CHAPTER ONE

“Ruby,” the familiar voice croaked out. “Please run!” Ruby felt stiff as she struggled to make sense of the situation before her. Her mind was foggy as the soft gurgling sound coming from the woman lying on the ground dwindled to complete silence. She struggled to break free from the cage her mind had put on her limbs. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t even blink as she watched the woman let out her final breath. Her arms grew stiff with her hands lying inches away from where Ruby knelt. Her pale hair sprawled on the floor slowly adopting the crimson-red color of blood which oozed from the clean slash on her throat. Ruby felt her throat constrict as she fought her senses to reach the woman. She knew nothing about her, but the urge to touch her was too overwhelming, almost too strong to ignore. She felt a lone tear trickle down her face. “Please,” she begged like always. “Just once, let me touch you.” “N-no, please no!” the deep male voice cried out from behind her. Twisting her neck to the side, she watched as the man approached. His hands shook as he picked up the lifeless form of the woman on the floor. “No!” His voice resonated through the room, shaking the building from its very foundation. And then his grey eyes met hers and the recurring feeling of recognition rushed through her. ‘Who are you?’ Ruby wanted to ask; she wanted to know. But he cut her off. “You need to run, Ruby,” he began as he grabbed her shoulders. “Run as fast as you can, don’t let them get you.” She couldn’t go. She didn’t want to. Not until she knew what was going on. The man shook her, and with one final push, he managed to break her out of the comatose state her mind had put her body in. “Run, child! Run!” And with one final look at the man and lifeless woman, Ruby busted through the door and out into the woods. Her feet bounced on the hard bruising ground as she sprinted with no direction in mind. The pebbles and branches pierced painfully at her feet. Her heart ached in her chest but she did not attempt to stop, not that she could if she wanted to. As the sense of safety began to envelop her in her escape, a figure emerged into view, and before she could make out who it was, a blow landed on the side of her head, and everything went black. Ruby jerked awake with a yelp. Beads of sweat trickled down the side of her head as her eyes roamed around the small cubicle-like room. Placing her hand on her chest, Ruby took slow breaths to steady her thundering heart. Ruby pondered as she struggled to remember the details of her dream. It felt like a distant memory she couldn’t reach no matter how much she tried. One thing was a constant- the fear and panic that followed her. It had been exactly two weeks since she last had that dream, or instead episodes as her father called them. Panic surged through her. If they were back, that only meant one thing. Ruby stiffened as heavy footsteps padded towards her door. Scurrying to her feet, Ruby stood by the side of her bed with her head bowed. On cue, the door busted open and her father marched in with his hands in fists. “Dad, please, I’m sorry,” she begged but the rough pad of his hand colliding with the side of her face sent her to the floor. Everything ached, but Ruby made no move to stand. That would only make her punishment worse. “You worthless piece of shit,” His voice rang in her ears as she struggled to protect her face from his assault. Biting down on her lip was her way of staying silent. But with every blow and kick, her teeth dug deeper drawing blood. Everything ached; her face from the slap, her ribs which she knew would be bruised after the beating. But she gave nothing away. Making a sound would only agitate him, she had discovered. All she could do was curl into a ball, a frail attempt to protect her face from the assault. Her eyes remained peeled on the door, as new sets of feet entered the room. Before Ruby could stop herself, a whimper escaped her lip as her father grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled hard. “No more yelling or you’re satisfied with waking us all up?” Ruby winced and reached up to ease off his hand. “Don’t touch me!” Ruby shook in fear, bracing for the next blow. But the doorbell rang, saving her. Her father grunted and stepped back. Ruby sighed in relief and scooted further into her room away from her father. “This is your final warning, girl. Request your medicine when you feel your episodes returning. It’s embarrassing enough that you’re my daughter, I can’t have you screaming and waking the whole pack,” Father began as he stormed towards the door. “Get ready and get to work. Redmoon’s anniversary is today, and the alpha requested for all the omegas to help with the preparations. Be there by 12.” “Yes, father,” Ruby croaked out as Edgar slammed the door shut and padded down the stairs to the front door. The room remained silent for a few seconds before laughter filled the air. The sound startled Ruby, but she soon recovered when she lifted her eyes and saw Ophelia walking towards her. Ruby had almost forgotten she was still in the room. “You look like shit,” Ophelia mocked but Ruby remained silent. Father may be gone, but the scars she had were not only caused by him. She watched her cautiously as she pulled out a vial from her nightwear pocket before drawing out its contents with a syringe. Ophelia was beautiful and she knew it. Her shiny blond hair was in a sleeping braid, and her blue eyes twinkled when she laughed. To everyone in the pack, she was a sweet, loving soul, but beneath the pretty face was a rotten personality and a twisted kink for causing pain. It was always laughable when Ophelia informed other members of the pack that they were twins. Ruby always scoffed at the remark. It was clear as day that they were different, too different, but she never argued about it. She probably said it to look better, prettier as if her looks and figure weren’t enough. “I guess it’s my job to cure your madness,” Ophelia pushed her to the side and wasted no time in jabbing the needle into her thigh. “I don’t know why Father wouldn’t do away with you, but then again, he’s at his last straw.” Ruby winced at the sting from the needle, making Ophelia smile at the reaction she elicited. “Last warning,” Ophelia muttered and then started for the door. “Get started with breakfast will you, I’m hungry.” The door slammed shut and Ruby let out the breath she had been holding but remained in the same spot. Omega. She hated the word. She hated herself for being so weak and not having the one thing that made her what she was. What was a werewolf without a wolf? An abomination. And every day she was reminded of what she was; a freak, something to be spat upon and ridiculed. But despite it all, she couldn’t bring herself to hate her father. Being one of the alpha’s counsel men, it was a disgrace to have a daughter like her. Ruby knew that she would have treated her child differently if she were in his shoes, but that must be his way of coping, right? With a groan, she fought the pain in her side and pulled herself up by the leg of her bed. Clenching her teeth, she made her way out of her room to begin her daily routine. Entering the small bathroom adjacent to her room, she stared at her reflection through the mirror. Her lips were busted in multiple places, and her cheek still had a handprint. Her thick black hair was a mess and empty green eyes stared back at her. Ruby didn’t recoil at the state she was in. She would have been shocked if she looked any better. “I better get going,” Ruby whispered while gathering her hair into a bun. **** The Redmoon pack was a small town nestled in a valley, yet housed a myriad of cultures. It sat in the middle of a vast forest which served as a border and training grounds for wolves. Brown and red-bricked houses stood side to side and the road buzzed with life as cars and people made their way through them. Ruby kept her head as she made her way towards the park house. It was a large building which sat at the center of the town. The Alpha, Beta, and some high-ranked members of the pack lived there. The outside was decorated with ribbons and lamps and right in front of the pack house, a podium was being constructed. Ruby made her way to the back entrance of the house. She noticed two others following behind her. She recognized one as Betty. She looked scrawny and her eyes were lifeless as she stared back at Ruby when she noticed her looking. Betty was the daughter of a high-ranked member but was demoted to Omega when her father was killed for treason. No one knew what he did, but she was banished to live on the outskirts of town. “Watch it!” Ruby was pulled out of her thoughts as she bumped into someone. “I’m sorry,” she said as the man sneered at her before storming off. She mentally scolded herself for her carelessness before entering the house. The inside buzzed with life. People ran to and fro hustling to get everything ready in time for the celebration. “You there!” Ruby turned at the sound. A woman stood in the hall with an apron around her waist. She looked to be in her late thirties, with her chestnut hair secured tightly in a bun at the back of her head and her brown eyes narrowed as she observed her. Ruby pointed to herself, and the woman nodded. “What are you doing here?” the woman asked sternly. Her face twisted in disgust. “I’m Ruby Laine from the house of Edgar.” “And you’re just standing around! There’s a lot to be done. The Alpha is returning after six months of being away. Everything has to be perfect.” Ruby nodded. Everyone knew about the Great War that took place four years ago. It marked the birth of the Redmoon pack and the beginning of the Alpha’s reign. He had fought bravely and overtook the pack from his power-hungry brother. “Since you’re the daughter of a high-ranked...” The woman paused and stared at her from head to toe. Ruby didn’t blame her. A high-ranked having an omega for a daughter had never been heard of. Ruby turned briefly to find Betty lifting a pile of plates that would be used for the celebration. “I can entrust you with preparing the Alpha’s room. He has been gone for a while and will be back any time now.” “Yes, ma’am.” Ruby followed the woman as she led her to the room. “I can tell if anything is out of place, so don’t think about stealing.” “I understand.” The woman stopped at a door at the far end of the house. It was made of pine and an engraving of a wolf was made on its center. “I’ll be back in an hour, make sure it’s spotless,” the woman said as she pushed the door open. Ruby nodded and stepped in. The room was gloomy and dark. The walls were painted beige and a king-sized bed sat at the center of the room and neatly folded bedding sat on top of it. To the right was a large window with brown and a sheer off-white curtain and beside it was a lamp which casted a soft yellow light to the room. Among everything in the room, one thing stood out. The air held an aroma that tickled Ruby’s nostrils every time she breathed. It smelt of cedar wood and mint. Something sweet also lingered in the air, but she couldn’t make out what exactly it was. Shaking her head, Ruby got to work. Thirty minutes later, Ruby stood by the side and scanned the room. “All good,” Ruby whispered to herself as she walked towards the closet. She wasn’t supposed to do anything there but she couldn’t help it. The scent seemed stronger there and all she wanted to do was bask in it. Like the door, the closet door had the same wolf engraving. Her hands reached up as she caressed the wolf. Its head faced up as it howled. Ruby felt a pang in her chest. It looked so free and happy, everything she wished she could be. “What are you doing here?” Ruby jerked backward at the interruption. Turning to the door, Ophelia stood with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. “You dirty thief! Stealing from your Alpha!” Ruby shook her head frantically. “No, I was assigned to clean.” “As if anyone will believe a lowlife like you.” Ruby remained silent as Ophelia giggled. “Might as well let everyone know I caught a thief.” What? No! Before Ruby could stop her, Ophelia slammed the door shut and locked it. “Ophelia, please, let me out,” Ruby yelled but no one answered. Ruby knew that she didn’t steal anything, hell, she didn’t touch anything she wasn’t supposed to but it was Ophelia’s word against hers. That was when she heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. And in a split second, she was engulfed in the scent she had picked up a while ago. The closer the person approached, the stronger the scent became. It was intoxicating, making her insides stir and her knees weak. There was a brief pause before the lock clicked. Ruby stepped back just in time for the door to be pushed open. Instead of the vile smirking face of Ophelia, Ruby stared into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. “Mate,” the man whispered with his eyes focused on her.