WANTING HIS APPROVAL.
1217 Words
RUBY JUNE
I took a deep breath, glancing at my reflection one last time before heading downstairs. Charles was already waiting to take me to his place, where I could prove that I was as skilled as I claimed. I pulled my hair into a messy bun and applied light makeup, wondering why I even bothered with my appearance, knowing that the magical necklace I wore would prevent him from seeing how much I had grown into a beautiful woman. Sometimes, I felt anger toward the witch who made me appear ugly to him, even though she knew I had been the school’s “ugly broomstick.” For so long, I wanted to show him how different I was, but she had taken that chance away.
But it was a small price to pay compared to the reward. I would endure being ugly for a far greater purpose: revenge for my beloved sister.
Genesis knocked on the bathroom door. “The Alpha is still waiting for you. Don’t keep him waiting,” she warned.
“I will be done in a minute,” I yelled back.
Archery was not my favorite sport, nor did I particularly enjoy it at first, but as an unwanted teenager with an obsessive crush on a talented boy who didn’t know my name, I managed to learn things others didn’t. I was confident that Charles would fall for my shy girl persona, and he did.
“What took you so long to come down?” Charles asked, studying me.
“The usual girl stuff,” I replied with a shy smile.
Charles nodded, then led me to his expensive and exotic car. To my surprise, he opened the door for me like a true gentleman.
*******
We drove in silence for a few minutes on our way to Charles’ home.
“Welcome to my humble abode, Ruby,” Charles said.
“Humble? This is anything but small,” I replied as we walked into the massive building. It was enormous, even though it was smaller compared to the pack house.
“Why don’t you live in the pack house? Isn’t that where you are supposed to stay? After all, you are your father’s only male heir.”
Charles simply shrugged. “Well, I’m an adult, and I actually enjoy being alone, without my mother’s watchful eyes on me.”
“I agree,” I said, nodding thoughtfully. “It would be a shame for your mother to watch you lose a match to a ‘soft’ woman.”
“You are getting a little too cocky,” he said with clear amusement. He didn’t seem to believe I had any chance of winning.
I couldn’t wait to see the shock on his face when he realized I’d beaten him at a sport he claimed to be so good at. It would be my own small revenge.
Charles picked up one of the bows, then glanced at me with a smirk. “Want me to go easy on you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, give me your best shot,” I replied.
“Alright, darling.” Charles pointed to the target, which was a couple of miles away—an almost impossible distance for most professionals. With practiced ease, he lifted the bow, aimed, and released the arrow, landing it just a few centimeters off the center of the target.
“Think you can top that?” he asked.
I scoffed. “That wasn’t even perfect.”
I picked up the bow and took aim at the target. I had not shot from this distance before, but I wasn’t about to back down. As I struggled to steady my aim, I suddenly felt Charles’ presence behind me. He stood so close that I could feel his warm breath on my neck. He gently adjusted my arms, lifting them slightly higher, and I felt my heart race. I wondered if he noticed my breath quicken, but if he did, he did not mention it.
“If you want to beat me at my own game, Cherry, you need to start with proper posture,” he said.
Cherry? He called me Cherry that night at the ballroom, and now he was using that name for another woman. Technically, it was still me, but it still hurt.
“Stop mansplaining and get away from me, you i***t,” I snapped.
Charles had the audacity to laugh, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, milady.”
I prepared to release the arrow when Charles’ voice interrupted me again. “Please don’t tell me my presence got you all flustered,” he teased. “And here I was thinking you did not find me attractive, which is why you never tried to talk to me.”
I frowned. “If you don’t stop talking and distracting me, I might just change the target to your heart and watch you bleed to death.”
Charles nodded, miming zipping his lips as he ran a finger across them.
I released the arrow, hitting the target dead center. I turned to Charles with a triumphant look. He appeared visibly shocked, then shook his head. “I’m sure it’s just beginner’s luck,” he shrugged.
I rolled my eyes. “No, it’s not. Maybe it’s just that no one has beaten you at the game you claim to be so good at.”
Charles scoffed. “You can’t do that a second time. That was pure luck.”
“Challenge accepted,” I replied.
I aimed at the target again, hitting it dead center three more times, splitting the arrows perfectly in half—just to prove to him that it wasn’t just luck.
“Now that I have proven I’m the best, what do I get in return?” I asked, a teasing smile playing on my lips.
“Anything you want,” he said, his voice low as he raked a hand through his hair. “It’s been so long since anyone’s dared to challenge me, and I have to admit—it felt incredible.”
“Really?” I whispered, confused. “You are not upset that I beat you at your own game?”
Charles laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. He shook his head slowly. “Angry? No. If anything, I liked it. I would love to have you over more often… so we can see who outplays the other.”
His words stunned me. The Charles I knew would have been livid, his pride wounded, especially after losing to a woman. But this Charles, standing just a breath away, was calm, almost amused.
Who is this man?
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice dropping as he stepped closer. My breath hitched, my heart pounding against my ribs. It was as if he didn’t realize—or perhaps he did—what his nearness did to me. The effect was overwhelming, the same as it had been years ago. In that moment, I was no longer the confident woman who had just bested him—I was the shy, infatuated girl from five years ago.
Before I could stop myself, the words tumbled out:
“Do you think… you could ever love me?”
- Writer
