ANMELDENALEXANDER
All I could think about as I camped outside Evangeline’s door was how foolish I’d been.
<~NICHOLAS~I have been cool under pressure my entire life.Board meetings where millions were on the line, pack challenges where the outcome changed everything, conversations that could have gone sideways in a hundred different directions, I have sat through all of it without my hands shaking once, and I was genuinely proud of that track record.
~EVA~Sarah took my hand and walked me up to the platform, and I want to be very clear that my legs were doing the absolute bare minimum to keep me upright because everything from the last twenty minutes had my entire nervous system in shambles.The emcee stepped aside when Sarah reached the microphone, and the room, which had been buzzing with chaos from everything that had just gone down, went gradually quieter as people clocked that s
~EVA~One second Margaret was mid-air coming straight for me, half shifted, fur rippling up her arms and her face being absolutely horrifying, and the next second Nicholas was just there, between us, and his arm went forward, and Margaret dropped.My brain genuinely did not process it fast enough and I just stood there like a complete idiot with my mouth open while the entire banquet hall went so quiet I could hear the chandelier humming above us.
~MARGARET~Sarah suddenly stepped forward, and my chest tightened immediately because she had that dangerous look on her face again.“Enough,” she commanded, and the entire ballroom went quiet again. “Margaret has lied long enough.”I laughed instantly because what else was I supposed to do?
~MARGARET~My jaw hurt from smiling, one that made me want to rip these fake lashes off, throw my bouquet at someone’s head, and walk straight out of the ballroom barefoot.The guests were still whispering about the fight.Of course they were.Half the
~EVA~Nicholas had his hand at the small of my back as we walked into the banquet, and I was just trying to keep my heels from catching on the floor when I heard someone say my name in a voice I had spent a long time trying to forget.Alexander was standing about ten feet away, already looking at me like he had been watching the door.
EVANGELINEI woke up to a pounding in my skull and an incessant beeping that I just couldn’t get to stop.It wasn’t until I managed to open my eyes that I realized the beeping wasn’t coming from me, it was coming from the machine right next to me. Someone had hooked me up to an IV and a monitor for
EVANGELINEI stared at him in shock, hoping he was joking, but as the seconds passed, I realized he was serious.I turned to him furiously.I’d done everything to keep myself from crashing out. I told myself they didn’t deserve to see that part of me. I calmed my breathing while he made excuses ear
EVANGELINEReluctantly, I trudged out into the crisp, cold air.The harsh wind nipped at my skin, and I looked back longingly through the windows of the house to find grandmother seated near the fire, warming her hands and blowing out cool air.I couldn’t imagine how she would comfortably leave me
EVANGELINEI turned to find Alexander standing behind me dressed in jeans and a large jacket over his body. I hadn’t seen him since he abandoned me on the road.“When did you get back home yesterday?” I asked and he shrugged.“Late. That doesn’t-”“Do you want to know when I got back home? Or how?”







