Chapter 56 A strange occurrence
Ruel's POV
“S…She’s a what?” Elric stutters, stepping further from me.
The words have barely left his mouth when something deep and old wakes inside me, something I didn’t summon and don’t know how to stop. This isn’t anger– I realise this as I zero in my gaze on him.
And it isn’t fear either. It is like a rush of raw, uncovered feelings flooding every vein in my body before my mind can keep up.
Everything screams at me to protect.
It hits me so hard I have to draw in a sharp breath, my chest tightening. For the second time today, I feel Krist move within me, but not the way he usually does.
He settles into me, solid and steady, like added weight pressing down into my bones, grounding me even as it gives my mind the deception of me being larger.
My spine straightens without my permission and I feel my shoulders pull back, broadening. The room feels different suddenly, like everything within my study is holding its breath.
“No one touches her.” I say, my thoughts sliding together with Krist’s without resistance, it really does feel like we are one. I feel him align with me the way a blade fits into its hilt… It’s suddenly hard to tell where he begins and where I end.
There is no question between us, no argument, only a shared certainty that hums beneath my skin. No one hurts Ira.
Elric takes a step back, his boots scraping softly against the floor.
“R…Ru…Ruel,” he gasps, his voice laden with fear.
I don’t turn to look at him.
“I SAID NO ONE TOUCHES HER.” I repeat harshly, my sound deeper than my normal voice, carrying a weight and resonance that makes the words feel less spoken and more declared.
But it’s my voice and very well my thoughts… Just a lot more powerful.
“Ruel, you’re-” Elric lifts a shaking hand and points at me, his eyes wide in terror.
“Do you understand?” I growl, cutting him off.
“You’re…” Elric’s breathing changes immediately, turning shallow and uneven, his chest rising too fast as his eyes dart around the room, searching wildly, like he’s looking for a way out or something familiar to anchor himself.
Then he moves.
He rushes toward the corner where an old reflective glass hangs, the little mirror gleams in the low light.
I frown at him, watching as his hands fumble when he grabs the glass and turns it toward me.
“Look,” he whispers.
But the moment my eyes meet my reflection, I can’t look away.
Something is wrong.
My pupils are stretched too far, dark and elongated, swallowing more of the iris than they should. The whites of my eyes are no longer clean. Like a curtain, gold streaks cover them completely.
I step forward on shaky feet.
My jaw looks heavier, the edges sharper. And my teeth? That’s what catches my attention next.
They’re completely fangs, the ends sharper than they’ve ever been.
Even my posture is different… Filled with so much pride and a dangerous stillness that promises violence once provoked.
“I am mid-shift,” I gasp, staggering back, confused. I reach up to my face. Without the mirror, I'd never have realised I currently look like that but as I pass my finger over my teeth, the sharp end pricks me, proving I am indeed stuck mid-shift.
“Shit, Krist.” I mutter in fright, not knowing how to undo this.
“You… you shouldn’t be able to do this. T..to merge like that. N-no beta should.”
For a brief moment, the urge to shrink claws at me– to pull inward, to soften, disappear back into the shape that I understand… to become normal, less wrong.
Krist refuses, his pride flaring. That stubbornness pulses through me like a bubbling volcano.
“Krist!” I mentally yell at him, my body trembling in fear.
“Ruel,” I hear my name deep within me. Krist's voice is calm like the wind after rain. His tone edged with worry.
And just like that, I feel the weight begin to lift.
My shoulders loosen, my spine easing as the pressure withdraws. I breathe better as I watch the thing staring back at me from the mirror soften.
The fierceness in my appearance retreats, allowing me to once again recognize my face.
Without saying a word, I turn away and return to my chair, lowering myself into it slowly.
My hands hold the armrest firmly as though I'm trying to ground myself.
There's no sound aside my breathing. Even Krist is silent within me.
“H…How?” I ask him quietly, running a hand through my damp hair.
“I don't know. It just happened.” Krist mutters sounding genuine, yet pleased.
Elric drags a hand down his face, his breathing still unsteady as he watches me like he’s trying to decide whether I’m the same person he’s known all these years.
“When,” he asks quietly, “...did you find out about Ira?”
“A while back,” I answer, surprising myself with the ease with which I say it.
He frowns. “How long is a while, Ruel?”
“Long enough,” I say, keeping my gaze on the desk.
He exhales, rubbing his jaw. “Then why is she still unharmed?”
The word unharmed snaps something inside me.
I feel Krist surge at the same time anger flashes hot behind my eyes. My fist hits the table before I can stop it, the sound blasting through the room.
“I swear on the moon,” Krist snarls through my mouth, voice rough and dangerous, “I will treat you like a rogue if you even think of touching her.”
Elric stiffens, his gaze hardening. His mouth opens as if he wants to argue, but then he closes it just as quickly. Then after a long moment, he nods.
“I know,” he says hoarsely. “I know she’s not just a stray.”
My fingers curl against the edge of the table.
“She’s your mate,” Elric continues. “Hurting her would mean hurting you. I would… I would never do that. I promise to never hurt her.”
The tension in the room eases slightly and suddenly it's like I can breathe again.
But Elric isn’t finished yet. That's what I realize when he speaks again.
“What kind of stray is she?”
Krist stills within me. “Don’t.” He warns inside my head. “Not yet.”
I swallow.
“He won’t hurt her,” I think back. “You know Elric. If there's anyone we can trust then it's him.”
Krist snorts. “Don't be stupid. Sempyrs killed his family, Ruel. He won't be able to keep that promise. You can't even let yourself love her.”
I stay silent.
Elric watches me closely, his expression sharpening with suspicion as my silence stretches too long.
“That’s not important.” I mutter, wondering if I'll ever be able to tell him.
Elric’s eyes flick between my face and my clenched fists.
“Since when,” he asks carefully, “have you been able to merge like that with your wolf?”
He steps closer, urgency breaking through his fear. “Ruel, not even the Alpha King can do that.”
I clutch my head, my fingers digging into my scalp as my thoughts work overtime.