The Ruthless Beta’s Forbidden Mate

004

RUBY

I didn't just walk out of that room—I practically ran, my cheap servant skirts twisting around my ankles as I took the back stairs two at a time. I shoved through my bedchamber door, my breath coming in ragged hitches, and slammed the door shut behind me.

My heart was hammering against my ribs so hard my entire chest throbbed.

Raven jumped up from the armchair where she’d been waiting, her jaw dropping as she rushed across the rug. "Lady Ruby! What happened down there?"

I collapsed onto the mattress, my knees trembling so violently I could barely support my own weight. I pressed both palms against my burning cheeks. "I've never experienced anything like that in my whole life," I choked out, staring wide eyed at the floorboards.

Raven crouched in front of me, grabbing my shaking hands and squeezing them hard. "Tell me! What did he do? What really happened?"

"He almost suspected me," I whispered, the words tumbling out in a rushed breath. "He asked for my name—I told him Maya. And then..." Heat surged down my neck, a deep crimson flooding my skin all over again. "Raven, he asked me if I offered other services."

Raven gasped, throwing a hand over her mouth. "I'll be damned!"

"He asked for food," I added quickly, trying to shake the lingering feeling of his eyes on my skin. "The finest steak and the best wine we have in the kitchen."

Raven stood up immediately, tugging at the noble dress I’d forced her into earlier. "I'll take it down to him. If you go back down there, your secret is going to get exposed. He’s dangerous, Ruby!"

I shook my head, gripping the edge of the mattress until my knuckles turned white. "No. I have to do this alone. If I’m going to find out what he’s really all about, I have to go back."

"Ruby, please—"

"Go grab the steak and wine for me," I instructed, stepping out of the servant’s dress. "Hurry."

Raven let out a long, frustrated groan, but she quickly peeled off my fine gown. We switched back into our original clothes. She turned toward the door, her shoulders slumped.

"I'll be right back," she muttered.

She returned ten minutes later, carrying a brass tray holding a steaming plate of seared steak and a dusty bottle of red wine. We quickly switched clothes one more time, stripping down and tying the maid’s apron back around my waist.

I took the heavy tray from her hands, balancing it against my hip.

"Wish me luck," I sighed, offering her a weak smile.

"Please don't get us killed," she whispered back.

I turned and slipped down the quiet, torch-lit hallways toward the lower level. The corridor outside his room was completely silent. I took a deep breath, raised my hand, and knocked firmly on the heavy oak door.

Silence.

I knocked a second time, louder. Still no answer.

Carefully, I nudged the door open with my knee and stepped inside. The main bedchamber was completely empty, but the faint, distinct sound of splashing water resonated from behind the closed washroom door.

He was in the bath.

My relief lasted for only a fraction of a second. I stepped over to the side table, setting the tray down as quietly as possible, ready to turn on my heel and sprint back to safety. But as I turned, a crisp piece of parchment lying flat beside a brass oil lamp caught my eye.

I cast a quick panicked glance toward the washroom door.

Moving silently, I reached out and grabbed the paper.

My eyes scanned the dark ink drawn across the page and every drop of blood drained from my face. My whole body went stiff as ice.

It was a letter addressed directly to his Alpha. And right there, spelled out in harsh lettering, was his exact plan to kidnap me tonight.

My lungs squeezed tight, unable to draw in air. I carefully laid the paper back down in the exact spot I’d found it, smoothing the corner with a trembling thumb. Then I turned and dashed out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

My mind was a chaotic blur as I hurried through the dark hallways.

How could I tell my father?

I couldn't. I simply couldn't. The moment he realized what I’d done—disobeying his direct order to stay away from the lower levels, sneaking around in a servant's dress—he would make my life an absolute misery. He would lock me in my rooms forever, or worse.

My pulse raced wild against my throat as I reached the upper floor. What should I do? How was I supposed to protect myself from a man like Shane?

I couldn't just leave my bedchamber to sleep somewhere else without raising suspicion from the guards. If my room was empty, the whole castle would be turned upside down by morning.

And then, a bold, terrifying idea struck my mind.

If I wanted to save myself from being taken, I just needed him to take the wrong person. All I had to do was wear the maid’s clothes to bed while Raven slept in my canopy bed, wrapped in my royal gowns.

When he came in the dark of night to snatch the princess, he would grab her—not me.

A pang of guilt bit deep into my stomach, twisting my inside into tight knots. It felt cruel. It felt terrible. But fear was screaming louder than conscience, and I had to defend myself.

"I'm sorry, Raven," I muttered under my breath.