Twenty six

Lucian's POV

Lucian pulled up to the curb outside Tyler's headquarters, his thoughts racing as he turned off the ignition. He wasn't sure why he had come here. Maybe it was a gut feeling or intuition, but something was telling him that he needed to be here.

As he stepped out of the car, he heard the sound of hushed whispers coming from a group of workers outside the building. Curiosity getting the better of him, Lucian made his way over to them, trying to hear what they were saying.

"...did you hear about Ruby?" one of them said.

Lucian's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. He pushed his way through the group of workers until he was in front of them.

"What about Ruby?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

The workers looked at him with surprise, clearly not expecting him to be there. "She got into a fight with one of her co-workers," one of them said. "The co-worker exposed her wolf face to her, and she released fire on him. The others are planning to attack her."

Lucian's heart sank as he heard the news. He knew he had to find her and get her out of there before it was too late.

Without another word, he strode into the building, his senses on high alert as he searched for Ruby. He found her huddled in a corner, her face buried in her hands as she cried.

"Ruby!" he called out, his voice filled with relief as he rushed over to her. "We need to get out of here, now!"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "Lucian, what's going on?" she asked, her voice trembling.

He took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "There's no time to explain. We need to go," he said urgently.

As they made their way through the building, Lucian could hear the sound of angry voices getting closer. He pushed Ruby ahead of him, using his body to shield her from the angry mob that was gathering around them.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and Lucian felt the ground shake beneath him. He turned to see that Ruby had released a burst of fire, which had knocked back their attackers.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the exit.

They burst out of the building, and Lucian led her to his car, where he drove them to a safe spot. Ruby was still shaking with fear and shock, and Lucian did his best to comfort her.

"It's going to be okay, Ruby," he said, his voice soft and gentle. "You're safe now."

She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "I don't understand what's happening to me," she said. "Why did I do that? Why did I release the fire?"

Lucian took a deep breath, knowing that he had to tell her the truth. "Ruby, you're a witch," he said. "You come from a long line of powerful witches. And what you did, releasing the fire like that, it's a sign of your powers. But it's also dangerous. The council will want to kill you now."

Ruby's eyes widened in horror as she realized the severity of the situation. "What can we do?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I can take you to my pack," Lucian said. "They'll protect you. And I'll do everything in my power to plead your case to the council."

Ruby looked at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I don't know if I'm ready for that," she said.

"You don't have

a choice, Ruby," Lucian said firmly.