Monsters Beyond the Gate

Chapter Nineteen: Ruby's Burden

"Stop worrying, Adeline, Levi and Tessa are going to be fine," Wynter sighed as she studied me from across our lunch table. 

Her words only made my anxiety worse.

"If anyone finds out we're ruined...and if anything happens to Tessa because of what I did I'll never forgive myself."

Wynter rolled her eyes. "Enough already! Everyone knows that Tessa goes off on her own for days at a time so it's not suspicious. Levi will find her and in the mean time everyone thinks he's on his Alpha initiation hunt. No one is going to realize the truth," she mumbled with her mouth full of steak, "Besides, It's not your fault that you and Levi are mates. If he wasn't the son of an Alpha sworn to another Alpha's daughter everyone would understand completely. In most cases like this the Alpha..." she trailed off, but not before I noticed the hesitation in her eyes. 

"The Alpha what?" I demanded a bit too forcefully. The irritation and anxiety of the last few days had been getting to me. I was confused and afraid. I'd not only lost my virginity, but also my plan. Could I really leave like I thought I was going to after everything that had happened.

Wynter looked like she wished she hadn't said anything. "Well...in most cases if the Alpha finds his mate while sworn to another in a bond to create a link of power he would go through with the arranged marriage but keep his mate as a public mistress...I mean Levi and Tessa would only need to have one heir than they wouldn't have to sleep together anymore and you two could be together without ruining the pact."

I felt my hand clench into a fist and my lip pull back into a snarl. I almost spat something awful at her, but then took a deep breath to relax myself. I was usually a very patient person, but since my first wolf transformation I'd been on edge. 

"That's so medieval, Wynter," I said, remembering the days in my classroom where we learned about the kings and queens who once ruled countries. They'd had similar arrangements... 

"Look around, Adeline, the world has fallen back to a Medieval mentality anyways and according to all the bloody humans inside your wall we have the damned plague." 

"It's not their fault they are taught to fear wolves. It's all they have known...I'd like to think that if they could only see how the civilized backs really are, there wouldn't be this blood-feud between us all."

Wynter didn't reply, but instead stabbed her very rare steak with her knife. 

I sighed. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to tell her about Levi and I, but Levi already insisted that she'd had her suspicions. Plus, I had to admit that it was nice to have somebody to talk to about it all.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught Brior's bronze skin. A significant memory came to mind. Back in Erebus's office...his sister had mentioned a daughter. Ruby, Brior's girlfriend. 

"Wynter," I said.

"What?" she asked, momentarily looked up from her steak. For a petite, delicate looking girl she sure did love to eat.  A lot. Of steak. 

"I've just had a thought. I need to go talk with Brior."

Wynter's blue eyes went hard like steel. She looked both curious and slightly angry. 

"Well you can count me out of this one," she mumbled after a moment of silence. 

I nodded, "It'll only be a few minutes. Meet you back at the training center in ten?" I asked.

Wynter nodded and then rose to her feet with her food tray in hands. She shot Brior a quick look before scuffing and walking away to dump her tray and head back out to the Living room.