Ruby moved a pint of fresh beer towards him. He picked it up and took generous gulp. Martha tossed her red hair behind her and lifted her boobs.
"Oh yes, we had a very long pleasant chat. He made me laugh and somehow my magic returned. I think I should take you home with me and shag you for free tonight," the town hooker said and, to Red’s complete surprise, she grabbed Jack's collar and brought his mouth to hers.
Ruby laughed when the two of them embraced each other in a passionate kiss that lasted for a very long time. Martha's two friends that were drinking with her earlier on stared at her like they couldn't believe that Jack actually picked her instead of them. Red made herself busy with tidying the bar, but her stomach was tight with desire. She just needed to keep away from William and she would be all right.
The Alpha King kept drinking his beer, staring at her intensely. Finally after a long moment, Martha pushed Jack away. Neither pretended to be embarrassed.
"Will, I hope you won't need me tonight? I want to take Martha up on her offer," Jack said, and Martha giggled, pointing at her glass, so Red could top off her drink.
"No, my business here is done. Have fun, big man," Will replied and quickly finished his drink. He was looking directly at Red while he spoke to Jack.
"Good, good. Ready, honeybee?" Jack asked, and then put his arm around Martha's waist.
"Oh yes, I'm more ready than you can imagine," she said to him. Then they headed towards the door.
"Hmmm, there must be something in the air tonight. Everyone looks so loved up," Ruby muttered.
"Red, you should totally do the Alpha King. He's hot and well suited to you," the hooker said, right before she vanished with Jack.
Everyone was getting on her nerves tonight, trying to push her right into William's arms, like she couldn't make up her own damn mind. It was her life, and no one was going to tell her what to do. For some reason she couldn't look at Will. She continued cleaning the entire bar, then picked up a glass and started polishing it. The truth was that she wasn't able to stop thinking about last night, and about his lips that made her come undone. But mating with him wasn't for her. She just didn't want to be controlled by a man.
If she was being honest, she didn’t even know what mating with a werewolf consisted of and assumed it to be something like marriage—she knew she wasn’t ready for that. Although she couldn’t deny the strong connection she felt to William, Red knew she wasn’t ready to give herself completely to anyone. She barely knew the man.
"I'm leaving, honeycomb. It looks like you're busy. Meet me in the forest tomorrow and then we’ll decide what to do," William said suddenly, getting up from the bar stool. Red was trying focus too hard on the glass that she was polishing and when she looked up, she saw that everyone else had left too. Even Mr. Ridley went home, and the other hookers must have gone straight after Martha took Jack back to the brothel. "Just be careful tonight when you head home."
"She’s going to stay with me tonight. It's too dangerous for her to wander around the forest alone," Ruby assured William, who seemed pleased with that.
"Goodbye, William," Red told him and he winked at her again, then headed back towards the door. Red felt a little better when he was finally gone. At least she could breathe normally.
"I appreciate that you're looking after me, but I can't let him control me. We’re from two different worlds," Red said to her gran, when she put down the last glass. Ruby was watching her intensely.
"No, you're wrong about him. You need to let go of the past. William is a good man. You know I’m a good judge of character and there is nothing wrong with that man, except that he wants you," Ruby told her. “Only you see a problem with that, Red. Sooner or later, you need to settle down. I don’t understand what it is you don’t like about him.”
"You don't even know him. He's a werewolf. Mum and dad were brutally murdered by one," Red reminded her, as fresh pain jolted through her heart. She hated talking about her dead parents. She went through life being detached from all of her emotions, but last night she couldn't act like her usual self. With him, she wanted to feel everything. No one in town knew exactly what happened to her parents, and Red was planning to keep it that way. They had been dead for over twenty years, and she could barely remember them.
"Maybe it's time for you to let go, love. You have to move on with your life at some point."
"I have, Gran. We both know that I'm not holding a grudge, but I don't need another useless man in my life," she said, indicating that this conversation was now over. Ruby muttered something under her breath, and didn't push her anymore. They finished tidying up the tavern and then they both went upstairs.
Red went to bed knowing that it was one of the worst days she’d ever had since she opened the business.
She hoped that tomorrow things were going to change for the better.
It was a difficult night for Red. She couldn't drift off to sleep. She wasn't used to sleeping on the floor and her gran was snoring pretty loudly. In the past after her parents’ tragic death, Red and Ruby had lived together.
Things changed when Red turned twenty and met Charles. The two of them became inseparable, and later on he moved into her home. Red inherited her parents’ home that was situated deep in the forest. When she was young and naive, she was willing to trust men. Once she learnt that Charles cheated on her, she decided that she was never going to depend on the opposite sex.
Red had to find a way to save the tavern. She’d worked too hard to establish a name for herself. People knew that she was strong and could always take care of herself. No one in town ever dared to cross her, apart from Charles.
She’d spent all her savings and now she was afraid to lose it all. When she glanced at the clock, she realised that it was around four a.m., and she was still aroused. William was around, most likely walking around in his wolf form. He knew that she was staying in the tavern tonight and she imagined him barging inside, then taking her to the forest. Red felt desire spreading through her, but then told herself to get a grip. It didn't matter what her body was telling her, she wasn't going to commit to him just yet.
At some point she must have finally drifted off. Then around seven a.m. some noises outside woke her up. When she went to the window, she couldn't see anyone, so she assumed that it was a lost animal or maybe a traveller passing by. The sun was pouring into the room when she stretched her shoulders. She didn't get a very good night’s sleep, and she felt tired.
Ruby's bed was empty, and a moment later she walked inside with breakfast. The two women sat in silence for a while. Red started buttering her toast.
"Are you planning to see William later on?" her gran asked out of the blue.
"Yes, he’s going to watch One Eye for a bit. I have no idea what he’s planning exactly, but I want to be part of it—whatever it is," she said, thinking that maybe she should at least she go out with him.
He was willing to help her, and she was refusing to give him a chance. Now after weighing all her options, she thought that she could see him on neutral ground.
"Maybe you should leave him to it, after all he is Alpha King. He must have dealt with that sort of thing before," Ruby gently suggested.
She knew that Red was stubborn like her mother. When her grandfather was alive, he thought about her a lot. He used to be a huntsman, and he taught her how to survive in the forest and how to use knives.
"No, it's about our tavern. I need to know what’s going to happen to him," Red said.
"Sometimes it’s good to have a decent man standing by your side. Your parents were always happy together, Pamela. Maybe you're being a bit too hard on yourself, darling." Ruby walked away leaving her with that thought.
Red sighed loudly and finished her breakfast. Later on she went downstairs to prepare the cellar for tonight. She knew that her gran was right, but she was afraid of commitment. It didn't work with Charles, and William was still only a stranger. In the afternoon she went to speak to Martha about helping he
r gran in the tavern that evening.
Martha showed up just after eight, promising Red that she would stay sober and help Ruby with customers. Red didn't think the tavern was going to be busy, but she didn't want to leave her grandmother on her own.
She slipped out the back entrance wearing her red cloak.
"The Alpha King sent me to watch over the tavern during your absence," a deep voice said, startling her all of a sudden.
Jack appeared from the other side of the forest. He was with another werewolf. Red recognised him from few nights ago.
"Great, I left Martha with my grandmother. I hope that she won't distract you too much," Red said to him, and his face instantly brightened up.
She needed to stop being her usual self. William was going to help her either way, and he clearly cared about her. Maybe she prejudged him a bit too soon.
"You don't have to worry about anything," Jack assured her and nudged his companion to go inside.
Red wanted to believe that One Eye wouldn't be stupid enough to raid her tavern tonight, especially after what happened with his two buddies. She put her hood over her head and started towards town. The streets were nearly empty, but she bumped into two farmers who told her not to wander off into the forest alone.
"It's not the wolf men you should be scared of, but the highwaymen. They’re the ones who are harassing people and spreading unbelievable rumours," Red said to the farmers, but they only shook their heads, and carried on walking.
"There’s no point talking to them. One Eye has poisoned the minds of the entire Farrington Kingdom," said a familiar voice that sent an instant chill through her core. Red's heart jumped around in her chest when she saw William in his human form coming out of the alley.
"What are you doing out here? I meant to meet with you in the Forbidden Forest," she said, caught off guard. She wasn't ready to face him just yet. She hadn’t mentally prepared herself to see him.
"Did you really think that I would let you walk alone through the forest after what happened the other night?" he asked, grinning at her. His dark gaze moved down her body, and she shivered with the heat from his stare. Nothing had changed—the sizzling attraction was still there, turning her body into a raging inferno.
"Obviously not. I think everyone in this stupid town is panicking way too much. I know how to fight. My grandfather was a huntsman and he taught me a few things," Red said, and continued to walk on the sidewalk, heading towards the forest.
“I don’t doubt that you’re strong and can take care of yourself, but One Eye can be unpredictable. I was simply concerned about your safety, honeycomb," he said, catching up with her. Warmth prickled her skin, speeding further down to intimate parts of her body. "My men have given me his location. We’re going to watch him tonight and learn his weaknesses."
"Good, because I'm useful. The last time I was just unlucky," Red said, thinking about her parents again. Gran shouldn't have brought the subject up this morning, because now she kept thinking about them.
"Okay, so you're not only stubborn, but also a little reckless and that's not a great combination to have," he added. "There must be something that you do for fun, right? When you're not so uptight?"
"It's probably nothing that would interest you. We’re very different," she said.
"I don't think so, honeycomb. We’re very similar. We’re both wounded by our past," he said, and Red looked at him a little shocked. For a long moment silence stretched between them. Red had no idea what to say. Deep down, she was dying to get to know him. She still didn't trust him, but her heart was curious.
Soon enough they left town and entered the forest. The navy sky was clear, scattered with stars.
Then as they started moving deeper and further into the forest, Red sensed that the atmosphere turned strained and silent. Tension and frustration settled over them like a heavy curtain. A few steps later William stopped abruptly, and looked at her with fire in his eyes.
"Stay here, don't move and for God's sake at least listen to me this once. I'll be right back," he said, and then disappeared between the trees, leaving her completely alone.
Chapter Nine
Red stood in the middle of the forest alone, wondering what the hell just happened.
"Yeah, just leave me here without any explanation," she muttered to herself, thinking that if they were on a real date then she wouldn't even consider seeing him again. All of a sudden, she was sensing some sort of magic rising around her. She could feel it, and she had no idea how to explain it, but she was able to sense it, tiny sparks of electric current were moving throughout her body.
Then she realised that it was a full moon. Red stared at the bright silver ball in the navy sky. The view from where she was standing was mesmerising and she suspected that maybe William was afraid to stay with her in case he had to shift. Werewolves weren't able to control their nature during the full moon. Red remembered reading about it in one of the stories at school and suddenly that memory struck her. The star-studded sky was beautiful, but the ringing silence around her was making her a little uneasy. Then out of nowhere she heard loud howling in the distance.
The temperature had dropped and Red shivered with cold. Moments later a giant wolf appeared between the trees. Her heart stopped when she noticed its shiny fur and sharp, deadly claws. She knew immediately that it was William, because she recognised those whiskey eyes that in the moonlight were gleaming in a bright yellow hue. All her muscles locked up in fear.
The wild animal approached her slowly, sending shivers down her spine. When his fur brushed over her legs, she tried to relax.
"It's a full moon and you had to shift. You should have told me that this might happen," she said, not even sure if he understood her in his wolf form. At least she didn't have to worry about losing control again—for some reason William was less attractive being in his true form. "What are we going to do next?"
She felt a little silly that she was talking to a wild animal, but the wolf snarled like he understood her question. Moments later, he ran towards the trees. He turned his head, waiting like he wanted her to follow him. The buzzing silence was slightly uncomfortable, but Red kept telling herself that he wasn't planning to hurt her.
She took a deep breath and then started following his tracks.
"I don't think this is such a good idea. This whole thing seems crazy. Maybe I should head back," she kept muttering to herself, but the giant wolf didn't slow his pace. William must have already made up his mind and wanted Red close. Soon they reached the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Red recognised the carvings in the stones that were scattered around. It was the old language of the trolls. She didn't truly believe in that, but a lot of people in town had been scaring their children with these sort of stories ever since she could remember.
William was leading her towards dangerous parts of the forest, and the trees around her were larger and older. She smelled various herbs, and sensed movement around her. After some time Red took off her hood, trying to keep up with the wolf. A burning smell wafted in the air.
The Alpha King stopped right in front of her, most likely smelling it as well. She couldn't help herself and ran her fingers through his fur. He howled with desperation like he was hurting and looked at her with the same intensity as he did when he was in his human form. Red had no idea where they were, and why Will had brought her out there. In the distance she saw smoke drifting up towards the sky, and it looked like someone was trying to warm up by a fire.
"What do you want me to do? I'm not a mind reader, you know," she said, a little irritated that he couldn't turn into his human form. The wolf blinked at her a few times, and then jumped over the broken trees, vanishing in the darkness again.
Red had no choice but to follow him. She didn't want to be stuck alone in the heart of the forest. Minutes dragged, but after a few more moments Red found herself in some sort of camp. She spotted a few carriages with horses, and logs for fire. Bones from a recent feast were lying around, along
with empty bottles of wine.
The wolf started sniffing around, keeping his nose close to the ground. Red picked up a few bottles, and tried to read the label in the darkness. Her heart jumped around her chest when she realised that it was the wine that had been stolen from the merchant that arrived at the tavern empty handed. None of this made sense.
She clenched her fist, suspecting that William brought her straight to One Eye’s camp. There were several other carriages, and Red figured out that this was where all the highwaymen had been sleeping.
Right now, the whole camp was empty, so Red began snooping around. She was furious, knowing all along that One Eye had something to do with her stolen wine, and now she had a proof—she was barely controlling herself. Everything was suddenly making sense. One Eye had been sabotaging her business since the very beginning just as she’d suspected.
She spotted William, still in his wolf form sniffing around the carriages.
"What's going on? I thought we were here to watch that scumbag," she asked, but William snarled a little louder, then nudged her with his wet nose. Then jumped over to one of the most the colourful carriages. Seconds later, Red heard sobbing from somewhere inside. She removed her knife from its sheath and started climbing the carriage steps. She cut the thick layers of material and then got inside the carriage. She saw a little girl in there, maybe eight years old and she could have sworn that it was Milly—the daughter of the maid from the castle that had gone missing several days ago.
"Hey, Milly, what happened? What are you doing in here?" she asked, stroking the little's girl hair.
She was trying really hard not to freak out, and frighten the child even more. She had no idea how William knew that the child was inside the carriage. She suspected that he must have sensed her in the distance.