Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Suspended

Ruby paced the length of her bedroom, her teeth gnawing at her fingernails until they were raw. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Her beast was restless, pacing in the back of her mind with a low, anxious whine. Derek had summoned her through the mind-link moments ago, and his voice hadn’t carried its usual warmth. It was cold and absolute. Perhaps it was just her paranoia, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the floor was about to drop out from under her. Had he found out? Had he actually traced that stupid runt’s illness back to her?

She had heard that the King was still actively looking into the matter, and that Kai had gone to retrieve deleted data. She had thought that after destroying the evidence, everything would quietly disappear. Apparently, she had underestimated the King’s persistence.

"Ruby, think, think, think," she hissed, slapping her temple with the palm of her hand. "You haven’t held this position for years by being sloppy."

A sudden knock at the door made her jump nearly out of her skin. "Come in," she called, forcing her voice to steady.

Her assistant peeked in, her face flushed and pinched with worry. "Miss Ruby, His Grace wishes to see you immediately. He... he didn’t sound happy, ma’am."

Ruby’s stomach performed a slow, sickening roll. She had blocked her mind-link and switched off her mobile after the initial summons, trying to buy herself time.

"I will be right there," Ruby said.

The assistant’s eyes clouded with concern. She stepped closer, squinting at Ruby’s face. "Are you alright? You look dreadfully pale." The girl reached out and brushed Ruby’s arm. "Goddess! You’re burning up. Should I tell the King that you’re unwell? Perhaps you should move the meeting."

"Oh no," Ruby said quickly, forcing a weak smile. A small, secret spark of triumph lit up inside her. "It is nothing much. I will go see him right away."

As she walked past the girl and headed toward the royal study, a slow, dark smile tugged at her lips. She had induced the fever herself by crushing a bit of fevereil root into her tea earlier. She had been pacing and waiting for her temperature to spike before facing Derek. Her late mother’s herbal teachings always came in handy; Ruby knew how to use herbs in ways most people never even dreamed of.

***

"I’m so sorry!" Ruby wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks the moment she stepped into Derek’s study. "I didn’t mean to do it!"

Her tears had always worked on him. They were her most reliable weapon.

But this time, Derek simply sat behind his desk, staring at her with a blank, unreadable expression. She could almost feel the cold fury radiating from him.

"You knew very well that you sent her the wrong time for the ceremony," he said quietly, "and yet you stood there and lied in front of everyone, Ruby. You watched me humiliate her."

"I’ve been sick!" Ruby blurted, sobbing harder into the sleeve of her sweater. "I must have been confused that day and sent her the time for the women’s meeting instead. I swear it wasn’t on purpose." She sniffed dramatically. "I was so scared and couldn’t face your wrath that night. You looked so terrifying, and I couldn’t bring myself to speak the truth."

"So she deserved to face my wrath?" Derek asked, his voice dangerously calm. He didn’t need to raise it.

Ruby shook her head frantically, sniffing and keeping her gaze locked on the floor.

"What about the poison?" Derek asked abruptly, his eyes boring into her. "Why did you do that?"

Ruby lifted her head. Derek was staring at her as if he could see right through her skull. She arranged her face into perfect bewilderment. "I didn’t do that." She willed her heartbeat to stay steady and even.

She had practised this moment over and over in front of the mirror, training herself to believe the lie. She had repeated it so many times that part of her almost believed it: if she hadn’t personally handed the Queen the tea, then she hadn’t done it. She knew Derek would be listening to her heartbeat.

"I swear it," she whispered. "I made a terrible mistake with the time, but nothing else. I would never do that to her. I’ve worked for this pack with all my heart. I get tired and confused sometimes too."

Derek studied her for a long, heavy moment. Ruby kept her breathing shallow, her expression one of pure innocence.

Declan’s voice suddenly crept into Derek’s mind through the mind-link. "Derek, I don’t think she did it. We know Ruby. She wouldn’t be that reckless. We should focus on finding the real culprit instead of pointing fingers again."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify