I told them. I told them that Jonathan would be the doom of this pack but no one listened to me. Everyone in the pack always used to sing praises of their future Alpha and how he would bring prosperity to the Blue Sky pack.
Whenever I tried to get them to see that the fool could never amount to anything successful in this life, they would gang up against me and chastise me for being jealous of my adoptive brother.
Now, everyone was going to reap the seed that Jonathan sowed.
“They’re in the building! Everyone, run! They’re killing everyone in their path!”
Someone was shouting loudly, warning people who already knew they were doomed to die today. My heartbeat raced as I opened the first door to my right and ran in. I ran straight toward the grand closet and hid myself inside. My breathing was so heavy and loud that I had to use my hand to cover my mouth.
The Black Moon pack were the ones attacking us. They were the strongest pack in the Werewolf Realm. They only raided and usurped packs whose members offended them in one way or the other. They never acted unless provoked.
My useless adoptive brother, Jonathan, just had to go and provoke them by aligning himself with some fools and kidnapping the nephew of the Alpha of the Black Moon pack. I heard that the Alpha killed everyone in the packs he usurped to increase his power.
Though it sounded absolutely ludicrous to think killing people would increase a being’s power, I found myself believing the rumour because there was no logical reason as to why he would be killing everyone in a pack just because his nephew was kidnapped.
“Ahhhh! Please don’t kill me! I beg you! I had nothing to do with this! Plea-ahhhhhh!”
Those sounds came from right outside the room I was in. A tear slid down from one of my eyes. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. I was scared. Heck, I was terrified. The last time I felt this way was when I had first manifested as a wolf and I turned out to be an Omega.
That was seven years ago when I was thirteen. I could still remember the sour looks on everyone’s face when they discovered that I did not have a big wolf and there was nothing special about me. I could still remember what the Alpha of this pack said to me when he realised that I did not inherit anything special from my late parents.
“You deceived us all.”
Bang!
The door to the room I was hiding in got kicked open. I could see what was happening from the small gap between the doors of the closet I was hiding inside. I had no doubt it was the Alpha of the Black Moon pack.
Tears began to flow from my eyes so much that my vision became blurred. I pressed the palm that was covering my mouth hard so that I wouldn’t make a single sound.
“Come out…” A dark sinister voice rumbled.
It was him. He took a step inside the room. My heart pounded inside my chest. I was going to die. I was going to die here today because of the foolishness of Jonathan. The kind of death I would suffer in the hands of this Alpha would be worse than anything imaginable.
I began to regret begging for my life when I was thirteen years old. If I knew that I would meet this fate, I wouldn’t have been reluctant to lay down my life as an apology for making the Alpha and Luna of this pack take me in, thinking I was going to be the next strongest female wolf in the pack just for me to manifest as a lowly Omega.
I should’ve let them cut my head off clean and nicely seven years ago. I shouldn’t have offered to serve them in any way I could to make up for my lack of strength. I shouldn’t have promised to make the pack flourish with the use of my brain power and wisdom.
I should’ve killed myself then. At least, I would’ve been in control of my own death, unlike now.
“I know you’re in here. Come out now, while I’m still playing nice.” The sinister voice rumbled again. The voice caused shivers to run down my spine.
This was him playing nice? After killing all those people, he claimed that he was playing nice! What would this situation be like if he was not playing nice as he just claimed? I was too scared to even think about that.
But still, I didn’t move an inch. I began praying to the moon goddess to save me. Somehow, anyhow. I haven’t achieved anything worthwhile in the twenty years that I’ve been alive. I couldn’t die just like this.
This kind of death would make all my hard work go in vain. All the nights I had stayed up late to study and become smarter, the incessant bullying I have had to put up with, the days I spent without eating, all the times that I’ve had to stand up for myself and prove that just because I had a weak wolf didn’t mean I was useless.
Would all of that hard work be for nothing?
“Don’t let me speak too much. Come out now and maybe I won’t kill you.”
Maybe? I should risk my entire life because of a ‘maybe’? Even if I were to come out now, what assurance did I have that he wouldn’t rip my head off first before asking questions? He seemed like a ‘kill first, ask questions later’ kind of person.
He took two steps closer. The sound of his shoes against the polished tiled floor brought nothing but shivers to my spine. Three more steps and he would be standing in front of the closet. He took another step.
Badum. Badum. Badum.
My heart would expose me faster than my legs. It was so loud. I was sure that he could hear the sound of my heart pounding inside my chest.
He took another step. One more step and my life would be over.
“It’s time we end this game of hide-and-seek, don’t you think?” Without taking the last step, he reached for the closet.
Game?! He thought this was a game?! I began reciting my final prayers to the moon goddess. It was all over now.
“Alpha!” A new voice popped up.
I saw the Alpha in front of me take a step back to face his comrade.
“Yes?”
“We’ve found him. He was bruised in a few places but there’s nothing that requires urgent medical attention.” The new voice reported with a hint of glee in his tone.
Okay, his nephew has been found. Did that mean there was no need to kill anyone else? Thank you, moon god—
“Ah… I see,” the Alpha was the one who said this. What was he seeing? Sympathy? I hoped so.
“Also, we’ve cleared out every single person of importance in the pack. We’ve taken hostages too. But there’s one casualty.”
Every single person of importance? Did that mean…
“He escaped. The main reason for all of this, Jonathan Willow, escaped. I’ve already sent men to go after his tracks but I doubt there’ll be success in that path. The mission has partially been completed, I think it’s time we returned home.”
Really? Jonathan escaped? How did he, of all people, get to escape the fate that he doomed everyone else to face? Why has he always been the lucky one? Why not me?
“What were you doing here? Is there someone here?”
Gasp!
Fuck, no. I just let my presence here slip. Now, I was going to be done in.
“Who was that? There is actually someone here?” I heard the sound of a sword being drawn out from a scabbard.
I pressed my palm over my mouth harder.
“Ahh, stand back, Beck. That’s my prize for all of this.”
Before I could register those words in my head, the closet doors opened and I saw a nightmare standing in front of me, clad in battle gear and a sadistic smile.
“Ruby of the Blue Sky…”
I hated the way he said those words so smoothly. I hated that he could clearly see my teary eyes and trembling body.
“Come out now. I’ve won the game.” He spoke in a lighthearted manner as he reached out to me politely.
Alpha Lucian Pierce was his name. But the one I and every other person in the Werewolf Realm knew him as was ‘The Dark Devil.’
I was cold. And hungry. And angry.Some people would think that being captured and made a prisoner would be better than death, but I was not some people. I had thought death would be the worst case scenario for me, but this… This was the worst case scenario. Being in this cold dungeon cell with only one small source of light to serve as a window, having nothing to eat and do for two days, but swallow my spit and think till I pass out. Oh no, cancel out that part about me having nothing to do. I glanced at the small window to see that it was sundown.Anytime from now, Alpha Lucian would come in here to mentally torture me by asking me the same questions over and over again, then going ahead to tease and annoy me till he was satisfied. I have reason to believe that torturing me was his new favourite pastime.I doubt he was treating the other hostages from the Blue Sky pack the same way he was treating me. No, I was his only special prisoner.Gaun!I heard the main door of the dungeon o
I had come up with a plan. And it didn’t involve me letting go of my pride or doing anything that would cause me to regret my actions one day. I was not going to beg Alpha Lucian for my freedom. Instead, I was going to offer him a deal.It was almost time for him to come visit me for his daily interrogation. I would bring the matter up then. Right on cue, I heard the main dungeon cell door open. I scurried over to the front of my cell, not-so patiently.“Eager today?” His voice boomed. “Having a bit of strength because of the food that was sent to you?” I didn’t answer his useless questions.“I thought about what you said the last time… about me getting out of this place.”He hummed in response after I said those words, then drew out his chair and sat down.“I take that you’re ready to grovel for my mercy. This will be interesting.” He didn’t even bother hiding the amusement in his tone. It pissed me off but I pretended not to be fazed by his actions.“I will not be grovelling today.
I was done for. Alpha Lucian would soon arrive and I still had no answer to his riddle. I bet he made up a fake riddle just to throw me off. In any case, I had a plan. I would show him just how valuable I was even without providing an answer to his useless riddle.Alpha Lucian arrived a couple minutes late today. I could tell since it seemed like he was in a hurry when he entered through the dungeon’s main door.“Who’s chasing you?” I attempted a joke.“You seem quite relaxed today. Could it be you have an answer to my riddle?” He walked steadily and drew out his chair to sit down.“I can’t say I have.”I could feel his confusion even without him saying anything.“Ruby of the Blue Sky, do you or do you not have an answer to my riddle?” he asked straightforwardly.I exhaled sharply. “I want you to repeat the riddle, so I can refresh my memory and hope to find a solution.”I was testing his patience, but either way, he wasn’t letting it slip that he knew I didn’t have an answer to his
It was his sister-in-law; Gina Pierce. I knew this just from the way she stood and the aura she was exuding. No one else, other than the ‘Mother of the Blood Moon pack’ could carry themselves in such an uplifted and dignified manner.I wiped my hands with a cloth and summoned a very fake bright smile on my face as I said, “Greetings. If it wasn’t already obvious, I am washing the dirty dishes of your household as instructed by the head maid.”It was only after saying those words that I realised how rude and disrespectful they sounded out loud. I gave myself an internal facepalm. This was Alpha Lucian’s late brother’s wife and someone who everyone knew he cherished dearly.The angry expression that was Gina’s face could give Jonathan’s expression whenever someone praised me for something a run for his money.“How dare you speak like that to me? Do you have any idea who I am? And who gave you the permission to roam about and do as you please in this house? Just who exactly do you think
I was wrong. Being a maid in this hellhole was as bad as I originally thought. Imagine being a worker for a party dedicated to the destruction of your life!That was exactly what was going on right now. After working as a maid in the pack house of the Blood Moon pack for three days, I had gotten used to being ordered around and slaving myself away.How irritated and surprised I was when I was told that Alpha Lucian wanted to see me. Of course I had originally wanted to ignore him and pretend as though I didn’t get the message, but as though Lucian knew that I was going to do that, he had ordered the messenger to escort me to his office directly without any form of delay.So, here I was, in the playground of the Dark devil. “Pardon me, but could you repeat your words once again? I fear I might have misheard you.” I said, shamelessly.The smug smile on Lucian’s face didn’t falter one bit as he said, “I want you to oversee the decorations in the grand hall for the party that will take p
I turned around to see a familiar face. It was the same guy who had been there with Lucian the day the Blue Sky pack was raided upon. I had only gotten a peek of his features, but since I had a retentive memory, I could remember him right away.Sierra had informed me that he was Lucian’s closest aide and his full name was Beckett Watterson. He was a childhood friend to both Lucian, his late brother (Atlas), and Gina. And from the aura he was exuding, he would be a Beta, no less.“I clearly wasn’t,” I spoke in my defence.Blue eyes matched against blue eyes as we stared down at each other.“Beck!” Timothy called out, quickly running to hide behind him, using Beckett as a shield to defend himself from me.“I hope you don’t think that you’ll be able to survive for the second time if you try to kidnap Timothy again.” Beck said to me with a rude tone.I was so close to tearing my hair out. Why did everyone think I was involved in this kid’s kidnapping?! I had no clue about it until that da
“A new breed, you say?” Lucian drawled.“Exactly. It was like they were mutated. They had patches of red on their fur. All of them. They were also emaciated. But that didn’t make them weak. In fact, they were strong and fast. Their speed…” Beck trailed off.Lucian clicked his tongue. “How many were you able to kill?”“Two out of five. The remaining got away. Like I said, their speed… it’s incredible.” Beck said.Wait a second. They were talking about a new breed of rogues. I had heard something like this a few months ago but I hadn’t minded it since it wasn’t affecting me directly.Were the mutated rogues spreading? Regular rogues were werewolves who were banished from their packs or werewolves who experienced something known as a Moon Deviation.It was a random, rare phenomenon that occurred when a werewolf who transformed under a full moon and was not strong enough to draw power from the moon, went insane from power overflow. The amount of Moon Deviation victims were less than 10 i
I was extremely exhausted.Being a maid was the worst thing ever. And being a maid bearing the nickname, ‘Ruby of the Blue Sky’ was even worse. Why did people still call me that even after the Blue Sky pack has been destroyed?“You should relax your expression,” Sierra said from beside me, her face riddled with worry.I sighed through my mouth and did as she said. A few moments ago, some warriors had paraded into the kitchen to get water to drink after their vigorous training session. Coincidentally, the warriors were the same people who had injected me with wolfsbane and thrown me into the dungeon when I first arrived here.They were surprised to see me living freely and wanted to throw me back into the dungeon. I had to convince them that Lucian had been the one to let me out; telling them about the whole riddle exchange and how I had tricked Lucian.It wasn’t necessary to let them know of that part. I just wanted to brag about the fact that I managed to outwit their precious Alpha.
“And what sort of thing did you hear?” I queried, feeling my pulse increase at her sudden outburst.“On the next full moon, they—attacks the pack!” they, foolishly, making sure to pronounce the words like they were dancing, giving up “fool her,” meaning all along — scheming against them, completed the rogue’s tale, sounding somewhat hysterical.Lucian, looking grim, met my gaze. “Look, I don’t think we can afford to ignore this. If this rogue isn’t lying, we have to get ready.”“I will inform the rest,” I said, shaking out of it and preparing to share the information.“Stay beside me,” Lucian said and his voice brooked no argument.On the way back to the rest, a strong kink of insistence engulfed me. There was no time to lose in assisting the pack.As soon as we brought edged the warriors, Lucian turned to them and explained the content of the message received from the rogue. “We have been informed that the rabid pack plans an assault towards the next full moon. We must now make arran
“I believe in you! Just keep on training and you will reach that level,” I said feeling proud of him.But not so long after, Lucian walked over to us and watched for a while. “You’re both progressing quite well. Ruby, your footwork is much better than it was before.”“Thanks! I have been trying to improve it,” I said with a blush on my face.“Timothy, you’re nailing down the techniques. That’s good,” Lucian appreciated this and Timothy adored the praise.Anyway, as it went on, I sensed a bond between us strengthening as well. We were a pack, and we aided each other in meeting the challenges that lay before us.Later that evening, when I was already in bed, I felt apprehensive, like we were about to enter into something. The rogue threat was still very fresh in my mind, and I wanted to be ready for it.***The following day, there was a strange sort of tension in the pack house. The warriors were getting ready for an evening patrol along the borders, and I could feel the pressure in th
The following days flew by like the sands in an hourglass as the Blood Moon pack prepared for the upcoming strategy meeting. There was a strong sense of vigilance in the atmosphere; everyone understood the menace posed by rogues who encircled us and it became rather obvious that a pack welfare strategy had to be put in place.“Hey Ruby! I’m sure you’re all geared up for the meeting?” Sierra yelled out while I was entering the common room with a heap of paper files chewing on my lip.“Almost! Just one more go through my notes,” I said shaking my head and paging through the notes nervously. “I just want to make sure that I cover all the bases.”“You are going to be okay! Everyone thinks highly of you,” she said a lot more encouragingly as her smile broke on her face, more light spilled on her figure.“Thanks, Sierra. I hope so. I am just so…” I began and retraced my steps again, not pressed to finish that thought. Excited? Caesar was Brutus billing himself as a saint.“Just keep in mind
The day after Lucian’s birth celebration was a different ball game in the pack house. There was a noise of warriors warming up for training, and with it came great expectation. Nobody was oblivious to the current rogue threat, and the enjoyment experienced from the earlier party wore off and solemnity reigned.“Ruby! Are you ready for training?” Timothy shouted as I walked into the common area still drowsy, trying to shake off sleep.“Ready as I’ll ever be, Tim,” I said, smiling at him. “Let’s see if I can catch up with you today.”Timothy smiled widely, showing how he was feeling. “You will! Just don’t forget what I said last time – we have to work on your footwork!”“Footwork, check. I shall do my best to keep moving my feet,” I said, playfully bouncing on my feet. “You are not going to allow me to lag behind, are you?” “Never! I will make sure you are the best fighter in the pack!” he declared, proudly puffing his chest.I chuckled and appreciated the bond that had formed between
In the subsequent days, there was training after training on a different strategy, and interaction with the fighters. I was beginning to feel that I belong to the Blood Moon pack, and I was ready to show myself to be worth it.One of those boring afternoons, I was in the family area skimming through some combat strategies. Just when I was about to deeply engross myself into the book, Lucian appeared, beaming from ear to ear.“You do seem to be busy,” he remarked lazily, as he casually positioned himself against the door frame.“Just trying to read as much as possible,” I answered, my eyes not leaving the book. “Why are you here?”“Thought I’d check in on you. How’s the training going?” he inquired while moving a little closer to me.“Great! I’ve been training with the warriors, and they’ve really helped me. I think I Am beginning to figure things out,” I said with a sense of pride that made even my chest swell.“That is good news. You have come very far from when you first came,” Luci
In the subsequent days, there was training after training on a different strategy, and interaction with the fighters. I was beginning to feel that I belong to the Blood Moon pack, and I was ready to show myself to be worth it.One of those boring afternoons, I was in the family area skimming through some combat strategies. Just when I was about to deeply engross myself into the book, Lucian appeared, beaming from ear to ear.“You do seem to be busy,” he remarked lazily, as he casually positioned himself against the door frame.“Just trying to read as much as possible,” I answered, my eyes not leaving the book. “Why are you here?”“Thought I’d check in on you. How’s the training going?” he inquired while moving a little closer to me.“Great! I’ve been training with the warriors, and they’ve really helped me. I think I Am beginning to figure things out,” I said with a sense of pride that made even my chest swell.“That is good news. You have come very far from when you first came,” Luci
In the next few days, there was too much activity orientated towards the birthday celebration of Lucian. The pack was too busy and I was also on the whirlwind. Everyboody was very happy to help out with the preparation and I also wanted to do my part.“Ruby, I need help with these decorations,” Sierra called me over as I passed the common room.“Sure! I’m always up for helping with decorations,” I said, rushing toward her. The woman was quite surrounded with women. Moreover, I could see streamers and banners ready to be fixed.“Perfect! I need a spare pair of hands,” Sierra said gleefully. “We have to make sure that everything is perfect for Lucian.”“Bring it on!” I responded and reached for some of the flowers. “What is the mission?”‘We are going to place these flowers at the entrance, like along the door and arrange some of the tables for the snacks,’ Sierra said excitedly. ‘I want everything to be good.’‘Good it is! Let’s begin,’ I answered, filled with the zeal to do the work.
In the next few days, I found myself getting busier as I concentrated on training and collecting more information regarding the rogue threat. The entire pack was already enthusiastic about the upcoming birthday celebrations for Lucian, myself however – I put my head down and focused only on work. I was hell-bent on proving my worth to the Blood Moon pack.It was still dawn when I returned to the training arena, practicing my moves. The sun had just started to rise giving the arena a golden glow. I was in my zone when all of a sudden, I heard some footsteps coming closer.“Hi, Ruby!” a bright voice interrupted my focus. I turned and Timothy was running towards me with a huge smile plastered on his face.“Tim! What’s the matter?” I asked wiping away the sweat from my face.“I just woke up and wanted to check on you. You were looking so good at the party!” he bubbled with glee.“Thanks! I am just trying to catch up with the rest,” I said blushing at his compliment. “And you? Is fight pra
The days that followed our encounter with the rogues was a mad rush of activities. The pack was cautious and I was at the center of it all. It was upon Lucian’s orders that I was to be part of any and all considerations regarding the threat posed by the rogues and I was going to do everything to earn that faith.“Ruby, you’re going to sit in on the strategy meeting today,” Lucian said one morning as we stood outside the training arena. It was bright outside with the sounds of the warriors, who had started their daily training, echo in the surroundings.“Me? For real?” I said, almost gleefully. “What if they don’t wish me to attend?”“They’ll have to manage it. You’ve already earned your stripes and it is important you take part in the conversations,” he replied, turning serious. “Moreover, there is a chance you could help us.”“Sure. Very helpful.” I said, feeling nervous and excited all at once. “And what if I make a fool of myself?”“Don’t think like that. Just speak how you feel an