RIP RUBY

26 FEBRUARY, FRIDAY, BEFORE LUNCH

The moment Jude's eyes darted, Ruby's eyes followed - at least one eye did. The other one... I think it was too loosely held by whatever skin or thing was needed to hold and move an eyeball securely. I had to say, Ruby was looking far worse from wear from the last time I saw her. I guess she might be past due for that soak in the medicinal bath.

Anyway, she saw me, and her eye(s) burned with something I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was like fury, but not quite. It was like Evelyn hating me, or Pearl resenting me, but with a tinge of crazy. Luckily Boo was already surfaced because I had never been good at dealing with this kind of thing. I don't even know what to call it. Usually, I pretended it didn't exist, but it was kind of hard to pretend because Ruby dropped her hands from Jude and started stalking over to me, her pace tilting and painfully slow because of whatever was going on with her hip.

I steeled myself not to balk at her approach. I was the Alpha, and with that, I summoned all the guts I could muster and smiled, a very Boo smile, "We meet again."

Ruby stopped at mid gait, she hesistated, as if considering if I was an immediate threat. I raised both my hands to show her I wasn't armed. Her red lips curved upwards as she regarded the situation, "So we have."

I can't believe that I had even thought it might be cool to grow up to be this kind of woman. Ruby's sexy walk, seductive voice, sultry expressions, and worldly aura... when worn on an undead body was horrific, and that was putting it mildly.

"Darling, wait..." Jude quickly caught Ruby's arm. It pulled backwards in a really unnatural angle, but Ruby did not seem to register any pain. She turned and smiled, "I'm waiting."

The winter morning sunlight shone through the window they were standing by, coloring the scene like the romantic movie that this was not quite becoming.

"The thing is..." Jude looked back up at me and then away again.

"The thing is Jude caught the Alpha Princess for you." Neil lied. Like he flat out lied, but Ruby didn't have an alpha wolf, so I guess she didn't have an inbuilt lie detector.

"Yes." Ron immediately picked up the narrative, "Our two undercover agents just brought her in, Luna. That's why Alpha King's army is holding us hostage."

Ruby raised a brow, but it came out misshapen because one side of her face wasn't cooperating. Urghh... her face.

"I was wondering about the Blue Demons around your forest..." Ruby purred. She returned to Jude's side, "So you did this for me?"

Her arms slipped across his shoulders once again, "I do love a man with broad shoulders. So reliable."

Jude forced a smile and drawled, "Anything for you, darling."

I wanted to slap him all over again, but just at that moment, I had a flash of inspiration, "I thought I was your princess?"

Jude froze, and a coy smile crept over Ruby's lips. She purred, "Is that so?"

"I only said that to draw her here, darling." Jude lied. Jude was such a good liar, I would have believed it. Jude took a step towards Ruby and with his practiced beseeching eyes, he touched his hand to his heart briefly, "You are my soul mate."

Which was the first true statement I've heard from this guy today.

So it was ironic that I yelled back, "I don't believe you."

And then I added for effect, "Don't touch her!"

And because I knew Neil or Jax was reporting in detail real time over the mindlink, I decided to make it quite clear to the two idiots, {I'm provoking Ruby. Don't report anything dumb.}

Let's just imagine Ruby was the same gorgeous woman that I had met at the Underground. The same passionately fearless one who threw knives at me and kicked butt in heels.

Jude hesitated, but Ruby did not. With a smirk which I imagined would have been quite the sexy expression, but pulled on the sag on her lifeless face in a rather grotesque manner, she grabbed Jude's face and kissed him, right on the mouth.

I covered my mouth to hide my own smirk. Hahaha. If I can't slap him with my hand, at least let me make a zombie kiss him.

"Ooof, princess, do you think she put in a tongue?" Jax asked too loudly before giving me one of his saucy grins. Seriously! I grinned behind my hand, but shook my head. I wasn't that cruel.

Jude pulled away. I had to give him credit for his stoicism in the face of smashing lips with a zombie.

"But what should we do now, my darling." Jude demurred, "Alpha King's wolves have surrounded us."

Ruby smoothed out Jude's un-crumpled leather jacket, "You don't have to worry, just sit tight and wait for me. I'll take the blue wolf and change. When I return as the Alpha Princess, I will tell my Daddy Kingsley to let us be mated and we will rule the Green Packlands happily ever after."

{Lie.} Boo was kind enough to inform me. Ha! Ruby, you made a grave mistake to lie so blatantly in front of an alpha. As if Jude would be dumb enough to believe you now!

Jude smirked, the slappable smirk. Running his hands down her bare arms which were not just drawn with the thin white scars now, but also in a weird gray hue with purplish splotches in some places, he made a duck mouth and crinkle his eyes. Wow, I thought the smirking with hooded eyes was bad... I realized now that Jude had not just one, but probably an entire arsenal of slappable expressions to wear when talking to women, "You won't forget me? How long must I wait? I just risked my life and pack for you selfish request, what if Alpha King kills me?"

"Not long, babe." Ruby assured him, "I've got Roy working to set it up in the basement. It's really good that you have her, I almost thought I'd have to settle for this one."

This one, being Cindy, who was still crouched in a ball on the floor. Ruby made a move to kick her, but that busted hip didn't give her any real pivotal force. It made Cindy start to cry again though.

Jude didn't stop smiling, "Are you sure you won't just leave me to rot in the dungeon and mate the Young Lorent Alpha instead?"

"Of course not!" Ruby lied, "You are my soul mate! We belong together!"

"Not even if this Young Lorent Alpha is the one and only Rebel?" Jude asked.

"Is he now?" Ruby kept lying, "I had no idea."

Jude growled low, "Good, darling. Because you're mine."

And then he pressed his mouth down over hers. Maybe it was because love was blind, and he didn't notice that her face was slipping out of place in some places. Maybe love was so blind that he couldn't smell her either, or sense any of the lies she was spewing.

Suddenly Ruby started to leak, dark red liquid pooled around her heels. Even without my sense of smell, I knew it was blood. And then she slumped forward towards Jude who coldly pushed her away from him and retracted his knife.

I froze as her dead body fell and landed on the carpet behind her, the dark blood blacking out the faded pattern on it.

Mimi gasped.

If I could unsee anything I saw today, it would be Ruby's expression with one of her eyes rolled up, and the other one almost fallen out of her socket, and then Jude's cold expression as he wiped his mouth and spat out the bad taste from his mouth.

Ron wordlessly passed him a clean towel to wipe his blade, and with a single flick of his hand, the other guys suddenly lunged forwards, catching the other five male rogues off guard. Two of them were thrown down the stairs, one was thrown over the bar counter. It suddenly got rowdy, bottles smashed and then a gun shot.

At the back of my mind, I could vaguely hear the mindlinks going off around me.

{Enemy engaged. Firearms active.} Neil was reporting, {Evacuating princess.}

I felt his hand on my back - very much where my betas would push me, I mean guide me to wherever they believed I should be, but Neil didn't rest his hand there, he pretty much grabbed the back of my jacket, and then he pushed my head down with his other hand. Jax raised his arm over my back, but he didn't touch me, he would however push and shove off any wolf or rogue that we passed.

{Opps. Forgot the healer.} Neil grunted over mindlink.

"Come on, Delta O." Jax called back to Delta Oran, "Or we'll leave you behind!"

Sandwiched between Neil and Jax, with Delta Oran now quickly following us, I was shoved behind the bar counter, and then out through the kitchen door. At least I think it was the kitchen, Neil and Jax were pushing me out like we were being chased (we weren't).

Were they bodyguarding or apprehending me, I wasn't sure. But once through the kitchen, Neil removed his hand from my head so I could lift my head again to leave Jude's packhouse via the back door.

Owen stepped out of the treeline to meet us. With a curt bow, he ushered us behind the treeline where more of our warriors stood guard.

{The princess is secure.} Owen reported.

{Healer is safe with us too.} Jax added. He took a once over the Lorent Delta and decided belatedly to double check on that, "You're okay, right?"

"I've been worse." Delta Oran answered dryly.

{Stay vigilant.} Stephan ordered, {The rest of you with me. Live captures only. We're going in.}

{We're done.} Gamma Harry didn't wait to report on the alpha channel, {Two minutes to clean up.}

{Well done.} Dad said, {How's Sam?}

{I'm okay.} I managed to pipe into the Alpha Channel. I wasn't the decomposed one bleeding on the carpet. For some reason, remembering it sent a shiver down my spine. Weird.

{She did well, Alpha.} Gamma Harry told my Dad, {Short and sweet.}

I looked up through the bare branches of the trees, yup, we'll be home for lunch.

{Requesting healer on premise.} Stephan said.

I looked to Delta Oran who offered me a wry smile as Owen led him away.

"Delta Oran?" I called out to him, feeling bad for my selfish request at the sight of the fatique on his face, "If there's anything you can do to help Cindy, even if its just a bit.."

"Understood, princess." Delta Oran took a small bow to leave.

"But don't overdo it!" I called after him, "I mean, don't push yourself too hard. If you can't, its fine."

Delta Oran paused, as if surprised, and then he reverted to his default polite face, "Thank you for your consideration, princess."

"Man, Jude really popped up." Jax said to no one in particular when the Lorent healer left.

"It really makes me wonder what's going to happen to Mimi and the others." Neil worried. The crevices over his forehead deepening.

{What should we do with this Ruby's bodybag?} Gamma Harry's question cut through the Mission channel.

I nearly panicked. I hope he wasn't asking me. I know I was the Alpha leading this mission, but face it, I was just the mascot. I didn't know nothing.

{Luna had left standing orders to capture Beta Lorent and Ruby alive, failing which to preserve their corpse for his personal identification and disposal.} Stephan answered.

{Alright. We'll move it back to packlands.} Gamma Harry consented, {Now I know what smells worse than rogues! Rotten rogues!}

And then he laughed at his own joke.

I suddenly felt like retching. I swallowed down the feeling. Calm down, Sam. I'm the Alpha. I can take this. Last thing I needed was to give everyone another reason to think I was just the mascot. Plus what kind of mascot puked after winning the game? We did win, right?

I had no idea. I'm not even sure what I did as the Alpha while leading this side mission. I didn't have a sensible plan like Gamma Harry did, I had no idea how to utilize my army the way Stephan could, and as if to add insult to injury, I was pretty much just shoved and dragged out of the scene like a rag doll during the evacuation by Neil and Jax. Even during the confrontation, it was Jude who questioned Ruby and then killed her.

Was I so useless that even my enemy had to help me interrogate and kill my other enemy? WTH was even happening back there?

Gamma Harry announced, {Returning to Morning Light Packhouse.}

{Good.} Dad sounded satisfied, {See you soon.}

{Debrief in Morning Light Meeting Room #1} Beta Gerald informed the Missions Channel. I hadn't even noticed them on the Mission Flush channel.

{Move out in five.} Stephan ordered, {Return formation.}

{Yes, Captain!} The warriors answered in unison. The warriors around me began to move about in preparation to leave.

{Ah, Captain, send your men to Night Leaf for lunch after this.} Gamma Harry instructed casually, {Beta Gerald is always long winded. We'll have lunch sent over to our meeting room.}

{Understood, Gamma. Thank you.} Stephan answered.

{Alpha always say, warriors who fight well should be fed well.} Gamma Harry decided to drop this nugget of Dad's wisdom for our Underground Army Captain, and then the Gamma had to add, {That's why I'm always so well fed.}

He laughed again and I could imagine him patting his stomach happily, but Stephan was still pretty new to Night Leaf culture and Gamma Harry's unique brand of humor. He was completely at a loss for words.

Heh, well, whatever. I decided to not think about what happened and look forward to bangers and mash.