Chapter 781 JUST LIKE OTHER GIRLS

RUBY’S POV

“I need to go out of town.” Mother sighed reluctantly as she picked up her daily bag. “Some wolves got injured after a few territorial attacks.”

She walked to the door and looked me over. “I will be back. Please stay out of trouble.”

I nodded.

She looked me over. “If you won’t be fit enough to work today, then I could speak to-

I shook my head. “No, don’t worry. I’m okay. The pain is gone. Mum, do you know about this Old Bart person? Anything about him at all?”

Mother shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard about him before.”

For a pack as small as ours, it surprised me she didn’t know him.

She walked over to me and kissed me. “I will be back, okay?”

I nodded as she left.

I thought of Father.

I hadn’t seen him since we moved into the pack, and that was almost a month ago.

Mother didn’t want to hear the mention of his name or anything that had to do with him at all.

Mother was hiding something, I could tell.

Perhaps father would tell me something if I met him.

I pushed over the covers and stretched so loud I heard my bone crack.

I rose very gently, just to be sure all was well, and sure enough, my leg didn’t hurt anymore.

I didn’t feel any pain.

It was as though the pain had completely disappeared.

Why did I, all of a sudden, have pain when, for as long as I could remember, pain barely lasted a minute?

Or was it due to the flames of headaches I had been getting along with the hallucinations? My mind flashed to what the man had said.

The man who had seemed mad and delirious.

He had said I didn’t belong.

The same way Martha had said we had to go back to where we came from.

I frowned to myself.

I slowly walked over to the table and took out the pouch from where it was by my belt.

I fished through the cabinets for a tiny flower pot and spilled all the blue sand inside.

I looked down at it, wondering what to do.

What did Aiden want me looking for?

I racked my brain.

Soil was good for one thing at least.

Planting.

I could try that.

I picked one of the easiest plants to grow.

With little to no water, no sunlight, it always survived.

Growing this plant and watching how it fared could be the beginning of figuring out whatever I was looking for.

We had a pack scientist; I wondered why Aiden couldn’t use him for whatever he needed.

I picked up the plot and set it by my bed window, close to the other indoor potted plants.

I looked at my fingers, where little blue soil residue remained, and remembered what Aiden had said.

He didn’t want it spreading everywhere.

I grunted to myself and went off washing my hands.

I heard a knock at the door, and I tensed up.

My heart began to beat, and so I stood still for a minute.

The knock came again, and I hurried to the door.

“Who is it?” I asked, leaning at the door whilst still maintaining a reasonable distance

“It’s me, Bale.” Came the familiar voice.

I sighed in relief and opened the door.

Bale stepped in with a worried expression written all over his face. “Ruby. I heard what happened. I wanted to come in last night, but your mother said you had to rest.”

“Good morning, Bale. Thank you, it wasn’t anything too serious. I am fine. Thank you for thinking about me.” I smiled.

He nodded and then looked down at my feet. “I was told your leg was broken.”

“Oh,” I mumbled.

“And that was the reason why my brother had to carry you all the way here,” Bale said.

My face went red in a mix of anger and shame.

So everyone had seen Aiden carry me in his arms that way.

“I think that part was a tad bit exaggerated. But as you can see, I am walking fine. Just hurt my leg, that’s all.”

Bale shook his head and began to pace. “Ruby, I am so sorry. This is Aiden’s fault. You have no business going to the mines. Absolutely none. And him making you a handmaiden.”

I fiddled with my foot uncomfortably.

“You’ve been really kind with me, Ruby.” He said. ” But I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I cocked a brow. “Hurt?”

He seemed uncomfortable. “Well, my brother is making you his handmaiden, and you’re accepting. I’m guessing you like him?”

My face went red. “Sweet Goddess! No! Ewwww! What? No!”

I shivered at the thought of it.

“What would make you think about something like that?” I asked, amused.

He put his hands over his face and gave a heavy sigh of relief. “I don’t know. The way everything was going. Aiden tends to have a lot of she-wolves around him. I won’t be surprised if you saw him that way too.”

“Never. Please!” I said, horrified at the thought of this.

“Well Thank the goddess for that.” Bale said relief written all over his face. “Because things with my brother only ends up really bad. Most she wolves think they are going to be different. But he only ever thinks of himself. It’s really only what he wants.”

I got a knot in my stomach.

I frowned to myself.

Why should I feel anything?

I didn’t care about Aiden or whatever he has to say.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He remarked.

I gave him a tight smile. “Thank you.”

“I’ll see what I can do about getting out of this fix being his handmaiden.” Bale offered.

“Don’t worry.” I said stopping him in his tracks. “I can handle it. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t need anyone else knowing about my family’s debt.

Bale looked at me suspiciously but shrugged it off.