2 - A New Mission… Babysitting?

Ruin

War-torn battlefields and the stench of death have been my home for centuries, carving scars on my soul that mirror the carnage I’ve witnessed—and caused. A creature of destruction, condemned to forever walk this earth.

Before this lifetime they used to speak my name in whispers. I was known as Conquest, the rider on the white horse. The first Horsemen to signify the end times, but oh, how wrong they were. We’ve been here since the Gods created us; watching, waiting.

Now they call me Ruin; Wolf shifter and Beta to Alpha Ryker, or rather, The Pale Rider. Every few millennia, we reincarnate as different supernatural creatures, coming into our true power when our human vessels reach the age of eighteen.

Beneath my hardened exterior lies a heart burdened by the weight of the lives I've taken. I am the aftermath of chaos, the aftermath of war, and the start of it all.

How many people can you kill before you become disillusioned with everything? I know The Creators had a purpose when they made me and the others, but sometimes I wish they would kill the human emotions in me whenever I reincarnate.

I feel everything, and I loathe it to my very core.

Sitting atop the tallest building, I overlook the city night sky and inhale the filth these humans breathe in on a daily basis. I still don’t understand why Ryker wants us situated here when we could have been in any other bloody city or continent.

He says it has something to do with the Wolf God’s reincarnation, but I think it’s deeper than that. There’s no reason for him to worry about a lesser God like Xamnir; but then again, who am I to question him when he’s our leader?

/“Ruin, you’re needed back at the pack house.”/

Speak of the devil. Ryker calls for me over the blasted shifter mind link, and I breathe out a sigh before leaping from the building. I parked my Harley down here somewhere, and as soon as I spot it, I make my way back.

What inconsequential mission will he send me on now? Hitman services in Nebraska, or perhaps my favorite, money collecting? Gods, I hate this new life and I am cursed to lead it until The Creators decide we need to reincarnate again.

I arrive at the pack house and take my time walking inside. I’m sure Ryker knows I’m here, but he knows how much I hate this life so he won’t push it. With my hands in the pockets of my black jeans, I find him in the living room staring into the lit fireplace.

I may talk shit about Ryker or feel like he has me trapped here, but I’ll forever fear the man. He’s older than I am, and taller. A bearded, bulky frame of a man who could kill you with one glance. 

He may have been the one to arrive last, but Death will always conquer anything. And that’s just what he is — Death.

“I have a mission for you,” he says without looking at me. “But I need you to keep an open mind.”

Bollocks. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what he had to say, but once he starts off like this, I know I won’t be able to keep an open mind. This is something I am going to hate, no, loathe with my entire being.

“I guess I’m not going to like it, then?” I say and watch as his shoulder shakes with a slight chuckle.

“No, you’re going to wish death on me and my family,” he says sarcastically, but then he turns to face me and a cold as fuck shiver runs up my spine— they’re completely white. 

This can only mean he’s seen something and needs to act on it, so I can’t even fight this if I wanted to. The blasted First Sight he’s been cursed with. Whatever he’s seen needs to be carried out; whatever he’s seen is Fated.

The smirk drops from his face and his eyes flicker back to their human green color, then he walks over to me and hands me the second glass of bourbon in his hands. 

“You’re going to Chicago tonight. There’s a mission I need you to carry out and even if it seems trivial, it’s of the utmost importance,” he says, raising the glass tumbler to his lips. “It concerns supernatural creatures certain humans want to help.”

Chicago is Alpha Kai Volkov’s territory, so it surprises me that he’d consider sending one of us there. Then again, he’s close with that Alpha, so there must have been certain clearance given for this mission.

After placing the tumbler on the table next to me, I place my hands behind my back as a sign of respect and I nod. “Understood, boss. Tell me what it entails and I’ll carry it out to the best of my abilities.”

Ryker’s lips are a thin line, so I know this can’t be fucking good. “You’re going to be a bodyguard to a Sovereign’s daughter for six months starting now,” he says, and that’s when I lose it.

“Are you taking the piss? Babysitting? You want me to babysit some spoiled tart?” I ask, dumbfounded. “Please explain to me how that is of the utmost importance, mate, because I can’t see it.”

Ryker sighs and looks at me as if he expected this reaction from me, which makes me even more pissed off. He pinches the bridge of his nose, then shakes his head. “It’s not some girl, it’s a woman; someone’s daughter who needs protecting because of what her father is about to do.”

“And you think I’m the best bloody person for that? Have you met me?” I press, raising my eyebrow.

“Tenebris is out of the question and honestly, can you picture Blight doing it? He’ll kill the girl for just looking at him the wrong way,” he says and tilts his head to the side. “You’re the only one I trust with this.”

When he says it like that, I can’t contain the annoyed growl rumbling in my chest. Another thing I hate about being a wolf shifter is the fucking growling that shows my emotions whenever I’m riled up. 

“Fine,” I say, tossing back the bourbon and placing the tumbler on the fireplace mantle. “I’ll pack a bag and leave right away.”

I turn to walk away with fury burning hot in my chest. Six months as a babysitter to some spoilt girl who apparently needs protecting. I get that he trusts me with this, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

“Deacon,” he says, and I freeze in my steps, my heart leaping into my throat. 

Ryker never calls me by my human given name because he knows how much I hate it. This is the second time he’s done so, the first time being when we met up after being reincarnated… when he found me starving on the streets of London.

Any given name I hated, this one even more so because of the history behind it.

“I wouldn’t send you if it wasn’t important, brother. Just remember that and keep an open mind,” he says with finality and I walk away without even bothering to look back at him.

Yes, I understand completely. So after I pack a duffel, I walk back downstairs, get on my bike and leave the pack house behind for another six months. I know when Ryker has made up his mind about something, there’s nothing I can do.

So fuck it, here I go.

I arrive in Chicago nearly twelve hours later and before I check in with my newest charge, I decide to book into a hotel to sleep and clean up. Showing up pissed off and wired on no sleep will only reflect bad on Ryker. Since he’s into the whole ‘keeping politicians happy to have them in your pocket’ thing, I have to put my best bloody foot forward.

And of course they live in a posh mansion. Fucking hell.

I roll my eyes as I get off my bike a few hours later, refreshed but still annoyed. It’s 9pm now, but the lights are still on; not only that, but there seem to be other cars here. Hmm, I wonder if it’s the right time to come.

As I put my helmet down on the seat, the front door opens and someone runs out. Wait, no, they stumble out and nearly fall down before they lean against a pillar by the steps. It’s a short-ish blonde woman wearing a pale dress. 

The scent of peaches floats on the breeze, and it stirs my senses for some reason. I frown at my body’s reaction to the woman, wondering who the fuck she is because the scent of peaches has never drawn me in like this before.

I hear her sniffle and my heart clenches, surprising the fuck out of me. So I step out and walk towards them, intrigued as fuck. Why does she seem so familiar? Why am I so drawn to this woman…and why do I care?

My first step, her head immediately whips up towards me and I blanch at what I’m seeing. Her eyes are pure white as if she’s blind, with the edges a dark blue color. That would make sense, seeing as she stumbled as she ran out.

And how she’s looking at me as if she can’t see me.

“Hello? Is somebody there?” she asks, her voice the sound of a fucking aria and no matter how I try to step back, I find myself walking towards her as if am nothing more than a marionette. 

“I can hear your heartbeat and smell your scent; who are you?!” she sounds terrified of me, and she should be, but something in me wants to stifle that fear, so I speak.

“I’m—”

“Ah, you must be Ruin!” Both our heads snap towards the front door and I frown when I see the man walking out. “Ryker said you’d arrive today, but I didn’t expect you so late.”

I narrow my eyes because I know this man. He’s older, but … The last time I saw him was fifteen years ago after a botched rescue mission to save his wife and daughter…

I try not to show my surprise at what I’ve just realized, because there’s no bloody way it can be true. There’s no way this is the same man from back then, and there’s just no fucking way that this woman in front of me is—

“I see you’ve met my daughter already; this is Chloe Jane, your charge for the next few months,” he says, shutting up my doubts.

Now I understand Ryker’s words better, now I see what he meant when I was blinded by fury. And as that realization sets in, I can finally hear the word my wolf is saying.

Ryker is cruel, but the Fates even more so. How could they mate me to a woman I nearly killed, a woman whose life I ruined by my careless actions?