Ruby


    The word tasted foreign in her mouth, bitter with memory. Iter chest tightened around it like something instinctual was ring–protective, fierce, uncertain.


    Niks blinked, too slow forfort. His jaw clenched, the way it did when instinct braced before thought. A shiver of tension ran up his spine, and he shifted closer to Saphira, like proximity could untangle shock.


    Zafira recoiled half a step, her arms folding in like she’d been chilled. Fingers pressed lightly to her corbone but didn’t settle. Her gaze flicked toward the door as if expecting Ruby to reappear at any moment.


    “Wow,” Zafira said quietly, her voice thin with disbelief. “That’s… unexpected<b>.</b><b>” </b>


    Saphira nodded once, a sharp tilt of her chin, though her eyes didn’t leave the closed door. Her pulse fluttered behind her ribs. She was here. She was real. The implications raced through her too fast to pin down.


    “She’s here for a reason,” she said, the edge sharpening in her tone. Her throat bobbed. “Finn–he needs to know she’s turned up. Before he sees her himself.”


    Niks–spun slightly toward her, brows furrowed in clear concern. “He can’t see her by ident. That’d be chaos.”


    “I know.” Saphira’s hand curled around her phone, fingers pale with pressure. Her thumb fidgeted against the screen, dancing over Finn’s name like she could summon resolve just by holding it. “It has toe from me. If Ruby’s here, it’s connected. The Elders, the Matchmaker–it’s too convenient otherwise.”


    Niks crossed his arms, gaze darkening. “She doesn’t even know he’s alive. If she finds out the wrong way-”


    “It could spiral,” Saphira finished, already imagining Ruby’s reaction. The shock. The anger. Maybe even relief twisted into something worse.


    Zafira moved slowly toward the chair, grounding herself with both hands against the backrest as if the room had tilted. “Then tell him,” she said. “Don’t give her the chance.”


    Niks gave a single nod. “Absolutely.”


    Saphira stared at her phone, thumb hovering, mind churning too fast to act. The truth was jagged–each piece sharp with consequence. She wasn’t ready. Not yet.


    Zafira leaned in gently, her tone soft. “You said something felt off with her story. What didn’t match?”


    Saphira drew a breath through her nose, forcing calm past rising tension. “A lot,” she murmured, voice quieter now. She started pacing, boots whispering across stone. The motion helped–barely.


    “She said she was matched. But matching takes time. Sometimes months. Only a rare few find their match instantly. And she didn’t mention initiation- everyone goes through it. It’s required.”


    She paused mid–step, then pivoted sharply to face them. Her eyes held rity now, slicing through the fog. “Even when the match fails, there’s a containment period. You live together for ten days. It’s not about love–it’s about control, separation, safeguarding instincts. She said two days. That’s a lie.”


    Niks’s brows drew lower. “That’s not even the worst part, is it?”


    Saphira looked down at the screen again, heart thudding dully. “She imed she was the pack outcast. That she never belonged. But she was perfect. Obedient. Respected. She had status, loyalty. So when she turned on Finn…” Her jaw tightened, voice bitter. “They believed her. No one questioned it. She was the pride of the pack.”


    Zafira’s lips parted, but her answer came slow. Her eyes had gone distant. “I felt something off about her,” she admitted. “Something I couldn’t name. But this? I never expected this.”


    Saphira stepped closer to Niks, her fingers brushing his wrist, anchoring herself for what came next.


    “This isn’t right,” Niks said. “And we need to act. Fast.”


    “Finn’s still training with Anastasia?” Saphira asked, her voice steadier now, though the storm still stirred beneath it.


    Niks nodded. “Let’s find him, Before Ruby does.<b>” </b>


    Saphira looked to the door onest time, then to the screen glowing in her palm.


    There would be no rewinding this. Only forward.


    “Let’s go,” she said.


    The trail leading to the clearing was uneven, cut with roots and dew–slick stones that Saphira barely registered. Her feet moved on instinct, guided more by urgency than awareness. Niks walked close beside her, gaze forward but body tense, while Zafira trailed behind, quiet, unreadable.


    They heard them before they saw them.


    Laughter–sharp, unfiltered, glowing with warmth. Saphira slowed just as the clearing opened before her, shadows peeled back to reveal Finn, Amara, and Anastasia standing in the golden spill ofte sun. Finn had a crooked grin, his shoulders rxed for the first time in days. Amara nudged his ribs with the side of her fist, mock affront in her eyes. Anastasia was halfway through recounting something ridiculous, barely breathing between bursts ofughter.


    The sight made something fragile stir in Saphira’s chest. She stopped at the edge of the clearing, her breath hitching.


    I’m about <i>to </i>shatter that.


    Niks sensed it before she spoke. He nced at her, then slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close with a subtle squeeze. His voice was low, barely brushing her ear.


    “It’ll be okay. You’re not alone.”


    Saphira’s throat tightened, but she nodded. Her gaze stayed locked on Finn, who’d just started to turn–and froze when he saw her expression.


    His brows drew together sharply. The shift was instant. Amara’s smile faded mid–curve, her eyes narrowing with concern. Anastasia’s shoulders stiffened as she caught the tension.


    Finn took a slow step forward, “What’s wrong?” he asked, eyes darting between them. “Did something happen?”


    Before Saphira could answer, Anastasia was already halfway through a pivot. “Is it one of the groups?”


    Saphira shook her head, the motion stiff. “No.”


    Niks stepped slightly ahead, voice even. “We’ve had a neer.”


    Finn frowned. “Okay…” His tone was cautious, puzzled. “And?”


    Saphira took one breath. Then another. Her fingers curled at her sides.


    “It’s Ruby.”


    The clearing dropped into silence. Finn’s eyes went wide. His jaw ckened, lips parting–but no sound came. His entire frame went still.


    Amara’s hand flew instinctively to her chest.


    Anastasia blinked, stunned.


    But Saphira didn’t look away. Not this time.


    Because the past had returned–and the time for hiding was over.