Ruby:
As I read her final words, tears streamed down my face, mixing with the ink on the page. I couldn’t fathom the pain Mrs. Thompson must have endured upon discovering her grandson in a pool of his own blood.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I contemplated the trauma she must have passed through, and in that moment, I felt a bond with her unlike any I had felt before-a bond forged in the trials of life and death. Without thinking, I placed the letter in my pocket, silently promising to try and forgive William for his grandmother’s sake, as a tribute to her.
I clasped her delicate hands in mine, solemnly pledging to honour her memory through my actions and to pursue justice for the sake of my son and her grandson.
The perpetrators of this heinous act were truly monstrous and despicable. It was unfathomable and unbelievable to think that Jane, someone I had interacted with closely, could be among those responsible. She was a monster who had been right under my nose this whole time, and the most infuriating aspect was her lack of remorse, evident despite her proximity to the gruesome events.
Looking back, finding the file secretly tucked under her desk should have made me confront her right away. If I had done that, maybe Mrs. Thompson would still be alive today and wouldn’t have died in their hands.
“You killed her,” accused the voice of the devil, her words rushing in laden with blame and condemnation.
I let out a bitter laugh, infuriated as my frustration was boiling over with the realisation that I had endured her nonsense for the sake of peace and fear of not losing my job. But not anymore. Today, she would pay for her actions with her life, consequences be damned.
“I can’t believe this! How could you let this happen?” Jane’s voice seethed with anger, her accusatory gaze drilling into me with unwavering intensity.
“This is unacceptable, Ruby. You were entrusted with Mrs. Thompson’s care, and you failed miserably. I’m afraid you will have to pay for this,” she scolded, her tone dripping with disdain and a small smirk playing on her lips. I tightened my grip on the letter from Mrs. Thompson tucked inside my pocket, feeling the tension in my knuckles as they turned white.
As I pieced everything together, it became glaringly obvious that Jane was responsible for Mrs. Thompson’s death and had orchestrated a setup to frame me. That’s why she sent me here in the first place to take the fall. It was a calculated trap.
How could she be so heartless as to harm an innocent old woman and discard a baby? Forgiveness was out of the question; she must pay for her crimes. But first, I needed to ensure she had no other accomplices who assisted her in committing such a dreadful act.
“You…” I spat the word, unable to contain my fury. “You heartless witch!” With a surge of rage, I pushed past her and hurried to slam the door shut before she could escape. Whirling around, I faced her with a fierce glare.
“What are you doing, Ruby? You’ll…” Jane’s words were cut off as I silenced her with a venomous glare.
“Shut your mouth, you fool. You killed Mrs. Thompson because she knew the truth about how you killed William and how you took my son away from me, and now you come here acting all innocent and trying to put the blame on me. Do I look like a fool, Jane?” I asked with my voice trembling with rage, and without waiting for her reply, I launched myself at her, catching her off guard. She stumbled backward, falling to the ground as I advanced.
With a ferocious growl, I clenched my fists, my knuckles white with rage, as I swallowed the lump in my throat, ready to confront her betrayal.
“You took my precious son and tossed him into the treacherous woods to perish, to be devoured by wild beasts, you despicable creature,” I spat, venom lacing my words as I prepared to unleash the full force of my fury.
Her eyes widened with fear as she stammered, “Y-you’re the Luna?” Her voice trembled, but before she could utter another word, I released my fist, delivering a punishing blow to her face. She recoiled in agony, a grimace contorting her features. Her neck twisted at an unnatural angle, but I wasn’t satisfied.
This was just the beginning. I was determined to shatter every bone in her body and offer her remains to the scavengers.
“Alright, spill it. Who’s pulling your strings?” I demanded, my voice dripping with menace.
“No one sent me… It’s all my doing,” she choked out, her words barely audible amidst her pain.
“Stop lying, or I’ll send you to hell this minute!” My rage consumed me, and with a primal ferocity, I lunged at her again, grabbing her harshly by the neck. My nails were poised like claws, ready to strike and rip out her throat.
“I told you, no one sent me! It’s all on me!” Jane’s voice quivered with fear, her eyes wide with panic.
I scoffed, tightening my grip on her throat. “You expect me to believe that load of crap?”
“Please,” she whimpered, her voice weak with desperation.
“Is that how it’s going to be, huh? You don’t want to talk,” I taunted.
“They will kill me if I do, so I’d rather die in your hands,” she confessed, her words laden with fear.
“Is that so? Then your wish is my command.” With a guttural snarl, I clawed at her eyes, driven by a raw desire for vengeance.
As my nails tore into her flesh, a primal scream of agony escaped her lips, echoing through the room. Her body convulsed with pain, every muscle tensing as she writhed beneath me. The scent of blood filled the air, mingling with the acrid tang of fear.
I had expected her to beg for mercy or confess her sins, but despite her torment, she refused to yield. Her resolve remained unshaken, even in the midst of her suffering. It seemed that her fear of the people who instructed her to commit such dreadful acts outweighed any fear of me. This realisation fueled my anger further.
With each swipe of my claws, I elicited another cry of pain, but still, she remained defiant, her spirit unbroken. But I was relentless, fueled by a burning need for retribution. With each strike, I revelled in her agony, relishing the sight of her broken and bloodied form.
And as she lay there, gasping for breath, I knew that my thirst for vengeance would never be quenched until she paid for her sins in full.
I felt consumed by an uncontrollable anger, blinded to the consequences of my actions. I disregarded the fact that I was within the confines of the werewolf academy and that taking her life here would undoubtedly lead to severe repercussions. All that mattered was exacting revenge for the pain she had caused me.
The relentless howling of my wolf echoed in my mind, urging me to give in to its primal instincts and finish her off. I struggled to maintain control, my senses overwhelmed by the overpowering desire for retribution.
As I stood there, on the verge of losing myself to rage and succumbing to the urges of my inner beast, the sound of the door breaking in snapped me back to reality. I turned to see Liam, my ex, staring at me with wide eyes, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
“Ruby, what’s going on? What are you doing?” His voice was filled with shock and concern, and I blinked in surprise at his sudden appearance.
I froze, my chest heaving with exertion as I registered Liam’s presence. A flicker of confusion washed over me. Was it a coincidence that he was here, or was the moon goddess giving me another chance to set things right and finally tell him the truth-the truth about our son?
“Alpha, please help me! She’s gone mad! Jane screamed, seizing the opportunity to plead for help, her voice trembling with fear and desperation.
I let out a scoffed as I watched her crawl towards Liam, clutching at his knees. I felt caught between the whirlwind of emotions and the sudden intrusion. I stood there, grappling with my desire for revenge and the remnants of humanity still clinging to me.
“Ruby, this is not you,” Liam muttered, his eyes pleading with me. With a fierce intensity burning in my own gaze, I approached Liam, my voice trembling with emotion that I struggled to control.
“Liam, Jane took our baby,” I whispered, the words heavy with accusation. “She’s part of why our son is gone.” Liam’s eyes widened in shock, his disbelief palpable as he struggled to process my words.
“What? How could she do that? Our baby died, Ruby. I know it’s hard to believe and you miss him, but you have to be strong,” he stammered, anguish colouring his voice.
“Shut the hell up, Liam!” I snapped, frustration boiling over as I struggled to contain my emotions.
“Do you think I’m lying? Just listen to yourself, you fool. Why would I be like this if that witch didn’t take our son away… our son?” My voice cracked with emotion, and my hands trembled with rage as I clenched them into fists. “You better keep your mouth shut and listen to what I have to say,” I spat, taking a deep breath to steady myself.
“After I gave birth, Dr. Williams lied to me that our baby died, and then Jane… took our child and abandoned him in the bush, leaving him to be devoured by wild animals,” I recounted, my voice trembling with each word and my hands shaking with the weight of the truth.
A heavy silence descended upon us as I waited patiently for Liam to take in everything, the weight of Jane’s betrayal hanging in the air like a shroud. Liam’s face contorted with a mix of horror and fury as the reality of Jane’s actions sank in. The room seemed to pulse with the intensity of our shared grief and anger, each moment charged with raw emotion.
“And if you don’t believe me, here’s proof. I found a file in Jane’s locker that said our baby wasn’t dead,” I added, retrieving the letter from Mrs. Thompson and placing it in Liam’s hand. His eyes scanned the words, his expression shifting from disbelief to sheer rage.
Liam’s face flushed red with fury, his hands trembling with anger and betrayal as he lifted Jane from the ground, his grip tight around her throat. Jane’s eyes widened in terror as she struggled against his grasp, the weight of her guilt bearing down upon her.
“Alpha, please… I’m… sorry… you are going to kill me,” she choked, her words barely audible amidst Liam’s seething fury, but he didn’t release her.
“You killed my son, you witch; you deserve to die,” he growled, his voice dripping with venom. For a moment, I almost believed that he cared about Alex, but the rage in his eyes told a different story.
To me, the only way to prove he actually cared for him was to exact revenge on the person who harmed him, and as the alpha, he had the power to do so without consequences, unlike me.
With a heavy heart, I turned to Liam, my voice barely above a whisper. “Liam, for the sake of our son, finish her,” I pleaded, the weight of our loss crushing down on me.
Liam’s eyes widened in shock at my words, his grip on Jane’s throat faltering for a moment. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice trembling with disbelief. And then, as if a dam had burst within me, the truth spilled out.
“Our son… he’s alive,” I confessed, the words echoing in the tense silence of the room. Liam staggered back, his expression one of shock mingled with hope.
But before he could fully process the news, his grip on Jane’s throat loosened, and she seized the opportunity to break free, scrambling out of the broken door in a desperate bid for escape.
Panic surged through me as I watched Jane flee into the darkness, disappearing from sight. With a sense of urgency, I moved to pursue her, but a strong, masculine hand gripped my shoulder, holding me back. I turned to face Liam; his expression was one of helplessness and loss.
“Our son is alive,” Liam stammered, tears welling up in his eyes, and I could only nod in confirmation.
“How… why… when… why didn’t you tell me?” His voice trembled with emotion, and tears streaked down his cheeks.
“That’s not important right now, Liam,” I said firmly, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down on me.
“But if you want to see him, you’ll have to confront Jane and everyone else involved in harming him. Otherwise, you’ll be putting him in danger again.” With a forceful motion, I released myself from his grip and rushed outside, determined to find Jane and bring her to justice.