Chapter 12 CHAPTER 12

Chapter 12 CHAPTER 12
Ophelia’s POV
"Doing what?"
"All of this. Defending me. Getting me a job. Feeding me." He paused. "You don't even know me."
"Maybe I want to know you," I said without thinking.
His ears turned red immediately.
Oh my god, why did I say that? That sounded so weird!
"I mean—" I scrambled to recover. "Like, as a person! A pack member! Not in a weird way! Just normal knowing! The regular amount of knowing!"
"You're rambling," Hex said in my head.
"I KNOW I'M RAMBLING!"
Ryan was staring at me, his face flushed.
"Anyway!" I said loudly. "The point is, everyone deserves a chance. That's all. Nothing weird about it."
"Okay," he said slowly.
"Good! Great! Glad we cleared that up!"
We stood there in awkward silence for approximately ten years.
"So, um," I said finally. "You wanna see the training yard? While we wait for Jovie?"
"Sure."
I led him toward where the warriors were practicing. Some were sparring with wooden swords, others doing drills with shields.
"See that guy with the scar?" I pointed to a huge warrior who was demonstrating some kind of complex sword move. "That's Nolan. He's the head of patrol. Super experienced. If anyone can teach you tracking, it's him."
Ryan watched Nolan intently. "He's good."
"The best. Dad says he once tracked a rogue pack across three territories without losing the scent."
"Impressive."
We watched the training for a while. Ryan's eyes followed every movement, like he was memorizing the techniques.
"You know how to fight?" I asked.
"Some."
"Some like 'I took a self-defense class once' or some like 'I killed four rogues yesterday'?"
His jaw tightened. "The second one."
"Right. Stupid question." I paused. "Where'd you learn?"
"Nowhere. Just... survival."
The way he said it made my chest hurt.
"Well, if you want to learn proper techniques, Nolan runs training sessions every morning," I said. "You should join once you're settled in."
"Maybe."
"That's not a no!"
He almost smiled again.
Jovie came back a few minutes later with Nolan in tow. The big warrior looked Ryan up and down, his expression unreadable.
"So you're the new kid," Nolan said. His voice was deep and rough, like gravel.
Ryan nodded.
"Jovie says you want to be a patrol scout."
Another nod.
"You know anything about tracking?"
"Some."
Nolan grunted. "Show me your hands."
Ryan held out his hands. Nolan examined them, turning them over.
"Calluses. You've done manual work." He looked up at Ryan's face. "And you've got the eyes of someone who's been hunted. Good. That means you know how to stay alert."
He released Ryan's hands and stepped back.
"Here's the deal, kid. Patrol work isn't easy. You're gonna be out in all weather, walking for hours, staying focused when you're exhausted. You miss one sign of danger, people die. You understand?"
"Yes."
"And you're gonna take orders. From me, from the senior scouts, from anyone with more experience than you. Which right now is everyone. Your ego doesn't matter out there. Only the pack's safety. Got it?"
"Got it."
Nolan studied him for another long moment. Then he nodded.
"Alright. You start tomorrow morning. Dawn. Meet me at the north gate. Don't be late."
"I won't be."
"Good." Nolan turned to me. "Miss Ophelia, I'm doing this as a favor to you. But if he causes problems—"
"He won't," I said quickly. "I promise."
Nolan grunted again and walked back to the training yard.
I turned to Ryan with a huge grin. "See? You got the job!"
"Yeah."
"You could sound more excited."
"I am excited."
"You have a terrible poker face for someone who's supposedly excited."
That almost-smile appeared again. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." I checked the sun's position. Still morning, but not for much longer. "Okay, so you've got the rest of the day off. Tomorrow you start training. Tonight, we need to figure out your living situation."
His expression shifted slightly. "Living situation?"
"Yeah. You need a proper room. Can't keep sleeping on..." I trailed off, realizing I hadn't actually arranged anywhere for him to sleep last night.
Wait.
Where DID he sleep last night?
"Hex," I thought frantically. "Where did Ryan sleep?"
"No idea. You never actually arranged anything, remember? You just assumed someone would handle it."
"Oh my god."
"Ryan," I said carefully. "Where did you sleep last night?"
He shrugged. "The stables."
"THE STABLES?!"
"It was fine."
"It was NOT fine! You slept with the HORSES?!"
"I've slept in worse places."
"That's not the point!" I grabbed his arm. "You're not sleeping in the stables! You're a pack member now, not a—a—"
"Stray dog?" he supplied.
"I wasn't gonna say that!"
"But you thought it."
"I did NOT!" I took a deep breath. I studied his face. He looked tired. Really tired. Like he hadn't slept properly in days.
"Hey," I said softly. "When's the last time you got a full night's sleep?"
He didn't answer.
"Ryan?"
"I don't remember."
Damn.
"Okay, new rule," I said firmly. "Tonight, you're sleeping properly. In a real bed. And nobody's gonna bother you. Got it?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You're very bossy."
"I prefer assertive."
"That's what bossy people call themselves."
I gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? I am trying to help you here!"
"I know." And there it was again—that almost-smile. "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it," I said quickly, standing up. "That's what guardian angels do, right?"
His ears turned red.
Oh my god, he was so easy to fluster.
"Anyway!" I cleared my throat. "I should probably go. Lots of Alpha-daughter stuff to do. Very important. Super busy."
"Okay."
"But I'll see you later! For dinner! You better show up or I'm coming to find you!"
"Okay."
I spent the next few hours dealing with boring pack business. Signing papers. Listening to reports. Trying very hard not to think about Ryan's almost-smile.
Around mid-afternoon, Jovie found me in my office.
"Miss Ophelia," she said, and her tone made me look up immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"Remember when you asked me to handle those two guys? The thief and the rogue from yesterday?"
"Yeah?"
"I sent warriors to arrest them this morning." She paused. "But there's a problem."
My stomach dropped. "What kind of problem?"
"The rogue you knocked out? He's dead."
I stood up so fast my chair fell over. "WHAT?"
"Someone killed him. Last night. Slit his throat."
"Oh my god." I felt dizzy. "Who would—"
"We don't know yet. But there's something else."
"What?"
"The real thief—the one who actually stole the coin purse? He's gone. Disappeared. His room was empty when we went to arrest him."
I sank back into my chair. "So let me get this straight. The rogue who tried to kill Ryan is dead. And the thief who framed him is gone."
"That's the situation, yes."
"This is bad."
"Very bad."
"Do we have any idea who killed the rogue?"
Jovie shook her head. "No witnesses. No evidence. Whoever did it was careful."
My mind was racing. Who would want that rogue dead? And why?
"Keep investigating," I said finally. "But quietly. I don't want the pack panicking."
"Understood."
After she left, I just sat there, staring at nothing.
"Hex?" I thought.
"Yeah?"
"This is weird, right? Too many coincidences?"
"Definitely weird."
"You don't think Ryan—"
"No," Hex said firmly. "He was exhausted yesterday. He could barely walk. There's no way he snuck out, killed someone, and made it back without anyone noticing."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right."
But something about this whole situation made me uneasy.
Evening came faster than I expected. I was in the dining hall, picking at my dinner, when Jovie appeared with more bad news.
"Miss Ophelia, we have another problem."
I put down my fork. "Of course we do."
"The allied pack that arrived this morning? They're staying longer than expected. Which means—"
"The guest rooms are full," I finished.
"Exactly. And we promised Ryan a room, but now there's nowhere to put him."
I thought fast. The warriors' barracks were out—too dangerous with people like Tom around. The servants' quarters were inappropriate. And every other room was occupied.
"He can stay in my room," I heard myself say.
Jovie's eyes went huge. "Miss Ophelia—"
"Just for tonight! Tomorrow we'll figure something else out. But I'm not making him sleep in the barracks where Tom can get to him."
"Your father—"
I stood up. "It's one night, Jovie. We're both mature enough to handle this."
"This is a terrible idea," Hex said in my head.
"It's ONE night," I thought back. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Famous last words.
Later That Night
Ryan stood in the doorway of my room, looking uncomfortable.
"So, um," I said, gesturing around. "This is my room. It's not huge or anything, but it's got a nice window seat." I pointed to the cushioned bench under the window. "You can sleep there. I'll take the bed."
He nodded but didn't move.
"It's just for tonight," I added quickly. "Tomorrow we'll find you a proper room. This is just temporary."
"Okay."
"And there are rules!" I held up my hands. "No weird stuff. We stay on our respective sleeping surfaces. Got it?"
His ears turned red again. "I wasn't planning on any weird stuff."
"Good! Great! Perfect!" Why was I so flustered? "So, um, the bathroom's through that door if you need it. And I usually go to bed around ten, but if you need to sleep earlier that's fine too—"
"Ophelia."
I stopped rambling. "Yeah?"
"It's fine. Thank you."
Something about the way he said it—so quietly, so sincerely—made my heart squeeze.
"You're welcome," I said softly.
We stood there for a moment in awkward silence.
"So!" I clapped my hands together. "I need to change into my nightgown. Can you, um, turn around?"
He immediately turned to face the wall.
I grabbed my nightgown from the wardrobe and quickly changed, hyper-aware of every single sound I was making. The rustle of fabric seemed so loud in the quiet room.
"Okay, you can turn around now," I said once I was decent.
He turned back, and I noticed he was very carefully looking anywhere but at me.
I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. "The window seat has pillows and blankets in that chest. Help yourself."
"Thanks."
He moved quietly, setting up his makeshift bed. I watched him from under my lashes, trying not to be obvious about it.
He really was too skinny. His shoulders were sharp angles, his arms all lean muscle and bone.
"Stop staring," Hex said.
"I'm not staring. I'm observing."
"That's the same thing."
"Shut up."
Ryan settled onto the window seat, pulling a blanket over himself. The moonlight from the window fell across his face, making his features look softer.
"Goodnight," I said.
"Goodnight."
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
This was fine. Totally normal. Just two teenagers sharing a room in a completely platonic way.
Nothing weird about this at all.
Except I was hyper-aware of his presence. Every small sound he made. Every shift of position.
"This is torture," I thought to Hex.
"I told you it was a bad idea."
"Not helping!"
Eventually, exhaustion won out and I drifted off.
I woke up to moonlight and silence.
Something felt wrong.
I sat up and looked at the window seat.
Empty.
"Ryan?" I whispered.
No response.
Panic started to set in. Did he run away? Was he hurt? Did something—
Then I saw him.
He was standing by the window, looking out at the moon. The silver light made him look ethereal, almost ghostly.
The Next Morning
I woke up to sunlight and an empty window seat.
The cushions were neatly arranged. The blanket was folded perfectly.
Ryan was gone.
I sat up, feeling a weird mix of relief and disappointment.
"He left early," Hex said. "Went to report for his patrol assignment."
"Oh. Good. That's good."
"You sound disappointed."
"I'm not disappointed!"
"Sure."
I got dressed and headed downstairs, trying to ignore the weird feeling in my chest.
In the hallway, Hex spoke up again. "Listen, I need to tell you something."
"What?"
"You're gonna do a lot of missions. In different worlds. And you're gonna meet a lot of people. Some of them will be attractive."
"Okay, where is this going?"
"You need strong mental barriers," Hex said seriously. "A lot of Fate Weavers fall for people in their mission worlds. And it never ends well."
"Why not?"
"Because these aren't real relationships. You're here temporarily. When the mission's done, you leave. Forever. And the person you fell for? They stay behind. They live their life without you. They might not even remember you, depending on how the timeline corrects itself."
I stopped walking. "That's depressing."
"That's reality. Some Fate Weavers get so attached that they can't complete their missions. They try to stay. But the Guardians don't allow it. You leave, and you leave a mess behind. Broken hearts. Confused people. Disrupted timelines."
"Okay, but—"
"I'm not saying don't care about these people," Hex continued. "You have to care. Empathy is literally your superpower. But you need boundaries. Emotional distance. Don't fall in love with your mission targets."
I thought about Ryan. About his sad eyes in the moonlight.
"I'm not falling for anyone," I said firmly. "I'm dead inside. Emotionally unavailable. My heart is a frozen wasteland."
"That's the first time I've heard someone brag about having no feelings."
"I'm serious! I'm just here to fix the timeline and go home. That's it."
"Uh-huh."
"I am!"
"You're blushing."
"I'm not—" I touched my face. It was warm. "Shut up!"
"Just remember what I said. Strong. Mental. Barriers."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."