyes ran over the left side of the parking lot, and she felt a bit of relief when she spotted her driver and the car in the distance. She would have to walk a few miles before she could reach it.

Ruby was prepared to make a run for it when she figured the coast was clear. But she stilled in her motive when she spotted three more men coming from the left side. She didn’t need a witch to tell her they were associates of the two other men who stalked her inside the mall. Their presence loomed over the lot like an enigma as they looked around discreetly, sniffing the air, but the multiple scents from other people would make it impossible to locate hers.

Ruby placed a hand over her mouth to control her hyperventilated breathing. Hestia must have noticed her panicky state because she moved from the spot that gave her a clear view of the entrance to look to the left. A gasp left her lips as she ducked down almost immediately.

“We need to get out of here,” Hestia said, finally acknowledging Ruby. “They are everywhere. They will find us if we stay here.”

Ruby ignored her, still figuring out how to get to her driver. Her tongue darted out as she licked her chapped lips. Anxiety crept up her spine. They were only a few feet away from where they hid, and they were getting closer. Ruby decided to make a run for it. She just had to get close enough for her driver to see her in case anyone chased after her.

“Have you gone mad?” Hestia exclaimed while whispering. Her eyes were wide in fright and shock as she held onto Ruby’s arm when she noticed her plan to run.

Ruby glared at her, snatching her arms away from her grip. Her irritation grew alongside her nervousness. “This does not concern you, Hestia. If the situation is serious, I don’t want to drag you into my problem, so get out of here.”

Ruby lifted her head once more to survey the lot. Her eyes widened when she saw a man less than seven feet away from her. “Shit!” She whispered as she ducked back down.

Her heart raced, her breathing stopped, and a migraine hammered in her head. Did he see her? She thought, hoping he didn’t.

Hestia sighed in exhilaration, making Ruby turn toward her.

“That’s my car over there!” Hestia muttered, pointing to a white car packed very close to them. “If we can get to it, I’ll drive us out of here.”

Ruby felt alarms blare in her head and her wolf refusing the offer with all she had. Being in a confined vehicle with Hestia felt worse than being in the open parking lot with the men lurking around. And besides, if she could draw enough attention to herself, her guards and driver would notice her distress.

“The same car you didn’t bring to my place and walked instead to make your sob story more believable?”

Hestia turned red. She lowered her head, hiding her embarrassed, flushed face between the curtain of her hair.

“Ruby, that’s far from our concerns at the moment. Come with me.”

No thanks,” Ruby said. Her ears were perked, listening for the man she had presumably made eye contact with. Time was not on her side. She wracked her brain, trying to think of a good time to escape—a way that would guarantee fifty percent of her survival.

“Ruby, stop being like this. It’s not safe for you here.”

“And how would you know that? You ignored my question earlier on, Hestia. What are you doing here?”

Hestia was about to speak when footsteps approached the car they hid behind. Ruby felt lightheaded, and her wolf took a protective stance, ready to snatch away control if the need arose.

“We don’t have much time left, Ruby. Come with me! I promise I’ll tell you everything when I know you are safe.”

Ruby still didn’t trust her, but she knew Hestia was right. The footsteps, although they sounded absentminded, were steady and drawing closer.

“I’ll be fine, you go. I just have to reach my driver.”

Hestia shook her head, wrapping her fingers around Ruby’s arm, much to her disapproval. “Ruby, please, I know you don’t trust me, but let me help you for once. This is an opportunity for me to show you that I mean no harm to you, and I swear by the goddess, I will get you safely to Noah.”

Ruby stared at her. There was no time to think. She needed to act then and there. Could she risk running through the lot towards her driver? By the goddess, she figured they may be expecting that move if they had tailed her right from the moment she arrived at the mall. Or should she go with Hestia? The more she thought, the more the former idea sounded more convenient.

Footsteps on the other side of the car they hit kickstarted their motion. Ruby cursed under her breath as she got up from her hunched-over position and sprinted alongside Hestia toward her car. The sudden movement drew the men’s attention. Some at a distance broke out in full sprints towards them while the once closer quickened their pace, trying to look as unsuspecting as possible.

A cold sweat broke across her forehead as she quickened her pace. The bags containing the items Sonia purchased for her were long forgotten as they were inches away from the car. Hestia rounded to the right of the vehicle while Ruby lunged to the left. Ruby felt as if her heart would bust from her chest as she pulled the car door open. The heavy footsteps were muffled by the enclosed car. The sweet scent from Hestia was strong in the car but only grew stronger when she jumped into the driver’s seat and kickstarted the engine. The tires screeched on the paved lot’s ground as Hestia reversed out of her spot before flooring the acceleration paddle, zooming out of the mall in a split second.

Ruby stared back, waiting to see cars chasing after them as the large mall’s building sank down the horizon the further they went. She felt her heartbeat settling, but her wolf stayed on guard, cautious of the woman apparently driving them to safety.

Ruby watched a smile stretch across Hestia’s face. The woman giggled, bouncing happily in her seat. Ruby could sense the panic also fading from her, and the adrenaline that had fueled her quick kick into action withered as her hands gripping the steering wheel shook.

“Oh Goddess, that was oddly exciting,” Hestia mused. Pure glee was evident on her face.

Ruby stared, shocked, at her, rethinking her decision to follow Hestia. Of course, she would find running away from men with evidently malicious intents thrilling.

“This isn’t the time to be excited, Hestia,” she said. She couldn’t help the anger in her tone.

Hestia’s smile fell, and her face grew rueful. “It’s just that I have never done anything that liberating before.”

“Of course, you would feel that way when it wasn’t your life in danger!”

Ruby felt terrible after she spoke. Hestia’s expression dampened all the more with sadness. She didn’t mean to overreact and knew she should be thanking Hestia instead, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She blamed her nerves, which were still knotted, making her feel she wasn’t out of danger just yet.

“I’m sorry,” Hestia whispered.

“Why were you at the mall?” Ruby repeated the questions that hung in the air, still unanswered. It seemed strange that Hestia was there at the right time when she needed help. Sonia’s words played in her mind. Was it another trick planned by Hestia and her father?

“I was out shopping,” Hestia said.

Ruby glared at her, her suspicion growing by the second.

Hestia noticed her look. “Believe it or not, Ruby, that mall is like my second home. My father makes sure I update my wardrobe every month—a Luna must dress the part, he always says.”

Ruby ignored the last comment. “That doesn’t explain anything, Hestia.”

“I received a call from my father about a possible rogue attack. He ordered me to come home, and while I was leaving, I spotted you and noticed the men tailing you.”

Ruby still didn’t believe her one bit. “They could have been ordinary men, and I didn’t sense any rogue traits from them.”

“The rogues that lurk around the pack work with witches,” Hestia explained. Her eyes shone with hate at the mention of the other kind. “Their dirty scent can easily be masked. The only giveaway of a witch’s spell is the discreet smell of spices and herbs.”

Ruby realized she was telling the truth. They smelt like nature as if they had come from the forest and spices.

“How do you know all this?” Ruby asked, her tone more relaxed.

“My father had made a few encounters with disguised rogues, and as his successor, he tells me everything,” Hestia’s face fell the more as if she remembered a painful memory. “And my mother showed me a thing or two about witch’s potions and spices.”

Ruby looked out the window. The mall was quite far from the heart of the pack, but she could feel a sense of safety wash over her as Hestia put more distance between them and the haunting men.

“I left all my bags at the mall,” Ruby said, her tone holding a tinge of humor. Her wolf rolled her eyes at the comment. She still didn’t trust Hestia but was thankful for her help.

Hestia laughed, her blank expression lighting up. “I forgot everything, too.”

Ruby wondered if the driver had noticed her absence in the mall. Did the guards Noah had stationed to watch over her notice the men chasing her through the lot? At the thought of Noah, Ruby patted her jeans and bag for her phone. She had to inform him of the rogue infiltration—if he didn’t know already.

“Are you calling Noah?” Hestia asked.

Ruby nodded as she dialed his number. “Yes.”

“That’s a good idea. We’ll be at the pack’s hall in a few minutes—The signal around here may be too bad to make a call.”

Ruby stared at Hestia. Her change in attitude still baffled her. The questions of her true intentions still hung in her mouth, weighing heavy on her tongue, but she refrained from asking. Ruby was sure her answer would be similar to what she had said back at her house.

“Thank you,” Ruby whispered.

She pushed the distrust for Hestia away. In the distance, the outlines of buildings decorated the horizon, and the thought of seeing Noah made her stomach flutter. Ruby looked back one last time to make sure they were not being followed. The empty road behind them brought her a sense of peace, but anxiety still lingered about where the men had gone.

Hestia smiled. “It’s the least I could do.”

Ruby slumped back on the car seat and pressed her phone to her ear. The dial tone rang in her ear as she anticipated hearing Noah’s voice.

For a fraction of a second, she blinked, and by the time her eyes fluttered open, an object rammed brutally into the passenger side of the car. Ruby felt herself fly to the side. She heard a piercing scream but didn’t know if it came from her or Hestia beside her. She heard the ear-bleeding sound of tires screeching before the airbag erupted in her face like a white cloud. Her seatbelt dug into her chest painfully as the air around her felt light.

Pain erupted in her head as it collided with the window. One time…twice… and then a third time, the car swirled in the air before crashing down.

Ruby figured she had blacked out momentarily before she regained consciousness. She was upside down. The seatbelt still held her up, and the blood flowed into her brain, making her head heavy. Her wolf whined inside her, already attempting to heal the wounds that she had inflicted.

Everything hurt. Broken glasses were scattered everywhere—piercing her skin in multiple places. The smell of blood, asphalt, and motor fluid was strong. The sensation of time moving slowly and thoughts getting foggy overcame Ruby as she turned to the driver’s seat where Hestia was. The airbag stuck out of the steering wheel, and the driver’s seat was empty. The driver’s door was open, and Hestia’s body lay unmoving on the road.

Ruby wanted to move—to find out if Hestia was alright, but she felt numb. A piercing pain shot up her back, and she saw stars dancing before her eyes.

You need to stay awake, Ruby urged herself, but the overwhelming darkness felt all too inviting to ignore. She felt her wolf whine inside her but soon fell quiet.

Was this the end? Ruby thought as she let her pain-stricken, exhausted self slide further into the arms of blackness with only one thought in mind.

Noah.