CHAPTER 3

RUBY

I hesitated for a moment, wondering why he cared enough to stop for me. Without a word, I climbed inside, the soft leather cold beneath me.

We drove in silence for a few minutes, the tension in the car thick enough to choke on. Finally, he broke the silence.

“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice low but direct.

I glanced at him, unsure of how to respond. How did he know? Except, Cassie and Aiden, I hadn’t told anyone about the scholarship yet, and I definitely hadn’t planned on telling him. But somehow, he could see it.

“Hmm.. yes,” I muttered, staring out the window.

“Mind sharing?” he pressed.

I sighed, realizing there was no point in lying. “My scholarship got canceled. I have until the end of the month to pay the tuition, or I’m out.”

He didn’t say anything at first, but I could feel his eyes on me. When he finally spoke, his voice was unusually calm.

“How much do you need?”

“Five thousand,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “But it doesn’t matter. I can’t make that kind of money in time. Not with my job.”

He was silent again. Then, he glanced at me with expression I couldn't interpret.

“I’ll help you,” He said, pulling the car to a stop and taking a deep breath, as if preparing for something he’d rather not say. His eyes locked on mine, serious and unflinching.

“I want you to pretend to be my fated mate.”

I stared at him, completely thrown off by his words. My heart pounded in my chest as confusion swirled through my mind.

“What?” I blinked, unable to believe what I just heard.

“You heard me,” he replied, his tone cool but his eyes filled with a seriousness that made my stomach flip. “I need you to pretend to be my mate, just for a while.”

Was it the kiss? Is that why he wanted me to be his fake fated mate? A small part of me—a naive, stupid part—wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was something more. But I quickly shoved that thought away. No. That couldn’t be it. Sebastian didn’t care about me like that. He was a playboy. He could have anyone he wanted.

A thousand questions rushed through my head, none of them making sense. “But… why me? Why would you ask me of all people?”

He sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

“It’s complicated, Ruby.”

“Then explain it to me.” My voice was firm, though I wasn’t sure where that sudden strength had come from. I was just an omega—a nobody. And yet, here was Sebastian, the future Alpha, asking me for help in one of the most important aspects of his life. “Because right now, this makes no sense.”

He turned to face me, his expression guarded. “My dad wants me to stop playing hockey. He thinks hockey is a distraction.”

I frowned. “That’s what this is about? Hockey?”

“No,” he said quickly.

"I missed out on some Alpha training for my hockey matches. My dad wasn’t happy about it, and my mom—well, she begged him to let me keep playing. But my dad said the only way I can stay on the team is if I find my fated mate within two weeks"

Two weeks. My eyes widened at the impossibility of it all. “But... you don’t even—”

“That’s the problem,” he cut in, his voice laced with frustration. “My wolf’s sensitivity to find my mate is blocked. I’ve been to a shaman in secret, but nothing’s worked. And I only have this week left to find my mate”

His voice held the weight of his frustration and the fear he was keeping buried beneath the surface.

“I can’t tell Dad about my wolf. I can’t let him know I’m... broken. I’ll lose everything, Ruby. Not just hockey, but my future, my role as Alpha. He won’t trust me to lead the pack if he finds out.”

I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to be in his shoes. The future Alpha, expected to be perfect, to have everything together. The weight of that responsibility must’ve been crushing. But at the same time, I couldn’t shake the discomfort gnawing at me.

“And you think pretending I’m your mate is going to fix this?” I asked, trying to steady my voice despite the mess of emotions inside me.

“Yes,” he said, his eyes locking with mine, the determination in them so intense it nearly knocked the breath out of me. “Because it will give me time. Time to figure out why my wolf is blocked. Time to find the real solution. And by then, no one will question why you were my mate, because they’ll believe it.”

I didn’t know what to say. This was crazy—absolutely insane. And yet, as much as I wanted to reject the idea, to tell him no and walk away from all of this, I couldn’t. Because part of me knew that I needed this too.

If I didn’t get the money for my tuition, I was done. Everything I had worked for would be gone. I’d lose my chance at graduating, at making something of myself beyond the Omega rank that I’d been stuck with my whole life.

I could feel the weight of his desperation. It mirrored my own. We were both cornered, both trapped by circumstances beyond our control.

“I don’t know, Sebastian,” I said softly, uncertainty lacing my words.

“You don’t have to decide right now,” he replied, though his eyes told me he needed an answer soon. “But Ruby, you need this as much as I do. We can help each other.”

He was right. I hated that he was right. But this wasn’t just about helping him—it was about survival for me too. The clock was ticking, and my options were slipping away faster than I could grasp them.

“Think about it,” Sebastian said, his voice low and steady, almost like he was giving me an order. “We both stand to lose everything. But if we work together, we might just be able to save ourselves.

I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing. Was I really considering this? Pretending to be the future Alpha’s mate? It was a dangerous game, one that could blow up in my face at any moment. But then again, what choice did I have?

I met Sebastian’s gaze, and for the first time, I saw the fear behind his bravado. He was terrified of losing everything. And so was I.

“I’ll think about it,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He nodded, his expression unreadable. But the tension between us hadn’t disappeared. It hung in the air, thick and heavy, like the calm before a storm.

He shifted, starting the car again, the roar of the engine breaking the silence. We didn’t speak as he drove me to my part-time job, but the weight of his proposal lingered between us, growing heavier with every passing second.

As I got out of his car, my mind raced with thoughts of the impossible situation I’d just been thrust into.

Could I really do this?

Could I really pretend to be Sebastian Kings’ fated mate?

SEBASTIAN'S POV

As Ruby walked away, disappearing into the café, I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white. I hadn’t planned on asking her like that—so bluntly, so desperately. But what choice did I have? Time was running out, and I was running out of options.

Pretending to be mates was insane, I knew that. But right now, everything was hanging by a thread, and Ruby was the only one who could help me hold it together. She didn’t know it yet, but she was my last lifeline.

I let out a frustrated sigh as my father’s words echoed in my head.

“I'll give you two weeks, Sebastian. Two weeks to find your fated mate and show me that you can focus on your role as a future Alpha and being hockey player. Or you get kick out from the game"

He’d said it like it was a simple choice. Like giving up hockey—the one thing I loved, the one thing that was truly mine—was something I could just walk away from without a second thought. But my father didn’t get it. He didn’t understand what the upcoming game meant to me. The world-record game was next month—something I had dreamed of for years. Walking away wasn’t an option.

And yet, I couldn’t turn my back on being Alpha either. It wasn’t just a duty. It was my birthright. It was everything my father had prepared me for since I was a kid. I couldn’t choose between the two. I wanted both, and I refused to believe I couldn’t have them.

But my wolf.

I clenched my jaw, the frustration burning hot in my chest. No one knew—not even my father—that something was wrong. My wolf couldn't find our fated mate, that part of us had been blocked, and no matter how many shamans or healer I saw in secret, nothing worked.

If my father found out, it’d be over. He’d never trust me to lead the pack. I’d lose everything—the Alpha title, hockey, all of it. And I couldn’t let that happen.

That’s why I needed Ruby. She knew what I was hiding. She was the only one who could help me buy time, keep my father off my back while I figured out what was going on with my wolf. And maybe—just maybe—I could still make it to that game, play the sport I loved, and claim my place as Alpha. I needed her to believe it too.

We both needed something from this lie, even if it was risky. Even if it meant we were both walking a dangerous line.