Zane realized his mistake. He blamed Lucas without knowing the truth.
Lucas was always loyal to the pack. He would go to any extent to protect it. Loyalty was in his blood. He would never betray his best friend.
Zane felt terrible about suspecting him. It was entirely his fault, but he blamed others.
He hung his head in shame.
"Zane…" Ruby's voice jolted him out of his trance. He looked up and saw her walking down the hallway with her friend. He instantly remembered detecting her scent in the woods. It made him irritated. He turned around and strode into his room.
Ruby gaped at his retreating form, her smile fading. She clenched her fists to keep them from shaking.
"Is he mad at you?" Nia asked.
"Remember what I said." That was what Ruby said before going after him.
Cecilia rolled her eyes, watching Ruby enter Zane's room. She picked up the plate and walked back to the kitchen.
Ruby saw Zane sitting on the bed, his back to the door. She clutched her pink gown as she approached him, a smile on her lips.
"Are you not feeling well?" she asked, sitting down next to him. Even though she was anxious, she acted to be calm. "Do you have a headache?" She reached out to touch his forehead.
"Don't touch me," Zane grumbled and shoved her hand away. The aroma of her perfume added to his fury. "Where were you?" he asked.
"Hahaha…" Ruby burst out laughing. "You are so adorable. You can't stay without me for a while."
"I am not joking, Ruby. Where have you been?"
Under his cold stare, Ruby felt a shudder run down her spine. Her smile quickly faded. Her heart started pounding in trepidation, but she pretended to be annoyed. "Why are you upset with me? I became bored while alone in the room. So, I went to speak with Nia."
His pupils constricted as he studied her. He was still skeptical. The floral scent was all over her. Once he used to like the smell, but now he felt suffocated by it. Even though he was angry, he wondered if he had misunderstood something after noticing her serious demeanor.
"You were with your friend all the time!" he murmured. "You didn't go out anywhere, did you?"
"I was in Nia's room. You can confirm it with her if you don't believe me." She sulked and turned aside, feigning to be hurt.
Zane felt awful. He figured that he had misunderstood her. He had only detected a faint floral smell for a few moments and assumed it was Ruby. It could be anyone else who used perfume with a floral aroma.
'Shit…' He grimaced in frustration.
Ruby grew restless, looking at his unsettled appearance. She was afraid that Zane was still suspecting her. She was curious if he had overheard her conversation with the spy.
"What makes you so upset with me?" She snarled and turned to face him. "Did your father say something?"
"No, no…" Zane groaned, pinching his forehead. "I need some time alone."
"Do you have a headache? Let me check." She again stretched her hand to touch his brow.
"Please, Ruby…" He blocked her hands. "Leave me alone."
Ruby wanted to stay with him and find out what he had on his mind. But after noticing his glum expression, she couldn't muster the courage to oppose him.
"Okay." She pushed herself to her feet. "Rest for a while. I will come later." She went out.
"Uh…" Zane sighed and lay down, his hands clutching his head. "My head hurts."
Later that day…
Zane's headache had subsided after a full afternoon of rest. To relieve his guilt, he decided to join the border patrol guards. When he went out of the room, he ran into Ruby on the threshold.
"You look fresh," Ruby said with a grin.
"Yeah. I am feeling better now." Zane tried to walk past her.
"Where are you going?" She grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"To the border," he said, his voice cold. He was still wary of her presence in the woods.
"What? Why? You have just recovered from the headache." Ruby grew anxious. She believed that the spy had successfully done his job. In such a scenario, the ambushed soldiers wouldn't be able to stop the rogues from infiltrating the border.
She didn't want to let him go. She feared that the rogues would hurt him.
"The pack is in danger," Zane grumbled. "Our soldiers are there for a battle. Do you want me to sit and rest?"
"I didn't mean it that way." Ruby grew increasingly restless. She didn't know how to convince him not to go out. Finally, she considered using the potion again to prevent him from leaving. "Alright. Wait a minute."
She rushed into her room.
"What is she doing now?" Zane groaned, flailing his arms.
Ruby came out of her room after a while with a vial in her hand. "Let me spray this on you," she said, approaching him. "It will help you if you get a headache."
"Stop it, Ruby." Zane blocked her hand and snatched the vial from her. He threw it away in an instant.
The vial crashed onto the floor a few feet away from them.
Ruby gasped and peered at the scattered glass pieces, her hands flying to her mouth. Her face turned green in shock. At the same time, she grew angry. Her precious potion was evaporating. Her teeth clenched as she watched the vapor rise from the liquid puddle.
She had bribed that old witch to make this potion, but Zane just spoiled it in seconds. She wanted to scream and scratch him.
"It doesn't reduce my headache." Zane growled. "It is the source of my headache. I got a terrible headache every time you sprayed that on me. Tell me honestly, what that liquid is." He scrunched up his face, furious. "I recall you saying that it was a new perfume that you bought. How does perfume help to relieve headaches?"
Ruby shifted her gaze to him. Chills pricked her body as she noticed his intimidating demeanor. The anger transformed into fear in an instant. But she feigned to be hurt. "Are you suspicious of me? I was only trying to help you."
Zane held up his hand and silenced her. "I don't have time to argue with you." He stormed out of the house.
***************************************************
It was starting to get dark. Tall trees and dense bushes darkened the surroundings even more. The crickets made a deafening noise. Nocturnal birds flapping their wings could occasionally be heard. The hooting of the owls and the distant growling of the ferocious animals made the atmosphere gloomier.
Soldiers had been hiding in the bushes all day, but there was no sign of the rogues. They became bored after a long period of waiting. Some even began to doubt the information Connor provided.
Lucas effectively silenced them. "You should always stay vigilant. Don't let doubt or laziness get in the way of your responsibilities. We are here to stop the rogues from crossing the border. If we can't stop them, they will cause massacre in the pack. However," he squared his shoulders and added sternly, "if anyone has a doubt, he can leave right now."
Everyone bowed in shame, not moving an inch.
Lucas glanced at them and said, "Stay alert." He strode over to Connor's hiding spot.
He noticed a silhouette looming behind a tree as he approached sneakily. He immediately sneaked behind a bush and looked at the figure. Since it was dark, he had to switch his eyes from black to yellow to get a clear vision.
He noticed a figure in a black cloak looking ahead. He followed his gaze and saw Connor conversing with the army chief. His gaze returned to the man to confirm whether he was looking at Connor. That man was certainly watching Connor.
'Who is this man?' Lucas sniffed, trying to catch a whiff of him. He perceived the musky scent of a male werewolf, but not a rogue. 'Why is he here? Is he a spy from the Bloodlust pack?'
While he was wondering, he saw the man pulling a blowpipe out of his cloak. His hair sprang on his back when he realized the man was pointing the blowpipe at Connor.