Chapter 2

The next morning, Ruby got into a chauffeur car to the airport. With West Coast being the leading pack in the Sanction, they owned a small one with a few personal planes. Ruby did not like that the plane was only big enough to transport the pilot and herself, but it was the easier option. Red Cove was a ten-hour drive or an hour and a half plane trip.

No brainer there. Like I want to get out of a car and land on my face because my ass went to sleep.

During the drive to the airport, Ruby wondered how her return home would go. She had not seen her family since the day she left the pack to transfer to this one. Heather hated that Davis suggested the West Coast pack for Ruby to transfer to. The She-Alpha did not trust Tyson to be an honorable Alpha after challenging Ryker. Between that and the fact that it was too far away that, if something would happen to Ruby, she would never be able to get to her daughter in time, it was not the choice she would have made for Ruby.

Ruby sometimes joked with her mother that she should have been a Bear Shifter instead with how protective she was over her children. Heather would smile and roll her eyes each time Ruby mentioned it. The time that Heather nearly ripped out a she-wolf’s throat for growling at Jeremy when he was ten and got mud on the she-wolf’s dress, Davis agreed with Ruby. That was the moment that half the pack witnessed Heather give a glare to the Alpha that made him stop mid-laugh. After that, anyone who thought they could get away with something around the She-Alpha knew that they couldn’t.

During the transition from the car to the plane, Ruby wondered when her father would step down and hand the pack over to her brother. She made a bet with Jeremy that she would be running a pack before he would before she left. At first, it was a joke between them. Then they made the mistake of talking about it in front of their dad. Davis, at first, laughed, then joined in. It was a magical moment for Ruby when her father bet against Jeremy.

So far, no one has won the bet.

During the plane ride, Ruby thought of other memories with her family. The memories made her smile and eager to return home. She told her family she did not want them to make a fuss over her birthday and just wanted dinner with her family. Did she really think her family would listen? No. If anything, she expected a surprise party with the entire pack with a giant cake and fireworks.

Cause you know, my family goes above and beyond no matter the occasion.

Ruby expected that kind of party because that is exactly what Jeremy got for his twenty-first birthday. Her parents even invited some people from neighboring packs in hopes Jeremy would find his True Mate. When none of the she-wolves were his, Heather tried to convince Jeremy to travel to other packs within the Sanction before he became Alpha. When that didn’t work, Heather then said she would have to rely on Ruby for grandpups.

Maybe it isn’t a good idea to return home. That might turn into her demanding me to travel to find my mate…

Neither Jeremy or herself felt like settling down just yet. A mate and pups was part of their plan, just not right away. Heather had this talk with both of them, but she leaned more into the argument that if they both wanted to run a pack someday, an Alpha needed their mate to have a balanced pack, which was true. An unmated Alpha had more of a risk of losing control of his wolf than a mated Alpha after having to care for a pack.

“We are now descending into Red Cove territory, Miss Gardner,” she heard through the earmuffs from the pilot.

Ruby lifted her arm and gave him a thumbs up. She looked down and saw her pack’s town along the hills and cliff that surrounded Red Cove. There were a few boats docked and a couple moving in the water either coming or going. Ruby smiled and felt her heart flutter a little knowing she was home.

The bad part about transferring packs meant that she could no longer mindlink with her family. Granted, all wolves had access to phones, and she has remained in contact with her parents and brother. However, being able to talk to them with just a thought was still her favorite way to communicate with them.

She thought for sure that they would have been there when the plane landed. When she stepped off the plane and did not see them, Ruby growled. Instead, there was another black town car waiting for her with her father’s Beta, Ben, leaning on it with a smirk. Ben was an ex-boy toy of hers and was not particularly happy to see him. His father was the Beta for a few decades and stepped down a few months before Ruby’s departure. On that day, Ben decided that Ruby wasn’t worth continuing to have fun with and ended it. She wasn’t really mad about it since she was transferring packs in hopes to find her mate there, but it still stung. Just looking at him made her want to kind of punch him in the face. His blonde hair was a little lighter than she remembered, and his green-blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades. Ben’s shoulders were just over the car’s hood, and he was wearing a navy blue short sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans.

Now I am glad I decided to not wear something enticing since he is the one picking me up.

“What’s up, Benji?” she said in a nonchalant tone.

“The Princess returns,” ignoring her old nickname for him that she knew he hated, “surprised you even came back since you know the pack will be handed down to your brother.”

This was another reason why Ruby was happy that things ended with this guy. He had a habit of throwing it in her face that the pack would never be hers.

“I asked you what’s up. Not asked to re-spark your favorite put down. They’re still my family, and I have every right to visit whenever I want. Though, this is exactly what I should have expected from you, so I’ll just move on,” Ruby said as she wheeled her baggage to the trunk. “Find your mate yet?” she added as she sat in the passenger seat.

“Pfft, no. Thank the Goddess for that. There are a lot of hot tails in this town.”

He seemed too delighted by that, but she kept a resting bored face on. Thank the Goddess I don’t feel a mate bond forming because I think I would just tie cement blocks to my feet and dive directly into the cove if I did. “Good to know you are still living the dream. Something going on in the pack? I thought my mom or dad would have picked me up.”

Ben started the car, “not that I know of. They just told me to go pick you up.”

Great. It really is going to be a surprise party.

The pack’s house was on top of the right-side cliff that overlooked the cove. There was a curvy road that climbed the cliff that reminded her of old timey movies that led to creepy houses. Most people who were new to the area thought the pack house was a business from how large it was. Four stories tall with a modern architecture of grays and browns within its design, Ruby saw what they meant. They rolled up to the entrance stairs that led to a few cement stairs and a triangular roof overhead with a double door entrance. Ruby smiled at her old home and barely allowed Ben to stop the car before she jumped out. After the drive of silence she had to endure, she just wanted to be around her family. When she stepped through the double doors, her suspicion was correct.

“SURPRISE!” bellowed the entire Red Cove pack.

Ruby still jumped even though she saw it coming. A wide smile was plastered onto her face as her parents and Jeremy rushed toward her and enveloped her into a group hug. “Welcome home, Sweetie!”

Ruby looked at her mother first as she was the one to wrap her arms around her first. Heather had the silver hair that Ruby inherited, along with her thin but small curvy shape. Neither of her parents had red eyes, but she had her father’s eye shape. Ruby shared her nose with her father but her full lips with her mother. Jeremy? Spitting image of their father but had their mother’s green eyes.

Once Heather let go of Ruby, Davis twisted Ruby around so he could give her a proper hug. The man’s tall and broad frame made Ruby feel like she was still a little girl. Just a tiny pup that couldn’t even reach him to give a peck on his cheek goodnight. Jeremy was just a half inch smaller than Davis, but Jeremy would constantly say he was just as tall.

“Little sis! Now we can settle the score of whose wolf is cooler!”

Ruby heard her parents let out an exasperated sigh, knowing full well that Jeremy would say something like this. It was not that hard to believe that he would either. With both of them being Alphas, this kind of competition was usual within their relationship. However, if someone thought they could mess with either of them, the other would not hesitate to jump in.

The rest of the pack all said their “hellos” and “how are you” as her parents led her to the conference room. It was the largest room in the house and could occupy most of the pack at once. Ruby always loved her home. Her mother had a taste for décor and made the entire house reflect the beach on the inside. From the colors on the walls to the decorations, Ruby felt like she was sitting on the beach at all times. The conference room had a tan wooden floor, and the walls were painted a bright teal with paintings of the beach at various times of day. There was even a small fountain in one of the corners so the sound of running water would keep people calm during meetings.

Once inside, Ruby noticed that the room had tables all along the walls filled with various foods. There was a station with sushi (which she hated and didn’t even know what kinds there were because of it on the table), another station that was for fish tacos with a variety of fishes to choose from as well as toppings to add into it, and even a build-your-own sundae bar. One station was entirely of fruit, and she could smell slices of honey-crisp apples, fresh cut strawberries and pineapple mixed with others. The combination of tartness and sweetness from the fruits made her mouth water and thought of a sundae of sweet vanilla ice cream, slices of bananas, sea salted caramel, and dark chocolate hot fudge with some whipped cream.

What can I say? I am a dessert first kind of person.

Ruby stacked her plate with a few halibut tacos with a pineapple salsa and arugula. Then she made a small strawberry, pine nut salad with a dressing of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. She sat down with her family and ate the food on her plate as everyone gave her updates of pack life. There were moments that she wished she could still mindlink her brother so she could throw some snarky comments his way about certain pack members that were mentioned that they never got along with. Just one family within the pack in particular thought they were better than the Gardner’s and could run the pack better than they could. Apparently, the father of the family decided that it was his time to take over and challenged Davis for Alpha. The fight nearly ended in a death because the dumb shit wouldn’t yield even when Davis’ wolf nearly had the other bleeding out from multiple wounds. The family was not even a ranking family within the hierarchy, so Ruby was not shocked to learn that it went the way that it did.

Don’t know what it is about the non-ranking families within this pack. They all seem to think they can do better.

Even without mindlink, Jeremy was able to convey just what he thought as her father was telling the story to Ruby. After they lost, the family renounced their alliance to the pack and left. No one knew if they were still rogues or with another pack. This all happened last month, and Tyson only held quarterly meetings with the Alphas within the sanction. That was not for another two months, and Tyson rarely cared about what happened in the packs in between meetings.

Just when Ruby stood up to go to the make-your-own sundae bar, a giant cake on wheels came rolling with twenty candles burning brightly and even a big “21” at the top. The pack sang in a chorus for the “happy birthday” song while Jeremy wrapped his arm around her neck (he is a good four inches taller than me), and then ruffled her hair while belting the song as loud as he could in her ear. She said a small wish and blew out her candles. When the cart was wheeled away, she made her way over to the sundae bar.

“You know, we could always sneak off for old time’s sake,” Ben said in a hushed tone as he came up behind her.

A growl that was not her own made Ben jump as she quickly turned to confront him. Turned out it was Jeremy.

“How about you leave my sister alone while she is home, Ben? Otherwise, I don’t think I will be able to promise that your face will still look this pretty.” Jeremy’s eyes switched to his wolf’s gray for a moment as another small growl emitted from his throat and then switched back to his green. Ben moved quickly away from them with his eyes down to the ground.

“Thanks. Saved me the trouble of breaking his nose,” she told Jeremy.

He laughed, “I think I would have paid to see that. You know he tells all the she-wolves that he dumped you, right?”

Ruby rolled her eyes as she scooped some vanilla ice cream into a bowl, “that’s fine. Unless other she-wolves taught him something, he is lousy in bed anyway.”

“Is he the one that was a little quick on the trigger?” Jeremy was now scooping a bowl of ice cream for himself.

“Yep. Only times I was able to get off was when we used a vibrator during foreplay.”

Jeremy barked out a laugh and almost dropped the large spoon of chocolate sprinkles onto the ground. “I wish you could stay home. I miss ya. You’re the only one around here that can make me laugh.”

She looked at him with her eyebrow cocked, “since when are you all mushy? Not getting the pack making you soft?”

He flashed her a smile, “please. We both know I would rip anyone’s heart out in this pack if I had to. But I’d rather laugh.”

“So you don’t cry?”

“From boredom? Yes. It’s not like there is much to do around here. Strip clubs won’t hire me as a dancer because they know I’ll make the town go broke.”

They both laughed as they finished making their sundaes. Jeremy was right about one thing. This town was boring, and so was the pack. She found herself thankful that her brother and parents liked using sarcasm and sometimes crude jokes to make each other laugh. Otherwise, they really probably would have cried while growing up from boredom.

* * *

Ruby wasthankful when the food and cake was eaten and then cleaned up. She was instructed to go relax in her old room and prepare for the full moon run. When she got there, she ended up taking a bath for about an hour and then went into the shower to scrub off all the bath salts from her skin. As she stood in front of a mirror, she smiled at the white cotton dress that her mother wore the night of her twenty-first birthday. It was a simple white sundress that cut off just below her knees. Ruby remembered that Heather managed to take it off before her wolf emerged so she could save it for her children.

Literally, luck was on her side. Usually, your clothes are just ruined because your wolf will just go “BAM! I’M HERE, BABY!”

She heard her phone vibrate; it was a text from Jeremy. It was time for the run, and she had to make her way outside. A small tremble coursed through her as she felt a little anxious. She looked down at her hands, and they shook slightly, and she had to watch her footsteps as she descended down the main staircase and then out the back door. Since her room was on the top floor, Ruby felt like giving herself a small pat on the back for not falling down on them.

When she stepped outside on the back porch, Ruby tried to stop to admire the view of the water appearing like a mirror and reflecting the night sky. Only she couldn’t. Her feet moved on their own until she stopped onto a beam of moonlight.

What the hell?

Ruby found herself looking up at the moon to allow its light to cascade down onto her fully. As she closed her eyes to bask in it, she felt her skin ripple. The feeling caused her to want to scratch as if it was itchy, but the moment that her nails touched her skin, Ruby could feel them elongate. Ruby looked around in a panic, and her family surrounded her. Their mouths were moving, but she could not hear them over the sound of her heart beating. Her skin now felt as if it was on fire, and she felt herself practically ripping her dress off.

Oh Goddess, this shit hurts! How do I make it stop?

Breathe, a musical voice said within her mind.

Oh no, I’m losing it. I’m hearing voices!

She heard the voice chuckle, and it sounded lyrical to Ruby. Who are you? Ruby found herself asking.

I am your wolf, Scarlett. You need to breathe through this. It’ll all be over soon.

I’m shifting? Ruby felt herself swaying on her feet as pain pulsed through her body. She hoped this meant she was shifting. Otherwise, she was pretty sure she was dying. No one ever told her this is what someone went through when they had their first shift. Any time she would ask, they would say they did not remember this part. They could only remember hearing their wolf’s voice, and then they were standing on their four paws.

You are. I am doing my best to keep you inside of the moon’s beam of light. The moon’s magic can assist this shift, so it does not take as long as it normally does.

Ruby felt another ripple of pain go through her body. It felt as if her knees were wet. She tried to look down, but she only saw black. Then she felt the same wetness on her palms. Am I on the ground?

A howl pierced through the silence. Ruby did not recognize it, it did not sound like anyone from the pack. She felt disoriented, as if she was on her hands and knees. When she opened her eyes, at least thirty pairs of eyes were on her, and they were all looking down.

I am on the ground. Ruby looked down and saw two large paws covered in a deep red-brown fur. That almost looks like the color of matted blood! Did I bleed through all of this?

The lyrical chuckle sang through her head again. No, it is our fur.

Our fur is practically blood red?!

Yes.

Sweet! I’ve never seen anyone with a coat of this color! So, do I have a rare coloring?

We do.

Scarlett shook their head and blinked a few times to clear their vision. Davis, Heather, and Jeremy were beaming with pride as they looked her over.

“My goodness, you are stunning!” Heather exclaimed.

“Damn it. I lost the bet! Of course you end up with this awesome ass coat. I can’t ever catch a break!” Jeremy pouted.

Davis laughed at Jeremy and then knelt down to her. Scarlett’s head was at eye level with him, which meant that she was just as large as his wolf. Not only do we have a rare coloring,but we are just as big as dad’s wolf, too? Awesome!

Scarlett chuckled again to Ruby’s comment.

“You are going to turn so many heads when you return to your pack with this wolf as yours. Ready to go for a run?” Davis spoke to Scarlett with a smile of pride plastered on his face.

Scarlett let out a yip and did a little dance by lifting up her paws and then packing down quickly. She almost fell to the ground due to not being used to being on four paws. Ruby suggested taking a few steps around as the pack shifted into their forms and Scarlett agreed. By the time everyone was shifted, Scarlett was comfortable with her movements.

Ruby could not help but feel a rush of excitement knowing she had the rare coloring of fur and wondered how her new pack would react when they saw it. As she ran with her family, she felt a small pang of remorse for not staying here. Ruby thought of asking to return home, but since she felt no bond form with a wolf during the run… she knew her mate was not here. Therefore, returning to the West Coast was still the best option.

Well, I can always come home to visit. Maybe I can come back every few months. No more going a year before returning.