Chapter 6

Evelyn's POV

A passing server froze three steps away, staring at us with wide eyes. A couple stepping out of a nearby booth stopped dead, their eyes darting between me and Adrian before they took the hint and hurried away.

Adrian turned back to look at me.

"Evelyn..."

"Don't say my name."

My voice was even colder than I expected.

He choked on his breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. He clearly didn't expect that I wouldn't even let my name touch his lips.

"Just listen to me," he lowered his voice, sounding desperate. "It's not what you think."

I let out a dry, exhausted laugh.

"Isn't that always the line?" I looked at him, my heart feeling like it was being crushed in a fist. Inside, my wolf whimpered at the sheer weight of my resentment.

"Every single time you hurt me, you come back and tell me it's not what I think."

"I never—"

"You always do!" I cut him off.

"You let it happen. Everything Charlotte did to me—you said nothing, you did nothing, you explained nothing. And now that I'm finally done, you make that face, like you're the one who's wounded."

Adrian's composure started to crack.

"That's not what I meant," he said, his words tripping over each other. "I just wanted to talk. I came here tonight to—"

"To what?" I took a half-step toward him, staring him down. "To find a new way to humiliate me?"

Logic told me to walk away, but my wolf was pacing restlessly in my chest. The betrayal of my own instincts was driving me crazy.

I stared at him, the bitter taste of old anger like copper in the back of my throat.

Suddenly, the door to the next booth flew open.

Charlotte marched out, the sharp click-clack of her heels muffled by the carpet. Her eyes went straight to the red mark on Adrian's face, and she immediately stepped in front of him.

Her blonde curls bounced as she instinctively shielded him from me. She looked at me with her emerald eyes, projecting the aura of a future Luna. "Evelyn, what do you think you're doing?"

She reached up, her fingers gently grazing the edge of the red handprint on Adrian's cheek.

"Does it hurt?"

Watching Charlotte perform her "devoted partner" act, even my wolf stopped snarling.

It curled up in the darkest corner of my mind, cold as a stone, completely numb to the scene.

Adrian didn't pull away from her touch, but he didn't lean into it either. He just stood there, looking over Charlotte's shoulder at me, his eyes still full of shock and something else I couldn't quite name.

Two more people walked by, whispering and slowing down to watch the drama.

"Evelyn?" Charlotte said again. Her voice was more urgent now, her brow pinched, her eyes shimmering with fake tears. "Whatever misunderstanding you have with Adrian, you shouldn't—"

Another set of footsteps approached from down the hall.

"Evelyn!"

My assistant, Rose, came running up, looking for me since I'd been gone so long.

She skidded to a halt the moment she saw the three of us.

Her expression shifted as she took in the tension, but she was smart enough not to ask. She tucked her phone into her pocket, gave Adrian a quick, respectful nod, and stood firmly by my side.

Adrian's gaze flickered to Rose, then back to me. He looked genuinely surprised that I wasn't alone.

"You... you aren't here by yourself?" he asked, sounding hesitant.

"It's a work dinner," I said flatly.

Adrian's lips parted like he wanted to say more, but Rose's presence acted like a barrier, choking back whatever words he had left.

Rose tilted her head, looking at Adrian and Charlotte with pure, unfiltered curiosity.

"Evelyn," she said with typical Gen-Z bluntness, "what's going on here?"

"You don't need to know. Go back to the booth."

I gave the order firmly. I didn't want her dragged into this mess.

Rose blinked, started to say something, then thought better of it. She nodded and ducked back into the room.

We were back to the three of us.

Charlotte's hand was still hovering near Adrian's chest, her fingers curled slightly. The tears in her eyes were gone, replaced by a deep, sharp defensiveness.

"Evelyn," she started, her voice returning to that soft, graceful tone. "I know you might—"

"Charlotte."

I cut her off.

"We have nothing to talk about."

Her eyelashes fluttered.

"Keep your hands to yourself," I said, "and stay out of my way."

Adrian's brow slammed down, his mouth opening to snap back—

I didn't give him the chance. I turned my back on them and walked back into the booth.

I sat down and started on my soup. The warm food hit my stomach, finally soothing the cramps caused by my anger.

Marcus was passed out on the table, his breathing heavy and even.

Rose sat across from me, scrolling through her phone, keeping the questions to herself.

I knew moving back to Lunaris City meant I'd run into them eventually. I just didn't expect to see them twice in a few days. By the Goddess, I wanted nothing to do with them.

It wasn't just about Adrian or the old wounds; it was about Nora. If the Blackwood Pack found out about her, I'd lose her.

But when I got home that night, Nora had a surprise for me. She had already met someone at the Academy: her biological brother, my sweet boy, Ethan.