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Chapter Eighty Two
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Caleb
A few hours prior …
"Good morning, gentleman," I greeted them formally, leaning closer to the microphone in front of me. "In just a moment, my Beta will forward you all a copy of the agenda," I informed the council of Alphas, keeping my introduction brief as each of the northern Alphas’ faces appeared on the monitors, simultaneously.
Aaron, Neal, and my father, each took a seat around the conference table. Then in turn, poured themselves glasses of iced water from a clear jug that Lauren had just placed down. Aaron poured one for me, then placed it down to my right. Lauren, tiptoed from the room, not wanting her heels to clack on the wooden floor and cause further disruption. Dad pulled a small gunmetal-grey hip flask from the inside of his jacket pocket, unscrewed the cap, took a swig, then secured the cap again, placing it back in
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Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Three
Caleb"Really? More bloodshed," I argued, cringing as I recalled some awful memories. "Haven't we all seen enough of that?" I sided with Zac. "In a hostile challenge, then yes, it is unavoidable. But to start over from scratch, I'm not sure that's wise. We could end up mopping up after a massacre, and that's not how we achieve peace. Gentleman, I implore you to see reason," I pleaded to some of the skeptics, who were shaking their heads in disagreement.My dad was a stickler for the old ways, as were some of the others. His morals were deep-rooted and the evidence was as plain as the frown lines on his forehead."The way I see it is, we start as we mean to go on," I reinforced my point. "What they want is a safe place to raise their families, and what prevented us from giving them that was their attitude towards humans, the misu
Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Four
CalebThe young Alpha, Beau, raised his hand. "I'll go. I'd rather that than meet them here on my doorstep." Concern coated his voice. "And I'm no coward," he commented, sparking outrage amongst the Alphas who all voted against."Typical Alpha meeting," Aaron muttered in my ear. "Do you want me to cut them all off?" His finger hovered over the WIFI icon, threatening to tap the touchscreen."Tempting, but you better not," I mumbled in response.The arguing went on for a further hour and a half. Dad went to pour himself a scotch and watched them with amusement, propping his feet up on the chair next to him.Neal shook his head with a look of disdain. "Permission to leave the room, Alpha?""Grant
Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Five
Ruby Back to the present ... I growled in frustration. "No service. Goddammit, Caleb!" I passed Mom's cell phone back to her. "Where could he be?" I asked, on the verge of tears. Mom's blue eyes drooped at the corners. "I'm so sorry, honey. We'll keep trying to reach him, okay?" Her tone softened to reassure me. "He's gonna be over the moon to hear from you. The poor guy has been out of his mind with worry." My voice cracked. "He has?" I asked, partly glad because that shows how much he cares. But I was sad because I needed to hear his voice. For real, this time. Instead of imagining him talking inside my head. "He was Storm," I repeated, for the millionth time since I regained consciousness. "All along." Mom snuggled alongside me, lying side by
Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Six
Ruby My heart leaped inside my chest as Mom took her phone and stuffed it back inside her purse, threading her arm through the strap so it sat securely on her shoulder. "Mom, where are you going?" I asked, feeling my insides jolt with panic. My eyes darted between her and the stranger, not having been formally introduced. "You're leaving me ... with him?" I whispered, knowing that I was probably coming off as rude but I was too anxious to care. She bent down to kiss my forehead and I wrapped my hand around the crease of her elbow. "Who is he?" I whispered. Mom jerked her head back, giving me a quizzical look. "Honey, that's your uncle Dylan," she replied as if I had forgotten. "He's been helpin
Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Seven
Caleb"Still getting no signal." I sighed, tossing my phone down onto my bed.Aaron looked up from where he was sitting on a rickety, old wicker chair that looked as if it had been salvaged from out of a dumpster. He was devouring a cheesy gordita crunch from Taco Bell."Are you sure you don't want another one?" he offered, gesturing to the tabletop picnic in front of him.I scrunched my nose. "Nah, thanks, I'm good," I replied, having lost my appetite, no thanks to the musty smell in the cheap, crappy, hotel room.Aaron gave an indifferent shrug."Alright, don't say I didn't offer," he muttered, then went right back to eating.I rolled my eyes. "G
Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Eight
CalebThe second I took a step outside, the intense heat hit me full force, filling my lungs with thick warm air. From high above, the hot summer sun belted down on me like a furnace, stinging my eyes and forcing me to squint. Heat bounced back up from the baked asphalt, creating wavy patterns in the air. Jeez, it was stifling. By the time I crossed the short distance to the service station, that doubled as a diner, I was already sweating profusely.Wasps and flies circled the dumpsters at the back of the building. They were attracted by the putrid stench of food waste that had been dragged out by rats and strewn all over the ground.A truck carrying scrap metal pulled up in one of the many free parking spaces at the side of the building. The doors opened and four rough-looking guys got out. One was a burly-looking bald guy with
Little Ruby Red Chapter Eighty Nine
Caleb"What?" I blurted out, feeling the veins in my temples pounding with pressure. "This isn't happening," I muttered, shocked."Listen carefully to what I'm about to say to you, son, this is serious." Dad's voice oozed authority."Jesus Christ, this isn't happening," I repeated, feeling the panic pickle beneath my skin like pins and needles."Caleb, did you visit Ava at all before you left?" Dad asked, deadly serious as if this was of great significance."What? No. I refused to see her," I answered, truthfully."Can anyone else vouch for that?" he asked, anxiously."Yes, Aaron ... Dad, you'd know that I didn't. Jeez, check for my scent for Chris
Little Ruby Red Chapter Ninety
Caleb "You can drive. I'll ride shotgun," Aaron announced, tossing me the keys. Neal's Honda Ridgeline sat two in the front and three in the back. After hauling our bags onto the back seat, I climbed into the driver's side, pulling the door shut. Aaron climbed into the passenger side and reached for his sunglasses from the glovebox. Zachary and Mal pulled up alongside us, getting ready to follow behind us. Aaron donned his Ray-bans, then fiddled with the stereo, searching for a station. We had no chance of getting a signal in the dead zone, so we played the CD we found in the disk drive. It was a compilation of old rock songs. I put on a pair of polarized aviator sunglasses, grateful to take the strain off my eyes. An Ambulance and two cop cars had arrived to tend to the guys I r
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Little Ruby Red Epilogue
Ruby The cold, wet sensation from the ultrasound gel made me tense for a moment, watching the small screen with eagle eyes. As the black and white image appeared before us, it was clear to see that there was not one, but two babies nestled together, side by side. Caleb scrubbed a hand over his shocked face, edging closer to the screen. "Well, I'll be damned," the doctor breathed out with surprise. "There is no doubt about it, you're having twins. Do you want to know the sex?" she asked, invoking mixed feelings within me. Part of me wanted to keep it a surprise but the terrified part of me needed to know for sure. Caleb gave me a look which suggested that he was fine either way. God love him, his eyes were glossing over with proud tears of joy
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Nine
Ruby "I still remember the first night that we laid like this while watching over Alex. It was the same when Raine was born," Caleb reminisced. Something somewhere caused the room around me to distort, like ripples spreading wide across a calm lake. "Ruby," Caleb's youthful voice called out to me from somewhere beyond a dream. "Babe, you better wake up or else we're going to be late for the obstetrician appointment," I heard him say. Temporary confusion fogged my brain until I realized that I had been dreaming again. Part of me felt the loss of what I hoped our future could be as it slipped away, and the other part of me was relieved that I woke up at that point before the beautiful vision altered into something that could only be de
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Eight
Ruby As the years rolled by, Caleb and I looked back on our lives with no regrets. When that time eventually comes when we have to leave this world behind, we would be taking a lifetime full of beautiful memories with us. My heart was full, my life was fulfilled. There was nothing that I would change or do differently. Everything was as it should be. With each lumbered step, my slippers brushed over the soft-pile carpet of the stair landing until I stopped to pause outside the old nursery that once belonged to my children. I thought that we had been bestowed a gift from the heavens the day I found out that we were having twins, but little did I know how much more my heart could contain the moment I discovered that I was to become a grandmother. The Goddess had blessed our family many times, and now my son, Alex, was the proud
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Seven
Caleb Ruby turned on the steps of the town hall, facing away from the jubilant crowd. Snowflakes clung to the tips of her lashes, melting as they kissed her rosy cheeks. She tossed the bouquet of white and blue flowers behind her, and as she did so, the women rushed forward, shrieking deliriously, all snatching at the spinning object as it burst apart like a fragrant petal bomb. It was Grandma Lizzie who unwittingly made the save. She walked straight past the jostling females and caught the flowers against her chest. Her face blanched as she realized what had happened and tossed the bouquet away as if it was a hot potato. “Once was more than enough for me,” she joked. “Although, I wouldn’t mind a good old roll in the hay with one of those wolf boys. They've got abs that I could scrub my laundry on and then some.” She winked a
Little Ruby Red One hundred and Twenty Six
Ruby The emotion blazed in Caleb's eyes as I walked down the aisle; his mouth hung agape and his brows started to bunch in the middle, giving me the reaction that any bride longed to see. Caleb swallowed hard, causing his Adam’s apple to bob nervously in his throat. There was no sign of humor on Aaron’s face as he observed his friend's special moment. Instead, his expression was one of relieved happiness. Now that his best friend since childhood had found his soulmate, he adopted an air of accomplishment as if all was now right in the world. As the strong notes of the traditional wedding march came to an end, I released Dad’s arm and came to stand beside the love of my life. Caleb mouthed the word “Wow” as he lifted my chin with his fingers, and breathed, “You look breath-taking, love.”
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Five
Ruby “Are you okay, kiddo?” Dad asked, his expression softening as he clasped hold of my trembling hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I swallowed away the dryness before answering, “I just want everything to be perfect, that’s all.” “And it will be,” Dad was quick to reassure me. “I know how much this means to you; Caleb knows it too. He’s probably memorized his wedding vows off by heart. I bet he was up all night Googling templates from the internet,” Dad remarked in an attempt to make me laugh. His best efforts worked like a charm. I gazed through the tinted windows and out onto the wintry streets. Ice glittered the scraped roads and sidewalks, and some of the maintenance guys were shoveling grit salt on the main walkways throughout town.
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Four
Ruby I turned from side to side, admiring how the full-length wedding gown swayed with my movements. The white sweetheart bodice helped to boost my humble assets, glittering as the Swarovski crystals captured the light. The long, silky skirt gracefully swished around my legs, sending a wisp of cool air around my thighs. Dad made my day when he produced a pair of custom-made Sketchers in Bride White. He paid a seamstress from Montana to sew lace into the leather and add sparkles around the soles. It meant I would be comfortable all day long, especially as my ankle still ached from standing for long periods. “Are you ready, sweetheart?” Dad asked, through the closed door. He had resisted the urge to look at me in my wedding dress, pacing the hall outside mine and Caleb’s room like a caged animal.
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Three
Caleb "Yeah, plenty of thing’s spring to mind, but there is one that is owed a confession," Dylan said as he grinned at Aiden, then edged his chair away to maintain a safer distance. "I was sixteen, and Aiden was eighteen," Dylan began to confess, much to Aiden's interest. Upon hearing his name, he folded his bare muscular arms across his chest. "He borrowed my bike without my permission and ended up buckling the front wheel. He never said anything to me, and put it back in the garage in the hope that I wouldn’t find out what he’d done. I found it the following day and smelled his scent all over it, so I knew that he had used it. I was passive-aggressive, and in an act of vengeance, I sabotaged a burrito that he’d been saving in the fridge by filling it with laxatives. I watched as he devoured it for lunch, and asked if I could hang out with him and Vanessa that day. He was rather reluctant because he wanted to fool around with her while her dorm was
Little Ruby Red One Hundred and Twenty Two
Caleb Aaron tipped the empty Tequila bottle upside down to prove a point. “No way! We’ve gone through the second bottle already?” He turned to my father with an accusatory tone. “It was opened twenty minutes ago.” Aaron’s face was partially hidden beneath his Batman mask, but the whites of his bulging eyes were visible among the black face paint. He had been doing rather well, talking in a gruff tone to imitate the caped crusader's voice, but the sheer shock at how fast my father could sink his liquor caused his pitch to raise a few octaves. Dad gave a casual shrug of his green padded shoulders as he raised the shot glass to his lips and downed the contents in one large gulp. Even I had to admit that was pretty good going, considering he was wearing a pair of oversized hulk hands
