Feral Obsession

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Ruby's entire body hurt. She blinked up to the ceiling, her head spinning, and she wondered where she was. This wasn't her father's house.

Memories were hazy as she struggled to sit up. The last thing she could remember was being injected again. Was it finally over? Was she a wolf?

The room swam into focus, the dull light spilling in from the windows. Overcast, or perhaps early morning; Ruby couldn't tell. It could have been days, or weeks, and she wouldn't have known. She felt unstable as she crawled out of the bed, legs weak and trembling.

It took a few moments before her mind filled in the blanks. She was in Atlas's bedroom, not at her father's house at all. Which could only mean one thing: Atlas had saved her. Which, in her mind, didn't quite add up. Atlas had gotten what he wanted. In fact, for Atlas, things had gone better than expected.

Ruby opened up the bedroom door, poking her head out, expecting to hear noises. She waited for a beat, listening for someone downstairs, but it was completely silent. Ruby took that as a sign to stagger her way to the staircase and slowly move down the steps.

She felt as though she'd run a marathon. Her joints ached in ways Ruby didn't think possible. She needed a warm heating pad and a mug of tea, and the thought startled her. That was reminiscent of her time spent at her mother's house. An entire lifetime away from where she currently stood. She could remember her mother carrying the mug of tea to her bedroom, setting it down, smoothing Ruby's hair back. Pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead.

Sudden and harsh homesickness whooshed through Ruby as she entered the kitchen. She wanted nothing more than to see her mother again. To ask and demand what the hell she had been thinking. Getting with Rodrick? Having his child? Forcing Ruby to be the heir of an alpha?

And for what? There had been no love between Rodrick Bloom and Ruby's mother. It was almost sickening, really.

Ruby fumbled around for a mug, then turned the coffee pot on. She hummed her way through the routine she had held prior to being kidnapped, as if it would erase everything she had just been through. Was Rodrick dead? Was it finally all over?

"Ruby?" Brody's voice behind her startled her. "Holy shit. Holy shit."

Ruby spun, hand to her throat. "You scared me," she accused. "What's wrong?"

Brody's face was bright, but his expression was that of shock. He rushed to Ruby's side, a hand steadying her on her shoulder. "Atlas will be here any minute, don't you worry. You're safe, now. I promise. Everything is going to be fine."

Those words weren't reassuring to Ruby. What had happened to cause Brody to be so panicked?

"What's going on?"

"What's going on is that you're alive. Holy shit, you're alive." There was surprise and wonder in Brody's voice that made Ruby bristle. Had she been on her deathbed? "Atlas will be here any minute."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't care when Atlas gets here. What happened?"

She heard the coffee maker begin to pour, and she took her eyes from Brody to watch the stream. Something felt tight in her chest at his reaction. If she'd been so close to death, then why had everyone left her alone?

"Atlas will tell you. He doesn't want me scaring you." Brody took a step back, then flashed her a wide grin. "But I am so glad you're alive. Holy shit, I'm glad. Clarice is too, but she's dealing with the fallout, so it'll be a few days until she's back to greet you in person. She wanted me to tell you that."

Ruby stirred in sugar and cream into her coffee, mulling that over. Right as she opened her mouth to ask Brody more about what had happened to her father, she heard the front door slam open. She fought the urge to roll her eyes; of course Atlas would slam open his own door, the brute.

Brody took another step back right as Atlas filled the doorway into the kitchen, his chest heaving. His eyes met hers, and Ruby suddenly couldn't seem to breathe. Because despite how she felt about Atlas, she had begged him, begged him, to save her. In her darkest moments, she had wanted him there.

And he'd come.

Ruby didn't notice Brody slipping away as Atlas took another measured step forward. "Ruby?" His voice was hoarse. Searching. Like he wasn't quite sure he was actually seeing her in front of him. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Ruby admitted, setting her coffee down. "I want to know what happened. You came to rescue me."

When Atlas didn't step any closer to her, Ruby closed the space between them, stepping so that she was only an arms length away from him. "Is he dead?"

Atlas's hands flexed. His brow wrinkled, and he rubbed at it with a long sigh. "We should sit for this conversation." He nodded towards the living room, giving Ruby no choice but to follow as he lumbered out of the kitchen. By the time they were both sitting down, Ruby was growing antsy. She wanted the truth. She wanted the play by play.

"Your father is dead. He wouldn't let me take you, and I wasn't leaving you behind. The rabies were already in your system, and without the antidote, it would have killed you. He left me no choice, Ruby."

His tone made it sound as if he were sorry for killing Rodrick. "Of course you should have killed him. That was a no brainer. He was horrible." Ruby shivered. "You should have heard his plans, Atlas. He deserves to be dead."

Atlas wouldn't look her in the eyes. "I could hear you, asking me to save you. So I listened. I need you to know that I didn't come sooner because I thought he would murder you in retaliation. Not because I didn't want to save you. I shouldn't have waited so long, and I'm sorry. But I couldn't wait any longer, not after hearing you plead."

"Atlas, I wanted you there. I'm glad you came. I wouldn't have been able to leave." Her voice was a whisper. "They were horrible to me. Rodrick would have killed me regardless. After giving him an heir, of course. I was nothing more than a means to an end for him."

Atlas shot up, leaving Ruby speechless on the couch. He began to pace, the gait familiar to him as if he'd been pacing these past few weeks entirely. "You don't have to make a choice right now," he forced out. "But your father dying means a few things. You can go back there and become Alpha. It's your birthright, wolf or not. Or, you can stay here in this city. With or without me. But the option is yours to be made."

It was on the tip of her tongue to beg Atlas to just let her stay in his house. Where she felt safe. And a part of her, a small part, was hoping that they could just accept what was becoming true between them: they cared for each other. Did that have to be so difficult?

"I don't want to be Alpha." That was easy. "That's not my home. And those people let me be kidnapped and tortured. Of course I don't want to rule them. I want to be here." She fidgeted only slightly. "In this house."

Atlas stopped his pacing.

Ruby cleared her throat. "I want to go back to normal. I'll work at the flower fields, as promised. I'll do the work, just like we agreed. And in return, I get a safe place to live."

Atlas didn't turn to look at her, and unease pitched in her stomach. "Unless that's not... ideal anymore?" She stood. "I can go back to the apartment, too. Now that Kierson and Bloom aren't an issue-"

"No. No, you'll stay here. And we'll return to normal." Atlas didn't turn back to look at her. She could see the lines of tension in his shoulders. The stiff way he held himself. "I have some errands to run. I'll be back tonight."

Ruby didn't get a chance to say anything before he left, but it was obvious she had upset him. It was only then that Ruby wondered if Atlas hadn't wanted things to return to normal. Perhaps he had wanted things to be different.