CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT

"Are you alright?"

Ruby leaned into his frame, shutting her eyes for the briefest moment as she listened to the soft rumbling of the car, letting it calm her. Peeling her eyelid open, she peered up at him, nearly letting out a contented sigh when his fingers moved her hair to the side before placing a kiss on her neck. His eyes were soft, but Ruby could sense stiffness from his wolf as they approached Duskfall territory.

"I'm fine." Ruby sighed, placing her hand on his that rested on her thigh.

She played with his fingers as a distraction from her building angst. Her insides were in turmoil, creating upsurges of anxiety, dread, and shame. Memories of her living in the peaceful, serene pack flooded her mind. She remembered the calm, loving atmosphere she had been welcomed into and the dark, harrowing mark Aiden had made, cutting her little sense of security short.

Ruby understood Noah's reluctance to accept Aiden's lands. She had a scar in each place. She now understood why Aiden had so much power in Duskfall that day—making the Alpha bow to him respectfully. He had taken their land, which wasn't deserted but with an Alpha.

Noah pushed her further into his embrace, sensing her wandering thoughts. "Will you be alright being in that pack? We can turn around if you want."

She was not going to be okay, and Ruby was sure Noah knew that. But she had to see. She had to come to peace with the guilt that invaded her each time she thought of the little family.

"No, I want to see."

The car suddenly stopped, and Ruby released the breath she was holding. Noah pushed the car door open, ushering her out.

Gravel crunched under her feet as she looked up at the structure of the pack house. Her eyes moved over the surrounding area of the pack, and she was enveloped in a feeling of nostalgia. It looked just as she remembered—the identical houses scattered around, the meandering street that reminded her of a flowing river, the rich smell of nature, the perfumed scent of flowers found in the front garden of every house, and the aroma of pastries.

Ruby pushed down the tears, pricking the back of her eyes as her eyes trailed down the street, locating the familiar road leading to Dorian's abode. She swallowed a lump as she wondered if Dorian was still there. An ache erupted in her chest as she longed to see the hazel-eyed girl skipping around with her brown hair in little pigtails and her favorite pink rain boots glowing under the sun.

The door of the pack house was pushed open, and William, the Alpha, stepped out. His eyes moved to Noah. Ruby could see him trembling before he looked at her. He furrowed his brows—probably wondering why she looked familiar.

Noah wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her to him, asserting his claim over her—not liking how William's stare lingered on her.

"Welcome, Alpha Noah. The Chancellor informed us of your arrival," William bowed in respect.

Noah scrunched his nose at the meek nature of the man who was supposed to be the pack's Alpha. An Alpha was supposed to be strong and dignified and show dominance in his pack no matter what.

"There were no warriors at the borders when we crossed," Noah stated.

William nodded. "We are a small agricultural pack, and most of our warriors were taken to Redmoon because it needed more men."

Ruby felt the anger flaring inside Noah for leaving a pack defenseless for his own good. "You must be aware of the change of power with Aiden's death."

William nodded.

"But I have no interest in taking a land with an Alpha. So I came up with a proposition: Do you agree to take back control of your pack, or should a new Alpha be arranged for Duskfall?"

Ruby sensed William's wolf perk up its head for the first time since they arrived. She watched his back straighten in his spot as he stared at Noah, unsure if to trust him. But Noah's expression held finality as he waited for a response.

A spark of joy flashed through William's eyes as he squared his shoulder, attaining the posture of an Alpha. "Thank you, Alpha, for this gift."

Noah gave him a curt nod before turning to Ruby. "Believe me, I am not doing it for you. I'd rather not step foot here again and hurt someone very special to me."

Ruby smiled at him, her love for him seeping into their bond.

"But I have one request to make," William said.

Noah turned to him, urging him to continue.

"Please help train us. Our best warriors had been taken away. We are completely vulnerable. I want to revert my pack to its former glory—although not the best, but a secure, condescending home."

Ruby looked up at Noah as she urged him to accept. It was the least he could do to completely eradicate Aiden's shadow from the peaceful pack. And it was the least she could help offer as an apology to Dorian and Lily.

Giving in to her curiosity, Ruby spoke up. "Is Dorian still…here?"

William turned to her. His eyes widened in recognition as he looked back at Noah and then at her. He remembered she was the little girl he had requested to meet on Aiden's demand.

"No, L-Luna," William shook his head. "He was killed a long time ago for treason."

Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat, trying her hardest to keep her tears at bay. Noah's wolf comforted hers through their bond, and she was grateful.

"Is his cottage still there?"

William nodded. "We have no new members, so his cottage has been empty since."

Ruby turned to Noah, begging him to let her see the place she had once considered home.

"No," Noah said without thinking.

"Please, I promise I'll be quick," Ruby pleaded.

"I can't let you go on your own, Ruby."

"I'll go with her," Isaac said from behind them.

Noah glared at his Beta. Ruby could feel them communicate through their link. Silence prevailed before Noah sighed, heavy and defeated. His eyes move back to Ruby.

"Please, be safe." Worry was evident in his voice as he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead.

Ruby answered through their bond. Her wolf reassured him that she would protect her human. With one final look his way, she turned towards the twisted road that led to Dorian's.

Duskfall pack members peered out of their houses, watching her as she moved down their streets. Some stared at her curiously, while some whispered.

"She is the mate of Alpha Noah, our new leader."

Ruby didn't bother correcting them; William would do that when he announced that they were now a free pack—she felt giddy, proud of Noah's decision. At that moment, she had something else on her mind as she spotted the familiar cottage belonging to Dorian. The tears which had pricked the back of her eyes clouded her vision, and her heart broke. The house was identical to the rest in the pack, but it looked abandoned with broken front steps and railing, which had held playful fairy lights once upon a time but were now destroyed by insect attack. It was quiet, void of Lily's jolly laughter.

Ruby let herself rip in sobs as she turned toward the garden. She could almost hear the happy padding of Lily's feet as she stared at the patch, usually filled with vibrant flowers and plump vegetables but now covered in weed. She fell to her knees. No one had gardened to keep the veranda lively or cleaned the spreading rot from the walls as if leaving the spirits of Dorian and his little girl to reside inside the walls of the crumbling house.

She felt Isaac moving slightly away to give her privacy. The pain and guilt she had felt so long clawed to the surface, willing her to cry, to feel the overwhelming feeling of loss she had pushed to the back of her mind, to feel the sorrow that made her wish she had thanked Dorian every day for helping her—that she had hugged Lily more tightly and listened to her silly stories.

"I'm so sorry," Ruby whispered. Her wolf whined inside her as if remembering her little moment with the duo family.

Movement in the little shed behind the cottage drew her attention. Her wolf lurched in alert as her eyes narrowed in the direction of the rustle.

"Who's there?" Ruby called out, her voice croaky from her sobs. "Show yourself."

Ophelia stepped out from behind the shed. She looked impassive, wearing a blouse, a long skirt, and boots. Her blond hair fell over her shoulders, hiding Aiden's indents on her neck, but Ruby could see it—the darkened mark of an Alpha on the right side of her neck.

Ophelia felt her attention flicker to her neck. Ruby felt her wolf grow uneasy, trying to put a front of authority, but failed miserably.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked, genuinely perplexed by her presence there.

Ruby felt a shiver run up her spine. If Ophelia was there, it only meant Edgar was close by.

Ophelia scoffed. Her eyes glowed in resentment. "Of course, you will ask me that after ruining my life."

Ruby matched her glare with her own. Immediate annoyance flooded her senses at the woman's accusation. "I did nothing to you."

"You stole everything from me!" Ophelia glowered as she took a shaky step forward. "My place as a Luna, the title I fought so hard to maintain, you made me a widow—the false mate of the dead Alpha."

Ruby fisted her hand as her wolf's rage seeped into her in waves. She couldn't believe what Ophelia was spewing. After everything she and Edgar had done to her, she still blamed her for her misfortunes.

"Bold of you to stand there and throw empty accusations, Ophelia. You and Father had made it your goal to make my life miserable," Ruby felt her energy bubble within her, but she urged her wolf to keep it down. "You tortured me, you stole my mate from me—thank the goddess you did." Ruby mocked, earning a growl from Ophelia. "You poisoned my wolf!"

"Yes, I did! I will do it all again if Father asks me to," Ophelia spat. "Why did you, of all people, have to be special? Why did you have to be mated to an Alpha? The first a strong one, and the next, the best, why couldn't I have him?"

Ruby scowled at her, not liking her words.

"And to top it off, you were the lost daughter of the goddess. Of course, I would follow my father's instruction to subdue your wolf. I wish I could say I felt a little bit of remorse for poisoning you. I wish I felt a little bit of pity for all you were put through, but I would be lying—if it were just up to me, you would have been dead a long time ago. But I held back because of father."

Ruby sensed the raw hate radiating from Ophelia. "You knew about father's plans."

"Of course I did. I thought it was sick at first until I heard Aiden say those words to you that day in the Alpha's room. I had to follow through so I could get the life I deserved.

Ruby tried calming her wolf, pushing the growing resentment down for the woman she took as a sister once upon a time. She was stronger than the anger clouding her mind at her words. Ruby knew from the start that she wasn't loved, hence why she had hunted for the feeling so much that she would have fallen to Aiden's feet when he called her his mate. She felt Isaac come closer to them—his wolf glaring at Ophelia, waiting for the exchange to end.

Ophelia looked from the Beta and back to her, annoyance blaring in her features at the calmer front Ruby had formed.

"You know what, Ruby," She continued, her eyes shimmering with trouble. "I should have waited a little longer. Maybe I should have been a little nice to you until you met Alpha Noah—I guess I made a mistake choosing the weaker brother to take away from you."

Ruby pushed the self-control she tried to build. Her wolf snatched control from her in a split second. The flare of burning anger grew inside her. Her eyes grew hazy from the outrage pulling from her wolf. Noah thundered at their bond, feeling the crippling rage her wolf emitted, but she was gone in her hate toward the woman who dared imagine a life with her mate.

Fear rolled off Ophelia, but so did satisfaction at her reaction.

"Ruby, wait!"

Ruby heard Isaac yell, but she was already lunging towards Ophelia, who dodged out of the way to reveal Edgar, who had been hiding behind the shed all along. Ruby tried picking up his scent but smelt nothing, concluding he had masked it along with Ophelia—no wonder they had escaped without a trace from Redmoon.

Ruby didn't cease in her attack. If she couldn't attack Ophelia, she would use the opportunity to hurt Edgar, who had orchestrated everything. Her extended claw descended on his chest, slicing from the left side down to the lower right.

Edgar hissed in pain but stood his ground, grabbing her attacking hand tight before spinning her around and placing a cold silver blade dangerously close to her neck.

Ruby felt her wolf bark, still wanting to attack, but refrained, knowing one wrong move would cost their lives. She winced when the blade grazed her skin in the lightest but burning touch.

"Stay back!" Edgar hollered when Isaac tried taking a step forward.

The Beta raised his hands, but thundering footsteps drew their attention to Noah, who rounded the corner of Dorian's house. His eyes darkened with fear and anger when he saw her in Edgar's arms.

Ruby stared at him, apologizing for her carelessness through their bond. If only she had not let her anger get the better of her. Noah remained quiet, his face pale as he eyed the knife.

"You think you are so lucky," Edgar said, glaring at Noah. He staggered, still hurting from the deep wound she inflicted.

Ruby whimpered when the knife dug into the skin of her neck again. Noah jerked at the sound, his eyes holding pain. "Just drop the knife, Edgar. We can talk this out."

"Talk this out? You must think I'm a fool. If I didn't take her from Kaiah, she would have been dead or serving an Alpha somewhere… far away." Edgar roared. His demeanor was crazed. "You should be thanking me!"

"Edgar, please."

Ruby almost cried out at the break in Noah's voice as he begged.

"But you all decided to take my gift away from me. Aiden tried, and you managed to succeed Noah, but I will not let you take her away from me again."

Ruby froze as the dark hunch she had back at Redmoon resurfaced. The feeling of death loomed in the air, but she was unsure who it would snatch in its ever-ready clutches.

"I had allowed you to have my gift, Alpha Noah, but now, if I cannot have her, it is best I take her with me."

Those were the last words Ruby heard before the sizzling blade was plunged into her stomach.