"Ship left four days ago. Already three systems away by now." Craig spread his hands helplessly, his shoulders sagging. "I've sent inquiries through official channels, but you know how that goes. Could be weeks before we hear anything back, if at all."
The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken frustration. Then Craig's expression shifted, becoming morepersonal, the official mask slipping away to reveal genuine concern. "How are Ruby and Teddy doing?"
"They're fine," I said, warmth flooding through me at the mention of their names, chasing away the anger like sunlight through storm clouds. "Thank you for asking."
"I care about both of them a great deal," Craig admitted, his gaze steady on mine, unflinching and direct. "So what are your plans, Cristox? Ruby told me you're Teddy's father." His tone hardened slightly, taking on a protective edge that would have amused me under different circumstances. "You better not hurt them—either of them."
"I would cut out my heart before I hurt them," I said, the words coming out fierce and raw, every syllable a vow. "As far as my plans... I don't know. I have an appointment aboard the Historia as intelligence officer, but knowing I have a cub changes everything."
Craig studied me for a long moment, his eyes searching my face as if weighing the sincerity of my soul. "Ruby is your mate, isn't she?"
I hesitated, then confessed, the word feeling both sacred and terrifying on my tongue. "Yes."
"Does she know?"
I shook my head, shame washing through me like cold water. "I haven't told her. I thought settling things with Teddy should come first." I met his eyes, willing him to understand. "I want to stay with them both."
Craig's expression softened, approval warming his features. "You're a good guy, Cristox. You should tell Ruby the truth."
"Our history is... complicated," I said, the word feeling inadequate to describe the tangled web of our past.
Craig chuckled, the sound rich with understanding. He stood, the chair scraping against the floor, and moved to standbeside me. "We have a saying on Earth—love is strange." He clapped me on the shoulder, his hand solid and reassuring, a gesture of male camaraderie that transcended species. "Don't overthink it."
I nodded, grateful for his wisdom. "I'm taking Teddy fishing this afternoon. Trying to get his mind off things."
"How's he doing?"
"Better. He's sleeping through the night now." I paused, remembering the small body trembling in my arms, the whispered fears in the darkness that had made my heart clench with helpless love. "The first couple of nights after the fire, he had nightmares. Ruby and I took turns sitting with him."
"Poor kid." Craig's expression darkened with concern, his jaw tightening, then he glanced at his wrist comm, the holographic display casting blue light across his features. "I need to get going—patrol duty, and Clemon Peters wants to talk to me."
"About the fire?" I asked.
Craig rolled his eyes, exasperation and amusement warring on his face. "Who knows? Clemon's a busybody. He probably wants to complain about something completely unrelated, but he does sell moonshine to some of the more undesirables around here." He started toward the door, then turned back, his hand on the frame. "Cristox? Tell Ruby the truth. She deserves to know."
"I will."
"Good luck." He gave me a final nod and left, the screen door bouncing gently in his wake.
I followed Craig out into the afternoon sunlight, the warmth immediately soaking into my fur. The screen door clicked shut behind me with a finality that seemed to punctuate the conversation. My feet carried me down the porch steps andback onto the cobblestone street, but my thoughts were already ahead of me—with Teddy. With Ruby.
My cub. My mate. Even now, the words felt surreal in my mind, impossible and yet undeniable. I had a cub. A bright, curious boy who looked at me with eyes that mirrored my own, who laughed at my jokes and wanted to learn everything I could teach him. A cub who had burrowed into my heart with devastating efficiency. The weight of it settled over me again, but it wasn't a burden. It was an anchor. A purpose. A reason to be better than I'd ever thought I needed to be.
I turned toward Mei's house, my stride lengthening, each step carrying me closer to a future I was still learning to imagine. The Historia seemed like a hollow shadow of what I'd once thought I wanted. A chance to serve, to use my skills, to matter in the larger scope of things. Now it felt meaningless, almost laughable, like fool's gold glittering in the sun. What did a position on a starship mean compared to tucking my cub into bed at night? To watching him grow, to being there for scraped knees and milestones and all the countless small moments that built a life?
And Ruby. Goddess, Ruby. The way she moved through the world with such quiet strength. How she'd built a life here for herself and Teddy through sheer determination and grace. The way she looked at me when she thought I wasn't watching, a mixture of longing and wariness that made my chest ache with the need to close the distance between us. After our kiss, the bond between us hummed constantly now, a living thing that grew stronger each day, thrumming through my veins like a second heartbeat, pulling me toward her with inexorable force.
Maybe Craig was right. Maybe I needed to stop overthinking and just tell them both the truth. Tell Ruby what she meant to me. What she'd always meant to me, even when I hadn't understood it myself. Tell Teddy that I wasn't goinganywhere, that he was mine and I was his, and nothing in the universe would change that.
The thought terrified me more than any combat situation or gladiator fight ever had. My tail twitched nervously at the prospect, my heart racing with a fear that had nothing to do with physical danger and everything to do with the vulnerability of laying my soul bare.
But staying silent terrified me more. Because every moment I waited was another moment I wasn't claiming what was mine. Another moment Ruby didn't know she was loved. Another moment Teddy didn't know he was wanted.
And I was done wasting moments.
Chapter 12
Ruby
