Chapter 9

Ruby went to her room, locked the door, and slept until almost noon. She heard someone knock, but she ignored it. It did not matter to her if it was Tasha, Deacon, or Ryker. After what happened, she did not feel like talking to anyone.

Part of her felt embarrassed. Ryker attacked someone over her. That may be the way of wolves, but not in this situation. Ryker was not courting her. They were not Fated to one another either. His behavior was uncalled for, and he did not seem to think it was, which was a huge problem.

If a male wolf thought that a she-wolf was his, nothing would stop him from keeping other males from her until she was marked. Ryker’s behavior would fall into that category. At first, he clearly made Buddy and Dane feel uncomfortable enough to walk away from her. Then he attacked Elias. Ryker did everything but pee around her or mark her.

That would not be a bad thing.

Ruby rolled her eyes at Scarlett, and she huffed back. We share a mind, you know. Stop fighting it.

The next morning, at least what she thinks is morning, the smell of bacon filled her room and woke her from her slumber. Ruby felt herself salivate, and it pooled onto her pillow from her mouth. She quickly lifted herself from the mattress and began to sniff the air. The delectable smell of the salty meat filled her nostrils along with eggs and the sweet smell of bread. When her stomach growled, Ruby fought the temptation to remain in her room. As much as she did not want to talk about last night, she needed sustenance.

Ruby changed out of her clothes from last night and walked out to the kitchen. Deacon’s frame made the table look smaller, and it made her giggle, especially when she noticed that his large hands made the fork look like one you’d feed an infant with. Her giggle made him look her way.

“What are you laughing about?”

“You look like a damn giant in comparison to all the furniture and utensils around here.”

Tasha cackled at the comment as she tended to the pans on the stove. Deacon turned his head to glare at her, but Tasha never turned around to notice.

“Well, you look like you could work at a strip club with how little you are wearing.”

Ruby looked down at her outfit. “I’m wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. We live in the Western Sanction. Heat is ridiculous out here.”

“She got you there, Babe,” Tasha called out as she continued to cook.

Ruby sat across from Deacon and just smiled as she watched him eat. Seeing him continue to use the utensils made Ruby laugh some more. “Maybe you need to find those bigger utensils that are for like… salads or something? I forget. I didn’t pay attention to those kinds of rules for silverware.”

“Am I going to just get shit from you while we eat?”

“If I don’t pick on you, I don’t like you. So consider this my way of showing affection.”

Tasha put down a large plate that had eggs and bacon stacked onto it in front of her. There was a small portion of them scrambled, two that were sunny side, and two that were over easy. Then there was a small plate that had toast that was halved with a small amount of butter spread across it.

“I didn’t know how you took your eggs, so I just made a little of each.”

Ruby looked up at her friend and gave her a smile of appreciation. “Thank you. I love sunny side up, but I am not picky. I’ll eat all three.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tasha smiled back and returned to the stove to cook her own breakfast.

Ruby took a piece of toast and dipped it into the yolk. As the liquid poured out of it, her mouth watered once more. She ate the piece of toast with the yolk on it and moaned. Tasha had put the right amount of salt and pepper onto the egg to give it the perfect flavor and bring the sweetness of the toast rounded it out. She continued that process until the yolk was gone. Then, she laid a piece of the salty, crispy bacon onto another piece of toast, and topped it with the rest of the egg. She turned it into a sandwich and took a bite. The sweetness of bread, saltiness of bacon, and the seasoned egg made her moan again.

“Girl, you are gonna turn Deak on with all that moaning. It’s like you’ve never eaten before,” Tasha joked.

“My moaning turning you on there, Deak? Trying to build yourself a harem?”

“Please. I have enough to handle with just Tash. Like I need two of you.” Tasha smacked him upside the head, but he ignored it. “Though, those moans are kind of a turn on.”

“Sorry! I like food, especially when it is properly seasoned like this. Why aren’t you a chef?”

“I’ve asked her the same thing. If you think these kinds of meals are good, you should taste what her cooking is like when she goes extravagant.”

Ruby eyes widened and looked over at Tasha. “Uhm… now I need to know!”

Tasha pretended to ignore them as she continued to cook up some food for herself. Deacon chuckled as he ate his breakfast. Ruby felt like Tasha was not going to get into the conversation, so she went back to eating. Tasha sat down and ate her own plateful. They all ate in silence, which sort of made Ruby wonder if they always ate like this, or if they were being silent because of her.

“Am I making you two uncomfortable by being here?” Ruby said weakly, afraid of their answer.

Tasha dropped her fork as it made her way to her mouth. “Oh goodness, no! Sometimes we just don’t have a lot to say in the mornings. Well, after we wake up, I should say, considering it is nearly noon.”

Deacon chimed in saying, “I am not a morning person at all. I don’t get chipper until about four in the afternoon. The fact that I even made a joke at you not that long ago shows that I actually like you.”

“Well that’s relieving.”

Ruby offered to clean up since Tasha cooked. At first, Tasha was having none of it. Ruby did not let up and started doing the dishes before Tasha could. The last thing she wanted was for them to end up thinking that she was mooching off them.

Wow. Being called unworthy has me feeling that way all the time! What the hell… Tyson should not have gotten to me this way!

He was your Fated Mate. Someone who was supposed to cherish you. He didn’t. That can cause some damage to your self-esteem.

But I had three men flirting with me last night. How could I feel unworthy after that?

Tyson used you…

Ugh. Next time I see that guy, I am ripping his balls from his body.

Tasha refused to allow Ruby to do all the work, so they made a compromise. Ruby washed the dishes, Tasha dried them, and Deacon offered to put them away. It felt weird having all three of them clean up. Ruby grew up with Omegas doing everything for her. Her mother did make sure to teach both of her children how to do some basic cooking and cleaning, and Ruby was thankful she did. Heather knew that things could end up not going to plan. Her life fell apart, and she was a rogue when Davis found her. He happened to be on a hunt in the same area as her and ended up hunting her down instead. Ruby never found out why her mother ended up becoming a rogue, but her mother’s firsthand experience was something that became very useful in passing down.

“So, what’s going on between you and Ryker?”

Ugh, I was starting to think that conversation would not come up. “Nothing,” she said coldly.

“He caused a lot of commotion last night for no reason?”

Ruby kept her eyes on the plate she was washing, “yep.”

“I don’t get it. Sims is a pretty calm and collected guy. I only ever saw him lose his cool once before, but that was on intruders in town,” Deacon explained.

“It seems almost as if you two are mates.” Tasha added.

Is he my mate?

I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.

That does NOT answer my question.

“I had a mate. I know what that feels like. I don’t feel that pull, that undeniable need for him. Wouldn’t that mean he is not my mate?”

“Not always. Deak and I felt something when we met. It may not have been the Fated Mate kind of feelings, but we did feel a connection.”

“I didn’t feel that when I met him either,” Ruby said exasperated.

“Maybe he did.”

Ruby didn’t know how to feel about that. What if that was a possibility? What if Ryker felt the pull to her, but she did not to him? Would the Moon Goddess be that cruel?

“Well, I am not sure if I would jump on his bandwagon after his behavior last night.”

Deacon laughed as he put away the plate that was in his hands. “You’re gonna pass up on Ryker because of one moment of bad behavior? That’s a little cruel.”

“He could have killed Elias! Which would have brought his pack here to wipe out this sanctuary that you have built. Elias was an Alpha and was attacked while unprovoked. Pack Laws are serious, and the Council would side with them, not Ryker.”

Deacon cocked his eyebrow at her. “How do you know so much about Pack Law?”

“She’s from an Alpha line,” Tasha told Deacon.

“No wonder Ryker would be interested in you. Sexy body, intelligent, you know how to fight, and you are from an Alpha line? Damn. We should probably keep that shit quiet. That could make you a target for men trying to grope you around here.”

“I don’t want anyone to only want me because I am the daughter of an Alpha! That is no reason to choose a mate.”

“It is for some people,” Deak muttered.

“Is it for Ryker?”

Ruby found herself holding her breath. A part of her did not want Ryker to be the kind of person to only want the strongest mate so his pups would be stronger than anyone else’s. It used to be common. Wolves would reject their non-ranking mate and choose a higher one just to produce stronger pups. The council had to step in and make it punishable by death if it kept happening. After that, it was not as common.

“I don’t think so. As far as I know, he doesn’t want a mate. At all. No pups either,” Deacon said as he plopped down into a chair within the living room.

That is not an answer I was hoping to hear either. Why, though?

Because he looks delicious, and you want to try a piece of him?

Sounds like the last thing I want. He will use me and move on. Just like Tyson.

“That is not at all what I was expecting to hear.”

“He says that a mate and pups will distract him. He needs to remain hidden and keep this place a sanctuary. There isn’t a place like this in the other Sanctions.”

“I know. There should be,” Ruby said as she sat herself down onto the couch. “Wait, how is it that no one has told Tyson about Ryker being here? Like Elias… he could be ticked off about last night and then just report it to Tyson. Tyson wants Ryker dead. Elias could get Ryker killed, and he won’t even have to do it himself.”

“Magic,” Tasha and Deacon said in unison.

“What?”

Deacon launched into a story about the day Ryker ended up in the Rogue Territory. He apparently fought his way here. Tyson had done the exact same thing to Ryker as he did with her. Wolves were somehow in place to attack him as he ran from the pack. He showed up barely alive. That’s when everything changed for him.

“A Witch happened to be walking by and saved his life. Then she made it so that no one could speak of this location once they have been here. The magic can also help people be guided here, if they are seeking refuge, so they can find it.”

“This Witch did this with no other agenda?” Ruby asked.

“Apparently.” Tasha said it as if she did not believe it herself.

“That is not like Witches. Everything comes at a price.”

“Not this one. He’s been here for three years. Since then, this town has done nothing but prosper. No Witch has come in here to cause any kind of havoc as if he made a deal with her,” Deacon pointed out. “Many have asked him to become Alpha here, and we all pledge our allegiance to him so we can form a pack. He declined every time.”

Ruby remembered what he said to her yesterday. “Yeah. He said packs are nothing but hassles.”

“Kind of a trademark sentence from him.”

“So, he doesn’t want a mate, pups, or a title?”

“Nope,” they said in unison.

Ryker seems to be someone I should not want to get involved with.

What’s wrong with sex for pleasure?

You just want sex?

If it’s the only thing on the table with him, Scarlett said as she panted.

Ruby rolled her eyes and shook her head at her wolf.

“I think you need to clear the air with Ryker, though. He is your boss. You don’t want that kind of drama with the person who literally holds your job in his hand,” Tasha told her.

“A job I have had for only one day?”

Tasha shrugged her shoulders. “Beats the stores in this place. The club at least allows you to have some fun while on the job. Talk to people, listen to music, dance.”

“I guess. I just did not want to see him until I felt like I could talk to him calmly. My usual time frame is about three days,” Ruby half joked.

“You have a shift tonight. Since you are on my team, you have my days off. Which is Tuesday and Thursday.”

“Great.” Ruby contemplated the decision.

Clearly she would have to talk to Ryker before tonight. As much as she did not want to do it, Tasha had a point.

What if tonight is the same as last night? That would only make things worse.

So we get to go see the yummy wolf?!

To talk! Yes.

Seriously, you are no fun.

Since Deacon made a comment about her outfit, Ruby decided to change. The shorts she wore were replaced by a pair that were a little longer and reached to the middle of her thigh. She looked into her closet to find something that was better than the tank top she was currently wearing. When her eyes landed on the red robe and hood, her eyes lit up.

Perfect. Covers up my “problem areas” and will make me feel like myself. Now off to talk to Ryker.