Page 123 of Big Bad Wolf

Staying out of the woods meant staying away from Rafe and that was a promise she couldn’t keep.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Callie, Sawyer, and Lena showed up at some point in the middle of the night and took over their usual booth. The bar was mostly empty, so Ruby took a break and joined them. Things had been tense between her and her sister since Lena had accused her of treating her like she was broken, but they’d managed to at least act like things were normal. Normal enough, anyway.

Normal even though the ache in her chest from missing Rafe was only made worse by the distance from her twin.

“Lena told us you’ve had an eventful few days,” Callie said, meeting Ruby’s eye across the table.

“You could say that.”

“Are you okay?”

Ruby shrugged. “Physically, yeah.”

Callie waited for her to go on, her blue eyes filled with worry.

“Mentally, emotionally, psychologically … not so much.”

“What does it feel like?” Sawyer asked, his voice hushed as he leaned toward her.

“It feels like … I can’t think about anything else, like I won’t be settled ever again until we’re together, like my heart has been ripped out and stolen. Like everything hurts.”

He nodded, glancing at Callie. “Yeah, I get that.”

She gave him a small smile and leaned into him, and even that tiny, intimate gesture made envy swirl in Ruby’s gut.

“What are you going to do?” Callie asked, always ready to formulate a plan.

Ruby shrugged. “Keep working and ignore it all, I guess.” What else could she do?

“Do you think it’s over? I mean…” Callie glanced over her shoulder as if there was anyone listening. Who was Ruby kidding? It was possible that everyone was listening. “Do you think they’ll be back?”

“They’re pretty dead … so … no?” She hoped that meant it was over.

“But what about their Alpha?” Lena whispered the word like she still couldn’t quite believe she was saying it. “What if he still wants us?”

“Hopefully having three of his wolves dead is discouraging enough to end whatever plan he had for us.”

Lena shivered. “Right.”

The foursome sat back in their seats. Callie was still looking at Ruby like she was scanning for damage, of which there was plenty. Sawyer drummed his fingers on the table, his brow furrowed like he was trying to work everything out in his head, and Lena kept making a little sad sighing sound and sipping her soda. What a crew they were tonight.

It was Sawyer that started laughing first.

“What could possibly be funny right now?” Callie asked, looking at him in horror.

“Sorry.” He tried and failed to stop the giggles falling from his mouth. “It’s just that after all these years growing up here with these insane stories and…”

He caught Ruby’s gaze and she started laughing too. And it felt so damn good to laugh! Especially when her sister joined in.

“Ruby!” Lena said, shocked, until she started giggling, unable to resist even with her hands clasped over her mouth.

“And…” Sawyer went on, breathless. “And it’s all fucking true.”

Callie broke last, her laughter hesitant until she met Ruby’s eyes and they both started up again.

“Sal has been right all along!” Ruby sputtered and Lena doubled over.