Chapter 3
RUBY
“Ruby, wait! You should take the alimony for your safety,” Michael called after me.
I reached the front door just as he rushed in. He had chosen this way since the guests were in the backyard.
I paused a few steps from the door and turned to look at him. “You wanted me to leave, right? So let's not meet again!”
I turned to leave again, but he rushed after me and grabbed my hand, trying to force the check into my palm. “You can’t survive out there alone, Ruby. Take this money,” he pleaded.
It seemed that even he had some compassion left. I had to remember I was a motherless child with no good relationship with Ella’s mom.
I hissed and tore the check in half. “Enjoy your honeymoon with your mate. I want nothing to do with you—save your money for the dogs!”
“But you have no one! Everyone knows you as my wife. It would be foolish to leave you poor. Take the money and live happily.” His words only fueled my anger.
I glanced back at him, pained. “You knew I had no one but you, yet you left me for my sister? Your story is for the gods, Mich. I have no time for this! Remember, your so-called mate isn’t there when you’re in pain. She wasn’t there when you needed a kidney donor. I was the one who suffered so you could live.”
“Ruby, I—”
“Stop!” I raised my hand to cut him off. “Go to your mate, Mich.”
After saying this, I left the house carefully.
It was hard to leave the home we had bought together, but I had to go. I had no child with him, nor was I pregnant. Clinging to him would be foolish.
As I dragged my bags toward the gate, some guests noticed me. I heard their whispers.
“Isn’t she a bride celebrating an anniversary? Where is she going with her bags?”
“She looks disheveled; did she lose a pregnancy?”
I could only hiss at their words as I walked on.
My legs felt heavy, but I held onto my resolve.
Just as I reached for the gate, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist, stopping me.
My movement halted, and the atmosphere grew cold. I looked up slowly, but the man’s long hair covered part of his face.
His grip tightened, making me alert as I tried to pull away.
Then, in a calm voice, he asked, “Aren’t you the woman I slept with last year?”
I hissed softly and tried to snatch my hand back. “Are you drunk? Look for the woman you slept with elsewhere. I don’t know you.”
His lips quivered, unsure. Then he sniffed the air and held me tighter. “Last year at Drunk Stature Hotel. I can never forget this scent; it’s you.”
This man was clearly drunk. Gathering my strength, I pushed him back. His grip loosened, allowing me to grab my bags.
Why waste time with a drunk when I had bigger issues?
I reached for the gate handle again, but he grabbed me once more. A strange wind began to blow, lifting me slightly. His grip tightened, and I felt my head grow heavy.
The wind slowed, and my eyelids grew heavy. Then... everything went black.
***
An odd smell filled my nostrils. My eyes were shut tight, and I tried to move, but I couldn’t.
I heard a faint sound nearby and groaned.
My headache was severe, and I opened my eyes to a dim light, my heart racing.
I was terrified, wondering where I was and how I got here.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
“Oh, you are finally awake,” an unfamiliar voice said.
A man stood before me, average height with short dark hair. In the dim light, I could see his blue eyes fixed on me. Who was this handsome stranger?
He smiled. “How do you feel now?” He sat beside me, but I didn’t answer. His kindness made me uneasy.
He took out some pills and a glass of water, offering them with a pleasant smile. “Here, take this; it will help you recover.”
I turned my head away. Yet, he smiled. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m here to help you,” he said.
Despite my fear, there was a warmth in his voice that was hard to resist. But I remembered fainting in a stranger's arms after Michael's betrayal. I was done trusting.
“Who are you?” I croaked, my throat dry.
The man adjusted himself and sighed. “Sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Leo, the pack doctor.”
“Pack doctor? Why?”
He smiled again. “You were brought here last night after fainting. You also have a deep wound on your leg that needs time to heal because you haven’t felt your wolf yet.”
Suddenly, memories flooded back—Michael!
The image of him marking Ella was vivid.
My heart twisted with pain as tears welled in my eyes. Who would sympathize with a woman who gave her kidney to a man who wasn’t her mate?
Scoffs.
I scanned the room, raising an eyebrow. Something felt off. This hospital and this doctor didn’t seem familiar.
“Where is this, and who brought me here?” I asked.
Dr. Leo took off his gloves and washed his hands at a nearby sink. His smile never faded, making him look suspicious.
I doubted that drunk man brought me here; he was clearly intoxicated when he asked those strange questions.
“You’re in the Dominant Lycan pack, our Regal Pack,” he announced.
My eyes widened in shock.
“Lycans? Regal?” I mumbled.
I had heard so much about the Lycans and their power. A Regal Pack? The most feared pack in North America, cursed Lycan King included.
I felt dead inside.
“Did a drunk man bring me here? Or… how did I get here?” I asked nervously. An Omega like me in a Lycan Pack was serious trouble.
Leo laughed. “No drunk man brought you. The man who brought you was perfectly fine. Why do you look so tense? Lycans don’t hurt, even if we are different.”
I was skeptical but curious. “But… I am an Omega?”
“There’s no discrimination here in the Regal Pack,” he replied with another smile.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a tall man walked in. His raven-black hair was the longest I had ever seen on a man.
His hair covered his face, but when he stepped fully inside, I gasped at his beauty. This couldn’t be the drunk man from last night, could it?
“You…”
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