a/n: I'm so sorry for the long delay in posting. I've been directing a musical and got a new job at work so life has been a little insane. But I'm back now. Updates may not be as frequent before, but I promise I have not and will not abandon this story (Or either of my other ones if you're following them too)

I know the last chapter was difficult to read and a lot of you were less than happy with what happened between Regina & Emma, but it was important for how things are going to happen in the future...That being said, there is no Emma & Regina interaction in this story, but there is some fun Regina & Ruby stuff and a rather important discussion between Ruby & Emma. I hope you enjoy.

Please let me know what you think.

Chapter 14

Ruby POV

I was lonely. Running hadn't been this lonely since the first time I'd shifted after killing my mother. Both me and my wolf yearned to be able to hear the soft padding footsteps of our mate next to us. But she wasn't a wolf and I had to run alone. I stopped to look at the cold, unforgiving moon in the sky and howled out my loneliness. I had finally found my mate, but I still couldn't share the night with her.

She belongs to Emma, too, I reminded my wolf. Maybe she'll be ready during the next full moon. Maybe they'll both be ready and we can have a pack to run together in the moonlight. I shook my head, trying to push out the morose thoughts and decided to hunt up some game. Maybe I wouldn't feel so lonely on a full stomach.

I loped deeper into the forest, keeping my nose low to the ground to sniff out my prey. I had just caught the scent of rabbit when the wind shifted and a new scent filled my nostrils. Regina! I had turned and raced towards my mate before I could even to think why her scent would be in the woods. I burst through the trees into the clearing where we'd mated during the last full moon and there she was.

As soon as she saw me, a wide smile split her face and she knelt in the grass, holding her arms open for me. I ran to her, nuzzling her neck to breathe in her scent, barely believing that she was really here. Her soft husky laughter filled the clearing as she stroked my neck and back. I rumbled out my happiness, all memory of my earlier loneliness forgotten.

After a moment, Regina pushed me back to look into my eyes. I cocked my head to the side in question and she said, "Turn me, Ruby."

At those words, the magic of the clearing rippled through me. My fur sank back into my skin, my paws shifting back into hands and feet. It was a strange sensation and even after the previous month, I still wasn't quite prepared for the feeling of having my wolf in control of my human body. I knew that my eyes were still yellow and could feel the sharp wolf's teeth in my mouth. My voice came out lower and rougher than usual when I asked, "Emma?"

"She told me to come. After you left the house, all that pent up aggression and longing pushed me back into the Evil Queen. I think it scared Emma and that's what made her make up her mind. She reminded me that I need you to balance me out. I came because she's right."

My head cocked as I studied her. After a moment, I asked, "You want to be changed?"

She met my gaze unflinchingly and replied, "Yes, Ruby, I need you. I want to be your mate in every way."

I was elated. My mate wanted to join me. I wouldn't have to run alone anymore. I grinned, savoring the joy of the moment. Regina's answering smile filled me with warmth and had my alpha instincts rising. The grin fell from my face as the need to claim my mate rose within me. I shifted towards her, using the movement to encourage her to lay back.

Regina seemed to understand the unspoken order and she stretched out in the soft grass of the clearing. I rumbled in approval and pinned her below me. Her eyes slid to the side and she lifted her chin, exposing her vulnerable throat to my sharp teeth. I darted down and lightly clamped my teeth around her neck. I was careful; it wasn't yet time to break skin. My mate whimpered in submission and I released her to nuzzle her jaw in appreciation.

Struggling to find words, I huskily demanded, "Need you naked, mate."

A soft moan fell from her lips, but she didn't hesitate and the smell of her magic surrounded us a split second before I felt a cool breeze on bare skin. I let out another pleased rumble and nipped and kissed along her neck and shoulders, trying to find the perfect spot to leave my mark. My mate squirmed under me, trying to find friction to ease the building arousal I could smell radiating off her.

I slipped a hand between us, gently rubbing her slick folds. "Please take me, Ruby. Don't tease," she begged.

Knowing that she wasn't trying to take control, I gave in and slid two fingers into her. She arched into me with a long moan. I shifted to straddle one of her thighs and snarled, "Inside me, mate." I wanted to say more, but couldn't manage to get any other words out of my mouth.

Her fingers pushed into me and we began rocking against each other, our bodies moving in time to the thrum of the ancient magic that built around us. Heat spread through my body as desire built between us, pushing us both towards climax. Our desperate thrusts sped up, pushing us higher and just as we reached the edge of bliss, my mouth found that perfect spot on Regina's collarbone. My teeth clamped down automatically, breaking through her skin easily.

Regina screamed, her inner walls clamping down on my fingers as a shudder raced through her. In that same moment, the wild magic of the clearing rushed into me, pushing me over the edge and I came with my teeth still embedded in my mate's skin. I didn't black out this time, the taste of Regina's coppery blood on my tongue kept me grounded in reality, but I felt her slump beneath me. A satisfied rumble started deep in my belly and grew until the sound filled the clearing. I released the skin I had bit and lapped at the wound until it stopped bleeding.

Once it had, I stood up and carefully picked up my mate. With my alpha instincts still riding me, I didn't care that we were naked as I carried her back home. My wolf knew that when she woke, Regina would be feverish and her body would ache until the moon rose again and she would not be happy spending the day in our clearing. Even though I wasn't ashamed of my body, I was relieved that it was late enough for most people to be asleep when I reached the end of the forest and saw that the street was empty.

The front door was locked and I growled in frustration. Without my clothes, I didn't have me key to let us in. I shifted my mate in my arms so I could reach the doorbell. After a minute, I hit the buzzer again and finally heard shuffling footsteps approaching the door. Emma opened the door, gun in hand, and her eyes widened when she saw Regina in my arms.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"She's fine. She's just asleep from the mating bite," I explained, trying to remain patient as she was blocking the doorway.

She seemed to realize that and stepped back to let me into the house. Neither of us spoke as we climbed the steps. I waited until Regina was safely tucked into bed before I turned to Emma and asked, "Why did you send her to me?" She couldn't hold my gaze and I realized that the moon was still up and my wolf was still in alpha mode, wanting to protect my vulnerable mate. I quickly moved to the closet and pull out my cape, relaxing as the familiar red fabric fell around me, calming the wolf's instincts.

"Sorry, Em," I said with a sheepish smile.

Her green eyes met mine and held my gaze. She smiled and I could see some of the tension drain out of her. She slumped onto the chaise and watched Regina as she said, "It's okay, Rubes." She sighed and looked back at me. "Did you ever get to see the Evil Queen up close?"

I nodded and sat next to her, "Yeah, I saw her a few times when Snow was on the run."

"I met her when I got sucked into Zalena's time portal. I saw her again tonight after you left. She came upstairs and all I could see in her eyes was the lonely woman desperate for love that she used to be. It made me remember a conversation she and I had that night you showed us your wolf and I realized that because I was afraid of losing her, I was being selfish in trying to keep her from the part of you that balances her out."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I love Regina, who she is, who she was, who she's becoming. Mentally, I understand why she felt she had to do the things she did when she was the Evil Queen; but, on an emotional level, I don't get it. That dark, wild aggression isn't something that I connect with. I find it exciting and sexy, but it's not something that I can share with her. So, when it was just the two of us, she suppressed it, like she had been trying to do since the first curse broke and she got her magic back. But it's still a part of her, and the reason she kept slipping during that first year was because she had no way to express those tendencies.

"But you understand that part of her. You and your wolf offer her that balance. I've never seen her happier and more comfortable in her own skin as she's been the last month since you mated. She stopped suppressing that wild part of herself because she had us to ground both the dark and the light within her. I don't know why it all went to hell tonight, but it did and I realized it was my fault. She needs you and you need her. I love you both too much to let my selfish fears stand in the way. That's why I sent her to you, tonight. She needs to be able to run free with her mate and not be put in a cage while half her soul is out running under the moon."

"What about you, Emma? Won't you feel like the one who's caged when she turns and leaves to run for the night?" I asked, carefully.

She shrugged, "Maybe, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Who knows, maybe I'll decide to take you up on your offer and join your pack. I don't know what I want, Rubes. I still need some time."

I reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. "Take all the time you need, Emma. It's an open invitation and I won't turn you unless you ask," I said, placing a gentle kiss onto her forehead.

"Thanks," she replied quietly. We sat in comfortable silence for several minutes watching Regina sleep before weariness spurred me to move.

"Come on, Em. We should get some sleep, too," I said softly nudging her.

"Yeah, I know," she grumbled, sounding half asleep already. As we got up, Emma chuckled lightly and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, anything," I said easily.

She looked at me, amusement dancing in her eyes, and asked, "Not that I mind the view, but why are you both naked?"

I blushed, having completely forgotten my lack of clothing under the cloak. "Um, Regina vanished our clothing," I mumbled, turning and heading for the dresser to grab some pajamas. I hurriedly pulled on clothes under the cloak to the sound of Emma's laughter. Once I had gotten into my side of the bed, I muttered, "Night, Em. Love you."

"Good night, Rubes. Love you, too," she replied, still grinning at my embarrassment as she turned out the light. In her sleep, Regina rolled into me and I wrapped my arms around her, cooling my flushed cheek on her silky hair. Emma curled around Regina's back, one arm draped around her slim waist so her hand rested on my stomach. I sighed, relaxing into the comfort of our bed and the safety of family. A moment later, Emma broke the silence again. "You know, I always imagined that the first time I got to see you naked, you'd at least realize what you were doing when you pulled me against your tits."

I groaned, feeling a blush heat my face again. "Shut up, Emma," I snapped before her meaning sank in. "Wait, so you've thought about me naked?"

Emma laughed again and said, "Rubes, I've thought about you and Regina rolling around in bed together every night I've had to work for the last month."

"Why haven't you said anything before now?" I asked cautiously.

Emma shifted to put her weight on her elbow so she could see me over Regina. "We've never had that kind of relationship before and the past few weeks, we've been settling into this new dynamic with Regina and I didn't want to push anything."

"So, am I understanding this correctly? You're saying that you want to have sex with me?" I asked carefully.

"Yeah, I mean only if you want to, Ruby. But if you're not interested, I'd totally understand," she rambled as she grew self-conscious.

I reached out and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and soothingly said, "Chill out, Em. I'm interested, probably not in the next couple of days. But, yeah, I'd like that."

I could feel her skin heat as she blushed. "Oh, alright, thanks," she said quietly.

I chuckled and asked, "What's the real reason you didn't say anything sooner?"

A puzzled look crossed her face and she ignored my question to ask, "Why did I react to you the way I did the other night when we were talking about Regina becoming a wolf?"

"I don't really know, Em. I guess it's because the wolf rose to the surface when we were talking about our family and my pack," I said carefully. I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to press her after everything else that had happened that night.

"Yeah, you kinda went all Alpha Wolf on me," she said wryly. "But that doesn't really explain why I couldn't meet your eyes, or why you were able to stop my panic attack when Regina wasn't."

Sighing, I raked a hand through my hair and looked away. "I have a theory on that, but are you sure you want to talk about it now? I mean a lot has changed tonight, I don't want to overwhelm you again."

"Please tell me. I need to understand what happened before I can think clearly about your offer. And now that Regina's been bitten, I won't be able to stop thinking about it," she pleaded quietly.

"Alright," I agreed, meeting her intense gaze. "You know how you keep saying that this was all meant to happen? I think you're right. I think that we're all meant to be a family, a pack. You reacted so strongly to me that night because the Alpha wolf was riding me and you were drawn to it. I think subconsciously you wanted to submit to your Alpha and join my pack."

She frowned as she considered my words. After a minute she said, "But I'm not submissive and I'm not a wolf. Why would I want to submit to you like that?"

I chuckled softly. "Emma, none of us are submissive women. We are all the type of person who goes out and takes charge. I mean, Regina was literally a queen for a long time. But the Alpha in me is something entirely different. It's not really about wanting to be submissive, it's more about putting your faith and trust in something stronger than you and knowing that you will be safe and loved no matter what." I paused to let her think about what I'd said, and when she looked like she was going to ask another question, I gently added, "Subconsciously, you've already accepted me as your Alpha. Even if you never become a wolf, when you let me calm your panic, you acknowledged my wolf as your Alpha."

Emma looked stricken and she gaped at me, stuttering, "I-I-uh—"

I smiled and cupped her cheek, "Relax, Emma. Even when I'm a wolf, the Alpha doesn't come out very much. In the past it's only really ever happened when someone I care about is in danger, or when my pack needs me to take charge of a situation."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Well, the Alpha came out the other night because you and Regina were both panicking and stressed out by the conversation and needed me to be direct and honest about my feelings and intentions," I explained.

"What about tonight?"

I smiled and glanced down at Regina and said, "The magic of the mating bite pulled it out tonight. I needed to become the Alpha that was fated to be Regina's mate."

"Oh, right. That makes sense," she said, falling silent again as she thought. I waited, giving her time to think through everything. Eventually, she asked, "So, if I became a wolf, would it make me always be submissive to you?"

"No, Em, only when the Alpha takes over," I said, trying not to laugh at the image of a submissive Emma Swan.

"Why do you talk about it like it's different from you and your wolf?" she asked, not noticing my amusement.

"It kind of is. It may have been different if I'd grown up in a pack and always known that I was the Alpha, but I didn't. I don't know, I guess I just talk about it that way because I feel different when my Alpha personality takes over," I said, trying to find the right words to describe it.

"Fair enough," Emma replied through a yawn.

I chuckled and said, "You should get some sleep Emma. We can talk about all of this later. Besides, Regina's going to need us tomorrow."

Her eyes instantly snapped to me and in an almost accusing tone, she asked, "What do you mean?"

I grimaced and said, "She's going to be in for a rough day. Her wolf will be stirring and her body changing to accommodate the transformation. It's not the most pleasant of experiences, but she'll be fine when the moon rises and she changes for the first time."

"How do you know? I thought you were born a wolf," she asked, sounding half-angry and half-curious.

"I was, but I didn't change for the first time until I hit puberty. Everyone's first time is the same. Although in some ways it was worse for me because I didn't know what was happening. I just knew that overnight I got so sick that I thought I was going to die. I had a really high fever and I hurt everywhere. In the Enchanted Forest, we didn't have this world's medicine so it wasn't uncommon for peasants to die from the flu. I thought I was going to be one of them because Granny never explained what was happening. She just looked at me with sad resignation in her eyes, and it made me think that I wasn't going to make it," I explained sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, Rubes," Emma said softly, reaching out to stroke my cheek.

I sighed and pushed down the bitter memories. "It's alright. I just want to do what I can to help Regina get through the day as easily as possible."

"Well, we'll both be here for her. She won't have to go through that alone," Emma said confidently.

I smiled, "Yeah, she's got her mate and her True Love to take care of her. She'll be fine."