Chapter 11

Evelyn’s POV 

“Are you okay?” Cassian asked quietly, his voice cutting through the stunned silence of the hall as his silver eyes searched my face.

I drew a steady breath, the adrenaline still thrumming in my veins. “Yes,” I said, my tone calm and certain. “I’m fine.”

Cassian nodded once, then turned back to Alexander and Scarlett with the full weight of his royal authority.

“And what are you two still doing standing here?” His voice was low, dangerous, every word edged with ice. “Didn’t you hear me? I told you to leave. You were about to attack my sister and Lady Valtresse in the royal palace. That alone is grounds for expulsion—if not worse.”

Alexander stepped forward, disbelief and desperation warring on his face. “You are mistaken, your majesty. This woman”—he gestured toward me, his voice tightening—“is my wife. Evelyn Reed Thorne. She’s been missing for months. She’s not allowed to leave pack territory without my permission as her Alpha. I came here tonight for the banquet, only to find her dressed like… like this. She ran away. She left with another man.”

The hall’s murmurs grew louder, a ripple of scandalized whispers spreading like wildfire.

Cassian’s lips curved into a cold, humorless smile.

“That man,” he said evenly, “was me.”

Alexander froze. Scarlett’s hand flew to her mouth.

“You—” Alexander’s voice cracked with fury. “You’re the home-wrecker who took my wife?”

Cassian’s eyes flashed silver. “Choose your next words very carefully, Alpha Thorne.”

But Alexander was beyond caution, rage and humiliation driving him forward. “How dare you involve yourself with a married woman? Aren’t you afraid of tarnishing the royal family’s reputation? Seducing another man’s Luna—”

Cassian and I both froze at the exact same moment. We turned to look at Liora standing beside me. 

She frowned in confusion, her golden eyes narrowing, head slightly tilted as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

Alexander caught the shift.

His gaze darted between us—Cassian, me, Liora—then settled on me with sudden, triumphant certainty.

He thought he’d pieced it together.

He thought I’d been having an affair with a Lycan prince. He didn’t know that the Lycan prince was my brother, and I was the Lycan princess.

“Evelyn,” he said, voice softening into gentleness, extending a hand. “It’s not too late. Come home with me now. I’ll forgive you. We can fix this. Whatever he promised you—”

Cassian moved to block him, voice like thunder. “She is not going anywhere with you, young man. You are not worthy of her. You never were and you never will be.”

Alexander’s face twisted with fury. He stepped closer to Cassian, shoulders squared, Alpha aura flaring. “Stay out of this. She’s my wife—”

I couldn’t take this any longer. 

“Stop.”

My voice cut through the tension like a blade.

Both men turned to me.

Alexander’s eyes widened in shock.

Because I wasn’t looking at him.

I was looking at Cassian—my brother.

“Cassian is right,” I said clearly, every word deliberate. “You’re not worthy of me, Alexander. You never saw me. Not really.”

Alexander stared, mouth opening and closing as if the words had been punched out of him.

“You’re… defending him?” he whispered, disbelief cracking his voice. “After everything we—”

“There is no ‘we’ anymore,” I said. “There hasn’t been for a long time.”

The hall held its breath.

Scarlett’s face had gone deathly pale.

And Alexander—my husband of seven years—looked like the ground had just opened beneath him. 

Good. He’d better start getting used to how things are going to be from now on. 

For a few seconds, he stood utterly still, face pale, eyes wide with disbelief as my words hung in the air. The hall watched in breathless silence.

Then his shock turned dark and possessive.

“Fine,” he said at last, voice rough and low. “I’ll leave.”

He took a step closer, gaze locked on me. “But this isn’t over. You still belong to me, Evelyn—whether you like it or not.”

Scarlett tugged at his arm, murmuring something urgent, but he shook her off. With one last burning look at me—and at Cassian—he turned on his heel. Scarlett hurried after him, crimson gown trailing like spilled blood as they disappeared through the crowd.

The tension in the hall eased slightly, whispers rising in their wake.

Cassian let out a slow breath, then glanced at me with a wry shake of his head.

“You must have been blind to fall for that one,” he muttered, half-teasing, half-serious.

I managed a small, tired smile and shook my head. “I was young. And stupid.”

Before he could reply, Liora stepped forward, her golden eyes soft with regret.

“Evie…” she began, voice quieter than I’d ever heard it. “I’m sorry. For everything I said back then. For not coming after you sooner. I was angry, but I was wrong. I should have fought harder to keep you from leaving—or dragged you home myself the moment I realized how badly he was hurting you.”

My throat tightened. She doesn’t know how much it means to hear her say that. 

I reached for her hands. “I’m sorry too. For not listening. For shutting you out. I thought I had to do it alone.”

We pulled each other into a fierce hug, years of distance dissolving in an instant. I’d missed her so much. 

Cassian watched us, arms crossed, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. “Finally. Took you two long enough.”

Liora pulled back, wiping her eyes, then smirked. “Oh, look who’s talking—the overprotective big brother who never smiles unless he’s terrifying someone.”

I laughed, joining in. “He’s been practicing that scowl since we were pups. Remember when he scared off my first crush at the midsummer festival?”

Cassian groaned. “I was doing you a favor. The boy couldn’t shift properly.”

We teased Cassian mercilessly for the next few minutes, the earlier storm forgotten in the warmth of old friendship restored.

Then Liora turned to him, eyes gleaming with that familiar spark of challenge.

“You still owe me a rematch on the training grounds, Cassian,” she said, folding her arms. “Last time you barely won, and only because you cheated with that ridiculous feint.”

Cassian’s mouth curved into a slow smile. “Cheated? I call it strategy. You just hate losing to someone who can predict your every move.”

“Please,” Liora scoffed, stepping closer. “You predict nothing. You just get lucky. If we fought fair—no royal tricks, no holding back—I’d have you on your back in under a minute.”

His eyebrow arched. “Big words for someone who still flinches when I shift first.”

“I do not flinch.”

“You absolutely do. It’s adorable.”

Their voices dropped into that easy, heated rhythm they’d always had—half argument, half flirtation—eyes locked, bodies angled toward each other like magnets.

They didn’t even notice I was still standing there.

I watched the way Liora’s cheeks flushed just slightly when he leaned in, the way Cassian’s usual stoic mask cracked into a small, reluctant grin.

There was a real spark there. Undeniable.

A soft warmth spread through my chest.

I smiled to myself—genuinely happy for them.

Then I slipped away quietly, leaving them to their moment. They still didn’t notice. 

I didn’t want to disturb whatever was growing between them.

I sincerely hoped—truly, deeply—that they would find their way to each other.

I stepped out onto the moonlit balcony, cool night air washing over me.

A moment later, heavy footsteps approached.

My father.

King Alaric joined me at the railing, his towering presence as comforting as ever.

We stood in silence for a while, watching the silver pines sway below.

“You handled yourself well tonight,” he said at last, pride in his deep voice.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He turned to me, expression serious. “Matters aside, there is work to be done, Evelyn. Strange incidents have been reported among the werewolf packs.” 

“What sort of incidents?” I asked. 

He brought out a small list from the pocket of his robe and began: 

“Small fights along pack borders are being blamed on rogue wolves; but many appear staged. 

“Silver shipments used for weapons, trade and defenses are disappearing or being delayed. 

“There’s also been whispers of old grudges resurfacing. Some packs are now questioning our authority. Secretly resisting the Kingdom’s oversight.”

I met his gaze. “You want me to investigate.”

He nodded, tucking the note away. “You will visit each pack personally. Observe. Listen. Root out disloyalty before it festers. Prove to them—and to yourself—that the future Queen sees what others miss.”

My heart quickened. This was real responsibility. Trust.

“Where do I start?”

His silver-blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight.

“Shadowfang Pack.”

Alexander’s pack.