Chapter 172 CHAPTER 172
Evelyn’s POV
It was 2am and the mansion was getting gradually quiet. Adrenaline was fading and reasoning was returning. As I leaned on the kitchen counter, I agreed that it was best that my mum stayed in the mansion for the time being. I was also very disturbed about the deal she had agreed to take with Viktor Calderon. I couldn’t trust him. In fact, I trusted Alpha Raymond more than I trusted that man.
When I returned to the sitting groom, she told me that she was ready to go to sleep. A maid led us to her room. It was just next to Philly’s room.
“It’s so beautiful,” I said, admiring the interiors. “Don’t get too comfortable.”
Her mood was still damp and I wondered if there was more that she had not told me yet.
“Are you okay, mum?” I asked.
She looked at me for a few seconds before she nodded. “I’m fine. Just worried about Maya.”
I sat on the bed. “She was married to him all these years,” I said. “Why? Did he force her to marry him?”
Her eyes were hollow with grief. “Yes,” she replied. “He wanted to use her for dark magic. He was convinced she had dark powers.”
I tried to recall the first time I had bumped into her. It was at that fundraiser’s dinner. I remembered how agitated she had looked that day. Getting caught by a monster she had escaped from would be traumatizing. It reminded me of Xavier.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t really think it was this bad. People like him shouldn’t be… we shouldn’t be making deals with him, mum.”
Her shoulders sagged and she sat on the bed. “What do you want us to do? It’s the only way we can have a chance at winning."
I just wished there was no war in the first place. The Moons. Greywoods. And Calderons. I wished we didn’t have to be caught in the middle of a senseless war.
“Even if we give him alpha Raymond, we can’t trust that Calderon would keep his words. He is a ruthless bastard,” I said. “And offering him Alpha Raymond, the mayor of this city, on a platter, should be more rewarding than this.”
I felt a tinge of guilt discussing Alpha Raymond in that way. I had to remind myself that it was something he did every time he sat behind a closed door. Everyone was a pawn in his game of chess.
I thought briefly of telling her the truth that he had a soft spot for her. Perhaps she could leverage on that and get closer to him faster. But I'd seen her eyes when she returned from the date without seeing her secret lover. I didn't want to see her devastated when she found out this secret lover was Alpha Raymond.
“You should get some sleep, mum,” I said, yawning. I still had my date dress on and it was getting pretty uncomfortable.
“You should try to complete your fox journey,” she said. “You can’t keep Nyra waiting for you till forever.”
I stopped. I still had about three more phases to go. I could communicate with Nyra whenever I wanted to, so I didn't see the need to go through the symbol of flame.
“When this chaos settles,” I said. “I’ll walk through the flames.”
Alpha Michael was still in the sitting room when I returned. He got up on his feet and walked towards me, meeting me at the foot of the stairs.
“It’s been such an eventful evening,” he said, smiling with his eyes. “You should get some rest. I’ve had the maid clean up your room for you.”
“Oh,” I said. “I had no plans to sleep here tonight. It’s just 2am. I can still drive to my house. You don’t have to bother.”
He caught my arm before I slipped past him. “You can’t go out tonight. Or sleep at your place alone. I can’t let you do that.”
“I’m not a kid,” I countered.
“Well, I'm just concerned,” he replied.
He was still holding my hand. His commanding presence was in sharp contrast to the softness in his eyes. “Please. It’s just tonight.”
When he said it like that, I couldn't refuse.
“I guess it’s too late to drive alone,” I said and he smiled.
“Let me take you to your room.”
I stopped him. “I lived here for a couple of months. I know the way.”
He laughed.
“Goodnight,” I said.
“Goodnight,” he replied.
I felt his eyes on my back as I ascended the stairs until I disappeared into the corridors.
—
The room was exactly the way i had left it the last time I was there. The only thing that was changed was the sheets on the bed. I slumped on the bed and struggled out of my dress. Then I laid down on the bed for minutes, half naked.
After I dragged myself to take a shower, I opened the drawers and ran my fingers over some of the nightwears I had left behind. I found one that brought memories and I smiled as my fingers brushed over it. It was the nightwear I was putting on the first time Alpha Michael came into my room when I was nursing a sprained ankle.
I raised it to my nose and smelt it. It was perfect for the night.
I found my journal in the bedside drawer, and it was only then I realised that I had left it behind. I curled on the bed and read through my early days in Greywood’s mansion. I laughed when I read how I described Alpha Michael with strong and mean words. I laughed when I talked about his rules and tears slipped from my eyes when I grew courageous to admit that I was falling in love with him.
“Stupid, stupid heart,” I said.
Then there was a tap on the door. And another. I wondered if it was the maid.
“Come in,” I said, putting the journal away.
The door opened and Alpha Michael
stood in the doorway, just as he had stood in the doorway that night, many months ago.