Chapter 50

[Third-Person’s POV]

Evelyn felt her heart drop for a split second, believing she had overstepped some kind of boundary. She found herself following an impulse she didn't know she had. She knew she cared for Alexander but only to the furthest extent he would allow.

After all, the two of them had literally just come back from their first evening out together.

She was glad to have figured out so much from their conversations but she wasn’t entirely sure if she had crossed a line. Husband or not, she had no real idea if it was okay to express such displays of affection.

Just as Evelyn pulled back she felt the unmistakable touch of Alexander’s hand curl around the back of her neck. With little force, he pulled her back down to capture her lips in a real kiss. Once that set her blood ablaze beneath her skin.

His hand sank further into her hair and tried pulling her closer. Evelyn nearly moaned when she felt the first swipe of his tongue sweep against the seam of her mouth.

She clutched at his shirt, trying to gain some kind of sense of stability as her knees began to buckle. Holy shit. For someone who remained so closed off, the man knew how to kiss.

Before she knew it, Alexander dropped his lips to lead a trail of kisses down her jaw and over her neck. She was quickly losing her footing but, thankfully, he brought his other hand up to her waist to keep her steady. Oh God. Was she really going to head back to her family home after something like this?

It didn’t seem fair in the slightest.

Yet after a good, long, and stunningly tortuous moment of Alexander kissing and nipping at her neck and lips, he pulled back. His eyes were blown with lust and his expression was borderline feral. His rough, rugged voice sent sparks and shivers down my spine.

“Have a good trip back home,” Alexander said. “I’ll see you when you get back. Now, go and get some rest.”

[Evelyn's POV]

I couldn’t believe how reluctant I was to leave Kingston Hall. I still remember here being a time when I could hardly stand being in that place. But, due to recent events, and a certain Alpha who was beginning to be a lot more open with me, I was actually feeling regretful.

This felt like such a milestone for us and there I was leaving!

However, I knew I had to check in on my brother. The staff back home were busy and they knew to keep a close eye on Edward and the medications being administered. Not to mention, I simply missed my brother.

So much had happened since the time I was able to sit down and speak with him.

There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind that Isabella was going to try and plan something to make things difficult for me. Yet, somehow, I wasn’t bothered by the possibility. Ever since Alexander and I had shared that intense kiss, I felt as though we had finally entered into a new stage of our relationship.

As opposed to feeling filled with dread, I was feeling hopeful and eager to see my brother and then return back to Alexander.

Needless to say, things were still quite delicate between the two of us. I knew better than to assume anything major had changed. But still...Sharing a kiss like that made me, at least, optimistic about the future.

As soon as the car pulled up to the house, I was surprised to be greeted by a group of staff members who all wore similar smiles. It didn’t even faze me that Isabella nor my father weren’t there to greet me as well.

Right as I got out of the car, I was swept into a sea of smiles and ongoing questions.

“How are you?”

“How is your husband?”

“How is your new pack?”

“Oh my, you look incredible! Are those new clothes?”

Yes, as part of my departure, I made sure that I was dressed like the noblewoman I was made to appear as. With Alexander’s instructive voice in the back of my mind, I moved forward with confidence and my shoulders back.

It was nice to see that not too much had changed around the place. With any luck I was hoping that Isabella wouldn’t be home while I was visiting. Of course, I made the mistake of speaking too soon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a smaller cluster of staff members rushing about the dining room with piles of plates and freshly pressed napkins in their arms.

My brows drew together in question.

“What’s going on?”

One of the staff stepped forward to fill me in on the present chaos. “You see, Mrs. Silverwood and Luna Samantha are in the middle of planning a dinner party.”

“A dinner party? Tonight?”

They all nodded their heads. Their previous expression of excitement had dulled to an obvious note of worry.

“They’ve decided on inviting all the Alphas and Lunas from the neighboring packs.”

Of course, they did. Why am I not surprised by any of this?

No doubt this was some kind of plot to get me to look ridiculous and feel humiliated in front of others. Normally, I would have been panicking about the situation. But thanks to Wendy and Alexander’s help, I felt prepared for the occasion.

...

The evening came like a rush. Before I was barely settled in, I was overcome by groups of people who were all somewhat eager to hear from me. I mentally patted myself on the back for having thought to change into something a bit more formal for the occasion.

I even went as far as to put on the heels Alexander had me practice in. Much to my surprise, I ended up getting quite a few compliments on the ensemble. Meanwhile, I made it a point to purposely keep Samantha and Isabella in the corner of my eye for the majority of the time.

When it came time to sit down for dinner, I was placed on the left-hand side of my father while Isabella sat directly across from me. What surprised me was that Liam had been in attendance as well. He hardly spared Samantha a glance.

I almost felt sorry for them. But then I was able to recall how easily the two of them were so willing to hurt me for their own personal gain.

I could feel their eyes on me rather intensely. As each of the courses was brought out, I went through the appropriate layout of silverware. A sudden smile was brought to my lips as I thought of Alexander and our time out at the restaurant.

“You realize that you went through the entire meal and used each piece of silverware at the appropriate time?”

That prideful glimmer in his eyes almost had me blushing even now. When the final main course was taken away I glanced over at Samantha and Isabella to find their faces turned into bitter sneers.

“Is everything alright?” I asked them calmly.

Isabella fought back a hiss. “Just fine.”

I wanted to glare back at them with my own mocking grin. But no. I decided to maintain my stoic demeanor in honor of Alexander who I wished was with me tonight.

My father turned to speak to me with a tone of genuine admiration that made my blood run cold.

“So, Evelyn, it’s good to see that you’ve finally come into yourself,” he said. “I take it that you and Alexander have been making the marriage work.”

A venomous feeling came creeping in from the back of my mind. I didn’t know what prompted this conversation but it was going to take a dark turn.