Brad pondered that, even after he fell asleep, his mind whirled with many things revolving around Ruby.

Ruby never mentioned their discussion that morning. At breakfast, she ate her pancakes in total silence, not even saying hello to him.

“Why do you have those gatherings on Sunday?” Her question caught him off guard and Brad took a sip of his milk to clear his throat.

“Well, it's just always been a tradition. I guess annual reunions weren’t all that great as weekly ones.” Her lips twerked up into a small smile that quickly hid as she ate another piece of her breakfast. “Would you like to join us?

“No. Thank you.” Her quick attempt at being polite had been slightly charming to Brad. It made her uncomfortable. He could tell by the way she shifted in her seat, but she had made the effort nonetheless.

“Why not join us? I’m sure you’d love it.”

“I don’t want to be around people.”

“Yet, you eat breakfast with me?”

“Who said I wanted to be around you, either?” Her eyes darted up to catch his eye. The stoic seriousness in them had him choking on his own food. She had meant it.

“Well,” he shoved his plate away, standing, “if you didn’t want to eat with me you could have just said so. I could have someone else or you could eat by yourself.” It felt like he had been punching himself as he spoke every word. He tried hard not to lace them with venom but after the night before, he had felt he had made some leeway.

Guess not…

Ruby’s eyes widened as if what she said had registered. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water and no words came out to fix what she had just done.

“No, that's… I’m sorry… I’ll just go back to my room.” Wheeling herself away, she headed out into the hallway.

His wolf within urged him to follow, surprisingly unhurt by such rejection. Like he could smell something wrong, something he couldn't detect while in human form.

“Ruby?” He followed her to the stairs where she tried to lift herself from her chair. “Wait, you can’t go up those stairs by yourself.” Brad placed his hands on her shoulders keeping her seated.

“No, no. I’ll- I don-” Ruby’s breathing came in heavy and fast as she tried to reassess herself.

“Calm down. Shh, just tell me what you need. You wanna go to your room? Let me help you upstairs.” A whine escaped her lips as she shook her head no. Much like before with the brownie, she shook all over but no excitement lit her eyes. Just pure, raw fear. Panic. Anxiety.

“I don't wanna…” She barely could speak past the lump in her throat.

“Let’s go to Smith. He can-”

“No! No, no no, I don't want meds. I don’t…” Her voice cracked and faded off as she tried her hardest to remain under control of herself.

“Alright, alright. No meds. He can still-”

“Please! Please, don’t tell him! Please!” Ruby gripped his arm, with a ferocity that scared him. Her vision blurred from her tears that streamed down her face.

“Okay, okay.” Brad pulled her in close, smoothing down her hair while she clutched to his shirt. Nobody had yet to show up, but eventually, they’d be heading back inside, her alone time almost up. “Where do you want to go?”

“I don't want to be in here. I don’t… Brad, I don’t-”

“Alright, alright. You want to go outside?” She nodded as she tried to breath more, focus, but her mind blurred together.

Soon enough the cool air of November hit her face, bringing her back to reality. Ruby could barely gulp down the air fast enough as they headed across the large field he called a backyard; equipped with a pool, barbeque, picnic area, garden, and lots of pathways.

A few pack members were out and about, enjoying the fresh air. When they caught sight of them, they quickly whispered among themselves. Feeling like it was a mistake to go out, Ruby turned herself away, not wanting them to see her.

Once they reached the far end, just by the edge of the forest, Brad pulled them to a stop. They hid behind a large oak tree, out of view of the others. A few wolves emerged from the bushes just a few feet away, but with a wave of his hand, Brad sent them away.

“Is this better?”

“Yes, thank you.” She wiped at her eyes, feeling her nose begin to run from the cold. Without a word, Brad wrapped his jacket around her to keep her warm.

“Do you want to eat with me?” He kneeled down beside her, the cold ground sending chills through his body.

“Yeah. I hadn’t meant… I’m sorry.” Ruby hung her head low, sputtering on her own apology.

“You don’t have to apologize. Just tell me what you need, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” She smiled up at him, at his words, hoping she would relay her gratitude without words.

Yes, it was true they were alike in many different ways. They both had the strong, kind, caring, leadership kind of personalities. Brad, however, never pushed her. He hadn’t told the doctor, at least not yet. He stayed with her all night long, holding her hand to comfort her, despite the obvious soreness he’d receive in the morning.

He never did that, he made her feel special sure but looking back, it felt more like possession. The way he’d hold her hand, kiss her cheek, or wrap an arm around her; all ways to stake his claim. Then, the kidnapping. The torture. The cruelty. Making everything before seem like a carefully constructed trap.

Ruby shuddered as her memories surged. She pushed them back, not wanting to remember what happened, not wanting to feel the crushing pain.

For a moment, her mind became a tug-of-war between suppression and remembering. Suppressing them only made it worse later, but she didn’t want to think. She didn’t want to feel, but with the cold air nipping at her exposed skin and Brad’s warm hand on her shoulder, it was hard not to.

“Can we go back in?” She held tight to the jacket, shivering under its weight.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. You're not really dressed for this kind of weather.” Her feet were only covered by fuzzy socks and she wore sweatpants with a matching thin, long sleeve shirt.

“Neither are you.” Brad grinned sheepishly, wiggling his toes in the solid ground. Without his jacket, he was getting pretty cold.

He led her back inside, grabbing blankets to cover her in to keep her warm. Smith stared pointedly at their red noses and flushed cheeks but otherwise didn’t comment on their stupidity.

“I’ll see you just before dinner, alright?” They both nodded before rushing up the stairs to escape the doctor’s scrutinizing gaze.

Brad left her with Lindsey who helped her shower and dress in warmer clothes. Ruby hung out on her balcony after Lindsey had left for school, a blanket covering her lap and a cup of coffee in one hand. The snow continued to fall around her, chilling her skin as it melted on her.

Below her, in the backyard, several people cleaned the pool while others were just playing in the snow. Most of the pack stayed in houses just down the road where a little, gated community had been built. To the outside world, it's just another neighborhood.

Wolves and people alike played around, throwing snowballs, making snow angels, and snowmen. A refreshing sight to see for someone who had been trapped in a cell then forced herself into isolation. Ruby still wanted nothing to do with the people, untrusting of them and anticipating for their inevitable betrayal.

Smith checked on her, suspicious already and clearly catching on that something had happened at breakfast. Thankfully, judging by the doctor’s response to her, Brad hadn’t told him. He had kept her secret and her heart swelled in joy at that thought. He hadn’t betrayed her or tried to hurt her… so far, but that negativity is not what she wanted to focus on. Especially where he was concerned.

“Are you ready to get that brace off?” Luke and his girlfriend/mate, Lindsey, sat with Brad and her for dinner.

“Yeah.” Ruby never managed to raise her voice to a normal level except for her panic attack that morning. She tried to make sure her voice could be heard but if she tried to speak any louder, she’d cringe and quiet herself down. She never could stand to talk loud.

Some small part of her worried about being loud, about being heard. That he might hear her, find her. Perhaps it stemmed from her childhood. She hadn’t been placed in foster care for no apparent reason.

“Well, as you know, Christmas is only a month away and I’d love for you to come to the party.” Lindsey chirped up, passing over the bread basket to Luke who choked on his food along with Brad.

“Lins!” Her mate scolded her with narrowed eyes but she shrugged him off and looked expectantly at Ruby.

“I uh…”

“You don’t have to decide now. You don’t even have to go or stay the entire time. It's entirely up to you.” Lindsey patted her hand and returned to her food.

“I planned to ask you tonight,” Brad glared at the crown of Lindsey’s head before he reached across the table to hold her hand. “As she said, you don’t have to stay very long. At least come down for food. I know people would love to meet you and you don’t have to say much to them anyway.” He let go, retreating to his side of the table.

Ruby wanted to say no, flat out and curt. The images of the afternoon, seeing everyone so friendly and playful with one another, even offering her a place among them, came back to her. They said hello, waved and some tried to get her to come down to play.

“I’ll think about it.” The smile that lit his face made her smile, too. His happiness always spread to her and she couldn’t figure out why. But, at that point, it didn’t really matter.

Lindsey let out a victorious shout of joy. Luke playfully slapped her upside her head.

“Thank you.” Brad continued to smile her way, twirling his fork in his spaghetti as he watched her. Feeling awkward, Ruby returned to her food, heat creeping up her neck to rest in her cheeks.