Chapter 13
“What? No! That’s not…” I fumbled over my words, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh? What do you mean then? That you want to be the one fawning over me, not the rest of my ‘fan-club’ as you put it.”
I groaned, “Look, I think laying out some ground rules would be helpful. We haven’t gotten into any specifics of this arrangement, but before we proceed with the marriage, I think we have to.”
“By all means,” Caleb said, gesturing for me to continue. “What do you want?”
”As a part of our contracted marriage, we should both be free to pursue our own love lives, since this is a political arrangement. As such, I won’t interfere with your lovers and you won’t interfere with mine.”
“If that’s what you want,” Caleb said graciously.
“It is, it’s what is best for both of us,” I said firmly. “But, if we can abide by those rules, I’ll move in with you. You’re right, I can’t stay here. I might as well get used to you before the wedding.”
He smiled and nodded. “It’s late, and we both need some sleep. I’ll come by again in the morning to pick you up,” he said, beginning to leave.
“Wait, where are we going?”
“On a date, somewhere the media will be sure to follow us.” Caleb responded, sounding entirely unconcerned. “Wear something nice,” and with that he winked at me and closed the door behind him.
His steps faded down the hall, followed by a brief interaction of his soft, low voice and my mother before he exited through the front door. It sounded like he was muttering an apology.
The next morning, I woke early, curled my hair and put on the nicest dress I had in my closet. It was lavender, with pretty periwinkle blue details over the sleeve caps. I kept my makeup light and innocent, finishing my look with a touch of pink lip gloss.
Caleb was already waiting for me in his car, parked just at the end of my parents’ street. “Are you ready to go?”
“As ready as I can be,” I responded, sliding into the passenger’s seat. “Where are we going?”
Caleb started the engine and took off, the wind muffling his voice slightly. “We’re going to the Lycan Theatre near the seaport district. Joseph and I managed to book a press conference there this morning, and it seemed like the perfect place to make our case.”
He was right. The weather was beautiful, and a sunny, outside location near the sea was exactly what we needed to get the media at ease and make them more willing to listen to our side of the story.
It wasn’t far, and soon we were pulling up to the theatre, which was already swarming with reporters like angry bees buzzing around their hive. Caleb parked, and leapt to my side of the car, pushing through the already clamoring crowd.
“Step back please, my fiance needs room,” he said, pulling a pair of sunglasses from the glove compartment and perching them on my nose.
“What is your relationship like with your brother currently?” Someone screamed.
“What are the details of the royal wedding?”
“Will you be interfering with Lucas’s political aspirations?”
“What gave you the right to accuse the heir apparent of criminal activity?”
The bustling voices made me nauseous, but Caleb pulled me into chest, using his broad arms to protect me from the prodding paparazzi. Even with the shouting, I felt safe by his side.
We made our way through the swarm to the podium at the front entrance, where an array of microphones of all shapes and sizes had been set up to record our statements.
At first, we handled the simple questions of what, and why, and it quickly became clear which of the reporters believed us and which were steadfast supporters of Lucas. No matter what concrete evidence we provided, that faction still scowled and fought back on our answers.
But, we did manage to take control of the narrative after a few rounds of questioning, including Caleb’s announcement that we would be organizing a women and children’s protection society, which would provide aid and resources to underserved members of the werewolf community.
“We’re very proud of the good work we have planned, and we’re excited to work with the Council of Elders and the Alphas to make positive impacts on the Kingdom.” I said, smiling.
“What does Ruby think about Caleb hanging out with supermodels on the day she was supposed to marry Lucas?”
My jaw hung for a moment too long, and the flashing cameras threw me off balance. Caleb tightened his grip on my arm, seemingly sensing I was unsettled by the question.
“I have found the love of my life.” He said simply in response to the reporter. “And I will remain faithful to her and to this relationship after we are married.”
I looked up at him, and he didn’t glance down to meet my eyes, instead keeping his laser sharp focus trained on the multi-headed media monster in front of us. I was just another woman to him, and not nearly as gorgeous as the models and fans who flung themselves at his feet.
“We have just learned that Second Prince Lucas has petitioned the Lycan King to remove Ruby’s royal status and demote her to the position of a commoner! Do either of you have any comment on this update?”
I peered through the crowd to find who had spoken, and finally landed on a familiar-looking reporter with an upturned nose. I scrunched my face in response, but Caleb answered before I could.
“We view this as more than an act of aggression against Ruby, but see it as an attack on werewolf as a whole. Lucas knows the crimes he has committed, and he is convinced the only way to avoid blame and punishment is to silence the one person who has been witness to the terrible acts he has perpetrated.”
The crowd died down to listen, enthralled by the speech. I tried to hold back a smile, Caleb was brilliant.
”If she were guilty of anything herself, such a demotion could be seen as a petty act against a former lover, but because Ruby has done no wrong, he can only be seeking to silence her.” Caleb paused, scanning over the faces in front of him. “We have every intention of bringing him to justice.”
The booing which had been prevalent at the beginning of the conference was already dying down, and by the time Caleb finished speaking, I was shocked at the vivid sound of clapping and cheering.
When we finally began to pack up for the night, we returned to his car and Caleb drove me back home to my parents’ house.
“Well, I think that went better than we could have wished.”
“Did you hear the clapping? You were brilliant,” I said, grinning with genuine excitement and hope. “We can do this.”
“It wouldn’t have happened without you,” Caleb responded, his eyes briefly flickering down. ”Ruby?”
“Yes?”
He cleared his throat, resting both hands on the steering wheel. “I don’t think we need a contracted marriage.”
My stomach sank, “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said, looking to me, “I would accept you as my true wife, even without any of the contracted agreements we made.”
