“First off,” he said, “I don’t think Ruby is a bad person like some folks say. She and I have never had any issue personally.”
I nodded. “But some people think differently?”
“Ruby is… ambitious,” he said.
“That’s what Emily said too!” I scowled at him. “Are people in the Pack so afraid of a strong woman?”
“No, Allie, of course not. You know we’ve been ruled by women since the Pack began, and I say we’ve been better for it.”
“Well, then what’s the problem?”
“Ambition is one thing. But it has to be tempered with selflessness to make a good ruler,” he said. “Some of us are concerned that she doesn’t have that.”
“But you just said Ruby has been taking care of people.”
“But to what end?” Mal countered.
I had to admit, I had been surprised to see Ruby sitting with Gram. “Well, maybe her motivations aren’t always perfect, but she’s still doing good things,” I answered. “Right?”
He shrugged. “You asked me what was up, and that’s my take on it.”
I still wasn’t getting it. “But what does that have to do with me?”
He glanced around to see if anyone was listening before he answered, dropping his voice slightly. “Ruby was sure she was going to be picked to be the next Queen.”
21
Allie
“What do you mean, she was sure she was going to be Queen?”
“Just what I said,” Mal answered. “She’s the right age, she’s strong, she was spending time with Edie to learn how to rule.” He made a face. “Or at least, to learn how Edie ruled, which was not great.”
“If Ruby is upset, she’s doing a great job of hiding it,” I said. “In fact, she’s been nothing but nice to me since I got back. And she’s been taking care of Gram. By her account, she’s barely left her side since she got sick.”
My tone was sharper than I intended, but it bugged me to hear Mal talking bad about one of the few people who had been kind to me in Silver Grove. “Maybe she did want to be Queen, but I don’t think that’s a crime. For all anyone knew I was never coming back, and someone would have to take over when Edie died, right?”
Mal shrugged. “Did you tell her your plans?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know them myself. Right now, my only plan is to talk to the Pack. I’ll figure out the rest after that.”
He chuckled, but I caught a flash of worry in his eyes. “Well, no time like the present, Princess.” He finished the last of his bacon, then stood up, stacking my empty plate on top of his. “I’ll leave you to it, but I’ll be close at hand if you need anything. Jasper and Beau too.” He bent down, took my hand, and pressed a kiss to the back of it in a show of over-the-top gallantry. It was silly, but I couldn’t help but grin at him as he sauntered away.
He had cheered me up and reminded me of my purpose. Now it was up to me to get the work done.
* * *
The day turned into a strange blur of past and present. Being in Silver Grove again, seeing all the people I thought I’d left for good, remembering how things were then and seeing how they were now. Seven years really wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, but I had changed so much in that time.
As I talked to the Pack members, I noticed something strange. They all seemed surprised when I spoke to them, but they were polite enough.
I caught Rose, the young mother who was carrying her third child, working in the lovely garden outside her family’s cabin. When she saw me, she climbed to her feet, laughing at her awkward movements. “Two months to go, and I’m already this big,” she joked.
“And glowing,” I added, with a smile. It was true. Her two youngest peered out at me from behind her legs, giggling shyly.
“That’s kind of you to say, my lady,” she answered, dusting the soil off her hands. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing really,” I said. “I’m just visiting everyone today.”
“Why?” she asked, frowning slightly.
“I wanted to get to know everyone again.”
She blinked. “But aren’t you going to leave us soon?”
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to decide.” I couldn’t tell by her tone if that’s what she wanted.
Her younger child began to fuss, so she scooped him up and balanced him on her hip. “Why bother getting to know us? You’ll be Queen no matter what if you stay, right?” Her tone was light, but she watched me closely.
“Let’s just say I’m trying to make sure I’m going to make the right choice.”
Her mate, Jackson, emerged from the cabin. When he approached, he nodded to me. “Alyssa.”
I watched him warily, remembering he was one of the ones who was especially mean to me as a kid. “Hello, Jackson.”
He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read, and I braced myself for some nastiness. But instead, he said, “I’m sorry for how I acted when we were kids. I was such a little shit, and over something you had no control over. Now that I have kids of my own, I can’t imagine how it must have been for you.” He placed a protective hand on the little one’s head and smiled sadly at me.
I couldn’t have been more shocked if he had done a triple backflip. “Thank you,” I managed. “But it’s all in the past.”
The littlest one began to fuss again, and Emily gently bounced him on her hip. “Nap time for all of us, I think. It was good to talk to you, Alyssa.”
“Allie, please,” I said automatically, still startled at how the conversation had gone.
After the little family went into their cabin, I took a deep breath to compose myself. That had gone better than I expected. What had happened to change people in my absence? Maybe it was just a fluke.
But as I spent the time visiting people, the experience was almost the same. They would ask if I was staying, and when I explained what I was doing the reaction was almost entirely positive.
Maybe I did belong here after all. The thought was so strange and new it was unsettling, but I promised myself I would try to keep an open mind.
And if I did, it meant I would get to stay and help Gram. And I would get to be with my guards.
But if I stayed, could I handle being Queen?
I pushed the questions out of my mind. I had a little time, at least, until the full moon rose. I was determined to get the most out of it that I could.
I still hadn’t spoken to Sage, and I was eager to talk to him since he was also a healer in training. Maybe he would have some more insights on what was wrong with Gram. But as I headed in the direction of his cabin, I was intercepted by Ruby.
When I first saw her, I expected the worst, and she must have seen it in my face. “Everything’s ok,” she said quickly. “No change. But would you mind taking over for a little bit? I just need to grab some food.”
“Absolutely,” I said. It was killing me not to be able to stay with Gram, so any time I could spend with her would be welcome.
“Are you sick of everyone yet?” she asked in a teasing tone. “I bet they’re all just the same.”
“Actually, no. Everyone’s been very kind.”
“Really?” she frowned slightly. “Do they know you’re leaving?”
“I never said I was leaving.”
I caught a flash of surprise before she quickly rearranged her face into a smile. “I didn’t mean to imply anything, Allie. Of course it’s your decision. I just don’t want you to put too much stock into how people are acting now.”
“What do you mean?”
Ruby dropped her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “I mean that they’re all on their best behavior now. You’re a stranger to them, and people like to make a good impression on strangers, you know what I’m saying? But if you decide to stay, you might find it a very different place in a month. Think about how it was when you were a kid, Allie.”
The teasing. The treating me like I wasn’t there. Hiding my stuff. Tripping me. Telling
me I couldn’t come along, that I wasn’t welcome. The hundred little mean things people could do. My heart sank.
“I’m not trying to push you one way or another,” she said quietly. “You know I’m your oldest friend and I just want what’s best for you. I’m just trying to make sure you understand what you’re getting into. I mean, do you have any kind of leadership experience?”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“And you’ll never be as strong as the rest of us,” she said. “And deep down, I think they all know that. What will happen if someone decides to challenge you?”
“I… can they do that?”
She nodded. “It’s an old rule in our Pack, but it’s legitimate. If anyone thinks the Queen is unfit to rule, they can challenge her to single combat. That’s why our Queens are always chosen when they’re young and strong.” She tossed her ponytail back over her shoulder and smiled at me.
I nodded to show her I had heard, but truthfully I was pissed. In all the time we had spent together, why had none of my guards told me about this? I made a mental note to give them a piece of my mind tonight. Beau and Mal might not have known, but as Lead Guardian and an expert on our laws, Jasper sure would have.
Ruby patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry, I just wanted you to have all the information. Was that wrong of me?”
A sudden jolt of memory hit me. That little phrase was the same thing she used to say when we were kids and she would pass along some horrible gossip about me. I told myself that Ruby meant well, that she was trying to help me, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.
But I remembered Gram was waiting for me, and I forced myself to smile. “It’s fine. You go get some lunch. I’ll be in her cabin.”
“Ok. I made up some more of the special tea. It’s on her bedside table. If she stirs, give her a sip or two while she’s somewhat conscious. Ok?”
I nodded, and she gave me a quick hug and left me. I headed back to Gram’s cabin with a numb heart.
* * *
I let myself into the cottage and walked into the back room where Gram lay silent and unchanged in her bed. I brushed a few strands of white hair away from her face, then settled onto a chair beside her. Her breathing was shallow but regular. I would have given anything to see her open her eyes.
“What do I do?” I murmured to Gram. I knew she probably couldn’t hear me, but just being in her presence soothed me. “I want to be a good Queen, and people have been nicer than I expected, but something strange is going on. It’s like they’re all surprised I’m not some kind of monster.”
And Ruby… I couldn’t figure her out. She seemed to have good intentions. After all, she’d taken care of Gram and warned me about the future. But why? The Ruby I remembered from when we were kids didn’t do anything without a good reason. Of course, maybe I was being too hard on her. I had changed, and maybe she had too.
Gram’s eyelids fluttered, and she groaned softly like she was in pain. Remembering Ruby’s instructions, I quickly grabbed the glass at the nightstand and held it to her lips. “Drink, Gram,” I murmured. “It will help you.”
She managed to swallow a few drops that I trickled into her mouth before she fell quiet again. I felt a tiny flicker of hope. The fact that she’d moved at all had to be good, right? I set the glass back on the nightstand and gently dabbed at her face with a napkin. But a soft noise from behind me made me glance over my shoulder. I had been expecting Ruby, but it was Jasper who stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, a worried frown on his face.
I hadn’t seen him since we’d returned to Silver Grove, and despite my anger at him, my heart lifted at the sight of him. “How is she?” he asked softly, his eyes looking past me to the figure on the bed.
“The same,” I said.
He stepped into the room, and his scent of pine and spices came with him, strangely reassuring. Jasper’s golden eyes roamed the room, taking in everything, but I saw them linger on the glass on the bedside table.
“What is that?”
“Ruby made a tea,” I said. “To keep her strength up.”
Jasper crossed the room and picked up the glass, lifting it to his nose to sniff.
I frowned. “Something wrong?”
He shook his head and set the tea back down. “No, just curious.” He glanced down at me. “And how are you feeling, Allie?”
“Angry,” I said, standing up so I could look him in the eye. Or the chin, at least, since that’s where I came up to on him. Damn Alphas.
“Angry?” Jasper blinked. “At what? Me?”
“Yes.” I didn’t have time to play around, so I decided to get straight to the point. “Why didn’t you tell me about the Challenge?”
His golden eyes darkened. “Who told you that?”
“Why does it matter?”
“It was Ruby, wasn’t it?”
I crossed my arms. “So what if it was? Why would you hold that information back? I could be killed!”
He reached out for me, and although I childishly wanted to push his hands away, they felt reassuring as they settled on my shoulders. “I intended to tell you, but it never seemed like the right time. I’d planned to wait until we got to Silver Grove, but I see now that I made a mistake.”
“When were you planning on telling me?”
“Tonight, in fact.”
I looked at him suspiciously, but I didn’t get any hint that he was lying.
“Allie,” he began, but he trailed off suddenly, frowning. Before I could ask him why, he said, “Hello, Ruby.”
I leaned around him to see that Ruby had returned, and she was leaning in the doorframe, one eyebrow raised. “Am I interrupting something?” she asked, glancing from Jasper to me.
“I came to see how the Priestess was,” Jasper answered, turning around to face Ruby. “You’ve been in charge of taking care of her, correct?”
“That’s right,” she said, smiling at me. “Any change, Allie?”
“I got her to drink some of the tea,” I said. “Only a few drops.”
Ruby nodded. “A little is better than none.” She glanced up at Jasper again. “Should I leave you two alone?”
“No need. Allie, come by my cabin later and we can talk,” he said, glancing back at me.
I nodded, trying to keep my face blank. Did he not want to talk in front of Ruby? It seemed like it. “I can do that. If you don’t mind staying a little longer, Ruby,” I said, turning to her.
She shook her head. “Not at all. I don’t have anywhere else to be. You do what you need to do, Allie.” She slid past us and took the chair next to the bed, smiling at me.
“I’ll check back in when I can,” I said.
Ruby smiled, then gestured to the door. “Go, I’ll be here. You have things to do.”
“Thank you, Ruby,” I said. Jasper gave her a little nod, and I followed him out of the room.
We left the cottage. Instead of Emily, Hope, another guardian, was posted at the door. She saluted Jasper, then nodded to me. “We’re all praying for the Priestess, my lady.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, giving her a smile. Jasper led me down the path, then paused at the garden gate.
“Is there a reason you didn’t want to talk in front of Ruby?” I asked him.
He glanced at the cottage. “I operate under the assumption that most things are best left private until other people need to know them. It’s served me well thus far.”
“Until you decide that they need to know them, you mean,” I said, still irritated at him for holding back on me.
Jasper nodded. “Correct. And I do make mistakes. But I’m going to fix that. Come to my cottage when the Pack is having dinner and I’ll tell you everything.” He looked down at me. “Have you spoken to the rest of the Pack?”
“Most of them. I have a few left I’d like to talk to.”
He nodded. “And your impression so far?”
“Surprisingly nice.”
He smiled slightly. “That’s good to hear.”
That smile about killed me. I suddenly wanted nothing more than for Jasper to put his arms around me and hold me close. But if I was going to be Queen, I would have to prioritize my duty over my wants. And that started now. “I need to go, but I’ll come by your place at dinnertime,” I said.
He nodded. “I’ll explain everything. I promise.”
* * *
Sage and I didn’t really have a history, for better or worse; he’d mostly just ignored me when we were kids. When I knocked on the door to his cabin, he answered with the look of surprise I had come to expect. “Alyssa! I heard you had returned.” I had clearly interrupted him in the middle of working: his cottage had a strong herbal smell like when Gram used to brew remedies from her garden. A single basil leaf was stuck in his dark curly hair, unnoticed.
“Hi, Sage. I won’t keep you long, but may I come in?”
“Of course,” he said, swinging the door open and beckoning me to come inside. The front room was warm and fragrant, and a variety of pots simmered on the stove. Glass bottles and piles of loose herbs covered the countertops. “I’m trying to stock up on some healing potions in case the Priestess…” he trailed off, looking horrified as he realized who he was talking to.
I reached out and patted his arm. “It’s ok. Ruby told me you’ve been working with her to help Gram. I’m glad she has you two looking after her.”
He glanced away from me and nodded. “That’s right.”
I knew I didn’t imagine the sudden change in his demeanor. “Sage, I need your help. I don’t know anything about werewolf medicine. Can you tell me what you think is wrong with Gram?”
Sage still refused to meet my gaze. “What did Ruby say?”
It was like he was avoiding the question. Strange. “Well, I talked to her, but I’d like to get your opinion as well.”
He turned away from me to stir one of the pots. “I’m just a healer in training,” he said. “So I couldn’t tell you.”
“You don’t have any ideas?”
He shook his head. “Ruby is better at this than me. The Queen sent the Priestess away when she got sick, but Ruby stayed with her and took care of her until she passed.”
Princess of Wolves: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 12
