Ruby's POV
"No one wants you! You will never be fit to be anyone's mate!" Luara's voice cut through the crowd like a whip. "You're weak! Pathetic!"
Her words should've bounced off me like raindrops on stone. But they didn't. They stuck. Crawled under my skin. Burrowed deep.
I didn't cry. Not then. I just turned and walked away. I was done.
Done pretending. Done hoping. Done chasing the illusion that somewhere in my pack, my mate would see me really see me and choose me, flaws and all.
But that dream had died a slow, bitter death.
I slammed the door of my rusted-out Toyota, the one I'd bought after grinding away at the pack diner for months. It smelled like burnt coffee and determination. As I pulled out of town, I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror.
No one behind me.
Just me.
Me and the road.
The farther I got from the pack, the lighter I should've felt. But instead, something inside me clenched tighter. I'd escaped, sure but I wasn't free. Not yet.
Because freedom isn't just leaving. It's letting go. And I hadn't. Not really.
In the world I came from, everything was polished and hollow. My family lived in Malibu where beauty was bought, perfection was a performance, and the pack gala was just another chance to smile through clenched teeth. Beneath the glitz, everything was brittle.
Even me.
The moment I decided to leave, though... that was the moment I started to live again.
I had spent days poring over maps, tracing roads and backup routes. In the end, I just picked one and drove. I didn't know what I expected to find, but I knew where I needed to be: Blue Moon Pack.
Clara's pack.
My cousin.
The only soul I knew there, and honestly? That was the appeal. I could vanish into a corner of her forested land, build a life from scratch. Maybe a tiny cabin. A garden, like the one my mother kept before she got sick. Maybe I'd work in a small shop, live among strangers who didn't look at me like I was cursed for not having a mate.
I didn't stop much. Just enough for gas and gas-station food that made my stomach lurch with every swallow. I chewed on protein bars and gummy bears, washing it all down with too much coffee and too little water. My body was running on fumes, and my soul? That had been empty for a long time.
Two days on the road. One hour of sleep. Too many hours to think.
I should've tried harder. I should've searched more. Opened myself up. But I didn't. I was too afraid of rejection. Too afraid that what Luara said was true.
That I wasn't worthy of being loved.
I forced the thought away as I looked at the wrinkled map in the passenger seat. I was close now. My fingers trembled as I traced the winding road that led into the woods. The scent of pine filled the car, and for the first time in days, my wolf stirred.
She recognized this place.
The path into Blue Moon territory wasn't marked on any GPS it was more of an instinctual route, hidden and protected. If you didn't have wolf blood and purpose, you'd get lost before you ever crossed the first ridge.
Ten minutes deeper into the woods, I passed a wooden sign nailed to a tree. Bold black letters carved into the surface read:
PRIVATE PROPERTY. DO NOT ENTER. TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT.
Charming.
I kept driving.
A sudden rustle in the brush made my heart slam against my ribs. A massive gray wolf padded out onto the path, coming to a stop beside my window. I swallowed hard and rolled it down.
"Name and pack," he said flatly, eyes flicking between me and the car.
"Ruby Grey," I answered, keeping my voice steady. "Born in Blue Moon. Still registered. I was given permission to visit on family grounds."
It sounded official. It had to sound official. My pulse thundered beneath my skin as I reached for my bag, pulling out a worn folder and my ID. He took them, brows furrowed, reading slowly. His eyes shifted between my face and the photo.
I looked different, maybe. Older. Still the same baby fat in my cheeks, brown eyes shadowed with too many sleepless nights. My hair had grown out a bit, brushing the top of my shoulders.
"Mark," he said simply.
I unzipped my hoodie, pulling the collar of my shirt aside to reveal the mark etched near my collarbone three claw slashes crossed by a single line, with two circles underneath. Blue Moon's mark. Still there. Still mine.
He looked for a moment longer, then gave a small nod and handed back my things.
The gate hadn't opened yet, but something in my chest already had. I didn't know what waited for me past the trees, or who I'd be by the time I reached Clara's front door.
But for the first time in years, I wasn't standing still.
I was moving forward.
The guard stared at me with a flat expression, then gave a subtle nod to the guy up front. That was it my silent pass through the gate.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter as I eased forward. The dirt path opened into a familiar trail, one I hadn't walked since I was a child. Trees thickened on both sides until the clearing finally came into view… and there it was.
The Blue Moon Pack House.
Almost immediately, Lily bolted down the front steps like a whirlwind, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her. Her arms flailed in excitement as she rushed toward me.
"Took you long enough!" she yelled, her face lighting up as I stepped out of my car.
She hadn't been lying on the phone. The security was intense. I'd expected wolves patrolling in their animal forms, but most guards were in human form, wearing tactical gear and carrying weapons. I guess they couldn't risk being spotted by humans near the border.
"Alright, now the fun can begin!" Lily grinned and wrapped me in a warm hug.
I sighed, pretending to groan. "Can I at least shower first? Maybe eat something before you drag me into whatever 'fun' you've got planned?"
She rolled her eyes and held me tighter. "Fine, fine. I'll feed you before you call your mom and report that I've been starving you within your first hour here. I can already hear her screaming my name."
She winked and led me up the steps.
Once inside, she helped me settle into a cozy guest room. The hot shower I took was short, but it was enough to rinse away two days of road grime and mental weight. Afterward, I threw on some clean clothes and joined Lily and Clara in the kitchen. We shared a few laughs and updates, Clara looking more like herself than I'd seen in years.
But my body was screaming for sleep.
The moment I hit the mattress, I surrendered to the dark, but Luara's words still clung to the edges of my mind. You will never be fit to be anyone's mate. They played over and over like a cruel lullaby.
Then I heard it.
A high-pitched scream sliced through the night, yanking me out of sleep. Before I could register what was happening, shouting followed. Chaos.
My bedroom door burst open.
Clara stormed in, pale as ash, her brown hair wild on one side like she'd just rolled out of bed mid-panic. Her chest was rising and falling in rapid gasps, and her eyes were wide frightened.
I jumped to my feet, heart pounding. "What's going on?"
Before she could answer, a robotic voice echoed through a speaker overhead.
"Code Red: All women and children proceed to the nearest safe bunker. We are under attack. I repeat go to the bunker immediately."
The words took a second to register.
"Ruby, we have to move!" Clara shouted, grabbing my wrist.
We sprinted out of the room and down the corridor. Other pack members were already running toward the clearing, shouting to each other and forming defense lines.
Then it happened so fast, I barely caught it.
I turned to look behind me and saw a massive reddish-brown wolf lunge for Clara.
"Clara!" I screamed, but she was already tangled with the beast.
Before I could react, a blur of motion came straight at me.
A man.
Not a wolf.
He charged with terrifying speed, his green eyes locked on me, his black boots barely making a sound on the dirt. I turned to run tried to but my legs felt like jelly. Where was the agility we were supposed to be blessed with as werewolves?
Right when I thought I could make it, something heavy slammed into my back.
We tumbled.
He grunted as we rolled, and somehow, I landed on top of him. For a moment, we were tangled together, my wrists pinned in his huge hands like I was made of paper.
Panic surged through me. I kicked, twisted, fought to free myself. "Let me go!" I screamed, clawing at his grip. My fingernails scraped his skin, but he didn't even flinch. His face was expressionless calm, like this wasn't even a struggle for him.
Terror flooded every inch of me.
I lunged forward, teeth bared, trying to bite him. My wolf snarled in my mind, a low guttural sound that vibrated through my bones. But beneath the fear, there was something strange. Something familiar.
No wrong time, wrong place.
He shifted his hold, wrapping my arms across my chest to stop me from attacking again. I kicked at him wildly, aiming low, but he moved fast and blocked the blow before it could do damage. My heart was hammering in my chest like it wanted to rip through my ribs and escape.
Then he reached up slowly and touched my chin.
I recoiled, trying to jerk my head away, thinking he might snap my neck. But he wasn't rough. He tilted my face up with startling gentleness… and that's when I saw them.
His eyes.
At first, they were green, cold and predatory.
Then black.
Then silver.
Then
Blue.
A stunning, soul-searing blue that pierced through everything inside me and left me frozen.
Time stopped. Sound disappeared. Everything around us dissolved until all I could see was that impossible shade of blue. My breath hitched.
And my wolf… she whimpered.
Purred.
My limbs went limp. Not in fear but in recognition. Something ancient shifted in my chest. A pull. Like the world had snapped a puzzle piece into place inside me.
He blinked slowly at me, and something unreadable passed through his expression soft awe, maybe, or confusion. Then he nodded, as if silently confirming what I was too stunned to understand.
The spell broke.
His eyes flicked back to black. Then to a cat-like green. His grip loosened, like he'd suddenly remembered where we were.
I gasped and yanked free, adrenaline taking over as I scrambled to my feet and bolted into the trees without looking back.
"Release all other she-wolves!" I heard his voice call behind me, deep and commanding. "Mission complete. The E-25 has been found."
And then…
"We found our little Luna."