Page 42 of Fat Sold Mate
Ruby glances up, her expression softening slightly. “Guard the door. We need time.”
I nod, moving to position myself at the cabin's entrance. Through the bond, I feel her concentration—intense and focused in a way that's almost tangible. Whatever she's attempting, she's putting everything into it.
Outside, the forest has gone completely silent. No birds. No insects. Even the wind seems to have stilled, as if nature itself is holding its breath in anticipation of the coming violence.
I strip off my shirt for an easier transformation, preparing to shift at the first sign of threat. My wolf stirs beneath my skin, eager for the fight, for the chance to protect what's mine. I force that possessive thought away, focusing instead on the tactical situation.
Behind me, Ruby murmurs words in a language I don't recognize, her voice growing in confidence with each syllable. The air in the cabin seems to thicken, pressure building like themoment before a storm breaks—and then it breaks again. And again. None of the wards hold.
Through the open door, I watch the tree line, every sense straining for the first indication of our pursuers. The corrupted scouts are close now—I can smell their wrongness on the breeze, feel their approach like a shadow falling across my consciousness.
“I can do this,” Ruby calls, her voice shaking. “Just need a few more minutes…come on…”
I'm not sure we have minutes. Beyond the perimeter we set, something moves in the underbrush—too deliberate to be wildlife, too silent to be anything but a predator stalking its prey.
“Ruby,” I say, her name a warning and a question all at once.
She glances up at me from her place on the floor, forehead shining with sweat, eyes exhausted as her spells fail over and over.
“If this doesn't work,” she begins, breathless.
“It will,” I interrupt, unwilling to contemplate alternatives.
For once, she doesn't argue, just nods and surges to her feet, likely retreating to Sera’s position to help her with whatever protections she’s setting up. The bond between us pulses with shared adrenaline, shared purpose, and beneath it all, the constant awareness that hums between us like a live wire.
At the edge of the clearing, a branch snaps—deliberately, a challenge rather than a mistake. I shift my weight, ready to transform at the first sign of attack.
“Let’s go,” I murmur to myself, as darkness descends completely around us, and somewhere in the shadows, yellow eyes begin to gleam.
Chapter 15 - Ruby
The world explodes into chaos as the first Cheslem tracker breaks through our perimeter.
One moment, James stands at the doorway, his muscles tensed for transformation—the next, he bursts forward in a blur of motion, his bones cracking and reforming as russet fur erupts across his skin. His wolf is massive, shoulders bunching with power as he lunges toward the corrupted scout who dared to step into the clearing.
“Ruby!” Sera's voice cuts through my frozen shock. “The smoke bombs—now!”
I grab the bundles she prepared—herbs wrapped in cloth, soaked in a mixture Sera concocted from her grandmother's supplies. My hands shake as I fumble with the matches, the useless protection spell I attempted earlier still burning like shame in my throat. All that concentration, all that effort, and the wards around the cabin remained dormant, my magic as inaccessible as ever.
“Focus!” Sera snaps, already lighting her own bundle.
The herb packet catches fire, smoke billowing in thick, acrid plumes that make my eyes water. I toss it toward the eastern edge of the clearing where a second tracker emerges, his form distorted by corruption—limbs too long, movements jerky and wrong.
The smoke engulfs him, triggering violent coughing that buys us precious seconds. Through the swirling gray haze, I glimpse James locked in combat with the first scout, teeth bared in a savage snarl as they grapple in the dirt.
“There's another one,” Sera warns, backing toward the cabin door. “Bigger than the others.”
She's right. A shadow detaches from the trees to the north—a massive wolf, corruption evident in the unnatural angles of its joints, in the yellow ichor dripping from elongated fangs. It moves with deliberate menace, ignoring the chaos of the other fights to focus entirely on us.
On me.
Terror freezes my limbs as those glowing eyes lock onto mine. This isn't a scout—this is a killer, sent specifically to eliminate us. Through the bond, I sense James's sudden surge of fear as he detects the new threat, but he's pinned down, unable to reach me.
“Inside!” Sera shouts, yanking me toward the cabin. “We need—”
The corrupted wolf lunges, crossing the distance between us with unnatural speed. Sera and I scatter in opposite directions, the creature's massive body landing where we stood moments before. It whirls toward me, apparently deciding I'm the easier target.
Or the primary one.
