Chapter 28
Owen
“Please don’t leave me.” Ruby pulls me towards her when I try to get off bed. I thought she was asleep. She is really shaken up after what the bastards did, I wonder what happened to make them behave like that. They will surely get if from me, I will make them pay.
“No baby I am not leaving you. I will never leave you alone, Ruby.” I assure her. I sit on the edge of the bed and place a soft kiss on her forehead. She closes her eyes, I can hear her sighing softly. I could have left, but I can't, I wanted to teach these guys a lesson, but I can't leave her. My heart won't allow me to. My heart bleeds seeing her like this, she has been so strong since I found her, but this mate thing is really eating her up.
“But where are you going?” she asks, getting up, her hand is still on my shirt. She is holding me so tightly. If only she knew that I am alive just because I found her, if only she knew that I live for her. I place my hand on hers and slowly detangle her fingers from my shirt. But I don't let go of her.
“I am just heading downstairs to call your mum. I know how much you need her right now,” I say, looking right into her eyes. She looks so sad, I wish there could be something I could do right now.
“Really.”
“Yes baby, you know I love you right, I love you so much, and I will never hurt you.” I say to her, meaning every word. I wish she could see my heart.
“Thank you, you know me so well. I need her so much.” She says, tilting her neck sideways. She only does this gesture when she is completely heartbroken. I don't know what to do, maybe her mum will be of help.
“You are my mate Ruby, and I will never leave you, I will always be here for you. Give me five minutes, so I can bring her, alright.” I say, kissing her knuckles, she nods. I can feel how tense she is through the bond, I can feel how scared she is, she thinks that I will not come back for her.
I rush downstairs and come back with her mother almost immediately. I don't want her to suffer even for a single moment.
“Oh darling, what's the matter with you.” Her mother slides to bed beside her. Ruby gets up and hugs her mother tightly. She explains what had happened the night before.
“Oh, Ruby, I wish I told you earlier.” Her mother says, bursting into tears. I just stand at the corner not wanting to interrupt her, I want to console both of them, but I hold myself. All I know is that, I will never abandon my Ruby, no matter what. I know I only have some days left to hit one hundred years, terming me unfit for running the underworld, but I don't care as long as I am with her, then I will have everything I need. I will find a job if I have to because I wouldn’t have my powers anymore.
What good is my powers without my mate anyway?
“Told me what, mum?” She asks amidst sniffling.
“About the truth I kept from you since you were a baby.” Miss Powers answers. By how she is sounding, it's definitely a serious matter.
“I will just be outside, ma'am.” I excuse myself, I don't feel too good listening to their conversation.
“Oh no son don't go, it concerns you too dear.” She says, fear creeps me. “Come seat here and please stop calling me ma'am, just call me Emily .” She taps the space on the bed beside her. I take a seat slowly, I can't stop worrying, I just hope it isn't something serious.
“So, eighteen years ago, I was pregnant, Noah and I were so excited to get our first pup. I couldn't wait to hold my baby in my arms. But our happiness was short-lived when the midwife confirmed to us that we were expecting triplets.” She pauses, sighing deeply.
I bet Noah is Ruby's father, she had never spoken about him though.
Ruby’s eyes are now shot wide open, damn, she looks so beautiful even in this state she is in now. All I want is to hold her in my arms, I feel so jealous for her mother's hands.
“So as you know, it's forbidden to have more than one child at a go in midnight pack. The punishment is for the children to be sacrificed to the gods. I wasn't ready to see my babies die. So my mate and I tried all we could to find a solution to this problem. We wanted to leave the pack and raise our kids somewhere else. But it wasn't possible since we were so broke, and also no pregnant woman was allowed outside the pack.” She pauses, I wonder how I am connected to all this.
“So one day my midwife said she had a solution for me, but it came with consequences. She explained that she had found a way to save all my children, but they would live in one body.” She says.
“One body.” Ruby asks in shock.
“Yes darling, we found a witch who cast a spell to intertwine all the three souls of my babies into one. But then the consequence was my mate to leave and never come back, he wasn't allowed to see the child. If he did then the spell will be broken and that would mean our children would be sacrificed.” She adds. Wow, it's a lot, but still, I don't know how I am connected to all this.
“So the baby I gave birth to was you darling.” She says tears streaming down her eyes. “I thought what I did wouldn't be known, but look you have three mates worlds apart, the goddess is somehow punishing me.”
“Mom, you are saying I am three in one?” Ruby asks, shaking.
“Yes darling, you have your two sisters with you subconsciously.” She answers.
“What, how is that even possible, Mom? I mean aren't I supposed to feel them inside me or something.” Asks Ruby, I also have the same question and more. "And dad, he had to be away from us." tears stream down her lovely face as she mentions her father.
“No Ruby, you were identical, and just like you were in the same egg, you are in the same body, and you fit perfectly, they can see everything though, I think sometime they surface without you even knowing. That's why you have three mates, each of you got their intended mate.” She explains. "About Noah, we couldn't really stay away from each other, I meet him occasionally at the outskirts of the pack." She looks at the floor when saying this.
“Wow it's a lot to really take in mum, all these years I couldn't see my dad because of some barbaric culture?”
“I know darling, Noah loves you so much, I send him photos of you. As a matter of fact, you two look so much alike. The only problem is that he can't see you, it kills him everyday." Miss Emily explains.
"The reason you three are now not in good terms now it's because you almost got intimate. It's not supposed to happen, you are supposed to just be with one of them.”
“What, but I want them all mum, what do I do?” Ruby asks in tears. To be honest, it hurts knowing that I occupy the same space as the others. It hurts knowing I will never be enough for her.
“I was warned that there will be consequences, I am sorry Ruby that you have to go through all this pain.” She consoles her, wiping off her tears. It hurts me seeing her this heart broken. If there was something I could do, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
“Mom, is there a way that we can be separated?” Ruby asks, looking straight at her mom.
“No way Ruby, I am not going to risk your life no way. You will have to forgive me, but I am not going to do that.”
“I can't live like this, mom. I just can't.” She gets off bed and starts to pace around the room.
“No Ruby if it's risky I don't want it too.” I interject. The thought of something bad happening to her scares the hell out of me. How will I live forever without her, now that I found her?
"Please darling, I know it can be done but I don’t want to lose you too in the process." Miss Emily says finally stopping Ruby from pacing.
"Nothing will happen to me mum."
"No, I can't darling, I can't risk your life. you will have to forgive me." with that she leaves the room. I rush to Ruby's side and take her in my arms. My heart is pounding so fast. What's all this, I still cannot believe it