Chapter 29

29

Ruby

Five Months Later

T he soft make-up brush tickled my jaw as I dabbed on some blush, trying to look perfect for tonight's date with my pack. Carmen sat close by, her arms cradling baby Ella. I hadn't gone out in what felt like forever, and I was grateful for Carmen's help.

"Thank you so much for babysitting Ella. It means a lot to me," I said.

"Of course, Ruby!" she replied, smiling at me through the mirror. "I'm more than happy to help out. That red dress is absolutely gorgeous on you. Your pack is going to go crazy over you."

"They better because I've been in pajamas for months ever since having Ella," I said, feeling sexy tonight as I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. Lastly, I applied a bold shade of red lipstick to spice things up.

"How's it been ever since Jasper came back?"

"Jasper's adjusting well, I think," I responded, my thoughts drifting to him. Jasper had a hard time taking any orders from Wayne, even if it was related to the construction business.

But at the mention of Jasper, my mind veered to last night when Jasper pressed himself against my mouth, needing relief, and I was more than happy to oblige. But that one action made me so horny, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Alright, I'm heading downstairs now," I said, giving little Ella a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Have fun, but not too much," laughed Carmen, bouncing Ella on her knee.

"Thanks for everything," I said.

As I made my way down the stairs, every alpha turned their head sharply, catching my scent as it wafted through the air. Wayne stood at the bottom of the staircase, waiting to greet me first.

He took my hand and pressed a soft kiss on it.

"You look stunning, Ruby," he growled, unable to look away and making me blush fiercely. I could feel the gazes of the other alphas, their eyes caressing my now voluptuous figure. One by one, they stepped forward and kissed me on the lips.

When Rufus leaned in, he whispered into my ear, "You can't do this, Ruby. Your breasts look gorgeous and huge in that dress. If your friend weren't upstairs, I'd take one in my mouth right now."

"Oh my god, stop," I said, trying to hush him while I glanced upstairs.

"Are you ready to go then?" asked Rufus gruffly in my ear.

"Yes, let's go," I said a little too fast, and all the alphas chuckled.

"Ooh, this is nice," I said as we walked up the polished stairs.

As we were led to a table on the rooftop, I admired the elegant, comfortable chairs and sparkling marble tables that matched the color of the floor. Davy pulled out a chair for me, and I thanked him with a quick kiss before taking my seat. Rufus sat beside me while Wayne and Jasper took their places across from us.

"I already miss Ella," said Jasper out loud, and I smiled.

"I miss her more, but she needs to learn to be with others outside our pack," I said as we all looked at the menu.

"Maybe when she's older, but for now, how could we ignore such a cutie pie?"

I shook my head, smiling, knowing full well I was just as guilty of doting on her endlessly. Our food arrived, and I dove into a beautifully plated dish of seared scallops with a tangy citrus sauce. The flavors were amazing, and I couldn't believe how my life was so perfect right now, except for the fact that my pack hadn't marked me as permanently theirs yet.

I briefly wondered if I was doing something wrong for the pack not to mark me.

"Something on your mind, my love?" Rufus asked, downing the small glass of water in one go.

"Nothing, just a little tired," I said quickly. I didn't want to ruin the mood of the date, especially when my pack was looking at me with the sexual hunger that I missed ever since having a baby. They'd been gentle with me and took care of me without pressuring me or demanding anything back in return.

I appreciated that, but that ended up with me being horny as hell for them.

"Ready for dessert?" said Wayne, and I smiled. He flagged down the waiter, and seconds later, a slice of my favorite chocolate cheesecake topped with berries appeared before me.

"Oh, this is delicious," I said, taking a bite. I suddenly noticed all the alphas watching me all at the same time. I blinked, confused, but with my second bite of the cake, my fork hit something hard. "What the heck?"

My eyes widened as I discovered a shiny diamond ring nestled in the cheesecake. The wind tousled my hair as I watched my alphas rise from their chairs. Oh, my moons . I couldn't believe what was happening. My heart started beating so fast that I dropped the fork onto the plate with a clink.

I didn't see this coming.

Wayne knelt before me, gently plucking the ring from the cake.

"Ruby," he said as he looked at me in the eyes. "I've been waiting for this day—the day when I could ask you to be my wife and join our pack in marriage. I know you had your doubts, but I had to wait until I was certain you were ready. Our pack is complete, and I know that each of us has something special with you. I love you, and I want you to know that. Will you marry us, Ruby?"

I didn't notice the tears filling my eyes as I nodded, unable to speak for a moment. "Yes. My answer is yes." I looked at each alpha in turn so they could see the happiness reflected in my eyes. I laughed softly as Wayne licked the remnants of the cake from the ring and slid it onto my finger.

It fit snugly, catching the light perfectly.

"Oh my god, I'm engaged," I cried out, holding my hand up. The customers of the restaurant clapped as I cupped Wayne's face and kissed him deeply, my heart overflowing with joy.

After taking lots of pictures with my alphas, our happy moment was interrupted when I noticed someone walk into the restaurant. He sat between three omegas at a distant table. My palms turned clammy when I recognized him as Henry. We all knew who he was since he gave speeches all the time at the compound we all lived in as a pack.

"What is it, Ruby?" asked Davy.

"Marrok's dad," I breathed, frozen as I looked at him. "I want to talk to him."

One of the omegas had her hand on his lap, obviously touching him inappropriately underneath the table, but no one else seemed to notice.

"Leave it, Ruby," Davy said. "We'll handle Marrok on our own."

But I couldn't let this go. I needed to make sure my little family was safe. Before either of the alphas could stop me or figure out what I was going to do- I marched over to Henry's table.

As I stopped in front of him, he raised his eyebrows.

"Are you our waitress?" he asked, confused and smiling while his omegas were literally draped over his arms.

"I'm Benjamin's daughter," I explained. "I was the one you told Marrok to marry."

His eyes flicked to Wayne and Jasper by my side and then back to me, his expression darkening. He placed his fork down slowly, his voice cold and dead. "Did your father go against my orders and give you away to another pack?"

"No!" I snapped. "Your son kidnapped me and held me captive for days!"

Henry fell silent, only nodding after a moment.

"That's…unfortunate."

"Well, aren't you going to do anything about that? Don't you have a rule for alphas kidnapping omegas? He could still be looking for me," I cried out, annoyed that he was being so nonchalant as he kissed one of the blond omegas.

"My son has peculiar habits," said Henry. "He didn't hurt you, did he? You were supposed to be his after all, so he must have been confused on how to properly court an omega."

"No, but…"

"Why don't you run along with your pack now?" he said, blinking as if I was wasting his time. I gritted my teeth as anger bubbled inside of me.

I exploded, throwing a glass of water in his face.

"Get out!" he roared, his face dripping with the liquid.

My alphas quickly escorted me out of the restaurant, my anger making everything a blur. I could hardly calm my breathing or see straight, even while Wayne was trying to talk to me in the limo.

"Ruby, you need to calm down," he said while we sat inside.

All I could see was red as I gazed at the window in front of me. I didn't want to talk to any of them. They didn't help me back there with Henry. Didn't they care about Ella's safety at all? Or myself? Didn't they know how evil Marrok was?

"Don't you care at all?" I asked, my voice hysterical.

"We do, honey," said Jasper, rubbing my right thigh while Wayne rubbed my back to my left. Wayne nuzzled his nose between my ear and my neck, purring against me.

I was still breathing hard, trying to calm down from the incident with Henry.

"Relax," said Wayne, his long black hair brushing against my arm, which made my skin tingle.

"It's all too much," I whined, taking deep breaths.

"If we ever see Marrok again, he's dead," said Wayne. "I promise you this, Ruby."

I nodded, even though I didn't want Henry to come after my alphas, taking me as their omega instead. I was lucky Henry didn't punish them for taking his son's omega, but at the same time, I wondered why he did that.