Chapter 10 Ruby

Ruby

Another sleepless night had me restless, my thoughts keeping me awake despite my tired eyes.

My new room will be ready tomorrow, the start of a new life as a guinea pig to werewolves. Mathieu had said his wolves would learn from me, but what was I supposed to teach them? Don't they all live alongside humans anyway? What had he meant when he said one day humans and werewolves would have to come together? He had also said again. Did that mean humans used to live alongside werewolves?

"I see what Natalie saw in you."

What had she seen? I still couldn't believe she had taken a deep dive into my mind. Maybe if I hadn't told her to leave me alone, I could've found her and asked her to put me to sleep the way she had before. In the daytime, I can force myself to think of other things, but night causes my doubts and fears to come alive and plague me.

I wasn't even sure if I was handling this all correctly. What's the correct way to deal with something like this anyways? First I'm to be killed, and now I'm a part of the family? Something else was going on here.

"Too many questions," I groaned as I pressed my thumbs against my temples.

Well, if I couldn't sleep, I might as well try to find something to eat. Since this was now my new home, I doubted anyone would hurt me if I took a walk to the kitchen, wherever that was.

It's easy to get an anxiety attack when you know you're sneaking around a house that's filled with people who can hear a pin drop from a mile away. The house was deathly quiet as I made my way to the first floor. I'd left my slippers in my room, figuring I'd be quieter in my bare feet,

but it probably didn't matter. They'd hear me anyway.

I reached the first floor and heard a noise. I decided to check it out. Hopefully, whoever else was wandering around the house would be friendly enough to point me in the direction of the kitchen. I hadn't eaten anything all day, my appetite having been wiped away by the bomb Mathieu had dropped.

"Bingo!" I said under my breath as I spotted the kitchen. But as I entered it, I found Natalie staring right at me.

"You heard me coming?"

She smiled shyly and nodded. "Are you hungry?"

I nodded as well and walked further into the kitchen. My brow rose at her neon pink night set. "Yeah, I have a headache."

She got up from the island and walked over to the fridge. "So, I guess Mathieu spoke to you, then. It's not so bad here, once you get used to it."

She pulled out some rotisserie chicken and shoved it into the microwave before pouring us both some orange juice. I narrowed my eyes at her as she took her seat once more, the microwave rumbling behind her. She didn't seem upset with me, though not exactly her perky self either.

"I'm sorry for how I behaved before," I said.

She smiled again, although this time wider. "It's okay. I can't even imagine how confused and upset you've been."

I made a face as I took a sip of the juice, my eyes taking in everything in the kitchen. "Oh no, this has all been so much fun."

She chuckled, catching on to my sarcasm, and I smiled back, feeling like we were back where we were a few days ago. Before I had been attacked by disgusting men and kidnapped by a pissed-off wolf.

"I want to know more," I told her as she grabbed the chicken and split it in half. "About you, all of you. Why do you all hate humans so much that if one finds out about your existence, you kill them?"

Her hand paused in handing me my plate and a shadow flashed over her blue eyes for a moment. I took the plate from her, and she retreated to her side of the island.

"It's not that we hate humans." She puckered her lips. "Well, some wolves do, but I don't. Wolves and humans just have a bad history, a history that led to a lot of deaths on both sides." She inhaled after swallowing a piece of her chicken. "Decades upon decades ago humans and wolves lived together in peace, along with witches and other supernatural beings. Now those times were as dangerous as you might imagine because there's good and bad in all species. I don't remember the whole story, so I'll summarize what I remember; I haven't heard it since I was a child."

I nodded as I washed my chicken down and folded my arms on the cold marble island. From the look on her face, I could tell I wasn't going to like this story. Since wolves now hate humans and humans don't know of their existence, something horrible must have happened.

She looked broken, however, and I had a feeling she remembered the story a lot better than she was letting on.

"Werewolves aren't predators. We've always been protectors. We have the strength to hunt other supernatural creatures that plague the world. So back then there was a wolf pack living close to a human city. Both species found a balance. The wolves guarded the city and protected the humans, the king's castle, and their own pack as well. Things got complicated when a human girl fell for a wolf. However, there was a human boy who liked her as well." Natalie swiped her tongue across her top lip. "The human boy could not accept that a wolf had 'stolen' his girl, but obviously a human can't fight a wolf. The fight is lost before it even begins."

"The human boy did something stupid, didn't he? I feel like that's where this story is going. This stuff is always about love and jealousy."

She pointed her fork at me. "Listen. Eventually, the wolf found his mate and his relationship with the human girl ended. She was devastated and angry, so she ran right into the arms of the human boy who had loved her all along. On her wedding day, she and her new husband invited her old love, and they arranged for the wolf to be poisoned."

My eyes widened. "What?" After a few seconds of her saying nothing else, I leaned forward. "And what happened after that?"

"That's it. The human girl was the king's daughter, and the wolf was the alpha's son. You can imagine how that all played out, and here we are now, divided. Wolves turned themselves into myths to keep away from humans."

I sat back and sighed. "I can definitely agree that the princess was a total bitch for doing that. I can even understand why you all retreated to the shadows. But why release me, yet keep me here? I'm not going to tell anyone, and who would believe me?"

She ate another piece of chicken and waved the bone at me. "Someone will, trust me. That's all it'll take to start another war. Humans are more dangerous now than they were back then. Humans from this century are even more jealous, greedy, and power-hungry than before. And on top of that, now there are bombs, guns, and scientists that would..."

She trailed off, her anger was bubbling to the surface and her face twisting, and I couldn't say I didn't understand why. It's never been difficult for me to put myself in another's shoes, and right now I could see the pain in Natalie's eyes. No one wants to imagine themselves cut open on a cold table while doctors run experiments on them.

"You're right," I replied softly, and she looked over at me. "A war now would be bad, but why can't I just..."

"Give it a rest, Ruby." Natalie and I watched as Xavier walked over to the fridge and removed a bottle of water. I hadn't seen him since the day I had slapped him, and my fist tightened around my glass as he pinned me with a stare that could freeze water. I sent one back his way.

"Give it a rest? Are you serious? I'm being forced to stay here, with people who hate me just because I don't have fangs. Send someone to tail me, since you don't trust me not to talk. You've ruined my life, Xavier. I don't belong here!"

He slammed the bottled water down onto the counter and I jumped. Even Natalie flinched as the bottle burst. "I've ruined your life? You're so selfish and self-centered. Even after hearing what Natalie had just told you, you still really don't get it? You don't want to be here, but there are people here who don't want you here either. Our pack doesn't kill humans. We've never had to. So you can't leave here, ever. You're lucky your life was even spared, but now I realize I should have left you in that alleyway to be raped!"

"Xavier, that's enough!" Natalie yelled, but it was too late.

"No," I said softly as I got up from the island. "He's right."

Natalie stood up as well. "Ruby, he didn't..."

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

I turned away and left the kitchen quickly before either of them could see the tear that fell from my eye.