Chapter 23

I had woken up later that morning than I intended to, and had to rush to get dressed. I couldn’t be late for this first meeting with Caleb and the rest of his planning committee for the Alpha Ball. I threw my hair in a messy bun and ran out the door.

I spent the week before looking for new grocers and caterers to supply the food for the Ball, and going through all the options in the city was no small task. My feet ached by the end of the day from walking through the produce stores, and my jaw hurt from talking to the chefs and cooks.

Still, it had been a successful endeavor. I had found a pastry shop willing to provide the sweets and a delicious restaurant who would supply the meal. Lucas had no connection to either of them, so there was no way he could sabotage the party by poisoning or ruining the food. I was confident that Caleb’s event would be a massive success.

The meeting was being held at the castle, in one of the rooms near the kitchens. I had to wind through a series of dark hallways before I found the group of them, all sitting around a long dining table with Caleb at the head. None of the men acknowledged me when I sat down with my clipboard of notes, except for Caleb, who nodded politely in my direction.

“It’s not just Lucas spreading rumors anymore, the entire city is talking about this party, and not all of it is good.” one of the men was saying. “At this point we’re dealing with crisis management until the whole thing blows over.” He was very thin, with a strong jaw and deeply blue eyes.

“I think that’s taking the whole thing a bit far,” Joseph interjected, adjusting his glasses. “The people might be talking, but that’s only because Lucas has been feeding them the stories first. We’ll prove them wrong at the Ball, we just have to make it there.”

Another man chuckled, “If we make it there.”

I glanced in his direction and realized he was already staring at me, an unreadable expression painted over his brows.

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Colton?” Joseph asked, sounding exasperated.

“All I am saying is that there are more important things to be worrying about than just the food. There’s also the question of loyalty.”

I bit my lip, realizing where he was going.

Caleb seemed to figure it out too. “Whose loyalty do you want to bring into question?”

Colton turned to face his prince, “The rest of this council might be willing to accept your brother’s wayward mate as your new partner, but I certainly am not. She dismissed two of your picks for the cooking staff because of a hunch? How can we be sure she isn’t trying to help Lucas by stabbing you in the back?”

“I’m trying to help you! All of you!” I retorted, furious.

Joseph snarled, “That’s no way to talk to your prince and his fiance!”

Caleb rubbed at his temples, clearly he had been dealing with this argument for a while. “I have spoken to Ruby, and I believe she has helpful information and instincts which she is using for our benefit.”

Colton scoffed, “You can’t be serious! I looked over the chefs she suggested for the Alpha Ball and reviewed all their information. According to my sources, they have both had confirmed contaminated ingredients used in their restaurants which have made people sick–”

“That’s enough!” Joseph said, waving his hands. “Ruby has worked harder than any of us to make sure this Ball goes well–”

“And that’s what she has to show for it? Contaminated food from a caterer we’ve never worked with before?” The man sitting next to Colton said. “I don’t like this. I don’t trust her.”

The bickering continued, and suddenly every man at the table was standing and shouting accusations at everyone else. Joseph tried his best to calm down the fight, but Caleb watched the whole thing intently like he was trying to sort out the best way to move forward.

“Colton, sit down.” He finally said, standing and walking around to rest his hands on my shoulders. “This is my fiance. She is going to be my wife. And I’d appreciate it if you showed her the respect she deserves.”

“I’m only trying–” Colton began, but Caleb shook his head to silence him.

“As for the rest of you, like I said, I trust her. And my word should be good enough for you all to stop questioning my future wife.”

A few of the men scowled at me, but I lifted my chin in defiance. They couldn’t intimidate me.

“You’re all dismissed, we’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow. And there will be no more words said against Ruby, or I will have some very choice words for you.” With that, he left the room, practically slamming the door behind him.

Joseph came to me as the rest of the group shuffled out of the meeting, “I’m so sorry you had to walk into that. Everyone is on edge at the moment.”

“I can see that,” I said, catching a few glares. “Is that true? Were there really issues with the caterers I picked?”

Joseph sighed, nodding. “We found a few incidents in their records, but I think Colton is overblowing it because he doesn’t trust Lucas, and therefore doesn’t trust you.”

I hummed in agreement, exhausted by the argument. In my past life, I know that the two caterers I had picked were good and clean options who had no connections or ties to Lucas. Did this difference mean the present was changing? Was I influencing it and making it different?

I had to talk to Caleb to sort things out, so I said goodbye to Joseph and ran off down the hall to follow Caleb. He had started towards the parking lot, and was just climbing into his car when I caught up with him.

“Caleb!” I said, waving at him.

He rolled the windows down, looking at me with a blank expression. “I’m a bit busy at the moment, is this urgent?” He said.

I was a bit surprised by his coldness, especially considering the intimacy we had shared only a few nights before, but I tried not to let it throw me off. “Yes, it is. It’s about the Ball, I think–”

“Planning takes place at the planning meetings, Ruby. If you have something that really can’t wait, talk to Joseph about it. I’ll see you tonight when I get home.”

“But–”

With that he was driving off, out of my sight before I could utter another word.

I snorted in irritation, what was so important that he couldn’t talk to me about the Alpha Ball? Was he going to see the supermodel he had met in the parking lot a week ago? Was he really that tired of my company?

I shook my head. I had some business to discuss with him, he and his women could wait. I took off running towards the exit.