RUBY.One Week Later…The last week was nothing short of interesting.Clinton had taken it seriously when he said he was going to date me. No day passed without him taking me out on a date. And oh, did I really say that? We went on a date every morning and evening, except on the day we set aside for pleasuring each other.We toured the whole city, rode horses because one day when we went sightseeing, we came across a ranch. There, we met an old woman in her late fifties teaching a younger version of her—one whom I instantly guessed to be her grandson—how to ride a horse before she vanished inside. But then a mishap happened—the poor boy was nearly thrown off his horse, and I had to come to the rescue.“Hey, little boy, are you okay?” I asked, looking up at him with concern.He pulled his little mouth into a pout and shook his head. “No, I'm not.”I smiled at him and rubbed his puffy cheeks with my right hand. “Hey, hold on. Let's go and meet your momma, I'm sure you'll be fine soon.”
RUBY. “What has gotten into you?” I grimaced. “I only said I love every book that Alex Aster writes.” I purposely repeated what had him so riled up, my eyes not fleeting from his face. His hands clenched and unclenched, making my head tip into a frown. I stopped moving backwards and waited to see what he wanted to do.Clinton grabbed the blouse I was wearing, bringing his face closer to mine as he glowered at me. My eyes widened in disbelief, and my hand shot up to slap him. But before I could, he grabbed hold of me, his huge frown cracking into a wide grin.Letting go of me, he continued grinning and reached out to grab me again but I was quick to swat his hand off. “Take your hands off me!” I snapped, making sure to lower my voice because of others in the library because the last thing I needed right was getting my ass thrown out. “I was only trying to gauge your reaction, dear.” The grin wiped off his face once he realized how serious I was. I rolled my eyes at him, not in the
RUBY.My eyes snapped open to the sound of knocking on the door. I stretched my arms and let out a groan as every part of me ached, as though my bones had been crushed.I tried to sit up on the bed but fell right back on it, a tired sigh escaping from my lips.The knock came again, and I groaned. I wanted to lay back down and pretend I hadn’t heard it. It could be one of the hotel staff wanting to clean, and if they didn’t get a response, they’d probably assume I was asleep and come back later.But then again, another knock came, and I knew I could no longer ignore it. I rubbed my eyes to clear the sleep away, and a yawn escaped my lips.“Give me a minute, please,” I called back to whoever was knocking.Trying to get up from the bed, I was hit with another wave of pain. But after taking a deep breath, I tried again and managed to get up.And that was when I realized I was naked. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as memories of the previous night surged back—Clinton and I had spent
RUBY. Clinton shook his head with a small laugh as the bike picked up speed. The wind whipped around us, and I had to tighten my grip on the seat just to stay steady. I could feel the power of the engine beneath us, but all I could focus on was the thrill of the ride and the warmth of his back just inches from my chest.I was enjoying myself when the bike hit a bump, and I was lifted slightly off the seat. My heart leapt into my throat as I tried to steady myself, but the sudden jolt made it impossible to maintain my balance. My hands shot forward, gripping Clinton's waist tightly, my fingers digging into his sides. The rush of the adrenaline courses through me, and I felt a wave of fear mixed with embarrassment. “Whao!” I gasped, my voice shaky. Clinton’s laugh rumbled through his body, vibrating against my palms. “You okay back there?” he asked, his tone light, as if he didn't just laugh at me. I slapped him playfully at his back. “Shut up now. Keep going.” “I thought you'd rem
CLINTON. I lay in bed, trying hard to fall asleep, but I couldn’t. My mind kept drifting back to the conversation I had had with Ruby after breakfast.I wanted to tell her that I was falling for her, but she didn’t want to listen. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when I realized I was falling for her. Was it the first day I saw her, or when Gamma Eric mentioned that Beta Asher had told him I was in love? I wasn’t sure, but does it really matter? What matters is that I love her, and I’ve realized it now.I had believed all this time that she was beginning to like me more, but was I wrong? Was I too blind to read between the lines?The urge to slam my head against the headboard was overwhelming, but one look at her peacefully sleeping beside me made me hesitate. The last thing I wanted was to disturb her rest.She looked so peaceful while she slept, as if she had no worries at all. I wondered what might have happened if she had listened to our conversation. Would she have accepted my feelin
RUBY.The journey back to Eryndor took nine hours.Once we arrived, we set out to find the valet Clinton had entrusted with his car. Fortunately, I spotted him on a call and quickly tapped Clinton's shoulder to get his attention.“Look over there,” I pointed at the man in a downright low cut. “That's the man.”Clinton grunted in response and nodded before starting to drag our luggage toward the man, leaving me to follow behind.By the time we approached the man, he was already done with his call and was slipping his phone inside his back trouser pocket.“Hello, remember us?” Clinton pointed between him and me without looking at me. “We're here for our car.”The valet nodded, and I glanced around in search of the car. I spotted the red Camry beside a white Rolls-Royce.“Oh, alright, please wait here, let me get it,” I heard the valet say before he walked away.Four minutes later, he reappeared with the key in his right hand. He handed it to Clinton, who accepted it with a nod, slipping
RUBY.Moments later, I sprawled across my bed, with Kiara lying at the foot, her hands propped beneath her chin.Clinton had left without a word after he dropped off my luggage. I couldn't blame him because, after all, I wouldn't have if I were in his position.Because I knew how to hold a grudge.That time I woke up after having a nightmare, I had left our hotel room in search of him because I didn't want to remain there alone. When I closed my eyes, all I saw were those creepy creatures and the image of my mom in that cage. If not for the fact that I attended my mom's funeral, I would have believed it was a vision or something of that sort because of how real it felt.I met Clinton on a call and waited until he was done before I approached him, but then something caught my ear. Whoever he was talking to said something about a funeral, and it was only then that the word Oakwood Pack registered in my head.Alpha Frederick wasn't buried yet.That tiny piece of information was enough to
RUBY. “Henceforth, I want you to address me as Natasha, please,” I informed Clinton once he drove us into the packhouse, peeking at the several cars and people loitering in the compound through the window.He stopped the car and gave me a look. “I have so many questions, but I'll wait until you're ready to answer all of them.”My heart skipped a beat, words forming lumps in my throat, but I managed to nod. He cared enough to trust me; that was all that mattered. But I couldn't help but wonder how he'd feel after my identity was exposed. Shaking the thought out of my head, I flashed him a grin.Before he could come to my side of the car to open the door for me, I was already out, taking my bag along with me. His eyes lingered on my face for a while, then he nodded, extending his arm for me.I placed my hand in his as we walked towards the front door when a guard approached us and bowed to Clinton. Anger surged through me when I recognized the guy—Maddox, one of the guards who had hit