Chapter 7: Losing Grip
1424 Words
Carter's POV
Avoiding Ruby was supposed to make things easier.
It didn’t.
She was everywhere. In the training yard, where I used to find her watching from a distance, quiet but always there. In the packhouse hallways, where the faint scent of her still lingered. In my own damn head, where she lived rent-free, tormenting me with memories I wanted to forget, but couldn’t.
Every time I caught sight of her, my body tensed like a drawn bowstring, ready to snap. I told myself walking away was the right thing. The only thing.
So I did.
I trained harder. I spent hours in meetings, going over alliance agreements with my father, patrolling the borders,anything to keep busy. Anything to not think about her.
But it wasn’t working.
Because every time I closed my eyes, I saw her.
Ruby.
And every time I saw her, I wanted to break something.
So, of course, Chloe noticed.
“Okay, this is getting ridiculous,” she said, throwing herself onto the bench beside me in the training yard, dropping a water flask onto my lap. “You’ve been avoiding her for days.”
I scowled, wiping sweat from my brow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chloe snorted. “Right. Because it’s totally normal for you to see Ruby coming and suddenly remember you have urgent Alpha business in the opposite direction.”
I glared at her. “It is normal. I’m busy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re so full of lies.”
I sighed heavily, taking a sip from the flask. “Chloe—”
“Nope,” she cut me off, leaning forward with that infuriatingly knowing smirk. “We’re talking about this.”
I exhaled slowly. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
Chloe arched an eyebrow. “Really? Because last I checked, the girl you’ve been in love with since we were kids is engaged to some pretty-boy Beta, and you’re acting like she doesn’t exist.”
I stiffened. “She made her choice.”
Sophia scoffed. “Oh, please. You let her make that choice.”
My grip on the flask tightened. “I didn’t let her do anything.”
Chloe tilted her head. “Did you try to stop it?”
I clenched my jaw.
She sat back with a smug expression. “Exactly.”
I exhaled harshly, setting the flask down. “It’s not that simple.”
Chloe groaned dramatically. “Oh my God, Carter. Why do you always do this?”
“Do what?” I muttered.
“Make everything harder than it has to be!” She gestured wildly. “You love her. She loves you. The whole damn pack probably knows it except for the two of you, because you’re both too stubborn to admit it.”
I shot her a sharp look. “She’s engaged.”
“And whose fault is that?” she shot back, eyes blazing. “Ruby thinks you don’t love her. Because you never told her. Because you keep playing this stupid duty over love game that only makes you miserable.”
I clenched my fists. “You think I don’t want to stop it?”
Chloe's smirk faded slightly. “Then do something.”
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “You don’t get it, Chloe. It’s not just about me and Mia.”
Chloe's smirk vanished, her expression hardening. “No. I do get, Carter. You love Ruby,You’re just too scared to make a choice,the right one.”
Her words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
For a moment, I didn’t say anything.
Chloe signed narrowing her eyes. “It’s about Father, isn’t it?”
I didn’t answer.
But she already knew.
That evening, I was summoned to my father’s office.
Alpha Cyrus
He sat behind his massive oak desk, his sharp, calculating gaze pinned on me the moment I entered.
“You’ve been distracted,” he said without preamble.
I stiffened. “I’ve been handling my responsibilities.”
He leaned back, fingers steepled. “We all know that’s not what happening to you.”
I clenched my jaw, but said nothing.
He studied me for a long moment before exhaling. “Carter, you are my heir. Every decision you make, every emotion you let control you, affects this pack.”
I nodded stiffly.
“I assume you’ve heard the rumors?” he continued.
My stomach tightened. “What rumors?”
“That you and Ruby were… close.” His voice was calm, but there was a warning in it.
I forced my expression to remain neutral. “We grew up together.”
“Don’t insult me with half-truths. I know your feelings for that Omega.” His eyes darkened. “Tell me, Carter, what do you think an Alpha is?”
I exhaled slowly. “A leader. A protector.”
“A symbol,” my father corrected. “A pillar of strength. Our pack looks to you for guidance, for discipline. They need to see you as untouchable, as someone who does not bend for personal desires.”
I felt my wolf, Kale, stir restlessly.
This is why you never claimed her, Kale muttered. Because deep down, you believe him.
I clenched my fists, forcing my voice to stay even. “I understand my role, but it has nothing to with Ruby.”
“It has everything to do with that girl!” My father Snapped. “Because you must never let weakness cloud your judgment. You must be above emotion, and because of her you'll allow weakness to destroy you.”
Emotion.
That’s what he thought love was.
A weakness.
“Jace is a strong Beta,” he continued. “The alliance with Shadowridge will be beneficial. This arrangement ensures stability. The Omega understands her duty, and so should you.”
I swallowed against the sharp sting of those words.
Duty.
It was always about duty.
I nodded. “Of course, Father.”
My father studied me for a long moment, then exhaled. “Good. You’re dismissed.”
I turned to leave, but before I stepped out, he spoke again.
“Carter.”
I paused.
He didn’t look up from his papers. “Don’t let her be your downfall. You can't fall for someone like her.”
The words hit like a knife to the ribs.
I left the office without another word, my chest tight.
The next morning, I was back in the training yard when I saw her.
Ruby.
She was walking across the clearing, her dark hair catching the sunlight, her expression unreadable.
Something inside me pulled, an instinct I had spent years trying to suppress.
Then she looked up.
Our eyes met.
My stomach tightened.
Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
For a moment, everything else disappeared: the training yard, the pack, the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. It was just her.
Then I did the only thing I could think of.
I turned around and walked away.
Coward.
I could feel her eyes on my back, but I didn’t stop.
Didn’t look back.
Didn’t let myself want.
Because if I did, I wouldn’t be able to let go.
And letting go was the only thing I had left.
Later, Chloe found me in the armory.
“So,” she said, flipping a dagger between her fingers. “I heard you did another dramatic exit today.”
I ignored her.
She perched on the table, smirking. “You do realize avoiding her doesn’t make your feelings disappear, right?”
I sighed heavily. “Go away, Chloe.”
She grinned. “Not a chance.”
I groaned. “What do you want?”
“For you to stop being an idiot.”
I shot her a look. “I'm always an idiot.”
She hopped down from the table, her smirk softening just slightly. “Look, I know you think you’re doing the right thing. But if walking away from her hurts this much, then maybe,just maybe, it’s not the right thing after all.”
"just leave Chloe.”
She laughed. “Fine. But just so you know one day, you’re going to regret this. And when you do, I will say I told you so.”
I exhaled. “Of course you will.”
She patted my shoulder. “Just think about it, big brother, sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the ones we love.”
Then she was gone.
And I was left alone, drowning in my own thoughts.
- Writer
