Two

Ruby cried to herself all night, and Alexa made it worse by slyly commenting on how Alpha Kane loved sex and had a high libido. Ruby wasn’t worried about sex; it was just that she wanted to do it with the person she wanted.

Her father had dismissed her, telling her to take whatever she could carry, because she was leaving as soon as possible. Ruby didn’t want to take anything that reminded her of this home. She missed her mom; her mom would have been there to comfort her, probably sing her old Mexican songs—Ruby chuckled despite herself. Her mother sang like an angel. Even though Ruby didn’t understand the songs one bit, she still found them endearing and would drift off to sleep.

Ruby sighed and cleaned her eyes. She gathered the clothes she needed into a backpack. She needed nothing else. She couldn’t even believe that her father had sold her—yes, sold, that was the right word—to Alpha Kane. From what Ruby knew, he was ruthless. She felt this was a punishment from her father for “ruining the family name.”

What father punished his daughter by sending her to someone who had no regard for a woman, who only used them for his pleasure?

The door opened, and Ruby rolled her eyes when Alexa came in. Of course, there wouldn’t be an Alexa without gloating. Alexa plopped on the bed and smiled sweetly at Ruby.

“Wow, you are finally getting married. At least you are getting married, even if your husband is going to bang the hell out of you,” Alexa winked, and Ruby decided she had enough.

“At least he’s an alpha; yours is a common werewolf. Have some damn respect,” she said, and Alexa’s smile suddenly disappeared. Her eyes turned sinister, and she scowled.

“Don’t mess with me, Ruby. I can make your life hell,” she said, and Ruby shrugged. Now that she was leaving, she wasn’t going to hold back.

“Yeah, and Alpha Kane can make your life hell. Sex toy or not, I am going to be his wife, which makes me a powerful Luna,” Ruby shot back, and Alexa sort of hissed like a cat.

“Yeah, that’s if he even considers you as a wife,” she said, and Ruby nodded.

“We’ll see about that,” she said. Inwardly, Ruby was scared. None of the news she had heard about Alpha Kane’s brutality said anything good about him. Her father walked in. He smiled at Alexa, who smiled back, then he scowled at Ruby.

“Haven’t you gathered your things yet? Alpha Kane’s chauffeur is here,” he said, and Ruby raised her backpack. Her father stared at her in surprise.

“Is that all you are taking?” he asked, and Ruby glared at him.

“What do you care?” she said, and her father drew back in surprise. He scowled.

“How dare you talk to me that way!” he yelled, and Ruby sighed.

“The driver is waiting, Father,” she said, and her father calmed down. He looked around.

“What do we do with the clothes and your other things?” he asked, and Ruby shrugged without looking back.

“Burn them,” she said and walked out. When she got out of the house, a car was waiting for her outside, a tall man waiting beside it. He nodded when he saw her.

“Miss Ruby.” He took off his hat before placing it back on. Ruby smiled at him, and he smiled back. He opened the door and helped her get in, and then they drove off. The rest of the ride was in silence. Ruby tried to talk to the driver, but he gave short answers. He called Alpha Kane “boss,” and so far, he seemed to be the only one not emphasizing how terrible Alpha Kane was.

They got to New York and drove for another hour before they passed some woods and came to a much more civilized-looking city than Ruby’s home pack. Finally, the car came to a stop before a towering mansion. If her heart was pounding before, it was on the verge of exploding now.

The driver helped her get out, and Ruby let out a huge breath. She stared at the driver helplessly.

“Tell me, Miguel. Is Alpha Kane nice at all?” she asked. Miguel stared at her for a moment and sighed.

“I can’t say, ma’am. But you’ll see soon. Just be strong,” he said, and Ruby nodded.

Just be strong.

Why did those three words sound like a death threat? They walked inside the house, and Ruby gaped at the splendor. Servants walked about, and there were huge bodyguards stationed everywhere; it felt overwhelming. Miguel stopped and inclined his head. Ruby followed the movement to see the most handsome man she had ever seen standing far off, watching her.

His hair was as black as midnight, and she could see the green of his eyes even from this distance.

He was tall and well-muscled—not too much. He had a powerful presence that made Ruby shiver.

“Go meet him. It’s alright,” Miguel said beside her, his voice holding some sympathy, and Ruby nodded.

Every step she took towards him felt like forever; it felt like walking through eternity.

Breathe in, Ruby. He’s just a man. Flesh and blood, like you.

She finally stopped in front of him, and all he did was stare at her. His green eyes burned, as if trying to figure out what was in her soul. Those eyes looked cruel and wicked, and Ruby didn’t want to imagine what he would do if he didn’t like her.

“You must be Ruby,” he stated. Ruby nodded. His voice was like thunder—a deep, scary rumble. It made her shiver and did strange things to her, things she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Come with me,” he commanded, and Ruby stared at him in surprise. Then he scowled, and before she knew it, she was scooped off her feet roughly.

No, no.