Chapter 4 Four

• Ruby:
• "Shoo."
• "Go away," I muttered with a newfound protective instinct as I stepped between the hungry bear and the vulnerable infant in the basket.
• In any other case, I could have easily transformed into my wolf, which would have made all this easier; however, my body was weakened from rejection, and I couldn't feel my wolf.
• Yet, I felt the need to get the baby out of here alive, even if it meant a loss of body parts. Maybe it was the Luna instinct in me that was making me act this way and feel an odd sense of protection over it, but I couldn't just abandon the baby like its mother had done and get it eaten up.
• The wood was a dangerous place, making me wonder what type of animal in human form would be wicked enough to dump a baby out here in the dangerous forest.
• Determination flashed in my eyes as I faced the bear, praying to the moon goddess to help me out so that I could rescue both myself and the baby.
• I squared my shoulders, and as the bear hesitated, I made myself appear larger. I had learned this tactic while I was young when I once attended the werewolf acedemy, but that was just it. It was called the primal dance of survival in the moonlight, and I couldn't learn more defence lessons since I was a girl who had found her mate on time.
• While Liam, my mate, was practically inheriting the position of alpha from his father, I was practicing to be the Luna, and I was glad I did.
• "Go; find your own sustenance. This child needs my care." I said firmly a mix of authority and desperation in my voice as I raised my legs higher so that I would appear larger than the bear and, input, fear it.
• The bear grunted for some minutes, sensing my resolve, before retreating into the shadows, leaving us in an uneasy calm.
• I let out a loud sigh and tiredly stretched my body to relieve my pain. With cautious steps, I approached the blood-stained basket. Confusion and dread gripped me as I took in the blood-soaked scene painted in a macabre picture, and the cries of the baby seemed to become louder as I drew closer, tugging at my heart.
• It was just like me being rejected and broken, as it had also had a harsh reality in its earliest moments.
• Slowly, I opened the basket, and a gasp caught in my throat, and my heart seemed to freeze. I stumbled back in shock, feeling lost for words, as I took in the unexpected sight before me.
• The baby's eyes, staring up at me with an intense gaze, mirrored the unmistakable shade of steel grey—identical to those of my mate, Liam.
• Shock and disbelief coursed through me, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
• The uncanny resemblance between the infant's eyes and those I had once lost myself in left me breathless, the cruel irony of fate etched in the delicate features of the newborn.
• Alex? My baby.
• No, no, it can't be. This can't be real. I'm just seeing double. The baby in the basket looked exactly like how I had always pictured my baby—soft skin and steel grey eyes.
• Tears welled up in my eyes, and a storm of mixed emotions ran through me—grief, astonishment, and a flicker of hope.
• Was the moon goddess giving me a second chance to live? Is this a miracle?
• Why does this baby look so much like my mate? So much like how I had pictured my baby Alex. My baby.
• Williams said he died, but then again, I heard my baby cry. Although I was weak, my hearing senses were functioning, and I heard my baby cry.
• And now this. Was it all a coincidence? Any mother would be able to recognise her baby's voice, right?
• I stared at the little soul, and its cries sounded so familiar as they kept ringing in my head, just like the ones I had heard while unconscious. I reached down and gently lifted the cutie from the basket into my arms while the baby, with his steel grey eyes, stared back at me with curiosity.
• A magical hush enveloped me, and the cries ceased almost instantly, replaced by a sudden stillness. I cradled the fragile life against my chest, and as I hugged it closer, uncertainty filled my heart.
• What if this wasn't real? What if I was dreaming and everything was all an illusion?
• But then again, if this was a dream, then I never wanted to wake up. I felt the profound connection that destiny had brought us together in the heart of the woods.
• The whole forest, once filled with haunting cries if the little soul became silent like it was witnessing an unexpected twist of destiny, held its breath.
• In my arms, the baby's tiny face transformed from distress to delight. Giggles bubbled forth, and a wide, toothless grin spread across its face.
• Those innocent steel grey eyes, brimming with a mixture of curiosity and joy, looked up at me with an unspoken connection, yet I felt doubtful. I needed to confirm if this baby was mine and Liam's or if it was just Liam's.
• And if it was the latter, then it means Liam betrayed and cheated on me. Worse, he was heartless enough to throw his baby away.
• I needed answers, and the only person who could help me was my grandmother, and luckily for me, she was a healer.
• The forest seemed to brighten as the baby found solace in my embrace. It was so tiny and cute, and its laughter echoed, creating a melody of pure happiness that danced through the air, which somehow managed to heal my depressed soul.
• With a mix of disbelief and joy, I decided instantly to take the baby back home and cradle the precious life against my chest as I walked out of the forest in the direction of my grandmother's house.
• I made sure to hide the baby from preying eyes as I found my way back. I entered the house and saw my grandmother stirring her traditional herb in a pot, and upon seeing me, her eyes widened in surprise, her warm smile fading as she glimpsed the bundle in my arms.
• "You probably think I am crazy," I chuckled out, and she gave me a look of pity, which I was already used to, but I didn't care as my whole body was renewed with a sense of hope and wonder.