Chapter 105

[Third-Person’s POV]

“Take off your mask.”

In truth, Alexander didn’t even realize that he still had it on. Much like his poor Luna, he too had been running on complete auto-pilot since last night.

He had no aversions to keeping anything else from her. He had reached up and grasped at the edge of the covering and removed it in one swift move. This time, there was no shock. No loss for words.

Evelyn had actually smiled at him as though she’d known what lay beneath that ridiculous facade the whole time.

Then again, perhaps she did.

Either that or the woman was so mentally drained that nothing was capable of fazing her at that point.

Evelyn had then taken Alexander’s offered hand and they made off toward the dining room. For the first time since they met, the two of them felt like they were seeing each other for who they really were.

As they passed through the various halls, they caught the speechless attention of nearly every staff member. Whatever they were doing was momentarily put on hold as the Alpha and Luna of the pack were both walking, hand in hand, together as a united front.

Alexander gave a slight side glance over to Evelyn, pleased to find her just as amused as him.

“This feels strange, doesn’t it?” he asked under his breath.

Given all that had occurred, he was shocked to hear Evelyn actually giggle. For Christ’s sake, the woman had been drugged, and nearly sexually assaulted, and she was missing major clips of her memory.

And yet she’s still able to bear a smile.

Alexander was going to get to the bottom of what happened last night before he found Evelyn. But first, he’d promised to tell her the truth behind his reasoning to remain in a wheelchair for so long.

As they entered the dining room, they were greeted by a nervous-looking Nina and a pleased-looking Wendy. As usual, the two were locked into their own conversation but were swift to move to another location.

Wendy approached the pair with a smile. “I’m not entirely sure what finally brought this revelation about, but may I say that I’m glad it brought the two of you together like this,” she said.

Alexander noticed Evelyn shift uncomfortably beside him. His stomach felt like it had filled with lead. He wished this whole matter was under better circumstances.

Unfortunately, this had all been done because of an enemy.

He wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s waste and kept her close by his side. “Things are going to be very different from now on,” he commented.

Wendy hummed in agreement. “Well, Evelyn, why don’t you come by my rooms later today so we can chat? I’m sure there’s much we need to catch up on.”

Evelyn offered a smile, but Alexander was the one who picked up on her hesitation.

“Actually, I think it would be best if Evelyn takes a mental day for herself. Let the two of you catch up, possibly, tomorrow.”

With that, he led them over to the table and requested some coffee along with a strong cup of tea and two ibuprofen.

He waited until Evelyn had taken her aspirin and most of her tea before speaking. The man had been preparing himself for this exact talk for weeks. Why was he, all of a sudden, finding it difficult to get the words out?

“Why don’t you start with the accident,” she suggested.

Alexander nodded. “At the time, I really was supposed to be in that car. I was due to attend a meeting but something came up and I had to make a last-minute cancellation. I’d told my driver that there was a change in plans. However, the vehicle had already crashed before I was able to inform anyone.”

She nodded her head as he went on.

“I had a strong feeling in my gut that the whole situation had been pre-planned all along. But with that in mind, I needed to appear as though I was still involved in the accident. I consulted with my personal doctor and the two of us concocted a plan to make it look like I had obtained permanent injuries. Keep in mind, the people behind all of it were looking to have me killed.”

Evelyn leaned back in her chair. “Yet, instead, you made it appear as though you’d been severely injured...You pretended to be in a wheelchair and horribly deformed—that was all an act to throw whoever was responsible off the trail.”

He nodded in confirmation. He was rather impressed that she was able to piece that all together so swiftly given her boggled mindset at the moment.

“I figured, even though I wasn’t killed in the crash, no one would suspect I was much up to anything having been bound to a wheelchair,” he noted.

A smug grin tugged at her lips. “You sneaky, sly fox. You managed to convince the whole world that you were handicapped and monstrously injured all the while continuing to work under the radar of your enemies. Alexander, that’s utterly insane and yet absolutely brilliant.”

A feeling stirred in his chest, having been given such a high compliment from her. However, with that praise came a sudden shift in her demeanor.

Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pointed look.

“Am I the only one in this house who didn’t know about this?”

He sheepishly tore his eyes from her to glance at the ornate table setting. “Yes,” he answered. “Like you, the only other people who didn’t know the actual truth were Fiona, Caroline, Michael, and anyone connected to the Royal family. If my plan was going to work, they were the main people I needed to convince.”

Evelyn’s expression was a mix of hurt and disappointment.

“Look, I can understand why you did all of this,” she said calmly. “But...I’m just feeling a bit bothered that you never thought to ever tell me.”

Alexander was quick to deny her statement. “That’s not true. Of course, I was cautious in the beginning. As we mentioned before, we didn’t know each other well enough. But, Evelyn, you must believe me, I’ve wanted nothing more than to tell you the truth.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

He ran one of his hands roughly through his hair. “It was never the right time and let’s be honest, this wasn’t ever going to be an easy conversation to have. You freaked out, as I knew you would.”

“Can you blame me?” she asked accusingly.

“Of course not. Every time I was getting ready to tell you, something came up and it prevented it. It drove me fucking insane. And I knew that the longer I kept putting it off, the harder it was going to be to handle. You have no idea how relieved it feels for me to no longer have to pretend, at least around the house.”

Evelyn’s brows remained slightly furrowed.

“Is there anything else ground-breakingly astonishing about you that you’ve been keeping from me? Now would be a great time to tell me,” she stated.

Alexander chuckled while shaking his head. He watched her features gradually soften. Evelyn reached for his hand.

“I feel like I’m meeting you for the first time,” she said.

He grasped her hand more firmly and presented her with a genuine smile. “Yes, in a way, you are.”