Little Ruby Red

Seven

Caleb

The months soon flew by. I spent most of my days working at my dad’s company, and most of my nights at Ruby’s residence. Her mom, Jennifer, had prepared a bed for me in the hall. So, I crashed there instead of sleeping at home. I got used to playing the part of a family pet. If I’m honest, I preferred the home-made dog bed more than my actual bed.

I’ve received far better treatment as an animal in Ruby’s household than I ever did as a person at home. I had been avoiding my mother like the plague. Dad had taken the news about Ruby well, but Mom hadn’t.

Dad respected the mate bond, which was why he’d put up with all of Mom’s crap over the years. She accused me of some disgusting things regarding my contact with Ruby.

It didn’t matter how much I tried to explain to her that our relationship was just an innocent friendship. One between an animal and a girl who thought of me as nothing more than a pet. She insisted on reminding me that I was an eighteen-year-old adult who was spending far too much time alone with a six-year-old child. She implied that it was something sinister, which was why I couldn’t stand to stay in the same house as my mom anymore.

I couldn’t believe how little she thought of me—that I would do something like that. She didn’t know me at all. Dad understood and never gave me a hard time about it at work. The situation had brought us closer together.

“Have you had a chance to look at any of the properties, yet?” Dad asked, making conversation.

He wasn’t big on small talk, but I could tell that he was concerned about my well-being. There were dark circles around his eyes, which were always a dead giveaway that he and Mom had been arguing a lot. Me moving out had caused a huge controversy at home.

He had been sleeping here in his office. I had a glance around the area for any sign of him crashing out here. The worst-case scenario would be for him to turn to alcohol again.

Things seemed rather ordinary, with nothing out of place. I felt myself relax in my chair, satisfied. The office was traditional. Dad furnished it with a mahogany desk and two black leather chairs. Some bookcases covered one wall, matching filing cabinets on the opposite side and a vast window that overlooked the town. There was a low-backed red-leather sofa at the far end of the room, next to a coffee table. We fanned our company brochures out in the middle of the bench. On the desk there were a few family photos, showing the good-ole-days. A vase in the bay window that had a rather masculine arrangement, consisting of green foliage and a single exotic-looking red flower among it.

Dad was kind of OCD about how things were to be kept. Like, we never left files out and the trash bin had to be emptied every day. His stationery was placed in order on top of his desk. Now and then, he would reposition his pens, so the nibs faced the windows. It was something that I always found amusing about him, but at the same time, it was one of those traits I was going to remember him for when that point comes where he’s no longer with us.

“There is one that has caught my eye. The one closest to town,” I replied, tapping my pen against the edge of the desk.

“Oh? I would’ve thought you’d want the old Mayfield place, which is a lot closer to your mate.” Dad scrunched his brows with confusion.

My dad could read a person’s body language like a book. He studied me, intensively. Picking up on how I fidgeted with the paper clip at the top of the audit file, or how I couldn’t keep my knee from bouncing while I sat. I was sure that the symphony I was playing with the pen hadn’t gone amiss either.

“Yeah, but I think I’ll need somewhere to go when I want to clear my head,” I mumbled, unable to maintain eye contact. I could only spare him fleeting glances.

I was preparing to venture out into the unknown and learn to stand on my own two feet as a man. The last thing I wanted was to crumble apart in front of the epitome of masculinity that sat two feet away from me and have him hand me the box of tissues that was sitting next to his computer keyboard.

It was as if he could read my mind. He could if we were both in our wolf form, but not like this.

At that moment, he was speaking to me more like a father and not as an Alpha. For once, I felt supported as if he could empathize with my situation and that seemed somewhat comforting.

He leaned forward in his chair and pointed with his pen. “Don’t listen to the gossip, son. Especially the sort of trash your mother talks about. I know, and you know, that your relationship between the girl and yourself is innocent. You have nothing to prove to anyone, Caleb.” He waved his hand as he finished as if to dismiss the rumors.

Mom said people would talk, the longer I spent hanging out at Ruby’s. She cared about our family’s reputation and social status. She couldn’t bear the thought that I could be the topic of malicious gossip.

Not that I’d ever caught wind of anyone saying anything bad. The pack had been most supportive of the situation. Mom was paranoid that they were all going to gossip behind our backs. She said the last thing she wanted was for her only son to be branded a . . . if you know what I mean?

“Yeah, well, if it means Mom will give you a break.” I managed a strained smile. “Then it’ll be worth it.”

Dad waved a hand in front of him. “Don’t worry about your mom and me, son. I can handle her. But this isn’t just about your mother, is it?”

“It’s just with her being human, she might not, you know?” I hesitated and blew out a forced breath. “And then I’ll have waited for nothing. I just don’t know what to do.” I broke off, staring at the pen I was rolling between my forefinger and thumb.

Dad leaned back in his chair, canting his head to one side. His eyes were showing some kind of rare emotion. Perhaps it was affection. It didn’t happen all that often. Not since . . . never mind. I cleared the terrible memory that floated to the forefront of my mind.

“The best advice I can give to you is to concentrate on work for now. Help me build this company into something that we can both be proud of.” He shot me one of his rare, genuine smiles.

“And then, when she’s an adult, and believe me, time will fly. You can offer her stability and financial security. And maybe then you could have something to pass along to your son when he takes over the role as Alpha,” he concluded with a slight shrug.

I sat up in my chair, feeling panicked. “Wait, are you saying, you’re getting ready to step down? But, Dad—”

He held a relaxed palm out in front of himself. “Hold your horses. I don’t mean tomorrow, next week, or even this year, son. I mean, I’m thinking about giving it another couple of years, two tops. Then you’re going to fill my shoes, both here at the company and the head of the pack.”

He caught my shocked expression and cleared his throat.

“Look, Son, you must focus your attention elsewhere for now. I’m aware of what you’re afraid of.”

I interjected to get my point across. “By the time she leaves high school, I’m going to be thirty. I mean, who would want to date a thirty-year-old man when you’re hanging out with boys your age? And then there’s the crap we’d have to deal with if we end up together.” I rubbed both eyes with my forefinger and thumb, then gripped the bridge of my nose, feeling swamped with hopelessness.

At that point, Dad lost his cool and hit his palm against the desk, causing me to jump, startled.

“Caleb Grant! I didn’t raise a sap. Why do you even care about, if’s, but’s, and maybe’s? When that day comes, you’ll be too happy to give a rat’s ass about what other people think. And if they’re too miserable in their damn lives, they have to b***h about yours, then you could always just kick’em out of the pack.”

Our eyes met at his last sentence and I burst out laughing. He was grinning from ear to ear, which meant that I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. One thing for sure, nobody ever got on the wrong side of Alpha James Grant and got away with it.

“It's almost 6 p.m. Jeez, I better get moving.” I jumped up and grabbed my jacket as soon as I realized the time.

“Are you going over to Ruby’s tonight?” Dad asked, maintaining a casual conversation.

“Yeah, she can’t sleep unless I’m there in the house,” I replied.

“You see? You could just live the life of a dog, get fed every day, and scratch your balls in public,” Dad muttered with sarcasm.

I smirked. “Ha, ha. That’s tempting, but no. We’ll most likely be watching Frozen again tonight. I know the theme tune off by heart. Do you want to hear it?” I threatened.

Dad widened his eyes with amusement. “You sing that crap in here and I’ll have you thrown out by security.”

***

“Let it go . . . Let it go . . .” Ruby sang from the top of her lungs, using a hairbrush as a microphone.

Frozen was her favorite movie. One that she insisted we watch on repeat. I secretly hoped that the DVD would, somehow, vanish in the dead of the night.

Each day, at work, they caught me whistling the damn theme tune. It's like it had etched itself into my subconscious because half the time, I didn't even realize I was doing it. For a princess movie, it was alright. However, it was Olaf who stole the show.

“Ruby, can you keep it down? I'm on the phone with your granny,” Jen yelled.

“Sorry! Say 'hi' to grandma for me.” Ruby jumped off the couch and skipped happily into the kitchen.

She came back moments later with a bowl of Cheetos. She put one into her mouth and then flung one my way. I caught it in my muzzle with a snap. At least we had a love for Cheetos in common.

"It's Show and Tell next week, Storm. And I'm bringing you to school with me," she announced, then popped another Cheeto into her mouth.

Oh God, she couldn't be serious, could she?

I can't go to school as her Show and Tell! I'm the Alpha's son. They all know me. I've got to figure out a way to get out of this. Maybe fake a limp or pretend to be sick.

"What's wrong, Storm? You don't look so good," Ruby asked, her little face filled with concern.

"I have an idea, Ruby. Why don't you lay off feeding him up with junk food, for starters? He'll grow fat," Jen said, pointing to the bowl of Cheetos.

I shuddered at the comment.

Fat! I'm in perfect shape, I'll have you know.

"Besides, little miss, how about instead of parading a wolf around the school and scaring all of your friends, you just show off your talent for gymnastics," her mom suggested with pride in her voice.

"Oh yeah, you're probably right." Ruby thought it over. "You think they have a gymnastics club here in Lakewood? Just like what we had, back in our home town."

"I'm not sure, but I'll find out," Jen promised.

Phew! Dodged a bullet there. Thanks, Jen. If there wasn't a gym club for Ruby, then there would be by tomorrow.

"Come on. It's eight p.m, missy, time for bed. Frozen can wait until tomorrow," her mom announced whilst turning off the DVD player with the remote.

"I'm not tired yet. Why is it that I have to go to bed when I'm not tired but I have to get up when I'm sleepy?" Ruby asked her mom such a cute, innocent question, only a child would come up with.

Jen giggled. "That's just one of life's many mysteries. So, when you figure that out, be sure to let me know." She held out her arms and Ruby ran into them. "Night, Mom," Ruby gave her mom a hug and Jen bent down to kiss her cheek.

She came over to where I was sitting by the fire, then leaned down and scrunched my face between her hands, kissing the top of my head.

"Night, Storm," she spoke with such warmth and affection. "Don't forget to check my room for monsters." Ruby shuddered and her blue eyes grew huge.

That was my job as a nighttime guard dog. To check under the bed for monsters and to scare away the boogeyman.