"It's no one's fault, it's just my terrible condition."
Difficult Gracie Abrams
R U T H
Reese didn't finish explaining what he meant when a wolf prowled into the open gates of Rueben's property. The guards did nothing to stop the animal, and both Reese and Zeke merely stared. The wolf was bloodied, its brown and black coat soaking in crimson. Its steps were broken, held together in a limp.
"What the hell?" Zeke managed to whisper, and it set Reese off into a slight jog as he dashed toward the injured wolf.
Its eyes were latched on mine. Gold. My head ached from staring into the wolf's eyes, but I couldn't look away. Something was nudging at me, in my mind, to remember. I didn't know what I had to recall from my broken memory. It was like the wolf was forcing me to. I couldn't, not even as I became nauseous.
All I knew was that Rueben was the wolf, and he was hurt.
"Theo," Reese warned the wolf, and I was confused again. Maybe werewolves had different names for their wolf selves. "You'll scare her."
Theo, as Reese called him, snarled at his Beta's words, keeping his attention on me. His steps didn't falter, not even as his limping worsened.
"Theodoros," Reese repeated, his voice torn.
But the wolf didn't stop until he was in front of me. I wasn't afraid. Zeke was beside me, and Theodoros appeared to be too weak to do any damage. He lowered his head, a choked whimper escaping as he nudged at my shoes.
"I don't understand," I said to no one in particular.
"He wants you to reach a hand out," Zeke replied.
I did so with caution. My fingers lowered to the wolf's head, his fur tickling my skin as I rested my hand on him gently.
"What now-"
A flash as bright as the sun evaded my vision, and I couldn't close my eyes to protect myself from the pain it produced in my head. When it dimmed, I was no longer in the same place I was a moment ago. I could hear Zeke's voice, I could feel Theordoros' fur, but I was not with them. I couldn't see them.
I was surrounded by trees, the autumn-coloured leaves crunching beneath my feet as a cold breeze gushed through my hair.
'So warm.'
My body jolted at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. It chuckled, its amusement sending chills down my spine.
'Don't be scared.'
I looked around for a voice, but saw no one. My eyes did a double take when I spotted a brown wolf in the distance, peering at me behind a few trees. Gold eyes watched over me like I was a treasure that needed to be safeguarded.
'There we go,' the voice was so deep, I could almost feel its vibration rumble through my skin.
"Who are you?" I asked breathlessly.
The wolf, Theodoros, didn't move his gaze from mine as he walked past the thin and thick trees to see me clearer. He wasn't bloodied or injured as I had just seen.
"Where is Rueben?"
'Rueben is too naive to talk to you right now,' the voice spoke tensely. 'He lost it when he came back here after seeing you.'
The day I'd seen him at the park. He'd come back and given complete control to his wolf. It made me wonder if it was because he'd seen how hurt I was. Maybe it was from the small wound on my face, or the torn expression I wasn't aware I'd given him. Either way, he saw that I was hurt and lost it. It made me consciously aware of how real the mate bond was.
"Okay, Theordoros," I corrected myself, trying to keep calm. "What are you showing me?"
'I'm showing you what happened.'
I waited a moment before the wolf before me snapped his head to growl at something behind me. My head spun to see what growled back. A wolf with darker fur and a thinner build prowled toward Theordoros.
"A rogue?"
'Yes.'
"In your borders," I stated confidently, noticing how the trees in this area looked the same as the ones behind Rueben's house.
'Our.'
"What?" I asked, confused. The voice didn't answer. "So, obviously there's a traitor if someone's secretly allowing these rogues to trespass."
'Don't be scared.'
"I'm not-"
A yelp escaped my lips when the dark brown wolf charged through the woods, hurling right toward me. Theodoros chuckled again, and I moved back enough to watch as the two collided, claws and fur becoming a blur.
'It's only my memory, Ruth. You will not be hurt. I won't let you get hurt.'
I did nothing but watch the wolves tackle each other. Theo's mouth opened and snapped for the rogue's neck. It was only a struggle for the first few seconds before Theo used his razor-edged claws to slice into the rogue's body.
It was only when Theodoros had snapped the wolf's neck with his bare teeth that another emerged to tackle him from behind. The rogue's coat was a similar shade as the other, only bigger. My heart weakened, and I watched with worried eyes, wondering why I was being shown this memory.
'I'm weak,' Theodoros spoke through my mind again. 'I've been weak for a while. It's no one's fault but the curse. Do you know what they call me? Do you know what they call wolves like me?'
"What?" I whispered, watching with wide eyes as the rogue dug its claws into Theodoros' side and sliced his torso.
'The Cursed Children of the Moon.'
"Why are you showing me this?" Not wanting to look anymore, I tried to pull my gaze away.
At most times, I had the stomach to see gore and violence, but something about seeing Theodoros being hurt while he was speaking to me in the present was overwhelming.
'I want you to see this part next. Keep watching. Please, Ruth. It's important to me and Rueben that you recognise this man.'
"Why? He doesn't seem familiar. I've only known one wolf my whole life, and didn't figure it out until recently. How would I be able to know who this guy is?"
'Because he said your name. He knows who you are, Ruth, and I couldn't let him go. I couldn't risk the chance of him hurting you.'
A crack resonated from the rogue's neck once Theo had his jaw around it, and the man went still. More crackles followed, bones snapping into place as the wolf transformed into a human. The sound was gruesome and horrid, but luckily enough, Theodoros had blocked the sight with his body.
"You can't hide her forever," The rogue whispered, Theodoros' paw lifting to the intruder's throat. "Ruth. We'll find her and take her away from you."
Theo growled, deep and thunderous, I almost shuddered when he swiped his claws across the man's neck.
'Look now, Ruth. Come see his face.'
My feet carried me closer until the rogue's face came into sight. With parted lips, I inhaled sharply and felt my heart plummet. A sickening wave of nausea clawed up my neck, and I had to force myself to breathe.
"Jerome's brother," I whispered. "I- I don't want to be here. Bring me back."
I was still there, staring at the lifeless black eyes I once knew. I'd seen him twice before this. Jerome would bring him to our outings with Sheila. His name was Lorence, and he was now dead. Jerome wouldn't take this lightly. He wouldn't let this go.
"Bring me back," I repeated, louder. "Take me out of here. Bring me back, Theo!"
My eyes were shut as I tried to wake up from whatever Theodoros was making me see. Lorence couldn't have been older than eighteen. He was a kind soul when I met him years ago. He wasn't like Jerome, whose tainted soul had been obvious from the start. Lorence was a sweet boy, and it tore my heart to see him dead, and I couldn't even blame Theodoros.
Jerome was the one at fault here, and everything began to click. He was the one behind all of this. He said he'd be back for me. And he kept true to his word.
A warm hand cupped the side of my face, and I winced when it made contact with my bruise. It pulled away, and I opened my eyes to meet Rueben's. I was back and on the brink of panic. I didn't dare to glance downward, knowing his transformation meant he was bare.
"Ruth," Rueben murmured my name while staring daggers at the bruise on my cheek.
I didn't want him to see it anymore, so I turned to Reese, who I was sure had more control of his wolf and wouldn't overreact when I told him my theory. His blue eyes met mine for merely a second before they became glazed with a glimmer of silver. I glanced at Rueben and saw that his eyes appeared the same.
"They're mind-linking," Zeke spoke from my other side, but I couldn't look away from Rueben's eyes.
They were otherworldly. His iris' were their usual gold, yet with the sheer mask of silver guarding them- I'd never seen anything like it. He didn't remove his gaze from mine either, and I felt a longing in my heart, one I instantly destroyed the idea of. Rueben had made it abundantly clear he didn't want me.
"About what?" I asked Zeke.
"I don't know. It's a private mind-link, a conversation just between them."
I waited until they had stopped and their eyes had become their usual colours. It wasn't strange that I suddenly became interested in werewolf anatomy, the hows and whys of their supernatural changes.
"Who's Jerome?" Rueben asked. One firm question that made me go pale.
"Why is Theodoros weak?" I threw one back at him, watching his face become tense.
He studied my face again, more specifically the bruise on my cheek.
"You tell me who did that, and I'll answer you," Rueben's voice didn't shake, but his expression faltered into one of concern.
"No one. It doesn't hurt anymore," I tried to lie.
"Okay," He whispered, taking a step back to leave. Rueben wasn't going to answer any question I asked, and I had to be okay with it. I'd rather that than have my own father killed.
His eyes still hadn't left mine when I opened my mouth to ask him another question. Rueben mind-linked again, and I wasn't sure to who until both Reese and Zeke left. I tried to look around, and remembered Rueben was indecent. He even reached out to hold my chin up, making sure I was glancing at his face only.
"Why are you back?" Rueben's voice was nothing but a soft murmur, a gentle caress to my heart.
It wasn't difficult to know why it was so easy to feel safe around him when I'd just seen his wolf kill two rogues. The mate bond. There was no other explanation than that, and I hated it. It was impractical. I couldn't rely on the mate bond itself to build my trust with Rueben. He had to work for it.
"Zeke," was my only answer.
And it made Rueben mad. Jealousy, I assumed. But he had no reason to be envious. Zeke had his own mate, and I was allowed to have friends of the opposite sex. His anger wasn't going to stop that.
"Everyone else can have you but me," He whispered, more to himself than me. His gaze hadn't moved from the side of my face. "And I'd guess you'd tell them who hurt you first. Not me. Because I can't have you."
I nervously gulped when he moved his hands to touch my bruise. It was a faint touch, one that felt like a whisper against my skin.
"Who are you running away from?" Our eyes met. "Jerome? Is that who did this to you?"
I shook my head, unable to speak.
"Incorrigible," Rueben breathed out, glancing away from me. "You're so incorrigible."
Scoffing, I took a step away from him. "And you're still naked. And in my personal space again. Don't you remember what happened the last time you forgot what boundaries were?"
The words shot out of my mouth so fast, I didn't have time to stop them. But I didn't regret them.
"How could I forget?" Rueben snorted.
"I think I'd prefer to speak to Theodoros. At least he had patience and answered my questions."
I didn't give Rueben a chance to argue because I spun around and headed to find Eloise, or someone who could lead me to her.
☾
"I see," Eloise stared into my soul with such concern, it squeezed my heart. "Well, you don't have to worry about your safety here, Ruth. I assure you, we will do our very best to make sure that monster doesn't even see you."
I almost cried right then. The relief of finally having someone believe me was too overwhelming that I had to take a moment to hold myself together. I forced myself to assess my surroundings. I was safe in Eloise's office, which was the level right above Reese's. She kept it neat, no clutter of paper anywhere in sight. Files were stacked side by side on a table beneath a wide window, allowing the sunlight to brighten the modern room.
The town was visible from here. The town square looked like a ghost town, and I suddenly remembered Eloise could answer my questions and ease my heart some more. It wouldn't hurt to learn the truth about everything.
"What are we going to do about Jerome?" I started with the most important question.
"We've closed our borders as of last week. Rogues were still sneaking through, so know we know it's one of Ander's warriors guarding the borders that are letting them through. He's begun questioning them one by one." Something about the way she said the last statement made me believe Ander wasn't just questioning them.
I nodded anyway, watching Eloise rest her arms on the desk in front of me.
"Rueben has ordered him to use... effective methods to do this. If we have a traitor, it's easier to pluck them out as fast as we can," Her voice was firm, as if explaining herself, or more so Rueben's tactics.
"I understand," I said truthfully.
She exhaled deeply before glancing out of the window. Eloise frowned.
"Theodoros called himself a Cursed Child of the Moon," I began. "He's the wolf part of Rueben. I know that much. It's like a separate entity or creature living within him. Is it like that for all werewolves?"
"Yes," Eloise answered, staring at the town beyond the glass. "But werewolves like him-"
"Cursed Child of the Moon," I confirmed.
"They are different," She paused. "There was a war long ago that changed werewolf history and the fate of the next generation of Alphas and Lunas."
Curiosity spiked.
"I want to learn more if that's possible," I told her, hoping I didn't sound too eager.
Eloise turned to me and smiled softly. "You will. You'll learn so much here, Ruth. And you're welcome to stay as long as you like. Really, you're very welcome in this pack."
I inhaled sharply at how natural it was for her to say 'pack' instead of town. I'd have to get used to the terms they used.
"And I'd be glad to help with this situation," I added, feeling that it was better than being left in the dark.
"That's great to hear," She sighed a breath of relief. "What do you think?"
"Is it possible that I get a list of the warriors, or soldiers. I want to see if any of them have a link to Jerome that I might know of, if there's a familiar name, anything," I suggested, desperation lacing my tone.
"Let's get started." Eloise didn't hesitate to take a file out from the draws beside her desk.
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a/n: it's always when I should be studying that I end up writing. it's probably to escape reality and rightfully so bc reality sucks :')
anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter and it isn't too confusing. all will be explained eventually, and I'll have less plot holes than the last version lol
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