The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

Chapter 742: INTRUDER

Bale.

For a moment I simply stared.

The room around me seemed to disappear.

The maids.

The guards.

The expensive furniture.

Everything.

All I could see was the awkward blond wolf lying motionless on the enormous bed.

The squirrel boy.

The boy who had spent half an hour trying to befriend a woodland creature.

The boy who carried astronomy books around.

The boy who stammered every other sentence.

The very same one who seemed eager to learn about the stars and read, communicate with animals.

He was one of the Alpha’s sons?

I don’t know what I had been expecting but definitely not him.

Maybe someone a bit more muscular.

Intimidating.

Looking at him lying down without even a shirt, he looked scrawny.

He was quite the opposite of what one would expect to be an Alpha son.

Perhaps a stable boy.

Or a studying scholar.

But definitely not next in line to be future Alpha of our pack.

“Ruby.”

Mother’s voice snapped me back to reality.

I blinked rapidly.

“Hm?”

She pointed toward the bag.

“The tinctures from the other bag.” She informed

“Oh.”

I hurriedly moved forward and handed them to her.

Mother immediately began sorting through the contents.

The room smelled strongly of herbs and medicine.

Several healers stood nearby.

Most looked exhausted.

One older woman was asleep in a chair.

Another was furiously scribbling notes onto parchment.

They all looked defeated.

As though they had been fighting a battle they couldn’t win.

My gaze drifted back to Bale.

He looked nothing like the boy I had met in the forest.

His skin had gone pale.

Dark shadows sat beneath his eyes.

His chest rose and fell unevenly.

And every now and then his fingers twitched.

A strange feeling settled in my stomach.

I didn’t like seeing him this way.

Not at all.

I wondered what had happened

Mother uncorked a bottle.

“Lift his head.”

Immediately one of the healers obeyed.

They seemed very enthusiastic to assist.

Perhaps it had to do with what the maid had said about them being beheaded.

If they helped mother and maybe she healed him, they would hide right behind her.

Another carefully poured the liquid between Bale’s lips.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then suddenly his entire body jerked.

I jumped.

The cup shattered against the floor.

Bale’s back arched violently.

The room erupted into chaos.

“Hold him!”

“Careful!”

“Don’t let him hurt himself!”

My heart nearly stopped.

His body began shaking uncontrollably.

More violently than before.

One healer grabbed his arm.

Another his shoulders.

Mother quickly reached for another medicine.

Nothing worked.

The shaking only became worse.

The sight terrified me.

It reminded me of a trapped animal.

A wounded animal.

Scared.

Alone.

Without really thinking, I pushed through the crowd.

“Ruby!” Mother snapped.

But I barely heard her.

Bale looked frightened.

Even unconscious.

I couldn’t explain it.

I simply knew.

I reached down and took his hand.

“It’s okay.”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

“You’ll be alright.”

The room seemed to freeze.

For some reason everyone was staring at me.

I frowned.

“What?”

Nobody answered.

My attention returned to Bale.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

The violent shaking began to ease.

His breathing steadied.

The tension left his body.

And within moments he was lying still once more.

The silence that followed was deafening.

I looked around.

Every single healer in the room was staring.

Mother included.

My stomach dropped.

“What?”

One of the healers frowned.

“He is still shaking. That means he isn’t even healing.” One said in sorrow. “We’re all going to be killed.”

“Oh do shut up!” Mother snapped at them.

I looked down at Bale.

Her eyes lingered on my hand still holding Bale’s.

A strange expression crossed her face.

Concern.

Worry.

Fear.

I quickly released him.

I said nothing to the pregnant silence.

The room remained silent.

Then Mother cleared her throat.

“Everyone out.”

The other healers hesitated.

“But-“

“Out.”

Reluctantly they obeyed.

One by one they filed from the room.

Leaving only Mother.

Martha.

Bale.

And me.

Mother turned toward me.

“Ruby!” Mother snapped at me. “I have warned you over and over again. I have explicitly said that you should avoid coming into contact with any of sick patients.”

I trembled at her harsh words.

Mother was rarely ever harsh and snappy with me.

I felt the tears gather in my eyes.

She sighed heavily and I could see the instant regret in her eyes.

“Honey I didn’t mean it. I just don’t want people… I just…..” she paused and took in a very deep breath once again. “We don’t know what or how these abilities of yours come. We don’t know if they have repercussions. Ruby people fear what they do not know.”

I already knew what she meant.

If people knew about whatever abilities I had, then they would easily haunt me.

Use me.

Fear me.

Kill me.

She sighed again.

“I should go.” I said quickly.

“Ruby….

But I was already walking out of the room.

The door shut behind me and I felt an instant chill wind wash over me.

I shivered as I walked down the pack halls.

It was already dark.

But I just wanted to get out of here.

I went to the stables and got my horse penny.

In a matter of seconds I was riding through the forest.

Sometimes I felt like an outsider.

Felt like I wasn’t even a part of my family.

As though I didn’t belong.

Like I was a disease.

My hands could heal and yet I was scared of them.

Scared of what people would do if they found out.

Magic had been banned in the wolf pack by the Royal family.

For some reason I had never cared to listen.

And so I was a danger.

I reached a beautiful pond that I always took pleasure in escaping my occasional sadness.

The beautiful moon lit up the sky.

I was way past my shifting age and yet I couldn’t shift.

I let my toes trace the water and felt it was warm.

Boldly, I took off my clothes and went into the pool.

It was my secret place.

I swam and watched as a deer came by.

I smiled to myself.

How beautiful nature was.

How alluring it was.

I closed my eyes to think of everything when I heard a twig snap.

I jumped and turned around only for me to find the man I had fought with in the pack house a few days back, standing right in front of me.