Chapter 39

Caleb had been gone for a while, and I finally realized he wasn’t going to come back. Whatever had upset him was apparently enough to keep him away from the Alpha Ball, the event we had been planning for weeks to prove he could lead the kingdom.

I felt a little guilty that I had made him upset, but his reaction wasn’t reasonable at all. Especially after how much he relied on me to bring the Bears to our side, away from Lucas.

I sighed, glancing through the crowd. Well, if Caleb wasn’t going to make an effort to interact with the politicians and nobility, I might as well.

I lifted my skirts slightly, and descended down the stairs towards a few of the regional governors who had crowded next to the musicians. I shook their hands, and inquired after their families. A few of them knew of Prenia, and I was able to make light conversation with them about my childhood there.

Although it was primarily a social event, we did discuss some brief politics, and I outlined for them the plans Caleb and I had laid out to improve the lives of Lycan citizens. I described our programs for women and children in poverty, and our foreign relations with other nations, including the Bears.

I was a bit nervous at first, but soon the conversations flowed easily, and I realized how happy it made me to feel like I was making a difference. Lucas had never allowed me into any of his political dealings, and he spent so much time convincing me that I was too stupid to understand it anyway.

But now, firmly standing up for the things I believed in, I felt stronger and smarter than I ever had under Lucas’s thumb.

Throughout the evening, I passed through a few different groups of various high-ranking officials. In the middle of one conversation with a nobleman about education, I noticed the ballroom door creak open slightly.

Caleb waltzed through, his hands in fists at his sides, trailing dirt like he had been digging through the mud with his bare hands. What the hell?

“I’m so sorry, if you’ll please excuse me.” I said delicately, offering a curtsy to my conversation partner.

Caleb had already disappeared into the mass of people, and I had to jump over skirts and fabric to avoid stepping on the expensive dresses. I pushed myself up on tiptoes, but still couldn’t see him over the crowd.

“Ruby!” A voice said behind me, nearly making me yelp in surprise.

“Rachel!” I responded, turning to give her a hug. She accepted, then pulled away to hold me at arms’ length.

I was honestly stunned looking into her face. The woman in front of me looked nothing like the terrified girl who had opened the door to me days before. Her eyes had been sunked in and even her posture suggested she was tired and afraid.

Now, her skin glowed and the sparkle in her gaze was infectious. “I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you,” she said, squeezing my arms.

“Grateful to me?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed, giggling. “Ruby, Vic is everything I have ever dreamed of. He is kind, and strong, and smart, and the moment our mate bond clicked into place it felt like I had known him for my entire life.”

I smiled weakly, remembering my own experience with the mate bond. It was difficult to remember ever loving Lucas that way, but I refused to allow that to dampen Rachel’s happiness.

“That’s amazing!” I said, grinning as widely as I could. “Rachel, I am so happy for you, you deserve this joy. After everything you’ve been through, enjoy this.”

She pulled me in for another hug, and I looked past her shoulder to see Vic standing in the crowd watching us. His gentle smile was trained on Rachel, like he was watching the sunrise bring light and color to his life.

“I think someone else is happy about it too,” I said, nodding my head in his direction.

She giggled. “I didn’t think I could ever find love like this, especially not with a Bear after everything Lucas forced me into with them. You and Caleb made a miracle happen.”

“I’m just so happy that you’re happy,” I said.

“Really, it makes sense with everything else about Caleb though, I should have known when you came to my door and told me you were working with him that he would be able to change my life for the better.”

“Wait, what do you mean, everything else you know about him?” I was shocked she had that kind of impression of Caleb, especially considering the way he had acted towards me before my rebirth.

“Oh, you know,” she started, distractedly blowing Vic a kiss. “All of his charity work, his volunteering for poor Lycan communities. The projects he started and funded himself. Even on the street I lived, most of my neighbors could barely afford food,so he personally made sure the food pantry was well-stocked with nutritious options for families.”

“Caleb did that?” I asked.

“Oh sure, hasn’t he told you about all of his work? It’s like he never takes a break from raising money and helping others. I would have thought you would know all about that.”

“I guess he just hadn’t mentioned it.”

Vic strode over to us, tapping his mate lightly on the shoulder. “I see you’re still deep in conversation, but may I ask for the next dance?” He said, bowly deeply to Rachel.

She laughed, taking his hand. “I’m sorry, Ruby, please excuse me.”

I smiled, watching them sway back to the center of the ballroom floor, their movements perfectly in time with the melody. They were sweet together, and I knew for certain that their mate bond would keep their relationship strong.

I looked back through the mass of elaborately dressed guests, trying to spot Caleb again, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Although the night was still young, I was already tired out from the conversations of the evening, and decided to take a break on the balcony to get some fresh air.

The breeze blew through my hair and cleared my head. I had heard things before, but getting the story directly from Rachel put a new perspective on Caleb’s philanthropy. I knew he did good things, but to know how much it affected someone personally changed the way I thought about him.

He was still the difficult, playboy, asshole that infuriated me at every turn, but it seemed there was this other side to him, too.

I turned back to look at the Ball behind me, at all of the smiling faces and the magic of an evening party. I still didn’t understand him, but maybe I was starting to.