Chapter 2: Memories

~~Ruby~~

I wake up with tears streaming down my face. The dampness clings to my skin, a cruel reminder that even in sleep, I can’t escape the pain.

Sitting in front of the mirror, I stare at my reflection. My eyes are swollen, my lips trembling. But it’s not the grief of losing my parents that haunts me at this moment, it’s something older, something buried deep in my past.

Ten years ago.

The memory pulls me in before I can stop it.

~~FLASHBACK~~

"Why do you even bother coming to training?" Basil’s voice was filled with irritation as he stood across from me in the sparring ring.

I clenched my fists. Not now. Not today.

The other twin, Bernard, leaned against the fence, smirking. "She likes the attention. Look at her… always trying to prove she belongs here."

My throat tightened. “I do belong here,” I said, my voice steady despite the fire burning in my chest.

Basil scoffed, stepping closer. “No, you don’t.” His gaze traveled over me, his expression unreadable. “You’re too… different. Too tall. Too dark. I wonder if you are really the Beta's kid”

The words stung, but I refused to let it show. I had learned long ago that weakness was like blood in the water…. It only made the sharks circle faster.

Still, the mate bond between us made his every word cut deeper, his every insult sear into my soul. It was torture, loving someone who only saw me as an annoyance, an inconvenience.

"Let’s just get this over with," I muttered, raising my fists.

But Basil didn’t move. Instead, he leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"You should reject me, Ruby."

My breath caught in my throat. “What?”

“Reject me,” he said, his voice cold. “You’ll never be my Luna. You’ll never be anything to me. Just do yourself a favor and let it go before I do”

I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me.

Before I could react, Bernard laughed from behind him. “She won’t. She’s too desperate to be loved by an Alpha twin.”

The laughter around us grew louder, and my vision blurred. I wanted to run. To hide. To disappear.

But I did none of those things.

Instead, I swallowed the pain and faced them both with a blank expression. “If that’s how you feel,” I whispered, “then you’ll have no problem staying away from me then.”

I turned and walked away, my heart breaking with every step.

~~FLASHBACK ENDS~~

The memory fades, but the ache remains.

I grip the edge of the vanity, my knuckles white. Ten years. It’s been ten years, and yet the past still clings to me like a shadow.

And now, I have to face them again.

Basil

Bernard

My so-called mates.

They wanted to break me back then. But this time, I won’t let them.

I wipe my tears, steeling myself.

I’m not that weak, desperate girl they knew anymore.

I’m going back, not for them, but for my brother. For my parents.

For revenge.

As I stand up, determination hardening my resolve, I grab my duffel bag from the closet and start packing. My hands move on their own… folding clothes, stuffing in essentials, my mind already focused on what lies ahead.

A knock sounds at the door before it swings open.

“Ruby?” A familiar voice fills the room.

I turn to see Serena standing in the doorway, her brows furrowed in confusion. She steps inside, arms crossed, eyes flicking between me and the half-packed bag on my bed. “Hey Ruby, What’s going on? Why are you packing?”

I hesitate, gripping the zipper of the bag tighter. “I have to leave..,” I say finally.

Serena’s face shifts from confusion to alarm. “Leave? What do you mean to leave? Why? What's happening?”

I swallow hard, forcing the words out. “Home.”

Serena blinks. “Home?” Then it clicks. “Wait… Ruby, did something happen?” She takes a step forward, worry laced in her voice. “Is it your family?”

I nod stiffly. “The rogues attacked our pack. My parents… they didn’t make it.”

Serena inhales sharply, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh, Moon Goddess… Ruby, I… I’m so sorry.”

My throat tightens, but I push past the emotions threatening to surface. “I have to go back, Serena. I have to be there for my brother. For the pack.”

Serena shakes her head. “No, you don’t. You don’t have to do anything. You can stay here, you’re safe here.” She gestures toward the room, toward everything I had built in this pack. “You don’t have to go back to them.”

I know who she means.

My so-called mates.

I press my lips together, my grip tightening around my bag. “This isn’t about them,” I say, though even I can hear the slight waver in my voice.

Serena doesn’t look convinced. “You sure? Because the last time you saw them, they…”

“I know what they did,” I cut in sharply. “But that doesn’t matter now. My parents are gone, Serena. My brother really needs me. The pack needs me.” I meet her gaze, willing her to understand. “I can’t just stay here and pretend nothing happened. I have a duty to my pack”

Serena studies me for a long moment before sighing in defeat. “Ruby…” She sits on the edge of the bed, running a hand through her hair. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again. You’ve built a life here. You’ve finally started to heal.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Maybe healing was never an option for me,” I murmur.

Serena’s eyes soften. “That’s not true.”

I exhale, running a hand through my hair. “Even if it is, I don’t have a choice. I have to do this, Serena.”

She nods slowly, sadness flickering in her expression. Then, without warning, she stands and pulls me into a tight hug.

“Just promise me one thing,” she whispers against my shoulder.

“What?”

“Promise me you won’t let them break you again.”

I close my eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of my best friend, one of the few people who ever saw me for who I truly was.

“I promise.”

And this time, I intend to keep it.