Chapter 36

36

Ruby

I sat numbly in the sterile hospital room, my hand wrapped tightly around Wayne's.

The heart monitor beeped steadily, reminding me that he was still breathing, even if his heart rate was dangerously slow. The mark on my neck throbbed, bringing fresh tears to my eyes as I remembered his last words to me. He had marked me without hesitation, protecting me for all eternity.

"Don't cry, Ruby," Jasper said softly, handing me a tissue. "Wayne's strong as hell. He'll pull through."

"I've never seen him like this before," I whispered, dabbing at my tears. "He never showed weakness."

Jasper squeezed my other hand and reassured me. "Even the strongest alphas are tested. He'll make it, Ruby. You know how stubborn he can be."

Rufus and Davy sat quietly, their somber mood filling the room.

After a moment of silence, Rufus broke the tension with a chuckle. "Remember that time Wayne caught us eating a huge crawfish feast instead of working?"

Davy grinned. "Damn, he was angry. He never liked to see us relax or have a good time with the workers."

"You know, if Wayne saw us sitting here, crying over him instead of working- he'd be furious," said Rufus. They all chuckled, and the tension in the room eased, if only slightly.

I couldn't help but smile, imagining Wayne barking at us to get a grip on ourselves. It was just like him to put duty above everything else, even in a situation like this. But my smile soon faded as reality sank in again that a member of our pack was here at the hospital fighting for his life.

I prayed silently that he would miraculously wake up and kiss me again.

After an hour, the beeping machines taunted me as I sat there in my blood-stained wedding dress, feeling numb and helpless. The crinkling of the fabric seemed to echo through the room as I stood up, desperate for some air.

"Where are you going?" Rufus asked, his eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep.

"I need to call and check on Ella," I replied, my voice trembling with emotion. He nodded silently, understanding my need to escape, if only for a moment.

My legs trembled with each step as I walked down corridors, looking for the bathroom. Patients and staff were giving me odd looks, probably wondering why the hell I was wearing a blood-covered wedding dress.

I was relieved when I finally located a small, secluded bathroom. I locked the door behind me, desperate for some privacy. I needed to be away from everyone.

My hands trembled as I reached for the sink, splashing warm water onto my face covered in blood. I tried to wash away the tears that rolled down my face uncontrollably.

As I gazed into the distorted reflection of myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but wonder how my anticipated wedding day had spiraled into a harrowing nightmare. The tears continued to flow, merging with the droplets of water running down my cheeks as I replayed the image of Wayne lying motionless on the ground. His usually commanding presence was now replaced with an eerie stillness that shook me to the core.

I was glad the authorities had taken away Marrok, but I was worried about Henry's reaction.

I loved Wayne with all my heart, and the thought of losing him made my chest ache with a pain I'd never known. Drying my face, I looked at my messy hair and blood-matted dress, wondering when this nightmare would end. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Julie's number.

"Hello?" Julie's voice came through the line.

"Hey, it's Ruby," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

"How's Wayne doing?" she asked concerned. I called her on the way to the hospital and updated her on what was happening. It was terrible that I didn't call my dad, but sometimes, it was easier to just talk to her.

"He's… he's hooked up to so many machines. He hasn't woken up yet." My voice broke as I spoke the words, the reality hitting me hard.

This was real .

"Oh no," she said. "But sweetheart, don't give up. I believe everything will be alright, and he'll be back in your arms in no time."

"Thank you," I managed to choke out. "How's Ella?"

"The baby is doing just fine, although she's a bit cranky right now. She misses her mama."

"God, I wish I could be there with her," I sighed. "But Wayne needs me right now."

"Of course he does, and that's completely understandable. Don't worry about Ella- we'll take care of her."

"Thank you," I whispered before hanging up the phone, feeling slightly more reassured.

As I sat next to Wayne, his still body a mere shell of the alpha I loved, my heart ached with all the words I wished I told him. I watched the lines on his face and held his cold hand, desperately trying not to break down.

But right at that moment, his hand squeezed mine, and I cried out with shock.

"Wayne?" I exclaimed, tears in my eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Rufus quickly, the entire pack on alert.

"He squeezed my hand," I said. Davy frantically pressed the nurse button, but all I could see were Wayne's eyes opening and locking onto mine.

My breath caught in my throat. No way this was real.

"He's awake," said Jasper.

"Oh my god," I choked out, feeling all kinds of emotions run through me. I thought about our last kiss and thought that would never happen again.

"Ruby," he croaked, tears in his own eyes as he struggled to speak.

"It's okay, don't talk," I said, pressing my lips to his gently. The soft kiss quickly turned into frantic desperation for each other. His arms wrapped around me like steel bands, crushing me against him. The monitors around us beeped frantically, and a nurse burst into the room, gasping at the scene before her.

But Wayne didn't care.

"The nurse can fuck off," he whispered.

"No, Wayne," I said, trying not to laugh. I gently pulled away from my arms. "Let the nurse help."

His grip loosened reluctantly, and I could see the unhappiness in his eyes. But we had the rest of our lives if he made it through this hell.

As I watched the nurse fussing over his vitals with urgency, Wayne's eyes never left mine.

"See, he's awake and already wants to rut you, babe," said Jasper, holding my hand. I blushed, feeling the warmth spread in my underwear. "Healthy as a horse."

The nurse looked at me oddly, wondering why I had two boyfriends. If she knew Davy and Rufus were also mine, she would have a heart attack, and I smiled at the thought.

Davy

I was getting angrier the longer I sat in the hospital room.

The cold, sterile light of the hospital room cast shadows across Wayne's pallid face as he lay on the bed while the nurse fussed over him.

My fists clenched at my sides, my anger simmering. Marrok was responsible for all of this, and the itch to kill him was getting stronger by the minute.

"I'll be back in a bit," I mumbled, standing up from my chair.

Everyone else was too focused on Wayne to notice me leaving. But as I turned toward the door, I caught Wayne's dark eyes locking onto mine for a brief moment, as if he knew what I was planning to do.

I quickly looked away because if he knew, he'd stop me.

Once outside the hospital, I ordered a ride service, feeling the anticipation simmer within me. The car finally arrived, and I got in.

"Sure, that's the correct address?" the driver asked. Marrok's cabin was an hour away from civilization.

"Yeah, it's correct," I confirmed, adrenaline already shooting through every inch of my body. I doubted Marrok would be at his cabin, but Henry would bail him out of prison. It would be odd if Henry allowed his son to rot in jail, so I needed to take matters into my own hands.

During the long car ride, I contemplated how innocent Ruby was when she asked Henry for protection. I could clearly see in Henry's eyes that he loved his son and would protect him no matter what.

"Damn, this is in the middle of nowhere," the driver said, slowing down before a patch of woods. It was dark, and the owls hooted as I stepped out, thanking the driver.

Once the car left, I began stripping off my clothes. I left them in a pile on the ground before shifting into my wolf form. The sensation of my bones cracking and muscles contorting was both painful and exhilarating. Ready for battle, I took off, darting through the trees as silently as possible, my keen senses guiding me toward Marrok's cabin.

A flickering light in the window revealed that Marrok was indeed inside.

Here he was like nothing ever happened while our pack leader was fighting for his life. Fuck him.

I held my position, wary of getting too close and alerting Marrok to my presence. Through the glass, I could see him pacing around the living room, an ankle monitor on him. He was looking at pictures in his hands, and when I squinted enough to look, I saw Ruby in the pictures.

Rage boiled inside of me. He was still thinking of her, that pervert.

Suddenly, another scent jolted me from my thoughts- it was Rufus. I growled softly in annoyance as he appeared next to me also shifted into wolf form.

"Why the hell didn't you tell anyone where you were going?" he scolded telepathically.

"I want to be the one to kill him," I replied. "So he could never hurt Ruby or our pack again."

Rufus chuckled darkly. "We'll kill him together then. You can't steal all the fun."

I nodded in agreement, and we began to approach Marrok's cabin stealthily.

But before we could get close, Marrok caught our scent and bolted out the window, his werewolf form tearing through the trees.

My heart raced as I dashed after him, Rufus hot on my heels.

"Don't let him fucking get away!"

Finally, we cornered Marrok, pinning him to the ground as he snarled and snapped at us like a wild animal. But I didn't care; all I felt was a burning rage that demanded retribution.

"Wait!" shouted a woman's voice.

Blood pumping in my head, I turned, seeing Ruby's mother, Maria, rushing towards us with a knife in her hand and a crazed expression in her eyes.

"Is she for real?" said Rufus while we still had Marrok pinned between us.

"He's dead," she screamed, lifting her hand and stabbing him straight in the chest without hesitation. Blood spurted everywhere, and we proceeded to finish the job.

I bit down hard on Marrok's scrawny neck, a rush of power coursing through me when his blood spurted all over the ground. It was satisfying to hear his last gurgles as Rufus tore his head from his body.

The grotesque twitching of Marrok's corpse lasted only a moment before it lay still, lifeless.

We tried half-heartedly to cover the body with twigs and leaves, but ultimately, we didn't care enough to cover his body.

I bounded back to my clothes, shifting back as I struggled to catch my breath. Rufus did the same, looking just as winded as I was. Ruby's mom stood back in the trees to give us space to recover.

"We can never tell anyone about this," he panted, his eyes locking onto mine with deadly seriousness. "The fewer people who know, the better."

"Agreed," I replied, a little in shock that I killed an alpha- a major offense. If anyone knew, we would need to leave the compound immediately. "This stays between us. For the good of the pack. "

We walked over to Ruby's mom, who was trembling and staring at the knife in her hand covered with blood.

"What did I do?" she whispered shakily, dropping the knife.

"You protected your daughter," I said. "He had it coming."

"Don't tell anyone, please," she begged. "Especially Ruby."

Tears rolled down her face, and I hugged her despite her being covered in Marrok's blood.

"We won't- you have our word."

"You're so good to Ruby," she said. "Please be patient with my daughter and mark her for her own safety."

"Yes, Wayne's already marked her," confirmed Rufus. "You have nothing to worry about. We will do our part on the wedding day."

"Thank goodness," she said, smiling through her tears. "Let's go home. Did anyone bring a car?"