Page 79 of Rocked By the Alpha

Ruby replaces the cap on her bottle and jumps up from her perch on the stage.

Alison has hired a space for the week in an out-of-use theatre. The stage isn’t as big as it’ll be on tour but it’s enough to practise the choreography and costume changes.

“We’re going to go over that last song again. Make sure you’re all tight on positions. Nat — you happy with the path through the stage for this one? Or do you want Clarissa to show you again?”

“I got it,” Nat says, picking up her guitar.

“Ruby, you’ve got your solo at the start of this one. All eyes on you. You need to shine.”

Ruby gives a little salute and then they start. It’s one of her favourite songs, something she and Nat wrote together when they were first starting out. When she was in the midst of the battle with her parents. The battle to let her be who she wanted to be. The song is about freedom and truth.

She worked hard to win this freedom. And so what if West is right and her parents will never accept her? She is doing what she loves and she is happy. Isn’t she?

Her solo ends and Nat takes over the vocals, strutting down the middle of the stage. Nat’s parents have always been different to her own, supportive and super excited. Nat has never had to battle them but she can’t begrudge her for it. It was Nat at her back that gave her the strength to defy her parents and be who she wanted to be. They’d got their first tattoos together, cut their hair and dyed it together, had their belly buttons pierced together.

Nat crouches down at the edge of the stage and sings for the imaginary crowd.

Ryan sits in the audience, swaying to the music and waving his arms and Nat directs her words to him.

When it’s finished, he applauds enthusiastically. Nat looks over to Alison.

“Well?” she asks.

“Excellent. Let’s move on to the next,” Alison says.

It’s then, in that precise moment, as Nat stands and walks back down the stage, that it hits her.

Ruby freezes.

Her nose twitches.

That scent. Again. But stronger. So much stronger.

Nausea crashes through her body. Her vision swims. She sways on her feet.

“Ruby?” Nat’s voice sounds far away, as if she’s speaking to her down a bad connection.

A hand connects with her shoulder. She jolts so hard, she knocks the keyboard. A blast of sound rips through the air.

“Ruby?” The hand shakes her. Nat’s face swims in front of hers. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s here,” she croaks, her throat dry.

Nat frowns. “Who? West?”

Ruby grabs ahold of Nat’s hand to steady herself. She can feel her body shaking.

“The Alpha … from my house.”

Nat’s eyes widen in horror. She swings her gaze about.

“Here? Are you sure?”

“I just got a whiff of the scent again.” She swallows down the bile rising in her throat.

“Are you sure you’re not imagining it again? How could anyone get in? I know you’re upset about West and me and—“

“No, Nat, he’s here. I know it.”