Ch. 10 - Alternative Reality

Ruby POV

I woke half frozen to the ground and covered in a blanket of snow. My hand reached to my neck, praying it was all a nightmare, but it wasn't. I felt Gabe's mark seared into my skin, a supernatural bond urging me to seek him out. I felt sick to my stomach that I actually felt anything but pure hate for that man.

Walking back home, I realized I couldn't show my face like this. Not only was I dressed in the same clothes, but I was dirty, bruised, and marked. I had hoped Sebastian showed up last night, but in hindsight, I was glad he didn't. There was nothing I hid from him, but this was too much. The embarrassment and shame I felt was soul crushing.

I decided to stop by the one person's house that we always trusted with our darkest secrets. He would know what to do, or at the very least, let me shower to make myself more presentable.

"You look like some dirty whore! What the hell were you doing last night?" Grandpa Seb opened his door before I even knocked. His normal scorned fa