Evelyn’s POVChristian pulled into the familiar driveway of the Turners' home. The street was quiet, too quiet. I could feel something pressing on my chest the second we stopped, like my ribs were holding in more than just breath.He killed the engine and stepped out first, moving slower than usual. Not lazy, just... restrained. His tall frame circled around the front of the car, and he opened my door before I could reach for the handle.Typical.He held the keys out toward me without saying a word. I took them, brushing his fingers as I did. It was brief. Barely a second. But it was electric.He leaned against the side of the car with his arms folded, staring at the old maple tree across the street like it held all the answers to the universe. His face was unreadable, calm, cold maybe, but not indifferent. Just… complicated.God, what was he thinking?I stepped beside him, shoulder to shoulder, my arm brushing his again. That same jolt ran up my skin like a spark through metal. He di
Evelyn’s POVThe second I saw the grand iron gates of Bluestone compound come into view, my entire body tensed like I’d just walked into a cold shower. My pulse quickened, palms clammy on my thighs.God… how long had it been? Months.The last time I was here, Christian had basically thrown me into a car and spirited me away to Nevada, told me I needed space. Some time off. And I let him. I needed it back then, didn’t I?But now, here we were again. Full circle.Christian slowed the car and then… stopped, just a few meters before the gate.I blinked and turned toward him. “Why’d you stop?”He didn’t answer immediately. He cleared his throat, then gave me a sideways glance. “You sure about this?”“Yes,” I said quickly, maybe too quickly. My throat felt tight, like I was swallowing rocks.He exhaled and nodded. “I’m glad you’ve decided to change your mind but…”Oh no. No no no. I knew where that was going.“Don’t jinx this,” I cut him off, holding up a hand before he could let the full s
Evelyn’s POVThe car was quiet. Too quiet. I could hear every tick of the damn turn signal and the occasional whoosh of cars passing by. Christian sat there, staring out the windshield like it held answers he’d been looking for his whole life.Then he spoke.“There were five of them.”I turned my head slowly. “Five of who?”He glanced down at his phone, thumbed the screen like he was checking the time, or maybe just avoiding eye contact. “Werewolves,” he finally said. “The ones who killed my parents.”I blinked. “Five? I thought…”He shook his head. “Yeah, me too. Turns out, they were looking for something… a gene. Some rare mutation only certain bloodlines carry. And they thought my parents had it. Or passed it on.”I swallowed. “Is it… does this have anything to do with me?”“No,” he answered quickly. Too quickly. “It has nothing to do with you.”Still, his eyes wouldn’t meet mine.I shifted in my seat. “So… what happened? After you left me back in Nevada?”He finally looked at me t
Evelyn’s POVIt’s been almost a week since Christian showed up at Charming like he didn’t drop off the face of the earth for months. He said he used a tracker to find me.Yeah. A tracker.When I asked him how he managed to get a tracker on me, he said “Magic.” He actually said that with a straight face and a smug grin, as if I was supposed to just... accept it. No explanation, no technical breakdown. Just “magic.” But here's the thing that he knew, I’d let it go, and I did. I was too tired to argue. And besides, there’s no way it was a microchip. I've had so many scans and tests done since I got here, and not one single doctor mentioned anything unusual under my skin. Surely someone would’ve seen something, right? A metal dot? A scar? Anything?Nope. Nothing.So what the hell kind of tracker was he talking about?Sometimes I wonder if Christian even knows how insane he sounds. Then again, we’re werewolves. Our entire existence is basically crazy. Maybe I should stop questioning the
Evelyn’s POVThe second I saw the grand iron gates of Bluestone compound come into view, my entire body tensed like I’d just walked into a cold shower. My pulse quickened, palms clammy on my thighs.God… how long had it been? Months.The last time I was here, Christian had basically thrown me into a car and spirited me away to Nevada, told me I needed space. Some time off. And I let him. I needed it back then, didn’t I?But now, here we were again. Full circle.Christian slowed the car and then… stopped, just a few meters before the gate.I blinked and turned toward him. “Why’d you stop?”He didn’t answer immediately. He cleared his throat, then gave me a sideways glance. “You sure about this?”“Yes,” I said quickly, maybe too quickly. My throat felt tight, like I was swallowing rocks.He exhaled and nodded. “I’m glad you’ve decided to change your mind but…”Oh no. No no no. I knew where that was going.“Don’t jinx this,” I cut him off, holding up a hand before he could let the full s
Evelyn “Christian?” I said again, softer this time, like maybe if I repeated it enough, it would feel more real.He didn’t move, just stood there with that same crooked smirk, hands in his pockets, eyes locked on me like he’d never left. My heart was punching against my ribs, loud and hard. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.Little feet padded past me. Mika, curious and fearless as ever, peered up at him from behind my leg. “Are you here to see my dad?” she asked, craning her neck to get a better look at him.Christian chuckled, his voice still deep and annoyingly smooth. “Nope. I’m here to see Eve here.”Eve.God, I forgot how the way he said that made my chest ache and burn all at once.Mika looked up at me like she needed confirmation. I nodded, gently brushing her back. “Go on upstairs, sweetheart. Natasha’s waiting.”She hesitated, then gave Christian one last glance before skipping off, her curls bouncing. Once I heard the stairs creak under her weight and the muffled voice