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#Chapter 9 - Training
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 10 - Discipline
Ruby My face burns a deep scarlet red as I stand in the middle of the training field with all of the students and Atwood glaring at me. Atwood clears his throat. I can tell that he’s attempting to compose himself, but I can see the anger behind his eyes and the way that his fists ball up at his sides. “Miss Ruby,” he says. “Late on your first day of transfer, and no uniform.” He makes a tsk sound with his tongue. It feels as though he’s trying to hide the fact that I’m his mate from the other students. Finally, he manages a cordial smile and addresses the rest of the students. “Thank you for coming to the first day of training,” he says. “Let’s kick off this school year on a high note. If everyone could please line up at the base line, we’ll begin with some stretches to warm our bodies up.” The students obediently line up on the white line. I go to follow and stand next to Nancy, who gives me a sympathetic smile. Atwood gives instructions to all of us to begin stretching. He wal
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 11 - Running
AtwoodAll I wanted was for Ruby to follow the rules and make a good impression on her new classmates. I wanted her to make friends, get good grades, and learn to enjoy the Lycan world. That’s it.Not… whatever this is.Did I not instruct Alice closely enough to ensure that she properly explained the rules to Ruby?Perhaps Alice just assumed that Ruby understood the rules of the Lycan world and gave her too much freedom. I find it difficult to see any scenario in which Alice would want to intentionally make Ruby’s first day so negative. My head housekeeper has always been loyal to me and the crown. She would never want to sully our reputation, let alone my mate’s reputation.Maybe I should’ve just instructed Ruby myself. It seems as though she wasn’t even aware that I am in charge of training here. Perhaps if she had known, she would have put in more of an effort to make her first day run smoothly.Perhaps I’m being too harsh on her.Truthfully, I just want her to run so she can sweat
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 12 - New Girl
RubyI make sure to wake up half an hour before Alice comes in so that I can have time to get ready on my own today. Besides, I figure that doing so will give Alice fewer things to complain about -- although I’m certain she’ll still find something.It’s still dark outside as I pop out of bed and scurry to the bathroom. Atwood’s side of the bed is still neatly made, which makes me wonder if he has been sleeping in another bedroom. Maybe he just doesn’t sleep at all. I jump into the shower, giving myself ten minutes to enjoy the hot water.Tamara and I didn’t have water this hot in our old home. I could only afford to pay the bills sporadically, so sometimes we would be lucky to have lukewarm water but most of the time we would have cold water. I got used to it after awhile, but having a hot, strong stream of water feels nice.When I step out of the shower, the bathroom is all steamy. I wipe the steam away from the mirror as I wrap myself in my towel and begin drying my hair, then I use
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 13 - Invitaion
RubyWe all turn to look at who just spoke.“Earl?!” Donna practically shrieks. “Why would you invite this hillbilly?”“Donna, I don’t appreciate you treating newcomers like this,” Earl says, striding up to me. He smiles and holds his hand out for me to take. When I take his hand, he pulls me up to my feet easily as though I weigh nothing.“Here,” he says, pulling two invitations out of the inside pocket of his blazer. He hands one to me and one to Nancy, whose face is blushed a deep scarlet red.“Hmph!” Donna mutters, turning on her heel and storming off. Ethan grimaces at me and then follows her like a lost puppy.Earl ignores Donna and Ethan, continuing to smile at me. “Don’t worry about them,” he says. “They’re like this with all of the transfers. Pretty soon they’ll get bored of you and move onto someone else.”“I hope so,” I respond, looking down at the ticket in my hand.“I hope to see both of you at the party tonight.” With a smile, Earl walks away. I can feel the eyes of the
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 14 - Bully
RubyThe weekend passes quickly.Far too quickly, because although it’s sunny and beautiful outside, Atwood won’t let me leave the castle. He has Alice follow my every move, even going so far as to have her stand outside the bathroom whenever I have to pee.It’s humiliating for me, but I can tell that Alice enjoys it, because now she has plenty of time to insult my every move.It feels like every five seconds she’s saying things to me like “Stand up straighter, don’t slouch,” or “We’ll have to work on your table manners, you pig,” or “Your slovenly appearance is no fit for a future princess.” With each snide comment, with each pinch of my belly to exclaim how fat I am, and with each comparison to the stranger named “Luna” I can feel myself beginning to break.I think that Alice wants me to break. She wants me to lose my temper and go on a rampage that will finally get me kicked out of the castle. In a way, I want that to happen so that Tamara and I can just go back to our old life. Bu
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 15 - Anger
RubyAlthough the growing number of comments is horrible and traumatizing, I just can’t bring myself to tear my eyes away from my phone screen. My surroundings fade into the distance, and it feels as though I’m nothing but a floating pair of eyeballs in a void staring at a screen.“Is this really Ruby Jones? The new girl?”“omg, these pics are so slutty!!”“who goes 2 a buffet and steals the food like that?”“LOL, look at her stuffing her face! she’s such a pig”“there’s no way this pariah is an aristocrat. #expelrubyjones”“Hahahah, it’s her third day here and someone already hates her enough to post these! I think that might be a world record.”“should i retweet this? i think i should retweet this. lol #whorethief”I can feel a pounding headache suddenly coming on as the bile rises in my throat. Is no one going to say anything about this slander? It’s nothing but cruelty. I was clearly drugged and taken advantage of, although I don’t remember much more than flashes of dark figures l
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 16 - Headmaster
RubyStudents watch and whisper as the professor ushers me down the hallway and up the massive staircase leading to the headmaster’s office.“No, please,” I beg, but she won’t listen. I just know that I’m going to be expelled, or worse if what Nancy said about the headmaster was true.The professor climbs the stairway, not caring for the fact that I’m stumbling and tripping behind her. Once we reach the top, she pushes me ahead of her toward a large wooden door at the end of a long corridor.“It wasn’t me!” I cry. “Donna started it!”“You can tell that to the headmaster,” the professor says with a grimace. “See if he’ll believe your lies.”The professor presses a button next to the large door. Inside, I can hear a doorbell chime followed by the sound of a man cursing and crashing about.The headmaster swings the door open.His hair is a bit disheveled and his jacket has been removed to show a white button down and a red vest that looks somewhat comical stretched over his round belly.
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 17 - She cries
AtwoodWatching my mate cry makes it feel as though my heart is being ripped from my chest. I never wanted to hurt her, never wanted to make her cry. I never wanted to make her feel so unheard that she would need to resort to this to get me to listen.The power of the mate bond feels stronger now than ever.“Ruby,” I mutter, stepping toward her and wrapping my arms around her. She feels tiny and fragile. Her body shivers with a mixture of anger and distress, but I only hug her more tightly until she relaxes into my arms.I pick her up now and carry her over to my chair, sitting down with her on my lap. She leans heavily against my shoulder as she continues to sob. I say nothing, simply stroking her hair until she calms.“Just breathe,” I murmur into her ear repeatedly.When Ruby has calmed, she sits up and rubs her red eyes. I reach up with my handkerchief to wipe away the tears and snot from her sobbing.I look into her eyes when I’m done cleaning her face and cup her round little ch
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The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 100: What’s in Store
RubyThe feast goes on for some time longer, well into the night. Some of the guests begin to go home, leaving gifts for Atwood and I, while many others stay and continue to party.“Feasts are always like this,” Atwood says, swirling his champagne around in his glass with one hand and poking at his cake with his fork with his other hand. “On a few different occasions, we’ve had to escort partygoers out of the castle because they simply wanted to party all night.”“It’s refreshing,” I respond, taking a bite of cake. The cake is moist and not too sweet, with buttercream frosting. It practically melts in my mouth. “I’m happy to see people dancing and having fun, especially after what happened at my birthday party.”Admittedly, however, I’m starting to get tired -- and Atwood can tell.“Come on,” he says, standing from his chair and holding his hand out for me. “Let’s sneak out the back here. Everyone is too drunk to notice. I’m getting tired of all the noise.”I nod and take his hand. We
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 99: The Royal Wedding
RubyBefore I know it, I’m standing behind the church doors, waiting to walk down the aisle.The morning feels like a blur. As I stand here now, my heart racing with butterflies in my stomach, everything else feels so small and insignificant. All that matters is right now; the flowers in my hand, the veil on my head, the sweat on my palms.It’s just like my vision.I know that when those doors open, Atwood will be standing at the end of the aisle. Nancy and the other bridesmaids -- Beck is one of them, surprisingly enough -- will be standing off to one side, while Atwood’s groomsmen stand on the other side. The priest will be smiling at me, his robes a vibrant combination of red and gold.Tamara will walk ahead of me, tossing flower petals down at my feet while the wedding guests look at their new Princess in awe.And at the back of the room, the shadow figure will be there. It’s always there, watching, lurking.I will ignore it.I will marry Atwood and pretend that the shadow figure
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 98: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
RubyAtwood says I was sleepwalking last night.I think it was something else.All I remember is waking up in his arms on the forest floor, but my body feels… strange. Like there’s a bit of me missing inside.After I woke up in Atwood’s arms last night, he insisted that we return to the castle in case I start sleepwalking again. I obliged and let him carry me back. He took me straight to my room and didn’t leave my side for the rest of the night, which would normally make me happy, but it only solidified my suspicions that something else happened in the woods.I can’t explain it, nor can I understand it, and I don’t want to try right now. The wedding is today and I just want to focus on that, focus on joy. Perhaps it is just my nerves and it will dissipate after the wedding. Regardless, I’ll take Nancy’s advice and see a therapist. Maybe that will help.Polly comes and wakes me up in the morning. I’m surprised to see that Atwood is already gone, no doubt preparing for the wedding and
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 97: Sleepwalker
AtwoodThe last time I slept in the forest, I was just a pup.It was a warm summer night. Lawrence, Freya, Paul, Kayne, and I had spent the day playing and hunting in the woods where it was cooler beneath the shade of the trees. Eventually, we became so exhausted from our day of playing “grown ups” that we all flopped down in a big pile beneath the pine trees, still in our wolf forms, and fell asleep right then and there.I remember that I had felt so much bliss that night. It was as though sleeping outside was in my nature. Even when my mother punished me the next morning for not coming home that night and forbade me from ever sleeping in the woods like a “scoundrel” again, I never regretted it.Now, as Ruby suggests that we sleep in the woods tonight after our hunt and our animalistic sex, I feel the same bliss that I felt that summer night all those years ago.And my mother isn’t here to tell me I’m not allowed.Ruby and I shift back into our wolf forms and find a good spot beneath
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 96: A Guilty Conscience
RubyLater in the evening, after we’ve spent a few hours just walking around the castle grounds and enjoying the nice weather, Nancy goes home.Even though it’s much warmer outside than it has been in a while, my face and hands are freezing from spending the day outside so I decide to head in to warm up. I can still hear a bit of commotion in the ballroom as the wedding reception is still being set up when I get inside.My stomach starts to growl and I realize I haven’t eaten all day, so I head toward the kitchen to find something to eat.When I enter the kitchen, Atwood is already there. He’s sitting at the counter with two plates of food.“Perfect timing,” he says with a smile, gesturing to the other plate. “I figured you’d be hungry after trekking around the castle grounds with Nancy all day.”I can’t help but smile at Atwood’s kindness as I take a seat at the kitchen island. The food is still steaming, fresh off the stove. It’s a simple plate of vegetables, chicken, and rice, but
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 95: The Bear Hostage
Ruby’s POV“I’ll always protect you, no matter what.”Atwood’s words stick with me, even after he leaves me to go back to the wedding preparations.I know that he’ll always protect me, but how can he protect me against something that may not even exist? How can he protect me against something that has manifested in my own mind; a token of my own guilt and fear?When Atwood leaves me to go back to the ballroom, I still feel as though there are eyes staring at the back of my head. When I turn around, however, there is nothing there.Just then, the sun comes out from behind a cloud and shines through the small stained glass window in the alcove. It casts deep red and purples on the castle floor, and for a moment, I don’t feel so afraid.Maybe I just need to go outside. Maybe some fresh air will help.I run back up the stairs, taking two at a time, and head back to my room to get changed. I send a quick text to Nancy to ask her to meet up at the castle, to which she immediately replies wi
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 94: Wedding Preparations
RubyAfter we finished cleaning up Vivian’s room last night, Atwood told me that he had a lot of work to do for preparations since the wedding is almost here, so I decided to sleep on my own. My bed felt cold and empty without him there, but I knew that it would only be forty-eight hours until we’re officially married and will share a bed every night.I’m awoken this morning by Polly knocking on my door. She has a sweet smile on her round face; a massive improvement from Alice’s mean mug waking me up every morning.“Good morning, Princess,” she says with a curtsy, entering my room and opening the curtains to let the morning sun in. “I hope you don’t mind, but Lycan Atwood has asked me to wake you early this morning.”“What for?” I ask groggily, sitting up in bed and rubbing my eyes.“Your wedding dress fitting, of course!”My eyes widen and my heart begins to flutter. It hasn’t fully hit me yet that our wedding will be so soon, but hearing that my wedding dress will be fitted today fi
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 93: Acceptance
RubyWhen I was first whisked away from my home to live in the castle and be Atwood’s bride, I thought I would hate it. And truthfully, I did hate it for a long time.But now, as I wake up in the warmth of his hidden bedroom, with his scent filling my senses and the feeling of his lips on my skin, I’m glad that I’m here. Fate has a strange way of making things happen.“Good morning, little bird,” Atwood whispers in between gentle kisses on my chest and neck.Last night, we made love for the first time. I thought that we would follow tradition and wait until marriage, but like so many other things that have happened over the past few months, the outcome was different from my expectations.For the first time in months, I feel peace. Alice, Edith, and the Queen are gone; I’ll be marrying Atwood in just a couple of days; and I’ll return to school in a few weeks as the Princess of the Lycan Kingdom.While the whereabouts of the Queen and her minions are still unknown and there is always th
The Lycan's Runaway Bride #Chapter 92: The Room
AtwoodAs soon as Ruby says that she experienced the void, memories of my time there come rushing back. More than anything else, memories of what Vivian said to me there flood back into my mind.“Visit my room more... Turn on the lights and light the fire... Let both yourself and Ruby enjoy the room, rather than shutting it off from the world. Most importantly, uncover my painting; I like to watch from there.”Her words ring in my head as though she’s speaking them to me in this moment, but I know that’s not the case. Vivian has finally crossed over to an eternity of peace. From now on, she only exists in the snow that falls from the sky.I’m okay with that. I think Ruby is, too.I stand up and start getting dressed.“Get dressed,” I tell Ruby. “I want to show you something.She throws on her robe and follows me out of my hidden room, taking my hand as we exit the study into the cold, dark corridor. Everyone else in the castle, aside from the guards who are watching the entrances lik
