The Ruby Wolf

Chapter10

***Theo's POV***

“How did you learn this? Why are you so different?” I ask.

“We discovered it on our own after our mother died. From there, we began trying to grow and help people. We don’t know why we are different, just that we are. Only our family knows what we are capable of. Our mother seemed to know that we would be special but never really explained.”

“Oh.”

“Now for me, I can see the future. It’s not always accurate unless I see it in my dreams. My dreams are definite and always come true. I learned this the hard way when I tried to change the future from a dream I had.”

“You can see the future?”

“Yes, it took me quite some time to learn to do it out of dreams, but I can take a glimpse. I don’t like to, since it can change based on the choices others make, but for the most part, I can learn what to expect. This is why I became a warrior; I know the outcome and help my father plan the attacks. But like I said, things change.”

“But you said you can’t see your own future?”

“Right, if I try, it just gets blurry. I believe it would be unfair if I could see my future and then be able to change it. I sometimes have visions, with me in them. But it's not my future.”

“Why would you want to look into my future?”

Nick glares at me. “Obviously to see if you're lying or not.”

“Then do it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look into my future. This will help me with a few different things.”

“How far into it?”

“You can choose how far you can see?”

“Yes, I tend to practice a lot.”

“Just look into how tonight ends.”

“Fine.”

***Nikki’s POV***

I stare at him. Why did I agree to this? Is it because I want to prove to him that I’m not lying? Why would it even matter? Goddess, this is so infuriating!

“Well?”

I growl at him. “Give me a minute, I typically don’t have an audience!”

He looks away, and I move to take a seat in the middle of the clearing where the moon shines through the break in the trees. I take a seat and close my eyes. I let my senses take over. I feel the rush of the wind through my hair, the warmth of the moon kissing my skin, I breathe in the fresh air and let out a short breath. I listen to the crickets chirping and let my body relax completely.

I feel the pull of the moon and open my eyes. I am looking at my dinner table filled with food as everyone sits and enjoys the meal. I watch as Blake makes Nat laugh and Tanner has a blush on his cheeks. At least dinner is going to go well. I look around and see Theo. He looks just as breathtaking as he did in the forest, but now, he has a warm smile on his face. I look to where he’s staring and see myself. I can tell I am guilty for disobeying my father. But no one seems to mind. I continue to watch but notice someone missing from the table.

I look around again. Nick, me, Theo, Tony, Blake, Nat, Nate, Tanner, and my father. The other guy the king came with is missing. An uneasy feeling sinks in and soon my vision of dinner flashes away, and I’m standing outside. I try to gather my surroundings, but I can’t tell where I am.

“Took you long enough.” A deep voice says.

“Sorry, it took longer for me to slip away.”

“This is unacceptable, Logan.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So, did you get the information we needed?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“All we asked you to do is find out if they were mates.”

“Well, nothing came up, they didn’t act like mates.”

“This doesn’t change anything! Did you figure out if the twins are the ones we are looking for?”

“I need more time”

“We are running out of that!”

“I know, but they haven’t shown any signs of being different.”

I feel a shaking on my shoulder but try to ignore it, this vision is way too important!

“If they turn out to be the one, we need to take them, it’s the only way we can rule.”

“I know! I will do my best.”

“Has the king caught on yet?”

“He is preparing for war.”

“We need to hurry then.”

I feel the shake again and watch as the vision fades. I blink a few times and look up. I spot Nick's worried eyes and look over to Theo, who has his mouth open. I feel a tear fall down my cheek and look back at Nick.

“This isn’t good,” I say in a shaky voice.

“What’s wrong, Nikki?”

“Dad was right!”

“What do you mean?”

“People are looking for us! We aren’t safe. We can’t tell anyone about this, about us.”

Nick turns to Theo and glares at him. “This is all your fault!”

He goes to tackle him, but I grab him before he does. “What are you doing Nikki?”

“It’s not him…”

“But you looked into his future!”

“And I saw something else, I saw dinner, then I saw something else. Obviously, it was something I needed to see!”

He instantly calms down; I turn to Theo and look him in the eyes.

“No one can know.”

“I promise your secrets are safe with me.”

“That’s not all, no one can know we are mates, they will use that against you.”

“Who will? Who are they?”

“I don’t know if I should say… I don’t know if that will change anything.”

“I need to know.”

“Logan, he is working against you.”

“You're lying.”

“If that’s what you want to believe,” I say as I grab Nick's hand and start walking away. I always thought I would get a ‘happily ever after’ once I found my mate. I didn’t expect to have to keep my distance and lie to the people I love. Why must everything be so complicated? I just wanted to be happy.

“Nikki!”

I feel my chest tighten and as a tear slips down my cheeks, I don’t bother to look back, I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep my family safe, and Theo on the throne. He is good for the kingdom and needs to protect it. I glance at Nick. He knows that I’m worried and that I’m hurting, but he also knows that this is for the best. We make it out of the forest and come up to the house. I excuse myself and walk to my room. I need to look presentable for dinner. After all, this will be my last time seeing my mate.

I close my door and sink to the floor. Why does it have to be this way? All I ever wanted was my mate and now that I know who he is I can’t even have him! Why do I have to be different? If I were a normal wolf, then I know I could be with my mate. I let my tears fall in silence as I walk to my makeup table. I sit down and watch my reflection in the mirror. I look so depressed; I look as though I have given up on everything. I know for a fact I am not done fighting; I just need to do it in secret so that I can keep everyone safe. I know the outcome; I can predict the future for goddess' sake! And I know that if I don’t tell anyone what I see, the chance of it changing lowers. I will be the only one to change anything. I will fight for my mate and I will win!

I brush my hair and fix my makeup. I make sure to look like I haven’t cried. No one needs to know and this way I can avoid any questions. Of course, Nick will know what I am feeling, but he was there. It’s not like I could hide it. I feel my determination rise with every passing moment. I go to my closet and change into a nice light pink dress. It’s long and simple. I take a deep breath and walk down to the dining room. I look around and see everyone finding their seats. As I get to the doorway, all the chattering stops.

“How was your walk with the king Nikki?” Natalie asks with a small smile.

I just need to get through dinner, then I can breathe and concentrate on coming up with a plan to fix everything.

“It was nice, Nat.” I say with a polite smile.

“Good to hear.”

I nod and walk toward Nick. He gives me a questioning look, but I just shrug it off with a smile as I take my seat beside him. I hear someone clear their throat and turn towards the sound; Theo is looking at me with a sad smile. At least I’m not the only one hurting. I give him a polite nod and turn my attention to my family. No need for everyone to feel uncomfortable.

I look around the room and notice Tony and Logan are not present. I go to make a comment on this, but Theo shakes his head. I guess he made a choice to try and change the future. Let's just hope he gets the information he wants. And not the information I know.

“Glad to see everyone here.” My dad says as he takes a seat at the head of the table. He looks and notices the two empty seats. “Where are our two other guests?”

“They had some business to tend to, sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“No worries, I hope this won't affect your stay.”

“Not at all, they will be back in time for the show that Nikki will be putting on.” He says with a smile as he looks my way.

I swallow my drink and nod. I can’t believe that I still need to do that. He has already made me sing once. I really am not in the mood to sing again. But there is no way I can back out. If I do, my father will see it as me disrespecting the king and disobeying his direct orders. Nick squeezes my leg under the table, and I smile gratefully at him.

“Well, we might as well dig in; it all looks so appetizing!” I say cheerfully.

Nat smiles my way. “Thank you, I put a lot of effort into this meal!”

“Well, I’m sure it will be delicious!”

She smiles again. “Well, I can’t take all the credit; I did have some help.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, I believe it was Logan who gave me a hand.”