The Rejected Wolf and Her Three WereMates

Chapter 12 : Plot

RUBY

~~~

The air in my new quarters was stale, smelling badly of bleach and antiseptic.

I stood in the center of the cramped bedroom, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, my expression a mask of deathly calm. Looking around the room, I took in every miserable detail.

The low ceiling, the faded wallpaper peeling at the corners, the outdated wooden bed frame, and the small, dusty window overlooking the rear gravel pit of the outer pack grounds.

It was a slap in the face. An utter degradation.

Just yesterday, I had occupied the grand west wing of the pack house estate–a plush, sun-drenched suite with marble floors, a walk-in closet, and a private balcony overlooking the pristine pine forests of Black Pine Springs.

Now, because of that stupid brat, I had been demoted to the lower-tier staff quarters like a common rogue.

My fingers dug into my forearms. Beneath the fabric of my long-sleeved shirt, the silver-laced whip marks were fading into faint pink scars, a proof of my fast healing abilities, but also a burning mark of shame on my pride.

Behind me, sitting on the edge of the stiff mattress, were Serena and Gretel. They were my most loyal followers, my own squad within the pack welfare department, ready to do all my bidding without question.

They sat in anxious silence, watching me pace back and forth like a caged predator. Finally, after the silence lengthened uncomfortably, Selena ventured forward, her voice tight with suppressed anger.

"Ruby, what are you going to do about Harper? You can't just let her step in and steal everything you've built."

"Serena is right," Gretel chimed in, her jaw tight with indignation. "You've given your entire life to Black Pine Springs, Ruby. You took over the welfare department when it was in shambles. You worked yourself to the bone building this pack alongside the Alphas. When they were broken, when the weight of that lost mate bond was crushing them into monsters, you were the one who stayed by their sides. You were the one who eased their pain."

"And what about Luke?" Serena pressed, and the mention of my late brother's name sliced through my heart. "Luke lost his life in the last war. He took a blade to the heart to protect the Alphas, and they swore an oath on his dying breath to honor your family name, to honour you. Yet this is how they repay you? By dragging you through the mud for some fat, useless wolf who abandoned the pack five years ago?"

"It's sick," Gretel spat venomously. "Harper comes crawling back, and suddenly the Alphas act like brainless fools. If you let her take your position, Ruby, all your plans are over. She will become their Luna, and you will be nothing!"

Their sharp, instigating words echoed off the thin walls of the room, fanning the white-hot coals of rage burning in my chest. Harper! The parasite. The shadow that had haunted my life for half a decade.

"SHUT UP!" I roared, my voice snapping through the quiet room like a whip.

Serena and Gretel instantly flinched, snapping their mouths shut. I didn't need to hear all that from them. I didn't need to be reminded of the sacrifice my brother made.

I didn't want to think of what could be happening right now in the pack house. Mason and his brothers could be in her room right now, begging to claim her, and the thought infuriated me.

They were mine. MINE! I couldn't lose them, not after all this time.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. I held the air in my lungs, letting the icy chill of control wash over the burning fury in my veins, before releasing it slowly through my teeth.

When I opened my eyes again, the rage was gone, replaced by a cold promise of ruin.

"All these past years," I said, my voice dropping to a low, silky whisper that carried more terror than a scream. "All these years of sweat, blood, and strategic planning beside the Alphas will not be in vain."

I walked over to the small window, staring at the distant silhouette of the pack house towering over the trees.

"I crushed every other female who dared to flash an eye at Mason, Ryder, and Dallas," I murmured, a vicious smile touching my lips. "I drove them out, ruined their reputations, and broke their spirits before they could even dream of stepping into my territory. Harper thinks because she carried their mate bond, she's special? She's nothing! A ghost that should have stayed buried."

I turned back to look at Serena and Gretel, my eyes glinting with a dark, ruthless certainty.

"I am not going to rest until I get my revenge," I vowed, the words dripping like poison into the room. "I won't just kick her out of Black Pine Springs this time. I am going to see her dead."

Gretel gasped softly, but Serena's eyes lit up with malicious excitement.

"How?" she whispered. "The Alphas will be fiercely protective over her. Alpha Mason already threatened to strip your family name if you step out of line again."

"Which is why I won't give them a reason to suspect me," I replied, a sinister grin spreading across my face. "Starting tomorrow, I am going to play the perfect, penitent subordinate. I will submit, hand over my department files to Harper with a smile. I will make them believe that my humiliation completely broke my pride and changed my heart."

I stepped closer to them, leaning down so my shadow fell over both of their faces.

"And while they are lulled into a false sense of security, I will strike from the dark," I whispered coldly. "I will destroy Harper. I will make her look like a traitor to the pack, ruin her authority, and turn every single pack member against her. I will make them hate the very sight of her face."

I stood up straight, smoothing down the front of my shirt and turning away.

"By the time I am done with Harper, she will realize that taking the Alphas' favor was the biggest mistake of her life. The Alphas are mine, and she will rue the day she ever decided to show her pathetic face in Black Pine Springs again."