Ruth’s POV

For several minutes we just stood there staring at each other. Then he took my bags and stepped into the house. He made his way up the stairs and I figured my room was on the second floor, which made me happy. He stopped in front of a caramel tan door. “This will be your room for now on. I only have one rule, and I expect you to follow it to the letter. You will have a curfew at 9:30 on school nights and at 10:30 on weekends.

          “If you’re not home after that time, you will be grounded. Do you understand?” I just keep my eyes on the floor and nod. I hear him sigh softly. “Good. I have to go to a meeting with the mayor and city officials. I’ll be back before midnight. There’s some money in the cookie jar if you want to order a pizza or something.”

          He sits my suitcases beside my bed and leaves. I shut the door behind him and turn on the radio to a country station. Turning the volume all the way up, I start to unpack. My closet was a walk-in. After hanging up all my clothes, I place my bags in the back of the closet.

          Deciding to find me something to eat, I make my way to the kitchen. Looking in the cookie jar, I find close to a hundred dollars. Under the lid was Jubal’s number. I pull my phone out and text him. –Could you call the pizza place and order me a small pepperoni pizza with extra cheese?

          -And why can’t you just call them?

          -Please Jubal. :’(

          -The pizza will be there in fifteen minutes and it’ll be ten dollars.

          -Thank you.

          -You’re welcome. Make sure you lock the house before you go to bed. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I pull a couple of fives out of the jar and slide it back into its place. Sitting on the couch, I start to flip through the channels until I found The Biggest Loser. I was a fan of Dolvett, but I was quickly becoming a fan of the new trainer, Jessie Pavelka.

          The door bell rings and I hurry to open it. The pizza guy was standing on the front porch looking towards the trees. I cough and he turns around. He flashes me a dazzling grin, but I just keep my eyes trained on his chest. “That’ll be ten dollars even princess.”

          I hand him the two fives and reach for my pizza. My mouth was watering from the enticing smell.  “You’re new here. I’m Oliver. Oliver Jackz.” I look at his hand and slowly shake it. I grab the pen out of his pocket and write on the pizza box. I’m Ruth. I just moved here.

          “Why don’t you speak?” I could hear the curiosity in his voice. I’m mute.

          “Oh.” He smiles at me. “I have a feeling that we’re gonna be best friends.” He takes the pen and writes his number on the box. “Text me if you need anything or just want to hang out. I have to get back to work, but I’ll see you at school Monday, right?” I nod once. He gives me another smile and leaves. I watch him drive away and then head back into the house making sure to lock the door.

          Pulling out my phone, I quickly save his number as Jack of Hearts. Sitting the box on the counter, I pull me a plate out and place four pieces on it. Grabbing me a bottle of water, I walk back into the living room just in time to see Dolvett lose a member of his team. –Hey this is Ruth.

          -Hey girl. I was just thinking about you. =)

          -I just wanted to give you my number before I went to bed.

          -Are you feeling alright? It’s only 7.

          -I had a long ride here, pretty tired.

          -Okay. I’ll holler at you later then. Sleep tight.

          I pull a blanket off the back of the couch and wrap it around me as another episode of The Biggest Loser comes on. My eyes grow heavy and soon I surrender to the sleep that’s laying claim to me.

Jubal’s POV

As Alpha Nathaniel went on about adding double patrols, I let my mind drift to my sister. I couldn’t believe how much she looked like mom. From her fiery red hair to her silver eyes edged with green. When she first got out of the car, I could have sworn she smelled like a shifter. But when she got closer, all I could smell was human.

          I knew about mom’s affair with Randolph. And I knew that Ruth was his daughter, and not dad’s. For the longest time, I hated her for cheating on dad with Dolph, but I finally forgave her the day I left. A year after Ruth was born; I had come home to find my mom and Dolph in the guest bedroom.

          I was only 17 at the time, so for another year I stayed quiet about it. The night before my birthday, they decided to take Ruth out for a drive. I refused to go, saying that I had a ton of school work to do. The second they were out of sight, I went through the whole house destroying any picture that had me in it.

          I only kept a picture of Ruth and me in my wallet. After I wiped out any sign that I had ever lived there, I packed my bags and left. Leaving a letter to dad and Ruth in his study, I walked out the front door and never looked back. The only regret I had that night was that I couldn’t take Ruth with me.

          Over the years I kept tabs on my sister, and every year on her birthday, I would call dad and get an update on her. Last year and this year, I didn’t call. Feeling eyes on me, I look around surprised to find the room empty. Nathaniel was staring at me in concern. “Jubal, are you alright?”

          “Yeah, no I’m fine. I was just thinking about my little sister.”

          “Ahh. She moved in with you today if I remember correctly.” Standing up, I walk to the window and look out. “She did. And I could have sworn that when she first stepped out of that car she was a shifter, but later the only scent I could get off of her was that of a human.”

          “But aren’t y’all’s parents’ weres?”

          “My dad was a werewolf, yes. But my mom was a liger. Ruth’s my half-sister. Her dad is a human. But she should be a liger as well. Something’s wrong with her Nathaniel. She’s not the same. Randolph said that ever since Mom and Dad were in the accident, she’s shut herself down; no showing any emotion or talking. I have a feeling that something else is bothering her, something that Randolph doesn’t know about.

          “I just don’t want to push her away.” I sigh and run my hand over my face. “Just give her time to adjust Jubal. This must be pretty upsetting to her. First she loses her parents and then she’s shipped off to a brother she hardly remembers having. On top of that, she’s had to leave everything she’s ever known behind her. Do you think she knows about what she is, what you are?”

“I’m not sure. I’m sure Dad told her though. I’ll ask her when I get the chance.”

“Whether or not she does, why don’t you bring her by? She should get to know us anyway.”

          “I’ll try to bring her tomorrow.” I look down at my watch and jump to my feet. “I promised her that I would be home two hours ago. Take care Nathaniel.” I say as I run from the room. I make it home in less than ten minutes. When I find the door locked, I grin. Quickly I unlock it and step into the house. The smell of pizza lingers in the hallway and I lock the door back.

Following my nose to the kitchen, I smile when I see the box of pizza lying on the counter. But when I open it and see that only two pieces were missing, my smile fades. Grabbing a few slices, I close the box and that’s when I notice handwriting on it. I recognized Oliver’s and growled softly. I was glad that she was making a friend, but if he hurt her, he would pay. I quickly eat them before heading towards the stairs to check on Ruth before I went to bed. As I passed the den, I could see that the tv was still on.

I walk into the den to turn it off, only to find Ruth curled up on the couch sound asleep. I turn the tv off and gently pick my sister up. Carrying her to her room, I lay her on her bed and cover her up. As I picked her arm up to lay it under the cover, her sleeve slides down. A few small scars, almost to white to see, hid under the long sleeves.

I push both of the sleeves up to find that each arm was covered in them. Most were old, but I could see a few that were still healing. Taking deep breaths to calm my wolf, I walk out of her room and gently close the door behind me. I would get her to trust me before I asked about the scars, but I knew that whatever her reason was, I would never be ready to hear it.