Chapter 9 A soft little voice came from behind me . " Mommy ... hug me ! " I turned to see Rue toddling toward me , wobbly and pouty - lipped . My face lit up with a smile . " Aww , were you waiting too long ? Mommy's coming , sweetie . " Marcus grinned , showing off his teeth . " Hey , Rue , let Daddy carry you . Mommy's tired . " But Rue turned her head away like he didn't exist . Two seconds later , though , she reached up to gently blow on the bruise on his cheek . " Daddy ... pain go bye - bye , " she mumbled with a worried frown . Xander stood frozen , staring at Rue's face like it was the only thing keeping him breathing . Then suddenly - tears . " Natalie ... is she- ? Is she ours ? She didn't die ? " His voice cracked as he stumbled closer . " Oh thank God ... You lied to me . You had to . She's still alive , our daughter ... We can fix this . We still have a chance ! " " If Rue calls me ' Daddy , ' then we're still a family , right ? Natalie , please ! " He stepped forward , arms wide , ready to scoop Rue up . I stepped between them and handed Rue over to Marcus , my expression flat as stone . " No , Xander . She's not your daughter . " " Your child died the second you ripped that plug out of the wall . Xander didn't want to hear it . He sidestepped , inching closer to Rue with a sickeningly sweet smile . " Come here , Rue ... I'm your real } } Rue looked up at him - and then let out a bloodcurdling wail . " Scary ! Scary ! " Xander fumbled , quickly trying to cover the scars on his face . " It's okay , baby girl . Daddy's fine , see ? No more boo - boos . Don't cry , come to Daddy . " But the more he moved forward , the harder she cried . And then it hit him . She wasn't afraid of his face . She wasn't scared because he looked different . She was just scared of him . " Why ? " he asked hoarsely , voice cracking under the weight of it all . " Because , " I said coldly , " you earned it . " " You killed my baby . So now your baby won't even look at you . " Before I could say more , another voice cut through the air like a blade . Chapter 9 15.00 % " And you deserve every second of it . " Skye came out of nowhere , screaming and wild - eyed , slamming a rock into Xander's head . He staggered back and knocked her to the ground with a vicious kick . " Crazy bitch ! You did this to me ! If you hadn't thrown yourself at me , none of this would've happened ! " He turned to the guards . " She's completely unhinged . Get her out of here . Lock her up and throw away the key . " As she was dragged away screaming , I didn't flinch . Didn't feel a single ounce of sympathy . Instead , I looked at Xander with utter disgust . " You're pathetic . Get out of my sight . " " I won't forgive you . In fact , most days I wish I could kill you . " " And Rue ? She won't forgive you either . " " She might not remember everything ... but her body does . Her soul does . " " She doesn't need a father like you . She already has one -Marcus . " } } For a long moment , Xander just stood there , hollow - eyed . Then suddenly , he laughed a hollow , broken sound - and shoved the bloodied rock into my hands . " If I've already lost everything , " he whispered , " then go ahead . Kill me . That's the only thing I have left to give . " He closed his eyes and waited like he was ready to die . I dropped the rock at his feet . His eyes snapped open , wild with hope . " You didn't kill me ... does that mean- ? " " No. " TARY I cut him off coldly . " I didn't kill you because I on't stain my hands on trash . " " I have a daughter to raise . A mate who loves me . A life that's finally mine again . I won't let you taint it . " " If you want to die , do it on your own damn turf . " I turned to Marcus and slipped my hand into " Let's go , babe . Rue's baby shower is starting . This was our family now . Our joy . Our life . After that day , I never saw Xander again . Rue would sometimes mention a " weird man " " watching her from afar . Every time I sent someone to investigate , the trail vanished without a trace . Eventually , I had Lycan warriors shadow her for protection . Seven years passed . One day , a large deposit appeared in my bank account . No note . No sender . While I was still trying to figure it out , a news headline popped up on my feed : " Escaped patient from psychiatric ward found after fatal stabbing of Bloodmoon Pack's Alpha . The suspect had been hiding along the Chapter 9 15.00 % border for days before attacking . The Alpha died from massive blood loss . The suspect , now apprehended , has been returned to the institution . " I closed the article with a calm breath . None of it had anything to do with me anymore . The scars had healed . " The past no longer had a claim on me . And now ? Now I had peace . And that was enough . Booki Chapteri Sapphire's POV It was a beautiful summer day at the beach . Fluffy white clouds littered the sky with the sun holding all the attention right in the middle . A small family was taking advantage of it ; a mom resting on a towel watching as her husband played with her son and her daughter . The boy was young , 12. He was bright , full of happiness as he splashed water at his dad . With green - blue eyes , dark brown hair , and a light tan , this boy was sure to be a heart - breaker when he grew up . The girl , on the other hand , was glowing in comparison . Laughing with pink - tinged cheeks as her dad threw her small body in the water again . Poking her head out of the water , anyone from miles away could see her dark blue eyes , contrasting her blonde hair . At only 10 , she was already beautiful . " Jesse ! Sapphire ! " The mom called from the shore . The children , along with their father , ran up to her as she set out their picnic lunch . The kids continued to play as the sunset , ending their perfect day . Oh where did it all go wrong ? I woke up , holding back tears . to my alarm clock ringing at 6:00 am . I would give anything to go back to my care - free childhood . I threw off my blanket and walked into the bathroom to start my day . Following my shower and other bathroom - y things , I walked over to my closet , catching my reflection in the full - length mirror next to it . Wrapped in a towel , I investigated the girl in the mirror . She is nothing special really . She has small , and quite thin legs from lack of proper training and diet . A flat stomach , no abs, just flat ; if one looks , you can see her rips gently poking at her sides . Her chest is quite average at best . Her arms are thinner than toothpicks , they could be snapped in an instant . What really stood out against her now pale skin , were the bruises peppering her skin . All within various shades of healing . I sighed I reached my face , My dirty blonde hair fell straight down , stopping mid - back . My face was relatively clear of blemishes , werewolf perks I guess . My eyes , which use to be the reason I was named , were now lifeless and dull . Why am I always picked on ? I asked my wolf , Ruby . Honestly , hun , I don't know . She said , like always . At least you won't pick on me , right Ruby ? You know I won't , Saph , now go get dressed . She finished , blocking me out . I returned to my own thoughts . Everything had changed shortly after that day . Jesse had shifted for the first time a few days later on his 13th birthday . Once he shifted , he became friends with the Alpha's son , Cameron . He then turned to be mean , he didn't want to be around his little sister anymore , she wasn't cool like him . Then , when the time came around for my first shift , Jesse had already been promised the position of Beta . My parents forgot about me ; they were power - hungry . They went from regular pack members to the Beta's parents . As I was basically disowned , I became the pack's toy . " Shit , " I mumbled under my breath as I caught the time . 6:45 I needed to be out the door in 30 minutes ! Yanking myself from my thoughts , I quickly threw on a pair of black leggings and an oversized black sweatshirt . I slipped on a pair of beat - up white vans , grabbed my phone and bag , and left . I tip - toed down three flights of stairs , because the pack reject couldn't live on the same floors as everyone else now could she , careful not to wake anyone . Creeping into the kitchen , happy no one was in there , I grabbed a paper lunch sack and threw in a sandwich from last night and a banana . I swiped a quick look at the clock on the microwave as I heard people begin moving : 7:10 . I grabbed an apple and quickly slipped out of the house before anyone noticed me . Then , because no one was willing to drive me , I began my 30 - minute walk to school . I popped my headphones in and tuned out the world around me . 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