Bought by the ruthless lycan king (Ruby and Killian) novel Chapter 172

Ruby’s POV

Exile was the kindest thing I could offer after hearing the most heartbreaking decision I’d heard in a long time. I refused to look at Killian’s face again. The pain I felt was overwhelming, both for my fate and for this child. I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as the baby would live.

“You’re not going to change your insane decision?” I stared at him as if questioning his sanity.

“No.”

“This is your child!”

A woman would bleed for her child. That’s the true, noble definition of a mother.

Not for Killian. Of course, he loved this baby just as he loved his other stepchildren. He was the ideal father figure. Their three children had never lacked love or attention, even though they knew the truth about who Killian really was in their lives.

There was a great chasm that divided his two identities: Killian the father and the king.

I had long come to terms with his darker side, and the kind of love he offered which was never pure when it came to me. I wouldn’t say I was afraid. Because, in truth, love without a touch of obsession could never save anything.

I had long accepted that twisted belief. I had willingly let myself be consumed by a monster who loved me through eternity. Fragments of the last few days tore through my mind, torturing me over and over. For this time, I refused him.

“Oh, my baby, forgive your father.”

My eyes burned, tears threatening to fall.

“He loved your mother more than he loved you,” I sobbed, gently stroking my belly. “However, that doesn’t mean he hated you, little one. You who are growing inside me. Your father had to make a painful choice.”

My tongue grew heavy as I tried to explain it to a being still unborn.

“This world is a beautiful and terrifying place. You’ll see and feel both. In other words, good and evil always walk side by side.”

“I remember when I was nine,” I whispered, let out a breath shaking.

“A curious girl who loved knowledge more than anything. I found a book in the town’s library. It said that every soul would one day be asked by the gods if they were capable of living a life within the frame of the creature they’d chosen.”

“The gods allow souls to refuse if the life shown to them is too heavy to bear. And you, my child,” I paused, bowing my head, eyes filled with sorrow at the gray tale you’re about to live in this world.

“You chose to go through with it. How brave you are.”

Birds ran wild in the open lands. Their summer songs wove into a beautiful harmony so unlike the life hidden behind the walls of the castle.

“Believe me. Your mother will stand by you, She will carry you into this life, even if your father stands against it.”

My two arms wrapped around myself in a pitiful embrace. So many whispers of demons echoed inside my head, voicing every dark thou

maginable.

“One day, love your father. Please, don’t hate him.”

That final hope was sealed in silence. I could feel a strange magic swirling around me. My gaze sharpened with resolve. How bitter it felt to have to fight my own partner. Killian’s nature was harsh. He wouldn’t listen not if it concerned my safety. He would rather kill than lose me.

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Chapter 172

Could I bring myself to hate that?

No matter how loudly I screamed before the world, only the gods and I knew the truth: I would forgive him in the end. Hatred was never a word that existed in my vocabulary when it came to Killian Rudwick.

Days passed in agony. I was still taking the medicine given by the healers. Stubbornly, I refused all visitors except for the double A twins and Elias.

Killian never stopped trying to see me. He was clever, but I was a diligent and clever girl myself. A perfect mimic. And now, this was the price I paid for forgetting that Killian was a cunning, ruthless tyrant, who always knew how to twist the situation to serve his own satisfaction.

“You all can’t do this!”

“Get out of my room before your defiance drags you to your grave!”

My scream echoed throughout the entire west wing. The healers stood firm, undeterred even by the presence of the guards behind them in proud

formation.

‘Mate, would you go this far?‘

“Forgive us, My Queen. As we’ve said before today is the last day. The barrier we created to contain the curse is breaking. We fear it will not end well for either of them.”

I glared furiously at the damn healer, my teeth grinding together. My she–wolf instincts screamed at me to rip her heart from her chest.

“And does saving just one of them make it right?! No. You only get to make that option if you’ve already decided this child will live!” I roared.

The healers exchanged glances. Even without words, I knew what they were silently discussing. Fury exploded within me. I slammed the lamp from the nightstand to the floor. A shriek of surprise pierced the air.

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