CHAPTER 4: RUBY
1161 Words
RUBY
I headed straight to the restaurant to take a look at Paige. Hopefully, I will soon be able to give Amber some answers. I could see how much of a toll all of this was taking on her. I was glad to help in any way that I could. Not only because she was my friend, though of course that played a big part in how quickly I had arrived. I was also hoping that it would distract me from missing William. It hadn't felt the same at the Supernatural Court without him. I hadn't realised just how much his smile had brightened my day until it was no longer there for me to see. I sighed sadly as I thought of him. If only I had realised sooner just how I felt about him, if he had told me sooner how he felt about me. Things could have been different. I had considered trying to find a way to bring him back, but fae magic was much stronger than mine.
I reached the restaurant and was quickly shown to a table. Paige approached with a huge smile and took my order. I thanked her when she returned with the coffee and pastry that I had chosen. She nodded pleasantly, and I reached out to touch her hand. As my skin made contact with hers, I felt a warmth inside that brought me comfort. She rushed off to wait on another customer, and I felt strange as my hand dropped from hers. Almost as though I missed her prescence. I picked up my coffee and looked around as I sipped the hot dark liquid. I noticed that everyone seemed to have a similar reaction to Paige. They all seemed happy to be near her. Not that I was surprised by this. She was clearly a good person. Of course, people were happy to see her.
My eyes fell on a figure sat at a table in the back. It was Adam. I was confused to see him here. Didn't Amber say that he had already left for the pack house? I watched him and quickly realised that he was watching Paige. He seemed entranced by her every move. She went over to offer him a refill, and his face lit up as they spoke. He said something that made her giggle. She seemed to be flirting with him, just as much as he was with her. I nibbled my pastry, watching them together. I couldn't help but think that they would actually make a pretty cute couple. I scolded myself for that at first, Amber was my friend, but then again, so was Adam. I wanted him to be happy, too, and Paige seemed to be what made him happy.
I finished my breakfast, and Paige came back over to ask if I wanted anything else. Honestly, part of me wanted to ask for more just so that I could stay sitting here for a while longer. I shook my head and asked for the bill instead, though. Paige stood next to me, chatting as I paid. She was so sweet, so lovely. How had this beautiful, kind woman ever fallen for someone as twisted as Marcus Baxter? The heart was truly a mysterious organ. I noticed that she didn't seem too broken up about his execution. Perhaps that had something to do with a certain handsome Alpha, I thought to myself with a smile. They weren't exactly hiding their feelings for each other very well. I remembered that Amber had wanted me to check for any sign of magic being the cause of those feelings. I didn't think that it was. How could anyone not love Paige. I needed to check, though.
I waved my hand in the air and muttered a spell under my breath. Everyone froze. With her completely still and unaware, I scanned Paige for an energy signal that might show that this was something other than good old-fashioned feelings. Once I was done, I did the same to Adam. Finished, I unfroze everyone, and they went about their business as if nothing had happened. I made myself leave the warm and happy atmosphere of the restaurant and out into the chilly morning air. I sighed loudly. I was not looking forward to having to go back to Amber and tell her what I had found, or rather what I hadn't.
I knocked the front door of Bluebell Cottage and steeled myself to deliver the bad news. It wasn't going to be easy to tell my friend that her mate had simply fallen in love with someone else. It was going to be difficult to understand, too. I had never heard of this happening before. Sure, there were shitty mates who chose to cheat and hurt their mates purely because they were not good people. The mate bond didn't mean much to those types of people. However, I had witnessed the love between Adam and Amber myself. Until this morning, I would sworn that they were the type of couple whose love would last forever. Now, though, I had seen for myself that I had been wrong.
The door swung open, and Amber greeted me. She looked so full of hope. I knew that I was about to blow that hope apart. We sat on the sofa, and she reached for my hands, clasping them in hers. "Well, what did you find?" she asked eagerly. I pulled my hands from her grasp. To be honest, I found her neediness a little grating. She looked a little taken aback by my reaction. "I didn't find anything that would lead me to believe that magic is involved in whatever is going on in your marriage. However, it does appear as though Adam and Paige have some sort of connection. I believe that there are, in fact, serious feelings there on both sides." I told her gently.
Amber looked down at her hands, and I saw a tear splash on her skin. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the sight. "There's no need to be dramatic," I said. She looked up at me, her tear filled eyes confused. "Adam may have developed loving feelings for Paige, but he is still choosing to be your husband, isn't he? He is still here, where you can see him, laugh with him, kiss him. Some of us don't even have that. So instead of crying and feeling sorry for yourself, maybe you should just think about how lucky you are. So what, Adam loves two women, learn to live together. That would solve all your problems. He would be happy, she can carry his children, and you would still have him," I ranted. My words pouring out of me like lava from a volcano. She looked horrified at what I had said, but I was fed up with this bullshit. I had other things to deal with. So I left.
- Writer
