Chapter 0110
Cara’s POV
“When do you leave?” My brother Colin asks Landon with furrowed brows.
“Next week.” Landon replies, keeping his answer as short as possible.
“So soon?! You won’t be here for Christmas….“I say, realizing the timing aloud. I already know the children will be so disappointed…
“What?! No Uncle Landon for Christmas?!” My daughter Mia screeches. Her lip is curling turning her face into a grimace. It looks like tears might fall from her eyes at any moment.
“Shhh shhhh shhhh….” Landon whispers to Mia, picking her up easily into his arms. “I’ll be back before you know it… and this time, I’ll have even better presents!”
“Yay!! I love presents!” Mia shouts joyfully.
We all chuckle at that.
“Will I get presents, too?” Ethan asks tentatively.
“Of course! How could I forget about my favorite nephew?” Landon says to my son.
“But Uncle Landon, I’m your only nephew!” Ethan yells and once again warm laughter fills
the room.
After dinner, we play games together, children and adults alike laughing and cheering for one another, relishing in the togetherness.
I feel overjoyed at the sight, and yet….
And yet there’s still something like loneliness tugging at me…a pang of a small sorrow, buried deep inside…
My family is amazing. My children are exceptional. I know all of this.
But…
But something is missing…
Maybe I feel this way because Ruby is leaving. Yes, that must be it!
After all, for these last six years, she’s been my constant companion. She’s been the person I could turn to, to talk, to process whatever is happening in my life.
This sense of longing I’m feeling must be coming from the anticipation of losing her! There couldn’t be any other explanation! I have everything else I could possibly need.
I don’t need anything more than just the people in this room. I keep repeating this thought
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* Chapter 0110
to myself over and over again, hoping that if I say it enough, it might actually be true.
I rise and walk to the kitchen to grab myself a glass of water. I stand at the sink, filling the glass, trying to squash that sadness that I feel welling inside my belly when I hear a noise behind me.
I turn and see that Ruby has followed me into the kitchen. She takes one look at my face then wordlessly pulls me into a warin hug.
“It’s going to be okay, Sweetheart,” she whispers into my ear.
I pull her in tighter. “I know, Honey. I know,” I reply.
And the odd thing is, I realize the words I’m speaking are true. I know that I am going to be okay.
There may have once been a time in my life when news of Ruby leaving would have rocked me to the core. It would have been beyond devastating.
But after my accident… after becoming a mother… after starting over with a new life in a new pack
I can feel my own strength. It’s been growing for the last six years.
And here I am, stronger than ever. Ready and able to take on whatever challenges life may bring my way.
Ruby has been a big part of how I became the woman I am today, and I am eternally. grateful to her. But I know that I can be strong without her.
And she can be strong without me.
And we both can forge new paths. I know that whatever fate awaits us, we will return each other someday and swap stories of our amazing lives.
We can both embrace our futures.
to
raway to
away to
Still, I can’t help but feel guilty. Like my best friend wouldn’t have to travel so far the Illari Medical School if not for me. She’s only going so far so that she can help my daughter.
“I wish you didn’t have to go… I wish you weren’t forced into going away like this…” I say, my voice trailing off.
“Forced?” Ruby says to me incredulously. “You think I feel forced into this?”
“No, not exactly,” I reply. “It’s just… you’ve done so much for me and my family, and now you’re moving again because of us…”
“Sweetheart, I love you and the kids. You know I do. But please believe me when I say that I am making my own choices here. I’m not being forced into anything,” Ruby tells me
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Chapter 0110
seriously.
“I know, but-“I start to say.
Ruby abruptly cuts me off, “No, please listen. I am a doctor. I’ve already spent years of my life studying medicine. This is an amazing, once–in–a–lifetime opportunity for me to learn really specialized medicine.”
“Don’t you see?” she continues. “This is a great honor for me to have been offered the chance to study at the Illari Medical School. Medicine has always been my passion. Now I’ll have the chance to save even more people!”
I smile at my best friend tenderly. We’ve had this conversation many times already, but somehow it doesn’t feel any easier. But I put on a brave face and turn back to Ruby, “I’m so happy for you, Honey.”
“Do you remember that time you and kept playing after Grandmother yelled at us to stop? We didn’t listen and she punished us, forcing us to stay in separate rooms for like an hour or something?” Ruby asks me.
I laugh, recalling the memory. Grandmother, the woman who raised me in the DarkWood Pack House, had taken Ruby under her wing as well once she realized how we had bonded as little girls. Though Ruby was not an orphan herself, we spent so much time together that Grandmother meant nearly as much to Ruby as the old woman did to me.
“She was so mad that we hadn’t followed her instructions! She demanded we take some” alone time‘!” I chuckle to Ruby.
“But do you remember what we did? When she made us stay in separate rooms?” Ruby asks, her eyes sparkling with joy.
“We created a secret code, knocking on the walls! We kept talking to each other, even if we were separated and couldn’t use words,” I tell her.
“Exactly! And that’s all we’ll need to do when I’m gone. We just need to develop a new secret code. Except this time it’ll be easier because we have cell phones,” Ruby says, pulling me in for another hug.
“Do you know when you’re leaving?” I ask her tentatively. I’m almost afraid to hear the answer, knowing that no matter what Ruby says, it’ll feel like it’s too soon.
“At least by the end of the month,” Ruby replies simply.
“But that’s next week!” I say. “Why are you leaving so soon?!”
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten to check your lunar calendar,” Ruby says to me with a smirk.
“What do you mean?” I ask. Of course I’ve checked the calendar! Every good werewolf always keeps an eye on the lunar cycle.
At least I think I’ve checked it…
When is the last time I’ve looked at it?
I suddenly can’t remember….
“Next week is the full moon,” Ruby says ominously, a shadow crossing over her face.
Oh, dear. I really have forgotten to check the lunar calendar…
