Chapter 251: Her Reasons
Kaden’s POV
It had been two days, and I hadn’t set eyes on Ruby. In fact, I hadn’t seen her once since I woke up after collapsing in the courtyard.
I went to breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the main dining table, but she never showed up. Despite how massive the packhouse was, we usually ran into each other at least once a day. But for the past two days, nothing. She was avoiding me. It was fucking obvious. In fact, I was starting to believe she hadn’t left her room at all.
You miss her, my wolf chimed in, stirring restlessly.
I ignored him and popped another piece of fruit into my mouth.
I still suspected something about her was off. Logan had promised he would investigate her background thoroughly, and I was still waiting for his full report. Could she be a spy? Someone planted inside my packhouse to get close to me? I had enough enemies to make the possibility very fucking real.
I shook my head, rejecting the thought. No... she couldn’t be. Ruby seemed far too innocent for something like that.
My mind turned to the metal choker locked around her throat. Yes, Kane said it was meant to suppress her wolf because her wolf’s energy was disrupting her pregnancy. But why had it hummed and vibrated when my necklace was near it? And why was she so desperate to steal my locket?
I frowned, pushing my chair back and standing up. I needed to speak to her. Now.
I walked upstairs to her room and stood outside her door. I knocked several times, waiting until the latch finally clicked. The door pulled open, and her eyes widened in shock the second she saw me.
"Can I come in?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
She immediately shook her head, her hand tightening on the edge of the door. "That’s not a good idea."
"Well, this is my house," I said calmly. "Technically, I don’t need permission to enter any room in it."
Before she could object, I pushed my way past her into the room and closed the door behind us. She quickly took a few steps back, putting distance between us. I stood there, taking her in. Ruby was dressed simply in short denim shorts and an oversized pullover. Her hair was tied messily behind her head, and she looked tired.
"Is... is something wrong?" she asked, her voice tight with tension.
"Yes," I said, reaching into my collar and pulling out the silver chain. I held the locket up so it hung between us. "Why were you trying to steal this?"
She swallowed hard, her eyes darting to the locket before locking onto mine.
"The chain... it triggers memories I never knew I had," she whispered.
I frowned.
"You know I lost my memories," she continued, her voice trembling slightly. "But since the very first time I saw that locket, strange flashes have been appearing in my head. They aren’t clear... but they’re there. That’s the only reason I wanted to touch it, Kaden. I wanted to see if holding it would bring back my past. I’m sorry. I never planned on stealing it from you, and I never wanted to cause you harm."
Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over her cheeks.
The moment I saw the tears gathering in her eyes, some of my anger disappeared. Fuck. Why did seeing her cry always do something to me? A sudden wave of guilt washed over me, making me feel terrible for even raising my voice or coming in here like an interrogator.
She might actually be telling the truth. Helen had always told me this locket carried a unique aura—a soothing, ancient energy. If Ruby was sensitive to it, it made sense why she reacted the way she did.
I let out a low sigh, my anger completely deflating.
Before I could say another word, the bedroom door suddenly swung open. Her personal maid stepped inside, holding a tray with a steaming mug of a thick, black liquid. She froze in complete shock the moment her eyes landed on me standing in the center of the room.
I looked down at the mug. The smell wafting off it was intensely herbal, bitter, and foul.
"What is that?" I asked, frowning at the dark brew.
"It’s my medicine," Ruby said quietly, stepping forward. "The healer prescribed it for me."
I looked back at her. "Are you sick?"
She gave a small nod, looking down as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "My pregnancy... it’s been getting complicated."
The maid nervously handed the mug over to her. Ruby took it with a slight grimace and began sipping the bitter liquid with a tight frown.
I stepped closer to the bed, my worry deepening as I looked down at her. "What kind of complication?"
Ruby paused, the mug resting in her hands as she looked up at me with pale, exhausted eyes.
"The healer said the baby’s aura is growing stronger every day," she explained softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "My body is struggling to handle the strain, especially with my wolf power being suppressed by this choker. If we don’t keep my body stable with these herbs, my pregnancy is going to be at serious risk."
My gaze immediately dropped to the choker around her neck. "Then take it off."
Ruby froze, and even the maid standing beside her went strangely still.
I frowned, looking between them. "If that thing is suppressing your wolf and putting your pregnancy at risk, why the hell are you still wearing it?"
Ruby lowered the mug slowly, her hands trembling. "Because I can’t take it off yet."
"Why?"
She hesitated, and that brief moment of uncertainty immediately brought my suspicion back to the surface.
"Ruby."
"It’s complicated," she said defensively.
"Then explain it to me."
She released a quiet breath and looked down at the dark liquid in her hands. "When I lost my memories, I didn’t only lose memories of people and places. I lost my connection to my wolf, too."
My eyebrows pulled together. "What do you mean?"
"She’s still there," Ruby continued softly. "I can feel her sometimes, but it’s like there’s a wall between us. The healer believes the trauma that caused my memory loss affected our connection."
I glanced toward the maid, who immediately lowered her eyes to the floor.
"And the choker?" I pressed.
"It keeps my wolf suppressed while my mind recovers."
"That doesn’t make any fucking sense," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You just told me suppressing your wolf is making the pregnancy worse."
"I know."
"Then we’re going in circles."
Ruby sighed in frustration. "Because both options are dangerous, Kaden!"
Silence fell over the room as she placed the mug on the bedside table.
"If I leave the choker on for too long, my wolf can’t give my body enough strength to support the pregnancy," she explained, her voice softening. "But if I remove it before my mind reconnects properly with her, all of her power could return at once."
"And?"
"It could overwhelm me." Her hand moved protectively over my stomach. "Or the baby."
My jaw clenched tightly. Fuck.
"So what exactly are you supposed to do?"
"Recover my memories gradually."
I stared at her, still not completely convinced.
Ruby looked at the locket still hanging from my fingers, her eyes fixed on the silver metal. "That’s why I wanted your necklace."
My gaze followed hers, catching the subtle flicker of desperation in her expression. She swallowed hard.
"Whenever I’m near it, something happens in my head. Flashes. Feelings. Things I can’t explain." Her fingers moved toward the choker without quite touching it. "And you saw what happened in the courtyard. The choker reacted, too."
I remembered the violent humming, the way the metal had trembled around her throat. My eyes narrowed. "So you’re saying this locket affects both your memories and your choker?"
"I don’t know," she admitted honestly. "Maybe. That’s what I was trying to figure out before you caught me."
That sounded far more believable than her trying to steal a dead woman’s anniversary gift for no fucking reason. Still...
"Why didn’t you just ask me?"
Ruby gave me an incredulous look. "Seriously?"
"What?"
"You told a guard not to let anyone touch it."
"So?"
"And then you nearly interrogated me to death when I did."
"You were sneaking toward it like a thief!"
"I was scared!"
"Of me?"
Her mouth opened, then closed. Something about her sudden silence bothered me more than it should have.
"Yes," she finally whispered.
The single word hit harder than expected. I stared at her, unable to pull my gaze away, but she looked down at her lap.
"I didn’t know how you’d react if I told you your late mate’s locket was doing something strange to me," she said quietly. "It means a lot to you. I knew that."
My anger disappeared completely. For a few long moments, none of us spoke.
Ruby picked up her medicine again and forced herself to drink another mouthful, her face twisting in immediate disgust. I almost smiled.
"That bad?"
She glared at me over the rim of the mug. "Would you like some?"
"No."
"Then don’t laugh."
"I wasn’t laughing."
"You were about to."
I shook my head, but my attention quickly returned to the locket in my hand.
I looked back at Ruby. "Does it happen every time?"
"What?"
"The memories."
She hesitated. "Mostly when it’s close."
"And when you’re touching it?"
Her fingers tightened around the ceramic mug. "They’re stronger."
Interesting.
I walked closer to the bed, and Ruby immediately stiffened. I stopped directly in front of her and slowly lowered the locket toward her chest.
The reaction was almost immediate. Hmmm. The choker vibrated softly against her skin, and Ruby sucked in a sharp breath.
I pulled the locket back, and the vibration weakened. I pushed it closer again—HMMMM—and the hum grew stronger.
"What the fuck..." I murmured under my breath.
I tested it one more time just to be sure, and got the exact same reaction. The maid looked nervous as hell, shifting her weight beside the bed, but I barely noticed her. My attention was entirely locked on Ruby.
"Does it hurt?"
She shook her head. "No."
"How does it feel?"
"Warm."
"And your wolf?"
Ruby closed her eyes for several seconds, breathing slowly. I watched her face carefully, catching every subtle change in her expression.
Then she whispered, "Closer."
My chest tightened. "What?"
"She feels closer when the locket is near me." Her eyes opened, and for some reason, they were shining with unshed tears. "I know it sounds ridiculous."
It did sound ridiculous, but I had just watched the damn choker react with my own eyes.
I stared down at the locket. Helen had given it to me on our first anniversary. I rarely even allowed other people to touch it, much less take it.
So why the hell was I suddenly considering putting it into Ruby’s hands?
My wolf stirred.
Give it to her.
I frowned.
What?
She needs it.
I looked at Ruby again. She was watching me nervously, one hand resting near the silver choker around her throat.
Then, before I could talk myself out of whatever insanity had possessed me, I extended my hand.
"Take it."
Ruby’s eyes widened in complete shock. "What?"
I held the necklace out to her, letting the chain drape over my palm. "Take it."