Ruby didn't sleep at all that night. She laid in the bed and stared at the ceiling, counting the minutes. Her mind raced at how close she had come to being free. At how close she had come to going to the police station and getting back on track to save her life.

And now, she was nothing more than a caged animal. Owners had changed, sure, but this was just as suffocating. And, Ruby couldn't ignore the fact that she was completely terrified of what Atlas Langdon was capable of. What any werewolf was capable of.

She had stretched her legs to look out of the window, across the dark lawn, staring into the woods. Not quite like Kierson's home, but a similar experience. She wondered where everyone else was. In Kierson's home, she heard wolves at all hours of the night. People walking, people talking, people moving about outside.

She had never felt alone at Kierson's home. But here, she felt isolated. The only person locked away.

By the time the sky began to lighten, Ruby's eyes burned. Her head ached. She felt a heaviness in her chest that she couldn't seem to ignore. She felt utterly hopeless to whatever situation Atlas deemed fit for her.

Kierson will kill you, Atlas had said, and it was right. Ruby knew that. She knew that Kierson was likely prowling around the city looking for her, sniffing her out, ready to drag her to Hell for what she did. She knew Ryan was out there somewhere, searching for her and reporting back to Kierson. No, not at the apartment. No, not at the restaurant.

She shivered with the implication that Atlas was likely right: no where was safe for her in the city. Not as long as Kierson lived here.

It made Ruby feel hollow, knowing that if she ever escaped Atlas, she would have to run away again. Move somewhere else. Start somewhere new. It made tears gather behind her eyelids. She had worked hard to get to the East Coast, and it was all gone in the blink of an eye.

There was a knock at the door. It had Ruby sitting up, eyes cutting to the window where the sun had barely begun to rise. She crawled off of the bed, stomach twisting in knots. She knew what this meant.

When she opened the door, an exhausted Atlas stood on the other side. Dark circles were gathered under his eyes, and his face looked paler than she had ever seen it before. She wasn't sure what he was losing sleep over, and she wouldn't ask.

She tilted her head down, not looking him in the eyes. Something about the eye contact felt intimate in ways Ruby didn't want to explore. "I'm not running. You can't make me." The words felt like steel in her mouth, sharp and unforgiving. "I'm not your toy, and you can't make me train. I refuse."

"I'm not here to make you run. Or train you. Or do whatever crazy shit Kierson forced you to do. I'm not him." There was disgust in his voice at the comparison. "We're going into the city."

Ruby's eyes did look up then, right at Atlas. Hope bloomed in her chest, and she tried to pop it to save herself heartbreak. She wasn't sure her expression got the memo. "Really?"

"I have errands to run, and I'm not comfortable with you staying here alone." He eyed her outfit, and his mouth flattened. "We'll be leaving in about an hour."

Ruby looked back to the window, then tried to see around Atlas into the hall. "Where are the rest of your pack? Surely I wouldn't be alone if I stayed?"

Atlas gave her a strange look. "This is my personal home. My pack doesn't live here with me. They live in the city like civilized people."

"But..." Ruby thought about everything she knew about werewolves from media: in most books she read, they did live in the woods.

"I'm not like Kierson. We don't have a pack house, and we don't live together. My pack lives in their own homes with their families."

Her mouth opened and closed. She blinked at Atlas like he was lying to her, and he was watching her with hawk eyes, gauging her reaction to this news like he wasn't sure how she would take it. Like he wasn't sure what would scare her away.

She swallowed all of her questions about his life, about his house, about the bedroom she had spent the night in. Instead, she asked, "Why an hour?"

"I assume you'd like to shower?" Atlas nodded towards a closed door on the left side of the bedroom. "I have towels in there, but all the products are... masculine. They're mine, so I'm not sure if they're the uh, right things for you. But you're more than welcome to use them."

Seeing Atlas uncomfortable was new for Ruby. She had never seen him be anything but rude and crass, and sometimes pissed off. But this version of him was slightly awkward. And then, it dawned on Ruby: this was his bedroom.

She looked over her shoulder at the dark bedding she had laid in all night. At the dresser that now, in the morning light, was clearly not for a guest. Books she had overlooked were lined up. A figurine of some sort was resting on the end. There was a poster on the wall too that hung behind the bed.

She had slept in Atlas's room. In his bed. Her cheeks burned as she avoided his eyes. "Is this your room?"

"You needed a place to stay." His voice was strained. "I'll be back to get you in an hour. Take your time."

Ruby didn't need an hour, but she found herself gawking at the shower in the bathroom. It was large, with the most lavish shower head she had ever seen. When she turned on the water, she was floored to find that Atlas had a waterfall shower. And it only took seconds to heat up.

She had never had an instant hot water shower. Not once in her life. She marveled as she stepped into the shower at just how expensive this had to be. And while his products were in fact manly, at least he had conditioner. And soap. None of that three-in-one business.

By the end of the shower, Ruby felt a little bit better. She certainly felt more awake. She didn't have a change of clothes, so she got changed in her old outfit and carefully finger brushed her hair until she was satisfied.

By the time she walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs, she was feeling like the outing to the city would be a good thing. She was almost excited to get out of this house, even if Atlas was bringing her back.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, Atlas came to join her from a room to the right, his eyes swallowing her whole as she stepped down the last step. She felt suddenly nervous as her eyes met his, and she found her mouth go dry.

It wasn't that he looked angry necessarily, but the way his brows lowered over his eyes was certainly not welcoming nor kind. She felt her heart skip as his eyes tracked her from head to toe. Then, just when she thought he would say something, he spun on his heel and walked out of the front door.

She wanted to ask him what his issue was, but Ruby swallowed her tongue and followed. She was a little worried about riding the bike for a second time, but Atlas led the two of them to a truck parked off to the side.

A truck she recognized. The same truck he had delivered flowers in. The memory surfaced, and Ruby felt a little sick at the realization that she had been there choosing flowers for the wedding she was planning. What had happened with that? How mad had the clients been with her disappearance?

Atlas didn't seem to notice her sudden change in thoughts. He moved to the driver side door and hopped into the truck, starting it without waiting for Ruby. Asshole, she thought bitterly to herself as she climbed into the passenger seat.

The truck wasn't fancy by any means. It was an honest to God farm truck. It rumbled as Atlas drove it down his driveway, bouncing into the main road. Atlas had his window rolled down, his arm resting on it. His other hand was loose on the steering wheel, and Ruby told herself to stop staring.

But she couldn't stop herself. The wind blowing in from the window had his dark hair rustling, curling behind his ears, flowing in a way that made Ruby want to run her hands through it. She followed the line of sight down his tan neck, following his broad shoulders and the way his arm drove. Muscles flexed under his tan skin, and Ruby had the sudden image of his hand moving to grip her thigh-

"Why are you staring at me?" Atlas sounded disgusted. He turned to look at her, his face scrunched up. Ruby wasn't sure what to say, because admitting that she was checking him out felt morbidly embarrassing. Her cheeks burned as she looked out the windshield.

"Nothing."

"Ah, you're lying now?" A hint of humor. "Good luck with that."

Ruby needed a change of conversation topic. She cleared her throat. "So, how does it work? What is considered your uh, territory? Kierson said you were the Alpha of your pack."

Atlas snorted. "You want to discuss this? Right now?"

Ruby turned to look at him again, finding he was already watching her. His eyes flicked between the road and her face.

"Yeah. You're forcing me to be here. We might as well talk. I'm not... I'm not one of you. So the least you can do is explain it to me."

"The entire city is my territory. I own it all."

"What? Everything? That's impossible."

"Not impossible. The restaurant you worked at? I own it. The other apartment buildings in the city? I own those, too. The florist I delivered to? I also own that building."

Ruby felt like a rug was being pulled out from under her feet. Her head spun with what Atlas was saying, and what he wasn't saying. "So... I was never going to find a new place to live?" Fury was low in her voice.

"Not necessarily. I may own the buildings in the city, but I often hire property management companies to manage everything. There were chances that you could move into a building I don't directly oversee."

She was still furious. "You own the restaurant? Chelsea never said anything."

"Why would Chelsea know who owns the building? I'm not her manager."

Ruby shook her head. "How does one person own an entire city? What about the city government?"

Atlas's smile was lethal. "You don't want to know the answer to that."

"Atlas, you're lying. Right? You have to be lying." If he wasn't, that was terrifying enough. But how could one person come into that sort of money? That sort of monopoly?

"The Canes Venatici Clan has always been here. My father once owned the city, and my grandfather before him, and so on. My family has owned this city for generations. But of course, the humans that live here don't know that. Unlike some packs, I don't make myself an overlord." He snorted. "You'd be surprised how many cities and towns, even some states, are owned by werewolf clans. And you would know nothing."

"But... you bought our building recently. How? If you already owned it-"

"Ah, that was a mistake I made many years ago. A mistake I regret. But the thing about werewolves is we do have the time to play the long game. I can take as long as I want to buy property. I'm not dying anytime soon."

"So, where are you taking me then? What errands did you need to run?" Her voice came out a little angry. Ruby was beginning to think she was dreaming; that all of this since the first werewolf was some sick sort of coma-nightmare.

"First, to the flower farm. And then, I want you to meet some people. I think you'll like them."

Ruby wanted to disagree. She wanted to stomp her feet and yell at him for doing this to her. For owning the city. For taking away her chances of ever escaping his grasp.

It never mattered if she had moved into that other apartment building, because Atlas most likely owned it.

She didn't say anything for the rest of the drive. She wanted to play the silent game, but that didn't bother Atlas. He probably liked that she was quiet for once. But as they pulled into the farm, the truck crunching over gravel, Ruby couldn't stop the delight that crossed her face.

Fields and fields of flowers greeted them. When Atlas pulled the truck to a stop, Ruby threw open the door to jump out.

By now, the morning sun was high in the sky, and the air around her was beginning to feel humid. The fields themselves were filled with different types and colors of flowers. Rows and rows, with little dirt pathways in-between.

She heard Atlas jump out of the truck, but she was too busy moving towards the flowers. She followed a path of asters slowly as Atlas caught up to her. "Hey!" he barked. "Don't just jump out like that."

She wasn't listening. The fields stretched on, row after row of different types of flowers. Different colors. Different heights, different everything.

She looked back to the truck. It was parked in front of a wooden walk-in shed of sorts. A small building. A few stacks of five gallon buckets sat beside it. "This is the farm you inherited?"

Atlas didn't respond right away, so Ruby looked back at him. She wasn't quite ready for the tenderness in his expression, either at her question or at her. She wasn't sure, and she sure wasn't going to ask.

When it was clear he wouldn't answer, Ruby gave a sad smile. "You don't have to tell me. I get it." She looked back across the fields. "What errand are you running? More flowers to the florist?"

Atlas was grateful for the change in conversation. He had the sudden, wild thought to pull Ruby Crowell into his arms and kiss her. His fingers twitched, as if he wanted to reach for her, and he forced himself back.

"You're ruining this, as always," Rufias grumbled in his head. "I'll never forgive you for destroying our chances."

Atlas had been hearing this for weeks, so he ignored it. Ignored Ruby, too. He turned to walk to the building, now that he was sure she wouldn't run away. "Yes, I have an order for the florist. Come on, you can help me load the truck."

Did Ruby want to help? No. She wanted to wander the fields for hours, but instead, she followed Atlas up to the building, watching as he opened the door and moved inside, not bothering to hold the door open for her, or wait for her to enter. Dick, she hissed in her head as she caught the closing door.

The building was bigger than she originally thought. The inside had an industrial fridge where Atlas had buckets of flowers. There were more buckets, a bar where he had tools and leaf cuttings. It was a workshop of sorts.

Atlas passed her a five gallon bucket filled with water and flowers. "Here, make yourself useful."

Ruby grunted and stumbled back a step at the sudden weight. She had not been expecting it, and the bucket was awkward to hold. Atlas watched her struggle, but he didn't move to help her. She found herself glaring at him, itching to call him a name, but she figured that would only make her situation worse.

She turned on her heel and staggered towards the truck, arms burning and water sloshing over the edges, spilling all over her. She felt her grip slipping, but before she could drop the bucket, she managed to set it down on the lip of the truck bed.

"We'll have to work on that form," Atlas observed in a low, judgemental voice. He set his bucket next to hers with a raised brow.

"Who said I want to be your assistant?" She turned to look at him, eyes narrowing. "I told you I'm not training."

Atlas shrugged. "Suit yourself. Either sit in the truck or stand by the building. But the moment you run, I will drag you back, Sweetheart."

Atlas turned back to the workshop, disappearing through the doorway. She would call his bluff, except she knew he would absolutely drag her back. She knew he wouldn't have to even shift into a wolf to do so; he was probably a fast runner.

Ruby moved back to the flowers. In the far distance, she could see rows of greenhouses. The property seemed to go on for forever, stretching in all directions around her. Further down the row she currently stood in, she could see an arbor of sorts, and so she headed that way.

Once she was a little closer, Ruby could see that the arbor was an entrance to a small space hidden within the woods that surrounded the fields. A small pond lay on the other side, a wooden bench placed under a weeping willow. When she stepped a little closer, there were initials in the tree: A + M.

Something twisted in her stomach at the A. Was it Atlas? And if so, who was M?

It didn't matter. She forced herself to sit down on the bench, the shade of the willow tree providing relief from the early autumn sun. Ruby could admit grudgingly that it was beautiful in the fields. She could see herself getting lost in a book on this bench. She could see herself spending afternoons there, just enjoying the call of nature.

Her drowsiness hit her like a wall. She hadn't slept last night, and she was utterly exhausted. She laid down on the bench, curling up on the small space, and closed her eyes. She figured she would get a bit of sleep while Atlas finished, and then they would be on their merry way.

She blinked her eyes open as the sense of movement. Her senses came back to her slowly, and she could feel someone carrying her. Her head rested right underneath a chin, and strong arms gripped her under her knees and her back.

She knew without looking that it was Atlas. He was approaching his truck, and with one hand, he skillfully shifted her weight so he could open the passenger side door. Carefully - more carefully than Ruby could imagine Atlas was capable of - he sat her in the seat.

She kept her eyes closed, letting her head roll against the headrest. She felt Atlas buckle her in, his hands slowly skimming her skin. When he slowly moved away, she felt his hand on her chin, twisting her face towards his.

She blinked her eyes open, taking his dark eyes, his soft face, his unruly hair. "Hi," she whispered, feeling embarrassed in the intimate moment. "What time is it?"

She fought a yawn as Atlas slid his hand away. "A little past ten. I let you rest for a little while on the bench." His eyes watched as she rubbed her eyes. There was something in his expression that seemed almost tender. "Did you sleep last night?"

Ruby shook her head no. "I didn't know what you were going to do with me. I couldn't sleep."

"Ruby..." he trailed off. He wanted to say something, she could tell, but he shook his head and shut the passenger side door.

When he joined her in the truck, he didn't look over at her on purpose. "I'm going to bring you home so you can sleep."

"But what about the flowers?" She twisted to look at the window to the bed of the truck, but it was empty.

"I already finished that errand. I didn't want to wake you up."

Something tight filled her chest at that revelation. He's an asshole. Don't get confused, she warned herself. Ruby wasn't foolish enough to think Atlas cared. Not a single part of him was good. And now, he was bringing her back to lock her away.

She squirmed in her seat. "I'm sorry I'm ruining your errands."

"You're not."

The rest of the drive was silent. Ruby stared out of the window, watching the cityscape pass by. She tried not to feel bitter about it, but she couldn't stop the way her eyes lingered on the pedestrians walking the sidewalks.

Her eyes seemed to bug out when Atlas pulled in front of the apartment building. She squashed the hope that flared within her as she turned to him slowly. "What are we doing here?"

Atlas jumped out of the truck. She scrambled to follow him as he unlocked the front door, opening it and waiting for her to catch up. She wondered what he had left in his office, why he would stop here of all places.

When she entered the building, she saw two tenants lingering by the mailslots. She eyed Atlas as he led her upstairs, up three flights to be exact, and by the time they stood in front of her old apartment, Ruby couldn't seem to breathe.

She looked over at Atlas, eyes wide.

He unlocked her apartment, pushing the door open for her.

"No," Ruby said in reflex. She stepped into the apartment, eyes roving over her things. Her boxes. Her belongings that she thought were gone forever. She whirled back to Atlas as he stepped into the apartment, the door shutting behind him.

"You didn't get rid of my stuff?"

Atlas wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'll be back later. Do I need to remind you that I will find you if you run? Do I need to remind you that Kierson is hunting for you right now, as we speak?"

"Who were those people downstairs? I thought you kicked us all out?"

Atlas stared at her, his eyes eating her whole. His face twisted into defensiveness. "To be transparent, I kicked you all out of the building so members of my pack could live here instead. The others in these apartments are werewolves, Ruby. And they all know you're here."

Was that a threat? She couldn't tell. "You were going to make me homeless for that?" She was angry. Pissed, in fact. "You own every building! They couldn't live elsewhere?"

"No. And I won't take critique from you." His tone of voice bordered on nasty. "But you got what you wanted, Ruby. I'm letting you renew your lease."

Ruby's mouth dropped open. For a brief moment, she thought about strangling him. "No. I'm not living here. I'm leaving the city, actually. I'm starting over somewhere new. Somewhere away from you!"

Atlas slid his hands into his pockets, at ease. "No, I don't think you will be doing that. Kierson will kill you. No matter where you go. You're the safest you will ever be right here."

"You can't stop me."

Atlas took a step towards her, and then another. He walked towards her until Ruby began to scramble back, putting space between them. Was this the moment he killed her himself? She felt the wall hit her back, and with nowhere to go, she found herself glaring at Atlas.

He stopped once he was toe to toe with her. He leaned his forearm on the wall above her head, moving into her personal space. Having him this close, when their chests were nearly touching, Ruby felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. She could practically feel it in her throat.

With his other hand, Atlas wrapped it around her jaw, tilting her face up to his. She stopped breathing entirely, wondering if he was going to kiss her. Wondering if he was feeling the same way she was; her stomach tying itself into knots at the mere touch of his hand. Her brain turning to mush the moment his eyes met hers.

"Sweetheart, we both know you won't be leaving." His thumb brushed over her lower lip, and heat thrummed up her neck and splashed onto her cheeks. "I'll see what I can do about getting you your job back at the restaurant and the event company. You can resume your little human existence. We can even go back to pretending you hate me. But you won't be leaving."

"Why?" Her voice was husky, even to her own ears. She was painfully turned on, and he wasn't even doing anything, not really. He'd barely touched her.

"I told you. I need you alive, and the moment you leave this city, Kierson will be on you. I won't let him take you a second time."

Did she trust Atlas? Ruby wanted to say no. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to kick him where it would hurt the most.

But instead, she yawned in his face. She found herself nodding. And she wondered why Atlas Langdon, the man who once wanted her homeless, suddenly needed her alive and well within his apartment walls.