Chapter 05

Evalina's pov

"Thank you," I said, stepping out of Magnus's arms. My legs wobbled a little on the icy porch. "I can stand now."

Before he could answer, the front door creaked open.

A little girl stood in the doorway. She had big brown eyes and long dark curls. One hand held a wooden crutch. The other hand held a white stuffed bunny with a small rip in one ear.

"Daisy," Magnus said. His voice went soft. "You should be asleep."

So this was his daughter. The child from the stories. I knelt down so we were the same height and smiled at her.

"You must be Daisy," I said. "I'm Evalina."

She looked at me for a long moment. Then she lifted her chin.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Evalina," she said. "Daddy says I don't have to like you. But I do have to be polite."

I almost laughed. It was so honest.

Magnus did not laugh. "Daisy. That wasn't polite. Go to your room."

Her lip trembled, but she nodded. "Yes, Daddy."

She turned and walked away slowly, her crutch tapping on the wooden floor. Tap. Step. Tap. Step.

"It's okay," I told Magnus as I stood up. "She doesn't have to like me. I'm a stranger in her house."

He looked at me with surprise, like that wasn't the answer he expected. Then he sighed and leaned against the doorframe.

"Daisy got hurt the night her mother died," he said quietly.

My heart beat faster. "The night your Luna was killed?"

"Yes." His jaw tightened. "Her leg was badly broken. I've taken her to every healer in these mountains and beyond. They all say the same thing. The bone has healed. She should be able to walk by now."

"But she still uses the crutch?"

"She won't walk without it. Not even one step." He rubbed his face with his hand. "I think she's still trying to get over losing her mother."

He paused. "We both are."

The pain in his voice was real. I could hear it.

"Then I hope I can help her feel safe again," I said. "I know what it's like to lose a part of yourself. I know what it's like when everyone looks at you like you're broken."

Magnus turned his head and stared at me. His gray eyes were so intense that I had to look away.

He didn't say anything. He just kept watching me, like he was trying to see something deep inside me that I couldn't see myself.

I wrapped his coat tighter around my body and looked out at the dark trees.

Everyone in Redwater said Magnus killed his first Luna in one of his cursed rages. And Daisy got hurt that same night.

Was it true? Did he really do it? Did his own claws tear his family apart?

I looked back at him. He was still watching me.

"Shall we go inside?" he asked.

"Yes," I said quickly. "Please."

As I turned toward the door, something moved at the edge of the forest. I stopped.

A woman in a red coat stood between the trees, half hidden in the falling snow. Her eyes glowed yellow in the dark. She was staring right at me.

I blinked, and she was gone.

"Evalina?" Magnus called from inside.

"Coming," I said. I rubbed my arms and hurried through the door.

* * *

The house was not what I expected at all.

I thought the cursed Alpha would live in a cold stone castle full of chains and shadows. Instead, it was a wooden house with low ceilings and thick beams. A fire crackled in a big stone fireplace. Soft blankets lay over the chairs. The walls were covered with old paintings of wolves running through the snow.

"This is beautiful," I said. "It feels so warm. So cozy."

Magnus closed the door behind us. "Most people just call it old."

"Old means it survived," I said, running my hand along the smooth wooden wall. "I respect that."

He was quiet for a moment. When I looked back at him, that small smile was on his face again.

"My great-great-grandparents built this house with their own hands," he said. "They were the very first Alphas of the Ironpeak Pack. Every Alpha after them has lived here."

"It's wonderful."

"There's just one thing." He scratched the back of his neck. "The house only has two bedrooms."

I turned around slowly. "Two?"

"Daisy has one. I have the other."

I looked at the hallway. I could see two doors. Just two.

"So..." My voice came out small. "Where am I sleeping?"

Magnus took off his snowy boots and set them by the fire. Then he looked straight at me.

"With me."

My mouth dropped open. "With you? In your bedroom?"

"Yes."

"But we barely know each other!" My cheeks were burning. "We met two hours ago. In the snow. While rogues were trying to eat me!"

Magnus walked slowly toward me. He stopped so close that I had to tilt my head back to look at his face. The firelight danced in his gray eyes.

"We are married," he said in a low voice. "Aren't we?"