Chapter 1 His Vow Was 9 Points Short
Ruby was only 4 and still too young to shift. This was her first Moon Rite. Before we left home, she polished her little leather boots over and over, refusing to put them on until they gleamed. By Blackridge tradition, a father was supposed to carry his pup through the Moon Gate and hang a silver plaque engraved with her name on the family tree.
She had practiced her introduction for an entire week. Every time she reached the words, "I'm Ruby Ward, and my daddy is—" she would tip up her face, her eyes shining with pride.
That night, the other children went home one after another, but she remained on the stone steps, staring toward the far edge of the pine forest.
Callum finally answered my 6th call.
"Mara Hale mixed up the patrol routes, and she's crying. I'm helping her redo them. You start the ceremony without me. I'll be there soon."
"Ruby is still waiting for you."
"I know. I'll be there soon." Then he hung up.
In the end, I was the one who carried our daughter through the Moon Gate. With her head resting on my shoulder, she asked in a tiny voice, "Did I tell Daddy the wrong time?"
My throat tightened. I stroked her hair. "No, you gave him the right time. Daddy is late."
At 10 p.m., Callum came home with a mechanical wolf pup. The moment he set it on the floor, it began wagging its tail. Ruby ran over and hugged it, refusing to let go. The hurt that had clouded her face moments ago disappeared.
Callum smiled and kissed my forehead. I looked up—and saw that the number above his head had changed to 91.
I gripped his sleeve and looked again, wondering if my eyes had deceived me. How could a number that hadn't changed in 10 years change tonight of all nights? It felt as though someone had seized my heart and twisted it hard. I couldn't speak through the pain.
When Ruby first learned to walk, Callum had been out patrolling the forest. I sent him a video, and he came home that same night. He crouched in the doorway with his arms open, waiting for our daughter to totter toward him. Back then, he couldn't bear to miss even a single step.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
I looked at him. "What happened on patrol?"
"Nothing serious. It's taken care of."
"Then why did it take so long?"
He took off his coat and answered casually, "She thought she couldn't do anything right and wouldn't stop crying. I couldn't just leave her there alone."
I thought of Ruby waiting beneath the Moon Gate. Our daughter had waited for him for so long, and he hadn't asked a single question about her. Yet the moment Mara cried, he couldn't bring himself to leave.
His phone lit up. He glanced at the screen and suddenly smiled. I saw the message from Mara too:
Mara: I never would've made it through today without you. Good night, my Alpha.
He replied:
Callum: Good night.
I draped his coat over the back of a chair and couldn't stop myself from asking, "Does she always call you that?"
"Doesn't everyone in the pack?" He didn't look up.
I asked nothing more. Watching him bow his head over his phone, all I wanted was to leave as soon as possible. But Ruby was still young. I needed to tell my family first and pack everything she would need.
After he went into the bathroom, I found my Silverpine identification tag and messaged my sister, Nora Bennett:
Evelyn: I may bring Ruby home and stay for a while.
Her answer came almost immediately:
Nora: Your room has always been waiting for you.
As I read those words, my eyes finally burned with tears.
Ruby ran over with the toy in her arms and asked whether Daddy would go see her silver plaque tomorrow. I wiped the cookie crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
"Go ask Daddy," I said.
In the past, I would always have assured her that Daddy would be there. This time, I couldn't make myself say it.
