Chapter 48: Suspended

Ruby paced the length of her bedroom, her teeth gnawing at her fingernails until they were raw. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Her beast was restless, pacing in the back of her mind with a low, anxious whine. Derek had summoned her through the mind-link moments ago, and his voice hadn’t carried its usual warmth. It was cold and absolute. Perhaps it was just her paranoia, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the floor was about to drop out from under her. Had he found out? Had he actually traced that stupid runt’s illness back to her?

She had heard that the King was still actively looking into the matter, and that Kai had gone to retrieve deleted data. She had thought that after destroying the evidence, everything would quietly disappear. Apparently, she had underestimated the King’s persistence.

"Ruby, think, think, think," she hissed, slapping her temple with the palm of her hand. "You haven’t held this position for years by being sloppy."

A sudden knock at the door made her jump nearly out of her skin. "Come in," she called, forcing her voice to steady.

Her assistant peeked in, her face flushed and pinched with worry. "Miss Ruby, His Grace wishes to see you immediately. He... he didn’t sound happy, ma’am."

Ruby’s stomach performed a slow, sickening roll. She had blocked her mind-link and switched off her mobile after the initial summons, trying to buy herself time.

"I will be right there," Ruby said.

The assistant’s eyes clouded with concern. She stepped closer, squinting at Ruby’s face. "Are you alright? You look dreadfully pale." The girl reached out and brushed Ruby’s arm. "Goddess! You’re burning up. Should I tell the King that you’re unwell? Perhaps you should move the meeting."

"Oh no," Ruby said quickly, forcing a weak smile. A small, secret spark of triumph lit up inside her. "It is nothing much. I will go see him right away."

As she walked past the girl and headed toward the royal study, a slow, dark smile tugged at her lips. She had induced the fever herself by crushing a bit of fevereil root into her tea earlier. She had been pacing and waiting for her temperature to spike before facing Derek. Her late mother’s herbal teachings always came in handy; Ruby knew how to use herbs in ways most people never even dreamed of.

***

"I’m so sorry!" Ruby wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks the moment she stepped into Derek’s study. "I didn’t mean to do it!"

Her tears had always worked on him. They were her most reliable weapon.

But this time, Derek simply sat behind his desk, staring at her with a blank, unreadable expression. She could almost feel the cold fury radiating from him.

"You knew very well that you sent her the wrong time for the ceremony," he said quietly, "and yet you stood there and lied in front of everyone, Ruby. You watched me humiliate her."

"I’ve been sick!" Ruby blurted, sobbing harder into the sleeve of her sweater. "I must have been confused that day and sent her the time for the women’s meeting instead. I swear it wasn’t on purpose." She sniffed dramatically. "I was so scared and couldn’t face your wrath that night. You looked so terrifying, and I couldn’t bring myself to speak the truth."

"So she deserved to face my wrath?" Derek asked, his voice dangerously calm. He didn’t need to raise it.

Ruby shook her head frantically, sniffing and keeping her gaze locked on the floor.

"What about the poison?" Derek asked abruptly, his eyes boring into her. "Why did you do that?"

Ruby lifted her head. Derek was staring at her as if he could see right through her skull. She arranged her face into perfect bewilderment. "I didn’t do that." She willed her heartbeat to stay steady and even.

She had practised this moment over and over in front of the mirror, training herself to believe the lie. She had repeated it so many times that part of her almost believed it: if she hadn’t personally handed the Queen the tea, then she hadn’t done it. She knew Derek would be listening to her heartbeat.

"I swear it," she whispered. "I made a terrible mistake with the time, but nothing else. I would never do that to her. I’ve worked for this pack with all my heart. I get tired and confused sometimes too."

Derek studied her for a long, heavy moment. Ruby kept her breathing shallow, her expression one of pure innocence.

Declan’s voice suddenly crept into Derek’s mind through the mind-link.

"Derek, I don’t think she did it. We know Ruby. She wouldn’t be that reckless. We should focus on finding the real culprit instead of pointing fingers again."

Ruby let her teeth chatter slightly and hugged herself tighter, trying to look small and pitiful.

"You will not go unpunished, Ruby," Derek said at last.

Ruby’s eyes snapped up to him in genuine shock. "But—"

"You are suspended from your post for two weeks, effective immediately."

"No, Your Grace, please! The welfare programmes—"

"Also," Derek continued, ignoring her plea, "you are not to leave your quarters during that period. It is obvious you are stressed and clearly in need of rest. Hand over your schedule to your assistant."

"Derek, please. You can’t—"

"And you will render a public apology to the Queen for misleading her and the public."

Genuine tears, tears of pure shock and rage, poured down Ruby’s face now as she stared at him in disbelief. In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined he would punish her so harshly, or humiliate her by forcing her to apologise to that runt.

"Derek," Declan started, looking uncomfortable. "Is that not a bit much? Surely she—"

"You should be grateful I’m not throwing you in the dungeon for such a stupid mistake," Derek said, completely ignoring Declan. "Now return to your quarters. I don’t want to set eyes on you."

Ruby sniffed loudly, her heart pounding with a toxic mix of fury and shock. Derek had never punished her like this before. She cast him one last wounded look and turned toward the door. From the hard set of his jaw, she knew better than to try to argue further.

At least he didn’t believe she was responsible for sending the runt to the hospital. All she had done was find a desperate fanatic from one of the lower villages to pose as a servant and deliver the tea. She reached for the door handle.

"And Ruby?" Derek called.

Ruby turned slowly to face him. "Yes?"

"I really hope you know nothing about poisoning the Queen," he said, his voice low and deadly. "Because if I find out you did, I would forget our friendship and the oath I swore to your brother."

Ruby’s eyes widened in pure shock. "She is a werewolf!" she cried out, unable to stop herself. "I didn’t hurt her, but how can you say that to me? Over the daughter of our people’s enemy?"

Declan’s voice came again.

"Your Grace, you’re being a bit—"

"Cut it, Declan,"

Derek cut him off.

"Kira Thornclaw is mine to deal with. I brought her here for myself and not for anyone else. I won’t tolerate anyone who harms her in my stead."

He turned to Ruby. "Let me be the only monster here, Ruby. Two monsters cannot exist in one kingdom. Don’t let this darkness consume you too. The day I find out it has... that will be the day I let you go."

His words sent a chill racing down Ruby’s spine. Was he truly choosing that woman over her? Why did he keep protecting her? He had said he didn’t love her.

Just as she reached for the door again, a gamma stepped inside.

"Your Grace," the man bowed slightly, his eyes darting to Ruby and then back to the King. "I think we found her. We found the person who served the Queen’s tea. It wasn’t one of the regular servants."

Ruby’s heart dropped into her stomach. Her pulse began to race, thudding so loudly in her ears she was sure Derek could hear it.

How?